Windows XP or linux?

Hi everyone, I was wondering what I should use in the future, Some friends said they could teach me how to use linux, But it sounds too difficult, But there are too many stupid things about Windows XP, Can you people give me some advices? It'd really help me, lol. Thanks.

Stick with Windows XP for now, JDream.

When you're more comfortable working with a command prompt, then move yourself over to linux. Ofcourse, there's a lot of easy do-it-yourself installers these days.. So it's really upto you if you want to take the plunge.

Unfortunately, a lot of the programs I have to use are not available on operating systems other than Windows, so I have no choice but to keep it as my main OS. Times are changing, though

just stay with the xp....

Thanks for the advices I'll wait for some more I think if ppl are gonna post, I'll stay on XP I guess.. for awhile till I know linux

You could get one of the new and easy versions of Linux, like LINDOWS(oooppss .... now called LINSPIRE, Please register to see links ), or, one that I use, Xandros. Both are very Windows-like, and a good introduction in the world of Linux. While you cannot do all that you can in Windows, there is much that you can, including opening and editing MS Word documents.

The Pro version on XANDROS Please register to see links even supports Windows programs installed.

These can be installed on your Windows computer on a separate partition, or, I might suggest, a 2nd hard drive being used as Slave. This way you can dual-boot and play with Linux to your heart's content![/url]

I'm a huge Linux fan.

My first real encounter with Linux was in June when I decided I wanted to learn this Linux thing once and for all and I started a server in my house running Debian Linux. It's a plain jane command line Linux install, but man is it rock stable. I loved the stability so much that I decided to give Linux a try on my real, 100% time computer - my laptop.

I was a little intrepid of course because I wasn't sure what apps I was going to need and not be able to get. I selected Fedora (Fedora Core 2 - 3 is out now, but I haven't upgraded yet) specifically because it was 4 CDs. It may sound stupid, but I figured any distro that came on 4 CDs was likely to have most of what I needed right from the get go.

I was right, I've been running FC2 on my laptop for about 2 months now and I don't miss any of my Windows apps. Open Office easily takes the place of MS Office (and will open/save in MS Office formats so I still have compatibility with the rest of the world) and the internet tools (web, email, etc) are all very good. I'm a total convert.

I have 4 computers in my home and I've managed to get 2 of them on Linux full time. I don't think my full time student fiancee is going to let me put her on Linux, but I don't see any reason why she couldn't.

I will say this though, I am not a gamer. My software application requirements surround Office and Internet apps. Gamers havea hard time on Linux and if you're a gamer, I wouldn't bother.

If you're interested in checking Linux out - I'd recommend checking out Knoppix at Please register to see links.Knoppix is a small Linux distro that is designed to burn on a single CD. The ISO you download and burn creates a fully functional, bootable CD. Pop it in your CD drive (make sure your box is set to boot from the CD), reboot and welcome to Linux.

It doesn't do anything to your existing system, when you're done playing with Knoppix, just shutdown, take out the CD and restart. Your computer will boot from its hard drive into it's normal operating system.

It's a great way to get to know a Linux distro up close and personal without taking any risks with your current system.

Give it a whirl..it's free and fun

Well I would save up some money, sell your computer, buy a mac with os 10 with jaguar . Much more stable than anything Bill Gates comes out with.

The last Windows I had was 95. Since then, I've been running Linux. I don't even know much about Windows anymore. The easiest Linux to get started with is Libranet. Please register to see links

BTW, I can sit anyone down at my computer and they can do anything they would do on any other computer, from word processing to surfing the net. It's all easy to use. The only thing Linux does not do well is run Windows games. However, if you're seriously into games, get a Playstation.

Hello, JDream.

I've been a Linux desktop user for over two years now, coming from a purely Microsoft background, and I'd like to share with you the fact that the Linux OS and desktop environment has now reaching the level that really makes it obtainable by most any PC user.

I believe that, if you can follow the directions on a box of instant oatmeal, you can get Linux working for you.

You can even try Linux now with no risk to your existing system. These are referred to as Live Linux distributions and run an entire Linux OS and desktop right from a CD-ROM. You simply put the CD in your CD drive and re-boot your PC. In a few minutes, you'll have a Linux desktop to play and work with. Your existing OS on your hard drive will not be altered in any way.

When you want to go back to your old system, simply remove the CD and reboot your PC. That's it.

