Linux

[AdrianKH]

I'm interested in knowing how many of you out there are using Linux? If you do, what distro are you using and what made you go to Linux?

Adrian

[caroline88]

Adrian,

No linux for me, yet. I am wondering if there is a safe way to install it alongside Windows XP Home edition?

How long does it take to learn how to work it? Maybe I should put "time to read your Dummies book" on my list for Santa )

[AdrianKH]

What you can do with Linux if you want to play with it is to download a "Live" CD for a particular distro (distribution) and burn that onto a CD. You can then boot up off the CD and play with Linux without messing with your system.

I'll post a few links tomorrow if you want!

[caroline88]

I would be interested, Adrian! If I understand you correctly, by working off that CD, I can play as if I am in a Linux environment without installing it as an OS on my laptop? So many people who are enthusiastic about it, it must be good for something

[AdrianKH]

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caroline88 wrote:
I would be interested, Adrian! If I understand you correctly, by working off that CD, I can play as if I am in a Linux environment without installing it as an OS on my laptop? So many people who are enthusiastic about it, it must be good for something

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Yep, you work off a CD ... a great way to try it out!

[AdrianKH]

Here, as promised, is a list of Linux "Live" discs that you can burn onto a CD and boot off of without installing.

http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

The list is huge, but I suggest you take a look at Ubuntu - that's pretty neat! Here's a galley of Ubuntu images:

http://content.zdnet.com/2346-12554_22-38830.html

Enjoy!

[macintard]

I use Kubuntu Linux. You can dual boot Linux with Windows and they should co-exist happily though Windows has been know to take over the the master boot record. There are distros out there like Mandriva and OpenSuSe that will automatically resize and partition your hard drive so that Linux can co-exist with windows. I think Fedora does the same thing, but it's been a while since I've used it.

Currently, my OS of choice is Mac OS X Tiger. I'm going to buy Leopard when it comes out. The nice thing about OS X, things are pretty easy to get working, but it's still Unix underneath it all.

[caroline88]

Welcome to the board, Macintard!

Now that I have finally got internet at home working. (That was a parting gift from God in the old year, He also gave me 5 pounds but I returned that gift LOL)
I click on the Massive list link to go burn a CD but it says next to Ubuntu "Desktop, OS replacement". I guess I am supposed to click on the first link?

Not that windows xp home makes me ecstatic but I have a few programs installed that I think won't be running under linux yet.

Adrian, also thanks for the pictures. Good thing to see that backup warning before I start

Caroline

[AdrianKH]

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macintard wrote:
I use Kubuntu Linux. You can dual boot Linux with Windows and they should co-exist happily though Windows has been know to take over the the master boot record. There are distros out there like Mandriva and OpenSuSe that will automatically resize and partition your hard drive so that Linux can co-exist with windows. I think Fedora does the same thing, but it's been a while since I've used it.

Currently, my OS of choice is Mac OS X Tiger. I'm going to buy Leopard when it comes out. The nice thing about OS X, things are pretty easy to get working, but it's still Unix underneath it all.

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What do you see as the main differences between Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

[AdrianKH]

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caroline88 wrote:
Not that windows xp home makes me ecstatic but I have a few programs installed that I think won't be running under linux yet.
Caroline

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Yeah, that's what keeps people on Windows.

[macintard]

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AdrianKH wrote:

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macintard wrote:
I use Kubuntu Linux. You can dual boot Linux with Windows and they should co-exist happily though Windows has been know to take over the the master boot record. There are distros out there like Mandriva and OpenSuSe that will automatically resize and partition your hard drive so that Linux can co-exist with windows. I think Fedora does the same thing, but it's been a while since I've used it.

Currently, my OS of choice is Mac OS X Tiger. I'm going to buy Leopard when it comes out. The nice thing about OS X, things are pretty easy to get working, but it's still Unix underneath it all.

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What do you see as the main differences between Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

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The main difference is that Kubuntu uses KDE as the desktop interface, and Ubuntu uses Gnome by default. However, with either version, you can install more desktop interfaces and use whatever you want.

Joe

[AdrianKH]

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macintard wrote:

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AdrianKH wrote:

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macintard wrote:
I use Kubuntu Linux. You can dual boot Linux with Windows and they should co-exist happily though Windows has been know to take over the the master boot record. There are distros out there like Mandriva and OpenSuSe that will automatically resize and partition your hard drive so that Linux can co-exist with windows. I think Fedora does the same thing, but it's been a while since I've used it.

Currently, my OS of choice is Mac OS X Tiger. I'm going to buy Leopard when it comes out. The nice thing about OS X, things are pretty easy to get working, but it's still Unix underneath it all.

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What do you see as the main differences between Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

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The main difference is that Kubuntu uses KDE as the desktop interface, and Ubuntu uses Gnome by default. However, with either version, you can install more desktop interfaces and use whatever you want.

Joe

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I quite like Ubuntu to be honest - though I work mainly with Windows for obvious reasons. This year I'll be taking a number of Linux distros for a spin!

[macintard]

AdrianKH:
You will probably like Linux. Unix is more flexible and more stable/secure than Windows. My linux friends tell me that linux is even more secure than my Mac OS X. I like OS X and it's secure enough for me since it's based on DarwinBSD. The BSDs like FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and others, have been around longer than linux and are said to be more stable and secure than even linux. However, linux is used a bit more sometimes, plus it's better supported than the BSDs even though it's younger. However, something else you might want to check out is FreeBSD which not only makes a good server, but a nice desktop as well. Just don't ask me how to install it because I can't seem it get it right and I've tried a few times. Linux is easier to install than the BSDs it seems, unless you get something like PC-BSD which is meant for beginners and experts alike.

Joe

[macintard]

If you want to try a BSD, try DesktopBSD, which is easy to install and maintain. I've got it running in a Virtual environment on my Mac, using iEmulator.

How did your Linux wanderings turn out?

[Mikedsokc]

I use Ubuntu only and will not go back to windows. I would love to see a BN Linux ereader.

[Onestar]

I use Ubuntu, and would love to see an ebook reader from B&N for the *nix platform!

I would be more likely to use the digital service if there was a client for Ubuntu.

[Onestar]

The LiveCD is a great way of seeing if you'd like to try a Linux OS.

If you've tried Ubuntu, and liked it, you can download a program called Wubi.

Wubi is a Windows-based installer for the latest distro of Ubuntu.  It's simple and very easy to use, but you need to have a fast internet connection (since you're downloading the latest version of the OS, and it's usually pretty big.

[TKS1125]

I have been using SUSE Linux for over 10 years, i have never had a virus or anything harmful happen

i can do more with linux than with windows and i even run my proprietary software on linux. i have lightscribe i play dvd's audio cds and can burn putting images directly onto the media itself.

 linux will become the mainstream someday i reccomend trying a live cd so you can experiment first. if you have any questions just post and i will help if needed.

 i chose suse for the stability and the hardware support  HAVE A LOT OF FUN!