Linux vs. Windows - Again

[PunePosse]

I've been thinking about upgrading from Windows XP Home to Linux.
I've heard so many good things about Linux from Forums, Other people, on games.

I want to know your opinions on Linux and how to get Linux.

Please reply.

[Tikker]

Linux comes in a bajillion different flavours, all of them subtly and sometimes not so subtly different


what do you want to do?
if it's play a lot of games, stick with windows.
if you're looking to do some coding, or servers, or pretty much anything outside of gaming, there's a viable linux alternative.


what level of experience do you have with coding and or unix?

can you follow instructions?

and the biggest, especially if you want to get into linux, are you willing to read a set of instructions that assume you know how to do 19 different pre-requisites, and then go track down those pre-requisites?




all kidding aside, what are you trying to accomplish?

switching for the sake of switching is kinda goofy

[Gidan]

The first and most important question is what do you use your box for? Is this a genreal purpose, gamaing or work from home?

In my opinion the linux OS is superior to the Windows OS IF you are a person who is willing to do your own tech support. Keep in mind almost no company offers tech support for a linux OS. If you ar comfortable with that, then it can be a really good move. Linux is a far more stable OS, it also gives you far more controle over your computer. Another bonus is that 99% of the software is open source and free. There is a linux application for just about every windows app out there. I will warn you that the learning curv for going from windows to linux can be fairly large, especially if you plan to use one of the distro's that doesn't have all the nice GUI config programs.

If you do decide to go with linux, the first thing your goint o need to do it pick a distro. For first time users, I would suggest either Fedora or SuSE (Novell). Both are very user friendly, have GUI's for doing everything, have very easy setup programs and have great apps built in for keeping it up to date similar to windows update.

Fedora is located <a href="http://fedora.redhat.com/download/"> here </a>
SuSE is located <a href="http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/suse_linux/index.html"> here</a>

Those are not always the fastest download sites and you can easily find more searching the web, there are thousands of download locations.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[Ouchyfish]

Doesn't Lindows offer some support etc? (I think they changed their name to Linspire.)

I too am curious about switching to Linspire, but I have to be able to play WoW, and download usenet smut. So I doubt that I will be able to on this machine.

The main reason I want to switch is for more efficient Ram use and less Billgates bullshit overhead.

[Gidan]

Linspire sucks, I picked up a copy just to play around with it as a possible alternative to windows on Darclers computer. They took away everything that makes linux os powerful.

If your really looking to play WoW and thats a primary concern, windwos is the way to go. I have windows installed for the purpose of playing WoW. Everything else I do in linux. Also if your not going to use it on a regular bases, and I mean really use it, then your beter off with windows.

The GUI's are convenient and all, but to really get your system running ina way you will see a difference your going to need to know how to use shell (like dos).

I am more then happy to work with people who want to learn it and switch over to it, however if your the type of person who needs icons and cant stand using a shell, its probably not going to be the way to go.

If linux is what you want to use on your primary computer, 1 you really need to drop windows completely, if you can just boot back into windows, more then likely you will not make the switch, you will give up trying. I work with linux every day at home and at work, it really is a far more powerful and stable operating system (depending upon what you want to do), IMO its well worth the change, but its not an easy one if your really use to windows and thats all you have contact with.

[Tossica]

Linux is for nerds.

[Ouchyfish]

I dabbled a lot in unix back in college only because I had learn how to use it in order to use the internet. (Back then all I knew it was good for was usenet, email, and maybe lynx lol.)

Anything along those lines?

[Lyion]

The answer is easy. Run both Linux and Windows. Have a 40 Gig partition for Linux and you can install and run everything. Then if you want to game, boot to Windows. If you want to surf or do anything else, go to Linux.

[Ouchyfish]

I predict that Darcler will write:

"/sigh

Read Gidan's first post. Links."

After this post.

Just a hunch!

[Darcler]

I'm going to taco bell to get some tacos. BYE~!

[Harrison]

I need to get my girlfriend to post here, I'd have a duo to my "stubborn-nist"

[Gidan]

IF you have run linux in the past then give have both a shot, atleast you have an idea what you getting into. Gaming is just about the only every day thing that windows is beter at (some games not all). Keep your system with both OS's on it so you can hop into windows to play WoW and then go back to linux and do the rest, if your really interested you "can" play WoW in linux but your going to see a major drop in performance. Its certainly playable but their are a few bugs and blizzard has given no indication that they will be releasing linux binaries (Bastards wrote the da,n game to work on a Mac, they are just being lazy asses).

I would as before recomend Fedora or SuSE if you consider yourself more on the novis side. If you really brave and want to try one of the more configurable less user friendly versions Slackware would be my choice but gentoo is also great.