Starting Out With Linux

[DarkManX]

Im a kinda of advanced Windows user, and through my uni work, i now have the need to use linux.

My laptop isnt the best in the world, and i dont need it to be slowed down any more than it has to. So, after mucking about with the various Ku/Xu/Ubuntu's i've decided on Xubuntu with Xfce. Yea i know it isn't all about the 'Buntu's but they seem to be the easiest to start with, and some people say the most popular. And they nice pretty GUIs for simpletons like me!

So i thought i'd use this opportunity to ask fellow Gabbers if you guys have evey experimented with Linux, and how it went, did you fully convert? or did it make you love Windows/Mac even more..

Me, i think it'll just be a side hobby for the foreseeable future when im bored and feel like tinkering.

Also, post if your thinking about trying out linux and want some tips.

[computer2slow]

I tried dual booting a few time but within a week I always manage to kill Linux some how. The Ubutu forum is really friendly and helpful to beginners.

Now I just play with a live cd of Xubuntu once in a while.

[Head_Monkey]

Welcome to the dark side *insert evil laugh*

My $0.03:

Ubuntu is the easiest to work with for linux newbies, as it works 99% out of the box. It also has the nice Live CD feature which means you can run the entire OS from a CD to make sure you like it, before you install it.

The other good thing about ubuntu is the package installation. Most of the common programs you need have already been compiled and all you need to do is type "apt-get install name_of_app", and yer set to go!

As fer running it 100%, I have a laptop which I use for work running it quite nicely. Wireless took a bit of playing with, but the community of helpers on the net is great, especially for newbies! My desktop at home is currently windows until I can find a solution for gaming under linux. Although I will mention that my video capture card which according to the manufactureres will only work in windows, doesn't, and works beautifully in Linux. Viva la Linux!

If you have a lower spec PC, there are "alternative" CDs which are designed for the lower spec PCs out there.

I know there's a few hardcore linux based life forms on here, so I'm sure they can give you a more detailed run-down on things.

EDIT: Some good links to get you started are:

http://ubuntuguide.org (program install and setup help)
http://ubuntuforums.org (forum that contains step-by-step guides for installing / configuring stuff, along with great help fer problems)

[kisinkiet]

lo

well lemme tell a bit of my story.

well, I 1st can afford my 1st PC on 1995. I can run this with windows 95 with 4 mb memory or so. eh eh. then I interested in linux. @ this time I wasn't able to run the X (windows) interface. then in 1996 I got the internet (very expensive @ this time) & tried every year the linux OS, but until 95 to 98, I wasn't able to run the X interface. on 99 finally i got it, but not the internet, I was running ISDN @ this time. during 99 to 2003 I went deeplly in windows, digging it deeplly. thern, i had a major change in my life, and I started linux again in 2003. since, I never been back to windows.

I ran redhat 9, then fedora 1, then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and I'm still on. I didn't still upgraded to fedora 7, maybe I'll skip it to get fedora 8.

well, I crawl some forums, and I often see users using Windows, M$Office, Photoshot, Autocad, etc .... software. I can't beleive these users can afford those software. Personally, all the software I run on my PC & OS is GPL, that mean not only this is free, but also you can (if you're able) modify the source code.

hmmm... another thing : there is most often several ways toi handle the things in linux : the video chip on my motherboard isn't still recognized on linux : no prob, it use the CPU instead to show me the videos

The stability :
$ uptime
22:12:20 up 26 days, 31 min, 3 users, load average: 0.02, 0.05, 0.24
$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 449748 438496 11252 0 6072 124320
-/+ buffers/cache: 308104 141644
Swap: 1046352 461200 585152

I'm running the PC since 26 days & I still have 140 Mb free memory on 440, and 585 Mb free swap on 1 Gb.

The updates :
You can update you PC quite everyday. it upgrades the OS & the software @ the same time. this way you always have the up to date OS & softwares :
# yum update
Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Setting up Update Process
Setting up repositories
livna 100% |=========================| 2.1 kB 00:00
core 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
updates 100% |=========================| 1.2 kB 00:00
extras 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
Reading repository metadata in from local files
primary.xml.gz 100% |=========================| 102 kB 00:01
livna : ############################## #################### 375/375
primary.xml.gz 100% |=========================| 421 kB 00:09
updates : ############################## #################### 1143/1143
Resolving Dependencies
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Downloading header for pango to pack into transaction set.
pango-1.14.10-2.fc6.i386. 100% |=========================| 22 kB 00:00
---> Package pango.i386 0:1.14.10-2.fc6 set to be updated
---> Downloading header for tk to pack into transaction set.
tk-8.4.13-4.fc6.i386.rpm 100% |=========================| 27 kB 00:00
---> Package tk.i386 0:8.4.13-4.fc6 set to be updated
--> Running transaction check

