Want to go Linux but worried!

matthewprince · 20 Dec 2008 at 22:58

Hi,

I really want to try Linux as im just fed up of windows and its flaws. Dont want to go to apple as tried a new imac recently and hated every minute of it (too much money grabbing by apple, everything just seems like an oportunity to get you to spend)

Why is Linux good? , i know it sounds silly but what benefits am i going to get? , and which version of linux behaves motly like windows (but without its flaws)?

The new windows 7 looks very polished and would like a linux version that is graphically smart too!

Matt

Ben643 · 21 Dec 2008 at 00:06

matthewprince said:
Hi,

I really want to try Linux as im just fed up of windows and its flaws. Dont want to go to apple as tried a new imac recently and hated every minute of it (too much money grabbing by apple, everything just seems like an oportunity to get you to spend)

Why is Linux good? , i know it sounds silly but what benefits am i going to get? , and which version of linux behaves motly like windows (but without its flaws)?

The new windows 7 looks very polished and would like a linux version that is graphically smart too!

Matt

What do you class as windows' flaws? Might be easier to try and "sell" linux with that info.

Personally I've always found windows the easiest to use but it depends what you use your PC for most?

I've always found myself needing to go back to windows purely because they've got such a big share of the market and I get annoyed having to jump through hoops to get things done because people haven't thought about any OS other than windows.

I'd say the benefits (for me) are mainly: reasonably low system resources, more customisable than windows and command line stuff/scripting is so much easier on linux. All imo of course.

I like OpenSuse but I've been trying Ubuntu recently. Both pretty easy to get started with

I always seem to end up going back to windows in the end though for one reason or another. I've just got Linux on an old desktop now for when I want it.

Jamie · 21 Dec 2008 at 00:38

Go for Linux Mint 6 which is based on Ubuntu.
You can burn it to a CD and boot into the Live CD session to get a feel for it, or just install it inside windows with mint4win and uninstall it later inside windows if you don't like it.

Mint has most things a base install would need: Office suite(open office), audio, compiz for the pretty stuff

and Gimp for image editing. If you get stuck and need to find a program that you had on windows just post and I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction.

AJUK · 21 Dec 2008 at 09:47

Agreed, LinuxMint 6 is very good for someone new to Linux.

This site will give a few pointers as to how the software side of things is catered for:

http://whdb.com/category/software/

thegoonden · 21 Dec 2008 at 12:25

Before making any commitments, I'd say you should try a "live CD". Most Linux distro's these days have one of these. Basically, you download it, for free naturally, burn it, and boot your PC with it. No installs, no harm to your existing OS, it just uses your PC like a big playstation, running purely off CD/DVD.
Some of them are crude things designed to give terrified Newbies an easy installation environment (I mean, windows doesn't let you browse the net or play games while it's installing

)...but some are full featured operating systerms. Knoppix is a particular example which comes with everything but the kitchen sink (Microsoft apparently patented the kitchen sink 5 years ago and now you need to pay a license

). Not only will it give you a good impression of what can be done (although, in slow motion a bit cos it's running off compressed files on a nice slow CD....and you wont get 3d acceleration because they can't distribute commercial drivers).....but it is an amazing "get out of jail free card" if your windows gets sick.....shove it in, boot it up, get online....and if it fails.....then your pc is probably sick.

As for slick interfaces, or at least mindblowingly impressive ones.....search youtube for Beryl or Compiz.

GarethDW · 23 Dec 2008 at 21:33

matthewprince said:
Hi,

I really want to try Linux as im just fed up of windows and its flaws. Dont want to go to apple as tried a new imac recently and hated every minute of it (too much money grabbing by apple, everything just seems like an oportunity to get you to spend)

Why is Linux good? , i know it sounds silly but what benefits am i going to get? , and which version of linux behaves motly like windows (but without its flaws)?

The new windows 7 looks very polished and would like a linux version that is graphically smart too!

Matt

So you want to use something that behaves just like Windows and is as 'pretty' as Windows...? Sounds to me like you want to use Windows still.

Linux has lots of great things going for it, thats why so many of us use it every day and why more and more people are turning to it (and getting turned on by using it). But, if your only reason for using it is to try and imitate Windows then why bother switching?

I'd suggest reading this article about how Linux is not Windows - http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm - and then think about whether you really want to learn about Linux or if you just wish that Windows worked better for you than it does at the moment.

BigglesPiP · 24 Dec 2008 at 00:16

Compiz is very much an experimental thing.

OK for showing off, but nether stable or usable, KDE 4 is the same.

