how do i get it i am currently running xp is it worth installing and have you had any problems with it
2007-03-19 23:44:26 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
jessica you would b better of sticking a card in a phone box
2007-03-19 23:57:00 · update #1
depend whhich version of linux youre after. ubuntu is good, but somewhat "complicated" the best one (as far as im concerned) is linspire... or linux XP 2007as its known. works straight off the CD, and sees everything, multiple hard drives, card readers etc, without the need to remount drives.
you can run it as a stand alone off the cd, or install it. comes with open office2, and is stable, and onlt costs 3quid.. i always keep it as a backup, coz when XP does the blue screen of death..linux works...instantly.
but, a word of warning. you'll spend a whhile figuring all the icons, theyre in different places, oh, it does exactly what office does, but its subtley different... otherwise 10/10
2007-03-19 23:58:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Linux is definitely a lot more worth it! I've been using it for 3 years now and I have no problems with it - it doesn't crash as much as my other notebook that has XP installed does, and seems to be less prone to virus/worms and whatnots.
The only thing you might be peeved about is that Linux doesn't have as large a help-base, due to it being open software. But it's not usually a problem, and if some fixed need to be made, there are always developers out there who'll release patches pretty fast to rectify your problems.
2007-03-20 06:53:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Obviously, it sounds like you're new to the linux community, and you want to look into it, get a feel for it, know what it's all about.
Well, one of the best ways is just doing it, but...hmmm... that's not always the most practical way. Because linux is an operating system, and does require you to totally alter your hardrive's boot sector, partitions, file systems, etc. You can really mess things up. This isn't rocket science, but mess something up, and the next time you boot up your PC, you may be surprised (and quite possibly very ticked off) to find that your PC giving you the message "no operating system found" ...not XP .. not linux.. nothing. Happened to me just once, but once is enough.
However, there is a way to test-drive linux and not mess around with your hardrive's vitals. It's called Knoppix. When you download Knoppix, you just burn it to a CD. Put the CD into your PC, reboot, and voila...You're using linux. Only bad (and good) part is that it's not permanent, everything you do is lost when you reboot your computer. Still it's a great way to test-drive linux and make sure it's something you feel is useful and worth learning. Learning linux can be fun, but VERY time consuming.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoppix
(the above link should point you in the "right" direction with download links, etc).
Linux is not, nor is it ever going to be as "user-friendly" as Windows. This is because the philosophy behind linux is that it allows you more control over your system. A really weak, but a pertinent analogy nonetheless, is an automatic vs manual transmission on your car... manual allows you more control, less gas usage, etc, but it's not as simple to drive as an automatic car.
Okay, maybe I insulted your intelligence, but believe me, that wasn't my intention. You could very well be a totally skilled programmer or able to make SQL do some pretty impressive stuff, but I can only assume by your question that you are very new to the linux community, and are not only looking for copies of linux, but wanting to know if there is a way of trying it out for yourself with little or no hassle.
I'm sure that many people are going to answer posting links to sites where you can download copies of linux, but many of these will force you to mess with your hardrive's vitals. What I would suggest is don't mess around with your hardrive just yet. Download and burn Knoppix to a CD. Boot your computer into this CD version of linux, and you're there. As I mentioned before, you can't really mess up your linux operating system, because it's on a CD and rebooting the computer resets everything to how it was before. So, feel free to experiment with the settings, just try it out, get a feel for it, even mess around with this thing called the bash shell, have fun, and good luck.
2007-03-20 08:29:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes I run Linux. It is hard to say if it is worth installing because it all depends on what you are thinking of doing with the system once it has Linux on it. If you are a standard PC users that like using Microsoft packages like word, excel and you also like playing PC games then Linux is not really what you need. If you are interested in computing and what to l;earn programming skills like C++ ans also want to learn networking stuff to do with TCP/IP then Linux is most likely your preference. Linux is not nearly as friendly as windows however if you really learn Linux you can manipulate Linux and the system a lot mote that a straight Windows system. It's all down to what you want to do on your PC. Hope thishelps you a little, good luck.
