Linux ???

[Yikes]

I?m considering running an alternative OS to Windows XP. I?m thinking one of the Linux variants. I have never used Linux so I am unsure how to proceed. So I have a few questions.

I?d want a dual boot XP/Linux. Does anyone know of good tutorial web sites concerning this?

Any opinions on the different versions of Linux?

Does anyone know of music software for Linux (Open source) Burning/Ripping/Playing?

Can I put both boot sections on one drive? I do have two drives so it?s not an issue.

Any sites listing open source (Free) applications for Linux?

Is Linux what I should be looking at?

Thanks

[Dusty Chalk]

Is Linux what I should be looking at?

Yes, absolutely.

Unfortunately, I know very little about it myself, but I will be doing this as well, and it's not hard.

There's several boot-from-able CD's and/or DVD's that you can download and burn, if you want to try the different variants non-destructively. They're called live CD's or live DVD's. I have about 6 or 7 different ones.

Someone on here...user "devwild", apparently...recommended Ubuntu/Kubuntu for their "live" CD's/DVD's. User "amb" also seems to be an avid linux user.

See this thread.

There was a link to dualbooting somewhere on microsoft.com, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for in terms of tutorials. You may just want to search on dualboot linux windows.

I'm going to be doing it on two separate drives as well, but I'm 99.44% positive it can be done on one drive.

[JBLoudG20]

I t can be done on the same drive, but you need more than one partition. Linux uses (most commonly) the ext2 file system, and of course, XP uses NTFS. A tool such as partition magic can resize your current partition, to free up some space.

Just about ANYTHING you can do in Windows, can be doe for free on open source software.

I would check out Ubuntu or Kubuntu (Ubuntu uses Gnome for the window manager, and Kubuntu uses KDE). Using the apt-get system makes install software as simple as: sudo apt-get install (application name). For any program you are looking for, head over to ubuntuforums.org and search for say "photoshop" and you will fine all sorts of recommendations for Linux replacements.

Feel free to ask whatever you want here, I will help as much as I can.

[Yikes]

Just about ANYTHING you can do in Windows, can be doe for free on open source software.

I would check out Ubuntu or Kubuntu (Ubuntu uses Gnome for the window manager, and Kubuntu uses KDE). Using the apt-get system makes install software as simple as: sudo apt-get install (application name). For any program you are looking for, head over to ubuntuforums.org and search for say "photoshop" and you will fine all sorts of recommendations for Linux replacements.

Feel free to ask whatever you want here, I will help as much as I can.

You do realize that to a total Linux neophyte the sections in bold seem to be a foreign language. I'll check out ubuntuforums.org, Thanks.

[ojnihs]

I like Slackware Linux and I use Fluxbox as my window management on my Linux desktop back home. I didn't like Gnome or KDE.

[JBLoudG20]

You do realize that to a total Linux neophyte the sections in bold seem to be a foreign language. I'll check out ubuntuforums.org, Thanks.

Whoops sorry. Gnome and KDE are window managers. They are the actual user interface that you interact with. KDE resembles Windows more, IMO.

Apt-Get is just a technology that Debian uses. It allows for the install of program using repositories (repositories are really nothing more than storage facilities for current release versions of programs) so when I use apt-get to install a program (for example GAIM (an instant messaging client)) I type sudo apt-get install GAIM. Sudo allows for administrator privileges (here it is needed to install a program), apt-get is just a command we use to tell the machine to use apt to install the program, install (obviously to install the program) and the package name GAIM. apt then goes to the repositories, downloads all the program info it needs, then automatically installs it for you.

[Yikes]

This is the problem. My friend recommended SUSE and I've had two other different recommendations. So I?ve gotten three different recommendations from 4 people. Choice is great if you are an experienced user, but choice just confuses the hell out of someone just getting started.

I've created a boot-CD of Ubuntu. I'll play with that and see if it suits.

[grawk]

Think of it as a low bar to entry. If you can't pick a distribution, you probably won't be happy with linux at all. Because every choice is yours, none are made for you.

[JBLoudG20]

IMO (any many others as I have read on the internets) Ubuntu is the easiest to switch to. I have used many of the other distros, but I have stayed with Ubuntu.

With that said, I am also a believer in the idea that Linux isn't for everybody. I don't try to convert friends/family and I don't usually go out of my way to recommend it on forums. Although I love it, not everyone will. There are things that windows does better, (like pay a staff to keep the system up to date on drivers) and many more things that Linux does better. Then there are things that are out of control of the developers, but can sway certain users. For instance device drivers are usually developed for windows and windows only. Therefore, developers have to write their own drivers. Of course Windows has better hardware support out of the box. However, with some configuration, 95% of hardware should work without incident. Linux is making VERY big gains in this aspect.

Just the other day I booted back into windows, and spent about 30 minutes virus scanning, updating, spyware scanning, firewall updating, etc, and I realized just how much I hate windows. This is not a consequence of Windows perse, but of the popularity of windows. I just don't have to deal with all that crap in Linux.