.walls · 24 Dec 2008 at 01:31

BigglesPiP said:
Compiz is very much an experimental thing.

OK for showing off, but nether stable or usable, KDE 4 is the same.

Compiz is very usable - I have been using it almost solidly for over a year (turn it off for games though)... but KDE 4 is definitely not ready.... been using it for about a week and it is not stable *YET*... moved from KDE 3.5 > KDE 4 and then back to flux (whilst still running KDM, so I have the best of both worlds.... the goodies of a DE (SMB integration, etc, etc and the joys of flux - although, this does mean no compiz...)

mattgaunt · 25 Dec 2008 at 20:23

Matthewprince all I have to say is this - if you honestly want to use linux just install it using wubi (ubuntu) or mint4win (Mint) and just fool around with it, cos you will sit there initially thinking, WTF is wrong with this, how do I install this or that.

If you manage to stick it out then you will learn linux the same way u would have learned windows when your younger.

Linux is coming on leaps and bounds in my opinion, but like I say try it with wubi or mint4win, if you dont like just delete it.

Try compiz out for pretty stuff that vista has and see how your machine deals with it all.

Take it easy
Gaunt

zinc · 30 Dec 2008 at 04:05

BigglesPiP said:
Compiz is very much an experimental thing.

OK for showing off, but nether stable or usable, KDE 4 is the same.

I would also disagree, compiz is far from experimental. Back at 7.04 it was not stable at all but since 8.04 it is definitely 100% stable. I have never once had it crash my machine or fail at anything for that matter, in the 9 months I have used ubuntu.

I have to admit back when I first used it I did use it to show off, with the fire and magic and all but quickly got sick of it and I now use simple and subtle animations

Outcast · 30 Dec 2008 at 12:10

Yes.. the useful stuff of compiz is ...... useful!!

Like left windows key and mouse scroll button

JimAroo · 30 Dec 2008 at 20:31

Gonna have to have a play with Mint, didn't know it was based off Debian/Ubuntu.

sparkey196 · 30 Dec 2008 at 21:50

Your biggest "worry" should be that your genes will be removed permanently from the genepool. Linux is the most powerful contraceptive in the known universe.

Outcast · 31 Dec 2008 at 10:26

Damn.. Is that why I always seem to be wearing Chino's these days then !!

Fop · 4 Jan 2009 at 22:30

As an alternative to the buntu's (and mintbuntu), you could try PCLinuxOS.

Try the PCLinuxOS 2007 liveCD for a bit, then wait for the if 2009 new edition to install it if you want to go further.

It's pretty user and ex-windows user friendly and tries to do most everything through the GUI.

matthewprince · 7 Jan 2009 at 10:14

WOW!!

Ive installed Ubuntu Desktop Edition and i am amazed. Its far better than i thought if im honest. Under Windows my wifi has always been tempramental (my house is made of concrete im sure) but under ubuntu it came up showing me a wifi network , i clicked connect and put my password in and within 2 secs it was up showing full signal. Under windows it used to take ages and was always 2 bars. It is a lot faster than windows too.

Im loving it at the moment!!

Clark Nova · 7 Jan 2009 at 10:44

Great stuff, I think you'll like Ubuntu once you find you way around things. A couple of years back some things used to be a bit flakey like wifi and graphics card drivers. Nowadays the kernel and distros seem to have caught up and everything tends to get detected and drivers installed. I wouldn't go back to Windows now, it's taken some time for me to get completely comfortable with using Linux but now I'm really happy with it.

yashiro · 7 Jan 2009 at 10:53

Video Drivers in Linux are still a nightmare. In terms of installing, performance and troubleshooting.

Linux wifi performance is generally great once you have a driver and it can see a network.
Windows almost always connects but with average results after that.
Mac obviously never has driver issues. Usually sees and connects to most networks but the range is often poorer than the other two.

Yeah I run all three. I'm a sadist.

matthewprince · 7 Jan 2009 at 10:57

Hi,
Well it just keeps getting better. Ive just installed Compiz and OMG it is brilliant. I can hand on heart say i will never go back to Windows again. Im not really a power user so will not in the future need a specific program for windows or mac. Ubuntu has stirred up the love of computers that i had before it all started to be about visuals. Im so happy!

yashiro · 7 Jan 2009 at 11:04

Most important thing for your sanity is to sort your fonts out.
Enable smooth fonts, auto hinting, get some nice ones etc..

The Segoe font is very good for everything once your smoothing is right.
You should get MS core fonts too. And probably Mac and Vista sets. Then you ain't missing a beat, font wise.