2007-03-20 06:52:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've got a lot of good answers so far. I like Linux myself, but I've been using it for years. It will definitely take some getting used to for you. There's an article at http://consumer.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTI5OCwxLCxoY29uc3VtZXI= that might help you. A guy switched from Windows to Ubuntu Linux and writes about the experience. It has some good information as well as screenshots and even a video, which might give you a better idea of what you'd be getting into.
2007-03-20 07:21:44 · answer #5 · answered by Rose D 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do run Linux, but I also run Windows XP as well as some others. In my own case, I run Linux using another free product called VMWare. In a nutshell, VMWare lets you run "virtual machines" -- that just means that you can run a simulated machine that is kept completely separate from the system that is already installed (in my case and in yours, Windows). (VMWare offers free versions.) I would say that this method is probably a little bit on the "advanced" side; but if you can read directions you can probably figure it out, it just may take a little more effort. If you're interested in this method, see http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/cat/45, where you can download VMWare Player (or server) as well as free "appliances" which just means preconfigured "virtual machines."
An easier way might be to try what's called a "live CD." If you consider yourself a "novice" PC user (or just want it to work without a lot of effort, etc.) I would probably recommend this as a way to just get a feel for a Linux distribution. Knoppix is one type of Linux offered in this way, and Ubuntu is another. I'd probably go for Ubuntu, personally. A "live CD" just means that you put the CD in and reboot the computer. The CD is then used to boot up the computer, and the entire system runs from the CD, but without changing anything on the computer's hard drive.
The live CD typically runs more slowly than if you actually installed Linux on your hard drive, so just keep that in mind if you are evaluating it from a speed perspective. A number of the Linux "flavors" available today do offer the ability to install it on the hard drive but to still keep Windows also. Ubuntu offers this, and so do several others such as SuSe and Mandriva for starters.
If you get to a more "advanced" level, or if you really want to get your hands dirty and learn the details, I'd probably steer you towards Debian or Slackware. Ubuntu and its sister projects are BASED on Debian, incidentally, but are considerably more user friendly than Debian itself. In my own case, I started out with Mandriva (which was called Mandrake at the time) and then moved on to Debian, trying out Red Hat, SuSe, Knoppix, and a couple others along the way.
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
2007-03-20 07:36:27 · answer #6 · answered by Jacques 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're question is very broad.
It's like asking how do I install a text editor. There are so many to choose form.
I suggest researching the different Linux Distros and find the one you like the best.
I suggest Ubuntu because its easy to get used to.
It is worth installing. There are plenty of alteratives to windows programs and they are easy to install on Ubuntu. There are a lot of support forums and guides if you run into problems.
To install Ubunutu you have to download the ISO and burn it. Reboot your computer (with the disc in it) and go through the installation process.
http://www.ubuntu.com/
2007-03-20 06:49:24 · answer #7 · answered by Otani 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've got a desktop running XP and a laptop using Ubuntu, just for the hell of it.
I tried Ubuntu because you can download & burn a "live" disk, then change the boot order to boot off the CD first, then you can boot from the "live" CD without loading the prog to your drive at all. Handy way to investigate it & see if you like it.
PS Jessica, f**k off!
2007-03-20 07:36:09 · answer #8 · answered by champer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Linux is free for everyone, you can download it or buy it, up to you.
Linux has so many distro, so you must search that suitable for u. I recomenden using Linux Mandrake, since it more friendly (my version) that other distro. The only problem is driver
Here some site to download them
http://distrowatch.com/
http://www.linuxlookup.com/linux_iso
http://www.tuxcds.com/
2007-03-20 06:54:54 · answer #9 · answered by must_zen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give it a shot. I would suggest running it on an old computer you have laying around 2 see if you like it first. Give it a few months to get used to it.
http://fedora.redhat.com
http://www.opensuse.org
RJ
2007-03-20 18:35:18 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