The Linux distro. I recommend is Kanotix (Please register to see links). It is very well polished and has great hardware detection. It also has an easy application built in to it that allows you to install the OS from the CD to your hard drive if you decided that you want Linux to run your system permanently.

Since leaving Microsoft Windows, I've never looked back. I knew nothing about Linux at the time, but from my first experienced, it was something I knew to have great potential. It hasn't disappointed me in any way and I enjoy being part of the open source community.

If you'd like more info., you're more than welcome to contact me or visit my webpage.

Get used to seeing this type of message as non-MSers take back the web!

When I was a W98 user I remember seeing many messages like that telling me that I had to upgrade to the latest version of MS-Explorer in order to view the webpage.

It is much rarer for me to see now, but if/when I do, I just tell my Konqueror browser to emmulate which ever browser version is being screened for by the web server.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, which ever your point of view) you can't do this with MS-Explorer, and perhaps someday MS users will see many more messages such as that in the future.

Anything But Microsoft Retail Store Pushes Linux, Open Source
The Linux and open source software movement has an ambitious retail store, and it is offering a low-cost, lightweight laptop that is devoid of Microsoft software
By W. David Gardner
December 17, 2004

The Linux and open source software movement has a retail store " possibly the only one in North America " and it is offering a low-cost, very lightweight laptop computer that is devoid of Microsoft software.

The Sub300 store could be called a Mecca for the Anything But Microsoft crowd. The store's president, Marc Silverman, says most people who contact the store do so because of an intense dislike for Microsoft.
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"A lot of people are sick of Microsoft and Bill Gates," he said in an interview. "They hate that their computers crash once a week. They hate viruses. They hate paying so much for Microsoft software."

On Friday, Silverman announced that his Toronto-based store will begin an intense marketing campaign of its Sub300.com Ultralite Laptop for $799. The 2.9-pound laptop has the Linspire Linux operating system and OpenOffice software including word processor, spreadsheet and data base filer.

"We are avoiding the 'Microsoft tax,'" said Silverman, adding that Microsoft software can add from $200 to $400 to the cost of a PC or laptop. He said customers have been drawn to the store and its offerings for a variety of reasons, most of which are based in a dislike of Microsoft products.

Many are driven to seek out the Sub300 store because they are frustrated by the high number of spam, viruses, worms and other computer cyber pestilences that attack Microsoft software. Others like the low prices. Silverman believes still others will be attracted to the firm's extremely lightweight Ultralite Laptop. In addition to the Linux operating system, the laptop features a 1GHz VIA processor, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, PCMCIA slots, Ethernet and USB links, as well as a 12.1-inch TFT display. The laptop is made in Taiwan for Sub300. (Because of currency differences the store is known as Sub500 in Canada.) Silverman and the store's co-owner, brother David Silverman, believe that stores specializing in Linux and open source software have a bright future. "Linux-based software is only now beginning to reach the desktop and PC market," he said. Marc Silverman said visitors have come from the U.S. and even from as far as Germany to visit his store. Located next to a school in Toronto, the store is often visited by high school students. Silverman said when they use Sub300 computers, they don't realize they have no Microsoft software on them.

Silverman said he believes the Sub300 store is the only store specializing in Linux and open source software in North America. He said there is a similar store in Australia. Supporting U.S. sales, Sub300 operates a warehouse in Buffalo, N.Y.

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These guys need help with their coding. I visited the site with Opera on my Fedora laptop and got the same message.

What they really mean is "this site only works with Konqueror and Firefox".

Edit: Oh...heh...until I told Opera to stop identifying itself as MSIE 6.0. Heh....disregard me.

In the defense of the web page's developers.... this kind of makes sense, as Klik is a Knoppix / Kanotix / and now Mepis software repository, designed for the Konqueror browser (and now FireFox) and file manager.

Klik uses special apps. that work with Konqueror (that come with the three distros I mentioned above), which allow site visitors to select applications from the Klik "warehouse" and automatically install them onto their Linux box.

It's kind of like the Click-n-Run warehouse that Linspire offers, but for free.

So, I think it's kind of justified due to the purposes behind the site. Perhaps, with some more volunteers to contribute, other browsers will be supported in the future.... well, besides Explorer, that is

I agree in principle, I just take issue with the 'error' message.

If the site is designed to work with Konqueror and FF, then the message should say just that. It shouldn't give me an error about my OS.

