I have only ever had Windows as an OS (discounting my speccy days) but recently i find myself more intrigued by Linux. The problem is i nothing of value about it. I gather it comes in many flavours from what i have googled but i don't fully understand what the differences really are. Could a knowledgable person answer a couple of quick questions i have please? As an uninitiated user, what version should i adopt and how does it compare (if it does) to the windows platform? Will i be able to run the programs and games i have? Photoshop, nero, Crysis 2 etc What are the real benefits in running Linux vs Windows. I suppose these are total noob Q's and i apologise in advance for my shameful ignorance. :hail: Thanks, Lee.
Nope. But I'll try. Ubuntu - easiest to install and use. It compares quite well against Windows and is certainly worth a look. If you download and burn to a CD then you can try it out before deciding whether to install or not. Possibly but unlikely. The base functioning of the OS is completely different. You can install Wine (a Windows emulator for Linux) which will allow many things to run, but there's no guarantee for any of them. E-peen enlargement. Linux is a little more secure than Windows, and has fewer problems with virii. However if you've been maintaining your Windows sytem properly (patching regularly, keeping antivirus up to date) then there's little benefit in security. The biggest advantage is probably customisation - there is nothing in Linux you can't rip out and replace if you choose. However doing this does take a bit of practice and background knowledge. There is a drawback - Windows is compatible with just about any hardware you want to plug in, and will run any software you throw at it. Different distros (versions) of Linux vary a lot more, and some of these differences can mean that software which will run on one version won't on another. Not at all, they're quite sensible questions. If anything else comes to mind feel free to ask.
You can install Ubuntu on your windows machine by using the Wubi installer. That way you can try out linux without going through the hassle of partitioning your drives and killing yourself when it goes wrong.
As an add-on, most distros of Linux have LiveCD versions, or LiveUSB. These are designed so that you can boot from a CD (or USB key) and try out the operating system without having to install it. LiveUSB is particularly handy as you can create yourself a portable operating system to be used anywhere.
I use linux almost exclusively and I must say that the most recent versions of ubuntu have been a disappointment so far. The next version is supposed to fix the present difficulties but we shall see. If I was starting out I would use Ubuntu 10.04. It is stable and works well. You can use the windows emulator, WINE, to run some windows stuff quite nicely. I also have a commercial program called Crossover pro that runs almost all windows stuff on linux. Benefits?? Linux is relatively virus free, programs that would cost £££ in windows are free and with a bit of time and work you can even modify things to suit yourself. I have not had a BSOD or anything similar with linux and I am relatively satisfied. Think of it like a car. You are not interested in whether you have a normal engine or a wankel engine, just does it get you from a to b. Linux will do that for you for most things with relative ease and has many benefits/luxuries you would pay alot for with the competition. FWIW LFD
It's worth bearing in mind that most of the open source stuff available for Linux is also available for Windows. As for BSODs or kernel panics, they are about as common as in Windows - some people will see a lot of them while others will only see them rarely. Having said all that I like Linux and actually prefer it to Windows for most things. That's personal preference over any actual killer benefit though. True, but you'll also have to do a lot more tuning and maintenance of the car yourself than you would with one which comes with a manufacturer's guarantee. Again not a bad thing, and many (including me) see this as a plus as it teaches you how to dig into the OS' internals.
Thanks guys, My biggest question was regarding compatability for programs and games i already own and future purchases. Does WINE run well or is it like most emulators and is noticeably different? Is there Linux equivalents to Photoshop et al? Perhaps i should not forsake one for the other and perhaps use both Windows and Linux to their own particular strengths.
I'm currently crossing over from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 11, mainly to try and trace a problem with my computer (Ubuntu hasn't fallen over yet so my problem isn't hardware related - Win 7 reinstall here I come). So far my biggest problem is trying to do things how I would in Windows but one thing I'll say about Ubuntu is that the software download centre is a canny device and having an office suite as part of the OS saves a lot of hassle too.
When it works, it runs well. When it doesn't, it doesn't. GIMP. Also available for Windows. Just as powerful as photoshop, but from what I've gathered from users not as intuitive or well-designed. Install Ubuntu (or something similar) on a USB key or portable drive and see whether it suits you. Dual-booting is always an option as well.
Other options for running Windows software is VMWare Player or VirtualBox. I run a Linux desktop, with VMWare Player with a full install of XP for my odd windows program needs. As far as games go, a lot of games (especially IDSoft) run natively or with little tweaking and sometimes get better fps under linux.