Dependencies Resolved

============================== ============================== =================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
============================== ============================== =================
Updating:
pango i386 1.14.10-2.fc6 updates 336 k
tk i386 8.4.13-4.fc6 updates 882 k

Transaction Summary
============================== ============================== =================
Install 0 Package(s)
Update 2 Package(s)
Remove 0 Package(s)

Total download size: 1.2 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
(1/2): pango-1.14.10-2.fc 100% |=========================| 336 kB 00:07
(2/2): tk-8.4.13-4.fc6.i3 100% |=========================| 882 kB 00:15
Running Transaction Test
Finished Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Updating : tk ######################### [1/4]
Updating : pango ######################### [2/4]
Cleanup : pango ######################### [3/4]
Cleanup : tk ######################### [4/4]

Updated: pango.i386 0:1.14.10-2.fc6 tk.i386 0:8.4.13-4.fc6
Complete!


it's that simple since february, 1/2 of the packages installed on my PC have been updated
there is always an alternative to any windows software, and it's free & GPL.

on linux, you configure some prog, and you forget it. it still run when you forgot it since monthes or years. daemons run & doesn't consume much memory & no CPU.

OK I stop here, but well I run linux since more than 4 years, and I'm fully happy

Cu

[Head_Monkey]

Them linux based life forms are very helpful...

Thanks for the input!

[DarkManX]

Ohh WhoCares is die hard

i dont think i'd be able to use ONLY linux any time too soon. I seem to be quite prone to breaking it. I spose theres some things you take for granted though when youve been using windows your whole life. (such as the taskbar loading up everytime you turn it on).

But if i had a choice to choose vista for a few hundred quid or free linux, i would definately use the latter, and if it was my only choice i probably would spend more time getting to know it and ironing out the problems.

But i spose its good to know that there are mostly free (sometimes not) linux based alternatives.

Just as another point, and no im not trying to start a schoolboy flame war.

How do mac users, or windows users who have had to use mac's think of how they compare to linux.

I've had to use Macs in the past, and they infuriate me no end. And yes i know theyre good at video editing and blah blah blah, i dont care i have no need for that. But as a simple personal computer, i dont think i'd ever be able to live with it. Let alone pay for it.

Thanks for your thoughts. keep them coming.

[computer2slow]

You could duel boot. Win98se/Linux WinXp/Linux etc. While they normally get along I wouldn't do it on your only machine or if you use it for work or school. The 98se/Linux is the easiest to convertt back to just Windows.


Apple OSes is pretty much Linux/Unix you pay for and are made easier/prettier.

[nyquil junkie]

try PClinuxOS.

It works pretty well on most anything I try it on.
Ive run it off a live CD for weeks surfing the net, I like it.

[mczplwp]

A friend told me about a Linux package that you literally install inside Windows for a dual boot but you don't repartition your hard drive! I'll find out what flavor it is.
He was telling me that it creates the system folders inside your windows folder. I believe you can access your windows doc folder as well from the Linux boot.
Then again when I've run Puppy Linux OS on disc I've accessed the Windows folders no problem.
I'm to busy fixing everyone else's blown up computers to have time to play with Linux. I do have a client that installed Ubuntu and LOVES it. He had a time getting his modem to work. Something in the dial out command line. An extra character was inserted!

[kisinkiet]

Originally Posted by mczplwp

A friend told me about a Linux package that you literally install inside Windows for a dual boot but you don't repartition your hard drive! I'll find out what flavor it is.
He was telling me that it creates the system folders inside your windows folder. I believe you can access your windows doc folder as well from the Linux boot.
Then again when I've run Puppy Linux OS on disc I've accessed the Windows folders no problem.
I'm to busy fixing everyone else's blown up computers to have time to play with Linux. I do have a client that installed Ubuntu and LOVES it. He had a time getting his modem to work. Something in the dial out command line. An extra character was inserted!

well mczplwp, I guess for a windows user that not repartition your HD could be an amazing solution. BUT there is 2 points about it :
1) if you don't repartition your HD you won't have all the linux partition benefits, including journalized partitions, swap partition also
2) if you partition or no, you still have access to windows partition, with all the benefits of the filesystem you choose (you can choose between several ones) , something wich isn't possible in windows, without installing some shareware or freeware to get files from linux partitions.

hmmm.... I work on windows @ work and I'm on linux @ home. sometimes I get work documents to home, I export to excel, I work on openoffice @ home, then I get back the results @ work on excel
it's the same way on any type of documents, like pdf wich are very helpfull

CU