In any event, once I told Opera to identify itself as Opera, I got on the site.

What is with so many different Linux versions? Which one is the best or easiest for a beginner?

Also is it recommended to partion hard drive and put Linux on one and XP on other? or would that screw my whole computer up?

Thank you.

Yes, HeatSink, I see your point. But, I guess, because the applications that are listed are Debian based, it wouldn't do MS or Mac users any good. But a clearer message as to why could be better.

Well, no1important, that's a real can of worms there and open to personal bias and opinion.

My opinions:

Q: Why so many versions?

There are so many different versions (or "distros") because there are so many different ways to use and utilize the Linux OS. Many are geared towards the novice desktop users, while others are more for the "techie" type people. Some are built for specific hardware requirements, while others use certain file management systems. Some are built for automation of functions, some are designed to give the user complete control.

All are good, all are useful, and all meet different needs of their users.

Q: Which one is easiest?

This all depends on the individual's skills, desire to learn, and tolerance levels. I think a good place for a beginner to start is with one of the "live" distros. Kanotix, Mepis, Knoppix, Ubuntu, Morphix, and Mandrake Move are all good places to start.

What's nice about a "live" distro is that it runs completely from the CD and does not require you to do anything to your existing OS to run. Simply insert the CD and re-boot your PC. Eject the CD and re-boot again and you're back to your old OS.

Kanotix, Mepis and Morphix have easy install features that lets you install the Linux system from the CD onto your hard drive.

For non-live distros (in other words, right to hard drive), some good beginner distros include Mandrake, Yoper, ALT Linux, Fedora, and Libranet. These are distros that I've tried myself and consider to be easy enough for the average or novice PC user.

My personal preference: Kanotix. It's now running on two of the three PCs I have in my home. The third is running Morphix-light, being an old PI and all.

Q: Should I dual-boot?

I've only dual booted with W98 and have not tried to do this with XP. The concept is similar, but I cannot say if it is truly fool-proof. From the information I've read, it's highly recommended to back up all XP data before attempting (which is good advice no matter what OS you're using). Make sure you defrag your HD before attempting to repartition as well. Just keep in mind that you're using a Microsoft product, and MS isn't built to play nice with non-MS products. There is some risk.

Personally, I have no use for Microsoft and haven't since switching to Linux over two years ago. I'm forced to use it at the office, but that doesn't even stop me from doing work at home. Many Linux apps are equipped to import MS data files and export them back. So, no one at the office suspects that I'm not running XP at home. Well, other than I have nothing to complain about (computer wise) at the coffee machine in the morning.

If I were to do dual booting, I'd simply get a second hard drive, leaving my XP drive alone. I'd then install Linux on that hard drive and set my boot-loader to include the XP drive at start-up time.

If you were to re-partition, I recommend either one of these approaches:

1- I'd use cfdisk to repartition rather than QT-Parted; both of which comes with Kanotix. cfdisk does not have a GUI (graphic user interface), but I haven't had any issues in using it. QT-Parted will give me "weird" feedback from time to time and I'm not all that comfortable with it when that happens.

2 - Mandrake and ALT Linux (from my experience) have the best GUI interfaces for repartitioning at install time. Much simpler for a novice to understand.

I know this is a long post, but I hope it's helped in some way.

Thanks Judland. You answered a lot.You have good advice and I appreciate it. I went to one Linux site as I thought there were only one but was dumfounded when I saw so many of them.

I will try one or two you can boot from disk. Just to see how it goes. Myself too I am tired of being "captive" by Gates and Company and I know there are a lot of good alternatives to microsoft.

Like I use 602 pro for my word and office type of doings and I have been happy with it. I have wanted to try something else for an operating system so thats what I will try.

I have Firefox browser and it is "so far so good" and I wish apple would make a non mac "safari".

Hey, you're most welcome. I hope the advice helps.

Actually, there are a few alternatives available to MS applicatoins available for MS-Windows now. OpenOffice.org is a great alternative to MS-Office. However, I've never tried 602 Pro.

I'm forced to use XP at the office.... for now. But I always keep a Kanotix CD in my CD-ROM drive and use it when ever I can get away with it.

I have quite a few open source apps. (which also have Linux counterparts) installed on my office PC. OpenOffice, G.I.M.P., Firefox, and Thunderbird are the ones I use daily.

