Looking to switch to Linux...
 

I know this topic has been talked about dozens of times, but I am sick of Windows! I just wanted to know a couple things about Linux...

-Is it free?
-Where do i download it?
-Advantages/Disadvantages over Windows?
-Updates available regularly?
-Easy to operate?

Any input will be great guys...I already have all my important stuff backed up so I have no problem formatting the C: drive (also have a D: drive as well for just storage)...

Most distributions (or flavors) of Linux are free.

http://www.linux.org/dist/ <-- Start here

Updates are released and distributed daily - Linux isn't 'owned' by a corporation that releases service packs every few months.

Once you have it setup, and you have a GUI (graphical user interface) setup, it's quite easy to use.

I would suggest you do a lot of reading before making the switch, just so you completely understand what you are getting into. Might wanna start here: www.linux.org

- Justin

Yes, most are free. Justin pointed out where to start.

An advantage over Windows is that it is very customizable and you get access to source code and such to do what you want with it. Plus a lot of software is free, and you aren't as likely to have a virus/spyware problem like you would with a Windows machine. Finally, most versions are not memory hogs like Windows.

But, you need to know what you are doing. Not everything is user friendly, and some of the free stuff comes with no instructions. You have access to a lot of system functions so you can mess stuff up if you are not careful. Also, the software base is not as broad as with a Windows machine. Get used to using a command line, in some cases that's the easiest/only way to do something.

Linux > Windows :)

yeah i like Fedora Core , http://fedora.redhat.com , pretty nice. Suse and Mandrake are also real nice. whichever one you choose to use, aside from the "root" user that is setup default, make a username for yourself that you'd normally use, that would help reduce chances of the Linux system getting hosed.

i just installed it last night and i love it so far!!! i installed ubuntu and i like using so far...and the updates were available as soon as it was installed!! i just need to install a couple of drivers for my laptop and i am set to go...thanx for all the input guys!!!

Glad you like it Barb!

- Justin

I would have recommended slackware or ubuntu, but it looks like you already got it =D

It's a great OS to learn, and as I'm sure you'll notice, you can run programs MUCH faster on a machine with linux instead of windows. You need just about twice the ammount of ram to simply "idle" in windows than you do with most linux dist.'s

hell yes! i love linux because its freeware & opensource, very stable, much faster than windows, and hell, theres linux distros that run off a floppy, some run off CD, and linux can install on almost anything there is out there, old school 486s.

DSL? heh :)

Knoppix rules.

hell yeah ! Knoppix has come in use soo many times. also TinyLinux is one of those small distros that use the bare bare min.

i use linux alot... mostly when im dealing with servers that i run though. i highly recommend becoming familiar with command line as it will help you when you come to software that does not have an install package or instructions.

yeah understanding the command line will definately improve your linux experience as some things just don't come with an easy installer and require you to manually follow directions how to install something.

Do a lot of you linux users dual boot to a windows os? Windows is driving me nuts, and I don't want to install XP or Vista. But I"m afraid of losing the use of programs for school (SPSS mostly), or some other unforeseen issue that could happen if I switch to Linux. Plus, at some point we will only have one computer between James and I, and he's an idiot when it comes to computers, so Linux might be too difficult for him.

haha yeah, i duel boot Windows XP Pro & Fedora Core Linux. I keep both because most of my favorite games and applications run under windows, but i can run some under linux. and i keep linux because the above reasons, also no viruses and i have some favorite applications under linux

I dual booted (is that even a word?) windows/redhat until I bought a graphics card that wasn't supported by my version of linux and it blew the hell up. Dual boot should be no problem though, a lot of people do it.

I use both OS's. Even if you only have one giant partition, the program QTParted can resize your partitions without destroying them and then you can install linux on the newly made partition. This program is obviously free as well =p

I currently have 2 partitions, but Windows is running out of space (I partitioned 10 gigs for it, but apparently that ain't enough). Will that program also increase the size of partition already there?

I do need to format the C partition soon (it's been a few years). Just not ready to devote the time to getting all of my stuff reinstalled. Maybe over the summer when I have off.

good call ;) i was gonna tell you to install Kubuntu, essentially the same thing you're running just with a different GUI called KDE which looks alot better but sometimes runs a little slower. you can still install Kubuntu in unbuntu and switch between the two, all you have to do is download a package through synaptic called kubuntu-desktop. i hate gnome its way too plain for me :lol: im me if you need any help at all barb

yea most people that make the switch do so they wont lose things theyre dependant on. there is another option using something called a virtual machine, which would pretty much let you run windows inside of linux or vice versa (it runs in a different memory space so they dont overlap into each other) but definately isnt as good as dual booting.

i like the security distros of knoppix, damn small linux is another good live distro

if theres space left a program like QTparted or partition magic can increase the partition(s) that is (are) there