Teach me about Linux

[Reaperassault]

after recently reading this article on Tom's I thought it would be interesting to try out on my old Win98 machine.

I've done a fair share of reading but I'd like to here the comments of the TG tech guys about Linux and its common distributions.

Please include all the information desire, I guess I just want to learn.

[ZaBoo]

Great for servers if your into that sort of thing. As for running it as your desktop O/S it is far from being a Windows or MAC O/S alternate and likely will never be. If your into creating a stable web server, an expensive bulky router, or just want to fool around with *nix more power to you.

Enjoy!

[MagnaCentipede]

The default answer of the last two years is "try Ubuntu."

They just released version 8.04; you can even install it almost as if it were a program and run it in Windows to try it out, I hear. It can also run from the CD without doing anything on the hard drive. So you really have no reason to not play with it.

Indeed there are many things that current Linux distros do not handle that Windows uses are accustomed to, but Linux is becoming very useful beyond hypernerds and web servers.

WINE, a system for running Windows programs inside Linux, can even run games like Team Fortress 2, I'm told.

[msdz]

I had tried Linux a long time ago and just did not have the patience to learn it. I also had read not that long ago that Linux is not really a good choice for using for gaming...YET. A lot of the games will not work in Linux and it requires a special program as mentioned above or I had read about another one as well to get the games to work but still only certain games are supported with these other programs. Since I am mainly a gamer Linux I believe is not right for me at the time. If more and more games start supporting Linux based O/S's then I may consider on switching and learning it better. I do have a copy of Ubuntu but I had got it to add to the PS3 later for better web browsing(that way my wife can use the PS3 while I am playing). I had seen on the http://www.linux.org/ site some how-to's and stuff to help with the basics of Linux.

[=DdogG=]

fedora and ubuntu are probably the best options.

[draeh]

ubuntu linux by far has been the one that worked the best right out of the box. At least for me, anyways.

[Zhohar]

Linux feels like physical abuse during the learning curve, but once you have it down pat, it ... feels very good.

What do you want to do with it?

[Reaperassault]

to learn I guess, like I said I have an old PC just sitting around.

but one question, does it have any real advantages over windows other than being free?

[MagnaCentipede]

Sure it does. It is an operating system designed on computing principles rather than interface principles. That is, it treats a computer as a business machine that engineers use as a tool, rather than a dressed-up showpony that average people use so they can have pothead graphics dance around their screen while listening to stolen music.

Windows was developed to get rid of the command line, and after a decade they pretty much managed to do so. Linux was developed to embrace the command line, and then allow any GUI desired to be built atop the command line.

Thus, the advantage is that Linux will listen to you when you speak to it in computer. Windows requires you to dance with the cartoon dog to find a file because Balmer figures you are too stupid to figure out how to feed a search prompt.

[Trooper]

Its stable and completely free. Most programs you can run in windows you will find have a linux free one some place. With Ubuntu you just need to use its in system search and it will do all the installations of it for you.

Let me find a couple posts that Mateo did last year.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

[=DdogG=]

Originally Posted by MagnaCentipede

Sure it does. It is an operating system designed on computing principles rather than interface principles. That is, it treats a computer as a business machine that engineers use as a tool, rather than a dressed-up showpony that average people use so they can have pothead graphics dance around their screen while listening to stolen music.

Windows was developed to get rid of the command line, and after a decade they pretty much managed to do so. Linux was developed to embrace the command line, and then allow any GUI desired to be built atop the command line.

Thus, the advantage is that Linux will listen to you when you speak to it in computer. Windows requires you to dance with the cartoon dog to find a file because Balmer figures you are too stupid to figure out how to feed a search prompt.

Yeah!!! (of course the MS Office 2007, spell check found that "showpony" should be two words.)

[Zhohar]

Yep, there are advantages (you can do more things with a micro distro of linux than say win98).
Even so, depends what you want to do with the PC. Install damn small linux and run folding@home on it.

[Anospa]

I just installed Ubuntu 8.04 yesterday on my Dell Inspirion 9300, and can honestly say I'm not looking back from it. Its done everything I wanted so far, and the more I read, the more I realize that I can make it whatever I want. There are soooo many programs out there that I wish I had for XP, but couldn't get.

[Reaperassault]

Well it sounds like I have some thing to do this weekend then. I'll have to look into a dual boot for my main computer then

[Iceberg]

dual boot... ha. Have fun pulling out your hair. Make sure you backup important files to disk.