Being a corporation, our IT dept. keeps pretty close tabs on what licensed software is installed on which PCs. In case of audits, you know? I've got quite the productive PC set up here with this diverse group of apps. Unfortunately, because our IT guys don't use and know the details on using these apps. themselves, they will not recommend others in the office to install them; even after I offered my knowledge to help teach them.

Oh well, that's the way the corporate wheels spin, I suppose. Probably too worried about their jobs. Like I want anything to do with a MS network.... yeah right!

Anyway, no1important, if you have any questions in your Linux travels, feel free to ask. I'll help if I can.

P.S. I forgot to mention the Please register to see links website. This is a living list of current Linux distributions and tells you a bit about each. It's a very informative resource for keeping up on all the new Linux OS developments.

Well I run Kanotix and plan to keep it that way, but yesterday I recieved an "Install disk" and a "Live CD disk" of Ubuntu. Hell I do not even remember sending for it.

But what I want to ask is, has anyone else tried this distro? I am just trying the Live CD out now. It seems ok but not as many features as Kanotix. Even the Unbutu synaptic manager does not have know where as many programs availble on it as Kanotix.

But it seems like an easy Distro to use,(Based on Debian, like Kanotix as well) but I am so comfortable with Kanotix and do not intend to switch but it is fun just taking out for a test drive, so to speak.

I am just curious if anyone else tried this distro and what you think of it? It is the new version that just came out a couple weeks ago.

Yup, I've tried Ubuntu. It's a nice distro. of Linux, but it's not 100% compatible with Debian SID packages.

What this means is (or at least to me anyway), it is possible to "break" your system if you're not careful as to the packages you upgrade or install. Safest practise is to stick to the software repository of the Ubuntu people. This will limit you to using only their package "builds" instead of having everything available to Debian SID.

Ubuntu uses the Gnome desktop manager... while Kubuntu uses KDE (as Kanotix does). Personally (that's PERSONALLY mind you), I feel KDE is further along in development and usability than Gnome.

I have not tried Kubuntu, but really don't have the desire too anyway.

Nothing wrong with testing out new distros., though. That's the beauty of live CDs.

Let us know what you think when you've had a chance to play with it a bit.

I've had no luck installing Ubuntu or kubuntu. There is a boot loader bug.
Someone else mentioned Kanotix and Mepis as good starter linux operating systems. They are great! The easiest for a newbie is Mepis. Mepis also comes with video card support in the install so you can play tuxracer right off the bat without installing kernal source and drivers later on which can be a real pain. I could leave windows permanently for mepis. I've also got centos, ailinux, and symphony linux installed right now. I'll probably replace centos soon. I'm not a redhat, fedora, or mandriva fan.

Ubuntu was diferent yet familar to Kanotix.

I never tried the hard drive install. Just the Live CD. Thats a plus with Linux you can try some distro's without installing them.

I like Kanotix better, more features that I want. I am not saying Ubuntu is bad, it is a good distro but its just not for me. I also like KDE.

Thats the Linux advantage though, so many distros to choose from, you can find one that best suits your needs, and with distros that have live cd's you can try them out without affecting your current O/S.

Yup, Mepis is good but it has some minor issues with stability. I used Mepis until I found Kanotix.

Want to really see a different perspective on desktop GUI computing? Check out Symphony Please register to see links sometime.

They're different and thinking out of the box, but perhaps a little too much for me.

But, hey, you wouldn't have this freedom of creativity using Microsoft products. Heck, Microsoft wouldn't allow you to do anything creative with their OS, what-so-ever.

Take the Quiz to find out: Please register to see links

I am "Windows 95".

I can live with this, I am Slackware Linux:

"You are the brightest among your peers, but are often mistaken as insane. Your elegant solutions to problems often take a little longer, but require much less effort to complete."

If you just want to see how easy to use and compatible Linux is, check out this list of live cds:Please register to see links

You'll find that most are able to be fully functional desktops, but are still rough around the edges.

I'm an Amiga OS?



Well, I guess I do still like using my Commodore 64.

If you want to try something interesting, Knoppix is available as an interesting download. If you download the file (huge!!), and burn it to a cd, you have a bootable linux with a COMPLETE office suite, web browser, the works...that runs off the cd.

You can carry this cd around, stick it into any computer, you can then run the office suite and browser. If you don't save any files, it does not touch the hard drive....it's an interesting idea.

On this boring Saturday I was surfing news and came across a few interesting links.

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