Finally Switched to Linux

[riverc0il]

not sure what took me so long, but i finally stepped up to the plate and installed a linux distro for my main system. after doing an install on a seperate older system, i was sold and decided to setup a double boot on my main box. still gotta use windows for a variety of programs that have no linux port and don't work with WINE/crossover, but with exception of some multimedia apps, i am booting into linux 90% of the time and loving it. i had no idea how far the GUI on linux has come. my desktop runs off the kde environment. i know there are quite a few other linux users on AZ, how about a show of hands?

i did have some issues after install including monitor sizing issues, time clock issues, and a printer issue. my impression is the OS is still not quite to the point that someone that needs to install an OS and have it work 100% with no tinkering would appreciate it. but for someone looking to expand upon their geeking out aspect and tweak a few things, it is pretty damn cool! i already ordered a text to better learn the command line, looks like a steep learning curve for someone that has no unix experience. eventually, i think i might be interested in setting up a server on my spare box, it would be nice to cut out web hosting fees! but that is a ways off.

 

[bvibert]

I fooled around with Linux for a while several years back. I didn't have to time to put in to it to re-learn the things I already knew how to do so well in the DOS/Windows world. I keep saying that someday I'll give it another shot, but I haven't gotten around to it yet....

 

[hammer]

Did you do an install on a clean machine or did you set up an existing Windows machine for dual-boot?

I wish I could install Linux on my work laptop...one of the software products I work on was ported from UNIX to Linux but my laptop only runs Windows.

 

[riverc0il]

i did both. first i did a clean install on an older computer to basically give it a test run and make sure i was satisfied with the OS. once i decided i wanted to use the OS as my primary system, i installed it on my main machine with a dual-boot option for both linux or windows.

 

[Greg]

Windows guy here. Been supporting Windows full time since 1999. It's what I''m most comfortable with.

 

[riverc0il]

i had been using windows since 3.1 and was definitely comfortable with it. one of my life themes though is trying not to be too comfortable. usually when i get too comfortable, it means i am not pushing myself to learn new things. expanding my horizons in computers is currently one of the ways i am pushing myself to learn new stuff. i already tackled CSS which was fun. after i learn how to use a shell in linux i would like to learn PHP as well (ummm, so i guess you can expect another redesign of the snow way within the next two years :roll: ). when i first installed my linux distro, i was doing it more to learn and geek out than i was to swear off windows. after i started using it a bit, i knew i would never purchase another microsoft product ever again. nice knowing that linux can provide almost every app you need for free! including the OS itself in most cases (though i ponyed up $25 to get a distro that had some support).

 

[Greg]

i had been using windows since 3.1

I go back to DOS myself. Windows 3.1 and then 95 was like a giant leap. W2K has been the most stable MS OS I ever worked on, but I like some features of XP Pro, most notably RDC.

after i learn how to use a shell in linux i would like to learn PHP as well (ummm, so i guess you can expect another redesign of the snow way within the next two years :roll: ).

You don't need to run Linux to program in PHP...........but I know what you meant...

 

[riverc0il]

yea, i wasn't thinking i needed to know or run linux to learn PHP. one project at a time though, heh! from what i understand, knowing the basics of a linux/unix command line would be beneficial to learning PHP. though i could just as easily have taken on learning PHP first, i am so sick of looking at web design right now :lol: i have absolutely no programing language knowledge, so it should be a fun project to work on.

 

[Marc]

Good job Riv. What distro did you end up with.

 

[riverc0il]

i'll probably get some slack about this (especially considering i actually dropped $25 on it), but i went with xandros. it has essentially been designed as one of the easier transition distros from windows to linux. my primary concern was going in with no knowledge and screwing up the install somehow. the xandros OS install was easier than win2k. once i learn the command line stuff and file system, i'll probably install a more hands on distro on my spare box to better learn things from the ground up.

 

[Marc]

You'll pick up the file system and drive mounting quickly, it's more intuitive than people think, and I think makes more sense than Windows once you learn it.

And hey, the Linux kernel is the Linux kernel.

Give Ubuntu a try (or Kubuntu, if you prefer KDE over Gnome). It's a good mix of user friendliness while retaining a lot of more advanced abilities.


As for the ease of install, well, I was using fedora core 2 quite a while ago, and even that was an easier install than winblows.

