Linux Questions

[PodgePapin]

For a while i've been meaning to try linux, but the main thing i would like to know is how is compatability with some windows software and games. and can i dual boot with xp\7 ok?

[watercooled]

Linux natively won't run windows applications but you can use a piece of software called WINE which does let you run a lot of Windows apps and games - some run perfectly, some won't run at all so it's best to check compatibility first. However, apart from games, most of the same type of software you use on Windows will be available on Linux ie instead of MS Office, you can use Openoffice which is free and supports documents made in Office.
And yes, you can boot 7, XP and Linux but it's best to install them is this order: XP, 7, Linux.
Hope this helps

[PodgePapin]

yeah thats cool cheers

[Terbinator]

I recently took the plunge and downloaded Ubuntu. I stuck it on my laptop as its specs couldnt handle vista (Core 2 1.66 GHz, 1GB RAM)

I was suprised at how efficient it was compared to Vista and also hwo ti seem to come with everything i needed, it didn't take long for me to become aquainted with all the settings and programs either.
You can try a 'Live-CD' version of Ubuntu where you can play(?) with the OS while in Windows then if you want, it will install it for you and take care of all the intrices such as boot partition etc.

[Maccer101]

I'm Ubuntu only in my house, love it.

Which version are you running as I'm stil on 8.04 & 8.10

Yeah, WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator) can run some stuff, but except for Games there are usually multiple alternates to any of the Windows software you normally use.

[Jay]

the wonders of Linux I use Ubuntu on my Dell Mini, Centos Server for my mail and backup DNS and used to use FreeNAS for my home storage, I replaced it with windows home server (I do have to say that Windows Home Server is very very good)

[PodgePapin]

When i get round to trying it im gonna try ubuntu 9.04, gonna put it on an external drive for now

[mamboboy]

This should sum it up for you...



!!

[aidanjt]

Really not getting it.

[Maccer101]

This should sum it up for you...



!!

Any other groups of people you'd like to insult while you're at it????

[watercooled]

Really not getting it.

Same here! Explain? If you're saying Linux is bad I would have to strongly disagree, along with a good number of people on this forum (and some of my friends who never used before Linux before I recommended it) - and without getting into an OS war do you actually have any experience of any OS other than Windows??

[idimmu]

i run debian on my laptop; works well for me. every program you could ever want you can find an open source version for linux, so thats not really a problem. i still dont know a lot about it, but there was a guide on here (will most likely be outdated now) that helped you through the install process. i recommend if you have time, to do something like that as opposed to just installing a package, so that you get a greater understanding of your os and what you have put on it.

[5eb]

For a while i've been meaning to try linux, but the main thing i would like to know is how is compatability with some windows software and games. and can i dual boot with xp\7 ok?

I think the biggest mistake people make is trying to run Windows apps on Linux. Linux has alternatives that are often better. If you _really_ need to run Windows apps, you can use the likes of Wine/Cedega or VMWare.

[watercooled]

I think a lot of people say Linux is harder to use for that reason - it's not though it's just because people are used to using Windows and the Windows way of doing things. Personally, I think Linux would be easier to learn from scratch than Windows - I think it's one of the motto's but it definitely rings true - 'It just works'!

[Terbinator]

This should sum it up for you...



!!

I lol'd.

[Jay]

the thing is that OSX is based on BSD Linux....