can anyone help me with my computer/ computer buying dilema?

If you don't play games or use any other special windows software, my personal suggestion would be to resize your windows partition to just big enough for the OS, with a gig or five extra in case you needed to run windows software. Then switch to linux fulltime. There's really no need for security concerns if you do so, as long as you keep a firewall up. I mean, could SOME crazy stuxnet blackhat shit get in your shit? Yeah, but they can also get it in fucking weapons centrifuges, and I doubt the iranians where surfing facebook on their centrifuge. I think you're totally safe being online in linux or UNIX/BSD/solaris/whatever, simultaneously as you work on all your secret shit. Don't accidentally update it to facebook or some stupid shit, and you're all set.

I mean, it's also beyond unlikely that anyone will break in just to steal your shit. Even if you had a real break-in, they only want your credit card info, and to delete your shit and make your life hell. It would be a concern for an administrator with any type of server, because as soon as your computer actually answers others you're full of potential security holes. But if you have a firewall with nothing but normal browsing ports open, you should be just fine.

Being new to linux you should probably read up a bit on partitioning before you install, so as to have the best formats for each partition, and to make sure you have things like swap sized properly. I can help a bit, if you want.

 

The one bad thing about Linux , most of the games are crappy . No one wants to spend a lot of time writing a game they will never make money on . I down loaded an earlier version of http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ultimate but had truble making it work , so I dont know if the games on it were much good .

 

There's lots of games....

Some things play in WINE, like WoW.

And, steam is now on linux. Specifically, on ubuntu. Obviously, not all of their games will run in linux over-night, but it shows that they know which way the wind blows. (ubuntu is supposed to ship on ten percent of new computers within a year, I believe)

 

I guess it was all the problems I had trying to make UE, and flight gear work . I should down load new copies and try again . My last programing was in basic in the mid 70s . I just cant quite get C or python , some Linux needs tweking to run rite. http://ultimateedition.info/ultimate-edition/ultimate-edition-3-5/ http://www.flightgear.org/

 

I'd agree, I've never gotten those to work well.... but some things do.

 

There was a tetris like game that I liked that came with one distro . On most of the Ubuntu based distros you can down load and set up games and other software from the Ubuntu service center . I guess there are a few good games that run under Linux .

 

Some of the laptops at Best Buy are a great deal for what you get,

1) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...lack/7335059.p?id=1218840175097&skuId=7335059

2) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba...lack/6952832.p?id=1218816233087&skuId=6952832

 

Dude, fucking steam is on ubuntu. Obviously not all of their games yet, but, steam.

Ubuntu will be on ten percent of new computers sold at the end of this year, I read.

It's currently only for ubuntu, but can of course be hacked onto other systems. When something happens for linux, it will be on all linux, if someone wants it there.



Those laptops are, like all modern computers, scary powerful for the price. But there's no reason for OP to buy a different a computer, all they need is a new OS. I still feel fast with 2gb 800mhz DDR2....