Advice - Linux

I have been using windows for a long time but recently I have been tossing it around about trying Linux. I have been told it's a good operating system. what I want to know is what version is best to begin with, and is there anything I should be aware of ?

I've played around with several distros and there is a LOT you need to be aware of. First and foremost is the fact that all distros support different and a wide variety array of hardware. The one I had the most success with in terms of that is Xandros OCE. It recognized all of my hardware as listed in my sig and it is free. The second one and maybe the most user friendly is Linspire. It had issues with my different video cards and wireless adapters but eventually got it all working.The 3rd is Ubuntu. It recognized my SATA chips but not my video card.
Some do support SMP but not sure about Dual core. You'll find out, if you don't know anything about compiling kernels it is almost like a venture back to Windows 3.1. It is very difficult getting new drivers installed and the hardware support is mostly for way older hardware.
Try out the first 3 suggestions probably with Linspire first then keep going. The beauty of it all is that is is a far more stable OS, more secure from internet viruses and the like and it is faster. There is a disk called Linspire live, you pop it in the CD and it will run, or not so you can tell if your machine is compatible.

Good Luck. It is truly a learning adventure

Great.. Thanks for the advice. Yes I was told it's a more stable operating system and far more secure than windows. The driver aspect and installing drivers will be a challange but then it's worth the time. I will install it on a simple set up to get the feel for it and then install on my current pc. Again.. Thanks.

Try Ubuntu first: it's free unlike the others and has by now the biggest userbase and general support of the 3 distros mentioned.

Linux is a great operating system and a new exciting experience when you move from Windows to it... I would reccomend downloading Ubuntu which is a live CD that runs from the CD which allows you to see what the fuss is all about before you install it.

There are many different flavors of Linux to suit all tastes... have a look and see what you fancy at www.linuxiso.org

for a more windows-like environment (for the comfort of relearning things in a linux method), look for distros with the KDE desktop. Things like Kubuntu, Knoppix, Kanotix, etc....

Although I'm no big fan of it...Ubuntu is the place to start.

If you like what you see you can move onto other distros...

Most Excelent.. Thank you.. I shall start off with Ubuntu. I have an old PC I will install it on and work with..

Will I need an Anti-Virus ?

Don't go looking for a virus and you probably won't find one with linux

One caveat with Linux and old PCs, particularly with recent desktop distros like Ubuntu but others too: they like memory, a lot. THeir RAM requirements are the same as WindowsXP: 256MB minimum, 512MB good.

You can run Linux in much smaller machines, but not a standard Ubuntu (or other desktop distro) install.

UnseenMenace said:

Linux is a great operating system and a new exciting experience when you move from Windows to it... I would reccomend downloading Ubuntu which is a live CD that runs from the CD which allows you to see what the fuss is all about before you install it.

There are many different flavors of Linux to suit all tastes... have a look and see what you fancy at www.linuxiso.org

Click to expand...

Linuxiso.org has been down for a long time, try here instead. They've got a very complete list. I would also recommend getting a (or several) live CD versions so you can see what they're like. Knoppix, Kubuntu, Slax, DSL, etc.

I would give PCLinux a shot, it is very user friendly and a good beginner distro http://www.pclinuxonline.com/news.php .

as far as ubuntu goes, it's a good distro, but if you want a really simple way to install ubuntu with the gui and everything already working and most of your multimedia plugins and codecs already installed, try Simplymepis http://www.mepis.org/ .

both are easy to use, beginner friendly, and run reasonably fast after they are installed. They are both live cd's which means you put the cd in the drive, boot into it and you get to play with it all you want without touching your harddrive, if you decide you want to install it, just click on the install icon. pretty slick

Most Excelent... I put Ubuntu in a spare old system. Pentium III with 256 mb ram. with a Intel -board. Runs good and am a bit amazed with it. I will work with it for a while before moving on to other Linux versions. I kept my hardware simple to see how well the install would go, drivers ect. It installed smooth and found everything. Thanks for all the advice...