linux!

[Nick Smith]

i'm going to be installing linux on my soon to be media center, and i'm just wondering if theres anything i need to know about it before i install it.

also, some links to some decent programs that'll run on linux will bemuch appriciated....as i have no idea what to look for!


Nick

[MadduckUK]

experimenting with ubuntu at the moment, spend the best part of three nights faffing with it, mainly trying to get my wireless connection going, its "quirky" as hell and the 64bit version is worse.. erm.. thats as far as iv got at the min.

[directhex]

you'll need to be more specific in what you actually want if you want a useful answer

anything you need to know? yeah, it's different from windows - so don't expact everything to be identical or have direct equivalents

any decent programs? thousands, of varing size and utility. what specifically do you want to do? it's as open-ended a question as "what programs should i install on windows". ubuntu has an add/remove programs window that presents a few tens of thousands of apps with descriptions & popularity ratings - search for something like "web browser" and you'll get a number of options.

[jamin]

Ubuntu is currently my choice as it is easy to install, use and update. It comes with hundreds of programs that you can choose to install or not, most notably Open Office which is an open source equivalent of MS Office. It is configurable, stable and secure.

What you need to do first is choose a couple of Distros that have the features you are looking for. eg Ubuntu - Easy and User Friendly, comes with loads of software, suitable for beginner. Debian - Fully configurable, packed with features that make it ideal for Server / Workstation use, suitable for medium to advenced user. Then install and play, pick the one that you like best.

The learning curve will be steep, but don't give up. If you get stuck, google or ask. Its worth it, Linux is much more powerful than windows.

The only reason I still use Windows at home is for games now.

A quick google: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=414291

[aidanjt]

Debian isn't fully configurable, highly configurable perhaps. The fully configurable domain lays with LFS and Gentoo. But all these distros are way OTT for Windows users dabbing their feet in the water.

Nick Smith, You'd be better giving Ubuntu a crack, it's fairy easy to get setup and use, and Ubuntu aren't like the purist crowd that forbid things like binary drivers and win32codecs, which makes your life that little bit easier.

[jamin]

Debian isn't fully configurable, highly configurable perhaps. The fully configurable domain lays with LFS and Gentoo.

Whoops, typo . I meant Deb can be configured to serve specific roles, making it more configurable when compared to say Ubuntu which is more suited to a home PC setup IMHO.

[ikonia]

if your planning to do a "media center" type project to replace your windows one, think about time scales and commitment to learning.

As I said in another thread, if this is a learning experience and you can live without your media center PC for say potentially 6 months, dive in you'll get tons of help, if you want this working by Sunday - go back - reinstall windows MCE.

I've seen far to many people get annoyed when it doesn't work out of the box, and configuring and troubleshooting is quite alien as it works in a different way to windows. You'll get help, but so often I see "I've been doing this for 3 months, will someone please just show me what I have to type" and it always falls on deaf ears from pretty much any community.

So before you start looking at what do use and why, and what everyone thinks is the best etc etc, decide if this is the way you want to go.

[Nick Smith]

the reason i'm going for linux is that i dont have a license for windows MCE, and i don't really want to pay for one...

and i also want to learn about linux, and how to get it working etc. and i don't need a media center up and running by sunday, i just want that PC to be functional within the next few days.

[directhex]

what specification is the machine in question? detail helps (i.e. specific chipset names more than actual product names)

[Nick Smith]

urm...lemme find out...it's all second hand :/

[directhex]

old stuff ought to be fine. it's bleeding edge stuff (e.g. jmicron ide on 965p boards) that can misbehave

what tv cards & video card?

[Nick Smith]

old stuff ought to be fine. it's bleeding edge stuff (e.g. jmicron ide on 965p boards) that can misbehave

what tv cards & video card?

would a HTPC nVidia fx5200 AGP be ok?

[alsenior]

yes the nvidia drivers are ok for linux

[directhex]

would a HTPC nVidia fx5200 AGP be ok?

yes

if you'd said anything ATI related then i'd have given up on trying to help

[Nick Smith]

yes

if you'd said anything ATI related then i'd have given up on trying to help

lol

Thanks

[directhex]

tv cards? most will work, but it alters the complexities involved