Crysis does indeed run with WINE. But for best results I recommend dual booting. And just a geeky point. WINE is not an emulator as the acronym says. It's a compatibility layer. Which basically means it's a Linux implementation of Windows APIs. There's also a paid for version of WINE. Which is supposedly much better. It goes by a different name though. Cedega or some such.
Ubuntu is great for beginners. No you cannot run Crysis or any other windows rated apps without an emulator, WINE being a popular choice, will not always work correctly anyway. Advantages: No viruses, It's Free, It's NOT made by Microsoft , Large community of developers who make apps for it and release most of them for free, Apps are organized by an app installer so you don't have to go searching for the programs you want. Disadvantages: It's incompatible as all heck, Can't run most games or apps that you do on windows, you'll have to learn a new user interface (believe me it's different), Compatibility issues extend to hardware sometimes also (good luck finding drivers on linux for your existing webcam) although this is becoming less and less of an issue. And thats it, Hope it helps!
Ubuntu is great for beginners. No you cannot run Crysis or any other windows rated apps without an emulator, WINE being a popular choice, will not always work correctly anyway. Advantages: No viruses, It's Free, It's NOT made by Microsoft , Large community of developers who make apps for it and release most of them for free, Apps are organized by an app installer so you don't have to go searching for the programs you want. Disadvantages: It's incompatible as all heck, Can't run most games or apps that you do on windows, you'll have to learn a new user interface (believe me it's different), Compatibility issues extend to hardware sometimes also (good luck finding drivers on linux for your existing webcam) although this is becoming less and less of an issue. And thats it, Hope it helps!
Ubuntu is great for beginners. No you cannot run Crysis or any other windows rated apps without an emulator, WINE being a popular choice, will not always work correctly anyway. Advantages: No viruses, It's Free, It's NOT made by Microsoft , Large community of developers who make apps for it and release most of them for free, Apps are organized by an app installer so you don't have to go searching for the programs you want. Disadvantages: It's incompatible as all heck, Can't run most games or apps that you do on windows, you'll have to learn a new user interface (believe me it's different), Compatibility issues extend to hardware sometimes also (good luck finding drivers on linux for your existing webcam) although this is becoming less and less of an issue. And thats it, Hope it helps!
Ubuntu is great for beginners. No you cannot run Crysis or any other windows rated apps without an emulator, WINE being a popular choice, will not always work correctly anyway. Advantages: No viruses, It's Free, It's NOT made by Microsoft , Large community of developers who make apps for it and release most of them for free, Apps are organized by an app installer so you don't have to go searching for the programs you want. Disadvantages: It's incompatible as all heck, Can't run most games or apps that you do on windows, you'll have to learn a new user interface (believe me it's different), Compatibility issues extend to hardware sometimes also (good luck finding drivers on linux for your existing webcam) although this is becoming less and less of an issue. And thats it, Hope it helps!
I wont lie. It ****es me off when people use 'It's not made by Microsoft' as a benefit of Linux. Microsoft employs many of the world's best software engineers and many of those MSFT software engineers are counted amongst Linux's biggest contributors. Linux wouldn't be the OS it was if it wasn't for Microsoft.
The differences between the distros (linux flavours) are two folded. One it can be differences of a very technical nature that the average user doesn't really about for example the way services are started and run or software is added (package management). The other one can be differences in gui. Unlike Windows in Linux you can choose the way Linux looks, depending one which graphical interface you install. The two main ones are KDE and Gnome. Search for screenshots of both on google and decide which one you like best. Than look for a distribution that has that GUI for default. (Ubuntu comes with Gnome, but there is also kUbuntu which comes with KDE. When the software you need is not available for Linux usually a similar program is available. You can't run MS Word for example but there are enough alternatives.
Beginners who have a basic level of familiarity with computer use. Fewer viruses - they do exist. Commercial distros do exist, and some Linux packages are commercial. Which is a great shame, as it means you have no guaranteed technical support provided by experts. You have to rely on the community instead. They also usually release free versions for Windows. Unless they're not in the repositories you've got listed, in which case you need to learn rather technical details in order to get hold of them. It's perfectly compatible with most other systems out there. Most distros can now join a domain, work with basic hardware, and read Windows file systems. Without using something like Wine. Depending on the distro, the differences are minimal. Granted.
To keep it simple I generally treat different GNU/Linux distros as different OSs that just happen to be fairly compatible.
Not entirely true. Canonical has cottoned on to this and offer support for a price to home users as well as businesses.
