Windows vs Linux...Which is Best?

[Razorbacx]

I recently just got screwed and although I feel like a total idiot for letting it happen I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say that a supposed good friend really hooked me up with a bogus copy of WIN XP Pro after I had sold my old computer with a legitimate copy of Win XP. The rest is history.

So, my question is....I'm thinking about migrating from WIN XP PRO to a Linux OS to avoid the hassles of MS. I've heard from a few people that made the change and they love Linux, however I am curious as to your opinions. With so many different versions of Linux out there, which one is best? Are there any compatiability issues with nonmicrosoft software? I have my HD partitioned into three sections and so testing one out before fully committing would not be an issue.

Thanks,

Razorbacx

[kenc51]

Linux can do everthing M$ can do except for gaming......ok, you can game but with severly reduced frame rates and alot of effort.....

If your not into gaming Linux can easilly compete with M$. BUT Linux is very hard to adjust to! It takes alot of effort, research and testing!
If you like to tweak and don't mind the idea of using the command line then it not too hard.
this thread has some usefull links.*All About Linux*
Checkout http://www.Distrowatch.com for info on all the different versions.

I suggest using a second HDD when you start out, as you will be reinstalling linux so many times at first you might delete/format the xp partition accidentilly....ive done it many times

I use Suse 10.....very easy to use and loads of software support
Most distros will install either KDE or Gnome (or more). These are desktop eviroments.....There are other desktops, kde and gnome are the biggest and best looking but others have low mem/cpu useage etc. Also with most distros you can do nearly all configuring/installing etc using the GUI. You need command line when editing/fixing things to do with gfx.

Keep pen & paper nearby too ;)

[Razorbacx]

Linux can do everthing M$ can do except for gaming......ok, you can game but with severly reduced frame rates and alot of effort....

Well, I'm not a huge gamer, but I do love to play BF2. As far as tweaking goes, I hate to do that, because I like to set something up and then go on cruise control. My pc is the family pc and I need something that is easy to use for everyone. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy a new key from M$ (appropriately labeled).

Thanks,

Razorbacx

[kenc51]

Id say download suse 10 and install it onto that partition....it will allow you to dual boot from XP and Linux....with some very easy config' you can have it setup for everything but gaming.... the config will only be for various video format support......takes ~5-10mins.....

you have firefox, thundrbird, openoffice various desktops to play with and it's stable....if you don't like it, format it and use the partition for storage in windows!

Now harm in trying ! (if only for curiososity!)
Just backup really important data.....just as if you would if installing windoze

[KnightRid]

I will be the first to say - Linux is like starting over from about the second month of having a computer for the first time ;)

Windows - I would grab XP Home if you want to stay with windows, staples and best both had it on sale last week for $50 after rebates. More will run it soon probably. Pro is worthless unless you have an insane networking setup at home ;) or dual cpus - not dual core, cause that will work on Home, but 2 seperate cpus in your system.

Linux is nice, and it seems if it is mainly for surfing the web and email, it will be REAL easy to learn. If you like to do video editing, etc like me, then it seems to be a royal bitch and I will stick with windows for at least a little while yet on my main rig ;)

Mike

[DMB2000uk]

Ive just finished downloading SUSE 10 to install on my laptop.

Ive always fancied a dable with it, but the lack of standard drivers has put me off doing it for a while.

How big a partition do you recommend for the LINUx install?

Dan

[kenc51]

How big a partition do you recommend for the LINUx install?

Dan

10GB is plenty......a full suse install is about ~5GB

[Topher]

Man, what a loaded question.....

I'd like to break from the other suggested distros and suggest you check out Xandros Linux. Its designed for those who are new to Linux and come from a Windows background. Normally, Xandros is not free for business use, however they do have a free version for home use. You can find it here:
http://www.xandros.com/products/home/de ... nload.html

I've installed about 10 different distros over time and have found Xandros to be the most user friendly of them all. And, the deluxe business edition has the absolute best Samba integration out of any disto I've seen. It works damn near seemlessly in a Windows Domain environment. Just specify the name of your domain controller running as the PDC emulator, then log right into the domain just as if you were on a windows workstation. Not that it matters for home use though.....