 

[kbroderick]

When people talk about Linux being tough to install, they often overlook how tough it is to install Windows. And the Windows Updates. And the right drivers for the video card that was released after the OS and still doesn't have WHQL certified drivers. And Office. And AIM. And antivirus software. And a personal firewall. And all the other software that makes the computer actually usable. If you compare a bare-metal (i.e. no partitions on the hard drive) Linux vs. Windows install, the Linux install doesn't seem as hard anymore. In the Real World, of course, most people don't install Windows--they buy a PC with Windows already installed.

For anyone who wants to play with Linux without reinstalling, I'd recommend downloading either VMWare Server or VMWare player and grabbing some of the ready-made images off of VMWare's site.

For those who are more interested in having things Just Work yet still be fixable if they don't, I'd recommend a Mac.

(Personally, I've got a Powerbook and an XP box on my desktop, but we've got a pair of Linux boxen in the server room.)

 

[catskills]

Hey Steve good for you.

My IBM Laptop 42P is setup to dual boot Linux SLES 9 and Windows XP. There are times I need to build stuff on Linux. I use FireFox browser 100 percent of the time on both Linux and Windows. I also have another machine with Windows 2000 that I am using right now.

I use free download of OpenOffice.org on both Linux and Windows, which can also work on many of the MS Office word, excel, and power point documents. This is a great option for students and teachers rather than shell out the big bucks for MS Office.

I also use free ThunderBird for email and Sunbird for calendar that runs on both Linux and Windooooows.

:flame: MS Windows just came out with their new browser IE7 to compete with FireFox. Unfortunatly they don't have a version of IE7 that runs on Windows 2000.

Go FireFox and OpenOffice.org :beer:

 

[dmc]

I have a Linux VMWare thingie on my laptop... i use it to test a file encryption product that our company has... It's pretty cool... total transparent encryption at the kernel level..


Also use a bunch of Redhat servers for testing and demoing...

It's cool - runs great - nice desktop(gnome)... I''ve just invested too much into software on windows to make 100% switch...

 

[riverc0il]

catskills, i am no stranger to firefox! been loyal to that browser for years. not much of a thunderbird fan. i used it for a while but never liked it. currently using kmail which has done well by my standards. openoffice came standard with my distro, nice to be 100% MS free!

dmc, i hear you about having too much software invested in office. i am still booting into windows for multimedia applications but am using the linux boot primary since i generally only work on multimedia editing apps once a week at best.

 

[smitty77]

I installed RedHat on a machine just for yucks about 6 years ago, and it was way easier than I imagined it would be. It sure seemed daunting at the beginning, but I had some college friends that were Linux and Unix geniuses so I knew where I could get help if I screwed up. It turns out I didn't need any help at all. I only had to tweak one monitor parameter and I was up and running in like 25 minutes. Any Windows install takes me 3 ours + to get everything working. Sure, I can have a Win machine boot in 25, but my printer doesn't work, my modem's f-ed up, nothing's optimized, and it's so unsecure (not in an emotional ense either) until I can find hours upon hours of time I'll need to download all of the updates over a 30k dial-up connection.

I'd go back to Linux, but I have other users in the house to train, so my next step is a Mac.

Good job Steve. Anything that takes Micro$oft down a fraction is all good in my book.

 

[catskills]

Novell and Microsoft collaborate - The two companies also announced an agreement to provide each other’s customers with patent coverage for their respective products.

Not sure what this means in the long run. :-?

 

[bvibert]

Pulling this thread out of the basement...

I recently installed Ubuntu server on one of my old machines to use as a file server and to serve as a local web/PHP server so I can work on website projects without having to upload files to my host. I mostly did it so I could play around with Linux though. It really has come a long long way since I played with a distro of RedHat a while back (10 years??). I've found the Gnome desktop environment pretty easy to use so far. If anything the installation was too easy. I was hoping that I'd be forced to learn more about the under-pinnings of Linux during the install process. But it actually installed without any glitches that I know of yet, that is once I got it to installed the Gnome environment since it's not included in the server install. Even that was really easy though.

I had intended to install Linux as a dual boot on my Wife's old Mac laptop to play with it first, but apparently the HDD died in the process...

I guess the next step is to install it as a dual boot on my main machine too. Though I just recently re-installed XP and got it working good so I'm a little hesitant to monkey with it just yet...

 

[Greg]

I guess the next step is to install it as a dual boot on my main machine too.

No. The next step is to get to work on that season ski vid... :roll:

 

[bvibert]

No. The next step is to get to work on that season ski vid... :roll:

:lol: Actually I started collecting all the footage I have the other night. I think I still have some that I haven't gotten off the tape though, so I have to find that first...