[JBLoudG20]

Think of it as a low bar to entry. If you can't pick a distribution, you probably won't be happy with linux at all. Because every choice is yours, none are made for you.

Really its just overwhelming to a new user. There are choices made for you... called a default intallation. You can remain happy with what packages are installed, or decide to customize to your liking. That is a beauty of Linux, not a setback as you imply. I prefer to have my computing experience my own, not what Microsoft tells me to have.

You can build and customize your own machine, hand picking all the parts, why not your operating system? You interact with your OS more directly than your hardware, I would think it would make more sense.

[philodox]

The couple times that I've went on a Linux kick I used Debian... but something like Ubuntu is probably better for a first timer. As for Linux being able to do anything that XP can, I suppose that is true from an application standpoint. But you can't play oblivion.

[JBLoudG20]

The couple times that I've went on a Linux kick I used Debian... but something like Ubuntu is probably better for a first timer. As for Linux being able to do anything that XP can, I suppose that is true from an application standpoint. But you can't play oblivion.

Not natively, but you can via wine, again a weakness of developers and not the Linux system itself. Everyday, Linux is (on the average) gaining marketshare, and I really think you will see more and more gains when Vista rolls out. This, of course, is just one man's opinion.

[Dusty Chalk]

You do realize that to a total Linux neophyte the sections in bold seem to be a foreign language.

I'm going to throw an iota of information that hopefully will clarify: on linux, there are two things -- the operating system, and the window manager. You remember when you had dos, and you had to start up windows from the command line? And then it got moved to autoexec.bat? It's sort of like that. So they're usually referred to separately, although they're usually distributed together.

[mjg]

for your first distro try out fedora. It's pretty easy to setup...

I run debian personally, my distro of choice. If your feeling ambituous try out the debian network install and see if u can learn on your way.

[philodox]

Not natively, but you can via wine, again a weakness of developers and not the Linux system itself.

Well, yeah, but that's not really the same thing is it. Any idea if I would see performance losses over just running the game on XP? It has been a while since I messed around with any of those emulators.

[JBLoudG20]

Well, yeah, but that's not really the same thing is it. Any idea if I would see performance losses over just running the game on XP? It has been a while since I messed around with any of those emulators.

You would almost definitely have a performance loss. But you wouldn't have to use windows, so its worth it

[grawk]

Not natively, but you can via wine, again a weakness of developers and not the Linux system itself. Everyday, Linux is (on the average) gaining marketshare, and I really think you will see more and more gains when Vista rolls out. This, of course, is just one man's opinion.

I'm sorry, vista won't make more developers switch to linux. Linux being used by people willing to pay for software is what will get developers writing for linux. In otherwords, some business software, but almost no games. And it will stay like that forever.

[JBLoudG20]

I'm sorry, vista won't make more developers switch to linux. Linux being used by people willing to pay for software is what will get developers writing for linux. In otherwords, some business software, but almost no games. And it will stay like that forever.

I VERY highly doubt it will be forever. Actually the table are already beginning to turn as iD begins native Linux support. Others are following suit. How can you possibly state "It will stay like that forever" You have no idea what the future will bring. None.

I am very willing to pay for QUALITY software. Vista does not meet that requirement, so I refuse to pay for it. I don't know many people who will be very willing to pay to upgrade to vista, considering the hardware requirements that it will require. The past shows the trend: Linux is gaining steam. Enough so that M$ is beginning to worry about it as competition with Windows. The Novell/MS deal only shows that (as long as MS doesn't squash the current GNU technicalities) the OS is emerging, and with gaining popularity comes better development. Will it ever be on the scale of windows? Of course not. Linux is based on Open Source principles, and (hopefully) will remain about the users, not the profit margins.

[deepak]

Vista doesn't have steep hardware requirements.

[JBLoudG20]

Vista doesn't have steep hardware requirements.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[deepak]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.

* 1 GB of system memory.

* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.

* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.

* DVD-ROM Drive3.

* Audio output capability.

* Internet access capability.

And you could have all of the above with a PC thats 5+ years old!

Keep on raging against the machine, I'm sure more will join in the fight! Let me know when the picket line has a hotdog stand.

[deepak]

And I just installed/ran Vista on an equally old PC. My spare computer is an Athlon XP 1600+ with 1 GB of memory and a ATi 9700pro, and it ran perfectly. I haven't added anything to that PC in 3 years.

So unless you're stuck in the past Vista's requirements are very reasonable. The latest Unreal 3 engine games require at least a Geforce6 series card...and people are bitching about that

[Dusty Chalk]

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.

* 1 GB of system memory.

* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.

* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.

* DVD-ROM Drive3.

* Audio output capability.

* Internet access capability.

And you could have all of the above with a PC thats 5+ years old!

* One glutton for punishment user

And that comes standard, too.

[deepak]

* One glutton for punishment user

And that comes standard, too.

Don't tempt me to install it on my audio pc- Via C3 600 mhz, I bet it could be stripped down quite a bit

[ojnihs]

Either way, I hate Windows and Micro$oft. Go Apple!