[Razorbacx]

I've checked out Xandros and I think that I'll give it a try. I've dl'ed the free edition and will install it on my empty partition. Hopefully, this will do the job and get me out from under the M$ evil empire.... Have you tried to run any games such as BF2 from it?

Thanks Topher!

Razorbacx

[kenc51]

I've checked out Xandros and I think that I'll give it a try. I've dl'ed the free edition and will install it on my empty partition. Hopefully, this will do the job and get me out from under the M$ evil empire.... Have you tried to run any games such as BF2 from it?

Thanks Topher!

Razorbacx

To run M$ based games you need to run an emulator called wine or winex for directx games......plus have gfx drivers installed and setup for 3D.
I always found it a real pain getting directx games like BF2 to run, and when they do, they run crap!
OpenGL games are better and some, like UT2003 etc have support for linux.....but you need an Nvidia card as ATI still sux in linux (but are improving ALOT)
I'm afraid M$ have us where they want us and they know it.......................

[alister]

I've checked out Xandros and I think that I'll give it a try. I've dl'ed the free edition and will install it on my empty partition. Hopefully, this will do the job and get me out from under the M$ evil empire.... Have you tried to run any games such as BF2 from it?

Thanks Topher!

Razorbacx

Xandros is nice you also have Freespire and Kubuntu. This all use the KDE interface which I like better than Gnome because it is more Windows like and I find it easier to use/custotmize.

Alister

[bubba]

I have used Xandros before to try out linux, I liked it, but I'm still using windows. Maybe one day I will make the full switch but there are just 1 or 2 things that I like to do that I can't do with linux just yet, well not as easy as I can on my XP box.

I also tried fedora, nice for a sever but unless you are realy in to linux I would avoid it.

[alister]

To run M$ based games you need to run an emulator called wine or winex for directx games......plus have gfx drivers installed and setup for 3D.
I always found it a real pain getting directx games like BF2 to run, and when they do, they run crap!
OpenGL games are better and some, like UT2003 etc have support for linux.....but you need an Nvidia card as ATI still sux in linux (but are improving ALOT)
I'm afraid M$ have us where they want us and they know it.......................

There are quite a few games for linux out there also

The Linux Game Tome

Alister

[karpediem]

Yeah, gaming in linux sucks =/ It's getting better but it doesn't compete with windows.

I realize this is a bit late, but oh well. Switching to linux from windows is rough. As it was pointed out earlier, if you don't game much, then it's not so bad. I've always been a fan of Debian but Ubuntu/Kubuntu are more user friendly I think.

I've found installing linux on the same computer as windows to be a pain, until I figured out how to keep it from messing windows up. The best way to do it is install linux on a separate hard drive from windows, so that it doesn't over write windows' master boot record. And when you install linux on a separate hard drive, make sure you unplug the windows drive so that it doesn't over write the master boot record, it will do it there as well.

If you would just like to test out linux, see what it's like, you can download bootable cd's with the operating system on them. They're pretty nice since all you do is download the ISO, burn, restart your computer and boot to the cd. I know that ubuntu/kubuntu had Live CDs (as they're called), I don't see them for download on their website any more, and another one, Knoppix, I've always liked.

So if you ever wanna just see linux, try knoppix

[Razorbacx]

I'm curious, what makes Linux so different from Windows when running games or other software for that matter? I mean aren't we just talking about drivers and such? There has got to be a happy medium where software can run on any OS. Can anyone please explain this to me in layman's terms?

Thanks,

Razorbacx

[Topher]

I'm curious, what makes Linux so different from Windows when running games or other software for that matter? I mean aren't we just talking about drivers and such?

Nope, Linux and Windows are very much different under the hood.

There has got to be a happy medium where software can run on any OS. Can anyone please explain this to me in layman's terms?

What you're talking about is called "Cross Platform" and it's not as easy as you might think. Sun attempted to bridge the gap between platforms with Java. Provided you are running the java runtime developed for the specific platform you are running (Windows, Linux, etc) then you should be able to run any application created in Java across any of these OSes. Great idea, but it still hasn't conquered the world.

C++ (if coded properly) can be compiled to run on multiple platforms, but I'm not a developer and not really qualified to explain this any further, so I'll just shut up now.....

[pcrobot]

If you don't do much gaming, I'd go to Linux. Gaming's the only reason I have XP. I like the Ubuntu and SimplyMEPIS distros.