linux

[Mr Snub]

what exactly is linux
what is the best type
can u run games and other apps that i would run normally under it

sorry im a newb

 

[Jeff Bolton]

linux is an open-source operating system, which means all of the code is available to everyone, who may alter it to suit their own needs. this is unlike windows, since all of windows' code is closed-source. it is a very stable operating system and when configured correctly it will almost never crash like windows will. it is a phenomenal server operating system and desktop system too. it is very customizable (moreso that windows by far) and you can do almost anything in linux that you can do in windows. if there is not a linux version of a windows program (like AOL instant messenger for linux, made by AOL), there is an equivalent that is sometimes better (like staroffice, made by sun microsystems which is better imo than microsoft office). i recommend either redhat, mandrake, or suse linux for beginners. i use redhat and it is almost as easy to install as windows. distrobutions such as debian and slackware are for more experienced user who still aren't newbified but it is up to you which one you want to use. i also recommend buying the commercial version which helps out the companies and linux as a whole. they run between $30-$100 but that is still way cheaper than a windows distro. however if money is a problem you can go to www.linuxiso.org and download the cds to many linux distros for free. remember that's the beauty of linux: open source means cheap or free for the user-base.

as far as games go, that is where linux lacks. there are ported versions of some games, like quake 3 that were made by loki games, but sadly loki went out of business a few months ago. most people are stuck with the option of using wine (a windows emulator) to play windows games in linux. i haven't had any luck with this program and it definitely is not the same as playing the games in windows.

the bottom line: if you are willing to do without the games but want a stable alternative to windows that you can do almost anything in (for FREE!!!!), go with linux. it will be a bit of a culture shock at first being a newbie, but you'll get used to it and i believe it will be a rewarding experience for you.

jeff

 

[Wa11y]

what exactly is linux
what is the best type
can u run games and other apps that i would run normally under it

sorry im a newb

You're gonna find quite a few linux n00bs here. Nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, even a few of us senior members are linux n00b.

Linux is an operating system based off Unix. It's a GUI (Graphical User Interface) much like Windows. It's open source, which means you don't have to pay for it, but it's a good idea to buy your first distro in a store, so you can get the manual that comes with it, and also to support Linux, if you believe in supporting it.

There are quite a few different distros (distributions, essentally "flavors") of Linux. I, myself, have only ever worked with Mandrake, but there is also RedHat, Slackware, and quite a few others.

I believe some Windows applications can be modified to work under Linux, but there are also some Windows emulators for Linux so you can run your Windows apps (which I think defeats the purpose of running Linux, but that's just me.)

If you search through some older posts here you'll find a wealth of information on the subject, and some recommendations as well.

Good luck!

 

[David]

what exactly is linux
what is the best type
can u run games and other apps that i would run normally under it

sorry im a newb

Linux is an open source OS - based on the linux kernel written by Linus Torvalds as a UNIX clone. Many of the programs - such as the shell, GUI etc are totally seperate from the actual linux. The correct term for linux is in fact GNU/Linux - acknowledging that it is actually the GNU OS using the Linux kernel.
Links
-------
GNU - www.gnu.org
Linux - www.linux.org

Linux comes in a variety of forms, each called distributions. They differ only very slightly - in their setup programs usually.
The most popular ones are:
Redhat = www.redhat.com 7.2 is the latest
SuSE = www.suse.com 7.3 latest
Mandrake = www.linux-mandrake.com 8.1 latest.
Debian = www.debian.org 2.2 latest (I think)

All modern distros come with a GUI (pictures ) - this is XFree86, currently at 4.2 I think. This is the same is as used for Solaris and *BSD.

The best type? I personally use SuSE, but Mandrake is supposedly easier to use and debian has a far superior method of handling programs. However Mandrake, SuSE and Redhat are the best for newer users, if a little less flexible.

Some Windows apps will run under windows - see www.winehq.org for more details. Linux does come with a vast array of programs:
Multimedia: Linux has facilities for burning CDs, making MP3s and comes with its own open source sound format (Ogg Vorbis). It can play CDs and DVDs.

Server: Funtions for file sharing. web serving, file serving, proxy serving, you name it

Internet: A variety of different web browsers and ftp clients etc.

Games: Loki games have ported a lot of windows favourites to linux - including Quake 3 and Railroad Tycoon 2. Linux also comes with many other open source games including Descent 1 and a lot of fun arcade games (tetris, etc).

Graphics: The GIMP imho is the best graphics program EVER. Moonlight 3D and Blender enable you to build 3d graphics and scenes.

Development: All linux versions come with gcc, for compiling java, C++ and C programs. Linux also comes with many editors, Development environments and HTML coding helpers.

Hope this gives you an idea of what linux is and what linux can do. If you ever have any problems feel free to PM or email me, or post in the Alternative OSes forum

 

[XWRed1]

I believe some Windows applications can be modified to work under Linux

Unfortunately, that is usually the responsibility of whoever made the app.

 

[David]

There are really only two obstacles in Linux's way:
1) Mainstream developers and programs need to support linux
2) Hardware manufacturers need to support linux more often and better.

 

[Wa11y]

There are really only two obstacles in Linux's way:
1) Mainstream developers and programs need to support linux
2) Hardware manufacturers need to support linux more often and better.

Actually, I think the two problems are supports (both hardware and software) and user friendly-ness. If there were better hardware and software support, it would start to become more user friendly, which would help it into the mainstream.

 

[David]

Actually, I think the two problems are supports (both hardware and software) and user friendly-ness. If there were better hardware and software support, it would start to become more user friendly, which would help it into the mainstream.

I would say that linux is about as user friendly as it can get without someone coming round your house and installing and setting it up for you
Yes, the only real sticking blocks are unsupported hardware, which isn't as common as it used to be...

 

[Mr Snub]

thanx for the help

after hearing about this i might set up a dual boot config

if i could only figure out how

 

[David]

thanx for the help

after hearing about this i might set up a dual boot config

if i could only figure out how

It isn't that hard. How big is your windows drive? Is it just one partition (ie just C: as a hard disk?)

 

[Mr Snub]

well im am going to be building a new comp on the 17th

so it's all open for now

 

[David]

well im am going to be building a new comp on the 17th

so it's all open for now

If you want to dual boot, have a 200MB and a 4GB partition spare - you can install Linux later to these drives.