I want to switch away from windows to Linux...I'm pretty good with computers, but everything I'm reading and trying to do I'm finding real confusing. Does anyone have any tips as to which Linux based OS to get and how to get it installed? Anything else really important I should know? Thanx.
http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu is highly rated and one of the easiest to learn. I've toyed around with earlier versions of it. My problem is I have some programs for which there is no Linux equivelant so far. Thats whats holding a lot of people back right now. x
I'm actually changing back to windows from linux its very tedious you have to enter in all the commands and make sure you update if you get linux with debian and enlightenment, if you know alot about computers and like it then it would be the softwear for you, its a pretty bad ass system =), however if you dont feel like doing alot of work then i wouldn't recoment getting it.
KDE rules over Gnome. I suppose that is subject to oppinion, but it has many more features and in some areas it's much cleaner. As far as programs, I have yet to find anything I needed that I could not get. Perhaps I don't do as much on my computer as some. I would though, suggest dual booting to make sure. This, in my opinion, is best done with 2 hard drives. It may take some time to find out what programs you need, but a lot of your old ones will still be available. Mozilla programs, The GIMP, Pidgin, VLC.. It's all there. Some of the ones exclusive to Linux can be better though, so keep looking. I think the only one I stuck with is Firefox. Whatever you end up doing it will likely be a change you won't regret. -Now that I think about it, there is one thing. Proper video cards are easier to configure than their integrated counterparts. Some 3D bits won't render properly (at all, really) without configuration, so if you want the fancy stuff get a video card or it can be a bitch to get set up.
if i where you starting out on linux i would install a virtual machine, then install 8.04 ubuntu and go from there to learn the basics of the os and how to manage the os. Permissions w/o the gui can be a interesting concept and takes a while to get use to. Also read up on the forums to check your hardware out alot of people see the compiz fusion effects and think what great eye candy i want that so they switch and are left w/o windows so end up reinstalling again. Just my two cents if you need help or anything feel free to ask and let us know how it goes
i learned on KDE and i highly recommend it to ne new linux user its a desktop enviro like windows but still has the original linux command prompt so u can learn all the commands while still being able to use a regular desktop
You may be able to install on a USB flash drive to try it out without changing your computer at all. Fedora Core 9 has a way to try this. It's nice because you can verify that all your hardware will work fine. Ubuntu probably has that too. They definitely have a way to boot from the CD or DVD, but that runs really slow so it might turn you off. The USB flash drives are sooo cheap now from Amazon or someplace similar and it's pretty easy to setup. Things will be different, and can be frustrating at times making the change, but it's really enlightening and rewarding. Just don't get too frustrated and learn to politely ask for help and you'll be fine. It won't be any worse than going from XP to Vista would be.
One other thing....if you want to run Linux in a virtual machine, I've heard that VirtualBox is really easy to use: http://www.virtualbox.org/ and will run on Windows. I have it setup the other way, Linux Host and Win in a virtual machine. I use xen because VirtualBox wasn't mature when I setup my system. It's really nice because you can have both OSs running simultaneously on the same box, so you don't have to reboot.
Linux is a pain in the arse, especially if you want to view media or you think you know what your doing. The Linux community only likes total idiots, or people who write there own kernel patches, and god forbid you should want to watch anything that's in a propriety format, or want anything other than the most generic drivers for your hardware. My advice is stick to windows until the waves of vista refugees force the Linux crowd down from their ivory towers and they stop treating everyone like idiots or phd grads.
I don't know what to say....except to repeat myself. And to say, the Linux community has been a great help to me. As a group, most of the time they even help new people understand the protocol (how to ask a question, what background information they need, etc.) if someone comes in and does not spend the time to figure that out themselves before asking for help. It's definitely not for everyone, and even if you are a Windows expert, you may feel like a beginner until things start to click.
