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Linux -Worth it?

Mew*

Mew*

Active Member
I am interested in trying Linux. I found out that many versions of it are free online, but I'd have to spend all day downloading the files and burning them to discs. I think that would just turn out to be a mess since I wouldn't really know what I was doing :lol:. Now I checked one eBay, and people are selling the same thing that can be downloaded on CDs or DVDs and they all are under about $11. I was considering SUSE 10.3 because it was only like $4 including shipping, and I've heard of SUSE before. So I need some advice: Is Linux worth my time? What type works best and what makes it better? Does it load fast, is it reliable, etc. You see, there are so many versions of it, a newbie like me is clueless!

I apreciate any help, thanks!

P.S. And before any Mac fanboy comes overhere and tells me to get a Mac, I already have one and love it :tongue:. I just want to know all of my options :smile:.

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One more thing: What is the difference between 32 and 64 versions? Is 64 for newer computers? I'm planning on putting it on an older computer.
 
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Ubuntu releases, Fedora Core, and OpenSUSE/SUSE are all good to learn and get started with. They are all straightforward installs. If you have a broadband connection you might as well just download the images and save a few bucks: your purchased install discs may age out-of-date very quickly.

Mew* said:
One more thing: What is the difference between 32 and 64 versions? Is 64 for newer computers? I'm planning on putting it on an older computer.
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This refers to the processor architecture. A 64 bit distribution of Linux WILL NOT run on a computer with a 32 bit CPU installed. If you are installing on an "older computer" you will likely need to install a 32 bit distribution.
 
Well Linux is the safest OS to use mainly because few people have it and those you make viruses deem it to much work to make a virus that will affect so few. But since there are so few who have it, software that is compatible with it is the most limited of the three OSs.
 
^ Hmm. When I was reading on many of the linux website's information pages, it said that they had lots ofcompatability... =/ It didn't make much sense to me. I wonder what they meant.
 
I think it's put best this way: "Linux - It's free for a reason."

Also you don't need to burn anything to disc, assuming you're downloading the free CD images. Just get Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120% or some similar program, which would allow you to run them as if they were on physical CDs.
 
Marril said:
I think it's put best this way: "Linux - It's free for a reason."
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Really only applies to Linux back in the old days because of a little thing called File Dependency, where you have to compile so that you can compile in order to compile...
 
The King Of Magikarps said:
But since there are so few who have it, software that is compatible with it is the most limited of the three OSs.
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If you're running one of these bigger distributions you shouldn't having trouble finding binaries (same concept as Mac .DMG) for most applications you would want/need. Now what can sometimes be a real PITA is hardware installation; a lot of generic hardware won't work because drivers either have to be ported from other OSes or written from scratch. In any event you should be able to find detailed info on installing specific hardware just by searching. Good luck
 
If you want to try Linux without purchasing anything or downloading, go to the Kubuntu site, where they will ship you the CD for free. You can also get Edubuntu CDs shipped to you for free (Edubuntu is another flavor of Ubuntu geared towards educators). I believe both of those have a live-cd option, so you can boot from the cd to try it out before installing it. It takes a few weeks to get the cds, and it's not the "latest and greatest" version, but it'll get your feet wet at least, and let you decide if you want to try downloading the latest version.
 
Ubuntu, kubuntu and edubuntu are from the same 'company', they are all very well made. I dual boot with ubuntu and Vista. I have to have a Windows machine since I do some programming in vb, asp.net, and vb.net.

Ubuntu just released a new version (7.10) you can order a free disk or download the image here: https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

What type works best and what makes it better? Does it load fast, is it reliable, etc. You see, there are so many versions of it, a newbie like me is clueless!
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What type works best?
This will differ from person to person, there are so many different derivitives, some will have gnome, some KDE, and xfce as their gui. I like either gnome or KDE.
  • Xfce is designed to use less resources, this is great for those that want to harness the most of their computer's power for processing. It is harder to use than the others because of this
  • Gnome uses more resources than xfce, but has more of a windows-like interface.
  • KDE uses the most resources, still has a windows-like interface. This is more point and click.
Most people use either KDE or gnome, it is a matter of preference.

Does it load fast?
It normally is faster than Windows (in my experience), but will differ from distro to distro (a distro is a type of Linux: Ubuntu, RedHat, Suse, kubuntu, etc are all different distros).

Is it worth your time?
That depends, do you play a lot of games. Many games are Windows only, and will not work an Linux at all, if they do it usually requires a lot of work to get them running. (I haven't gamed in a long time so if that has changed, please tell me) If you do you may want to dual boot or just keep Windows.

Do you need the mainstream-ness of Microsoft products? For instance I have to program in VB, vb.NET, and asp.NET (for school) which are all Microsoft products. I need to have windows installed to run those programs. If you do, you may want to dual boot or just keep Windows.

Why are you considering Linux? Is it because you want to learn, or are you a nonconformist who dislikes the megaconglomerate Microsoft. Either way move to Linux.

One thing that I do like about Linux is there a relativly few viruses that attack Linux boxes, this is when compared to Microsoft products; when comparing it to Mac, I think Linux has more.

Also just to play with linux I would look for a live CD of Knoppix or Ubuntu. These Live CDs will boot linux off of a CD (it will be alot slower to start), and will allow you to see if you could get used to using the GUI of that form of linux.
 
unknown said:
Why are you considering Linux? Is it because you want to learn, or are you a nonconformist who dislikes the megaconglomerate Microsoft. Either way move to Linux.
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Yeah, I'm not exactly a fan of Windows and I hate how everyone automatically assumes it is the greatest when they never got a good feel for what the other options are. I don't want to be one of those people. I want to try different OS. Thanks for the informative post!

doctormcdreamy said:
i was into redhat for a long time. i dont know if that's still out there.
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I'm pretty sure I saw its website when I was searching. The problem is that RedHat isn't free :(
 
Mew* said:
Yeah, I'm not exactly a fan of Windows and I hate how everyone automatically assumes it is the greatest when they never got a good feel for what the other options are. I don't want to be one of those people. I want to try different OS. Thanks for the informative post!


I'm pretty sure I saw its website when I was searching. The problem is that RedHat isn't free :(
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True, but there is a free project now that took over from RedHat, called Fedora.
 
So I downloaded and installed Unbuntu 7.10 on my computer, which I'm using right now :biggrin:. It is so weird though when I want to connect to my DSL internet (PPPoE) I have to go into Terminal and type in a command prompt. Is there a way to make it so that it will automatically connect upon startup? It took me several minutes to just to figure out how to connect! Other than that, this is a great OS! It is very fast and pleasant looking.

One more simple question: Is Ubuntu 7.10 secure enough that I don't need a firewall and virus protection to protect me? I'm just concerned about my unencrypted passwords being intercepted. Thanks for suggesting Ubuntu, so far it's way better than Windows! :p

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Ahh! Nevermind about the internet not automatically connecting, it actually does when I boot up! yay

But I still would like to know about the firewall part please
 
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