Anyone here use Linux?

skr00ge

I have Ubuntu 6.10 installed on the laptop I'm writing this on. Its a compaq M700 PIII800Mhz, 12GB disk, 392MB memory, 2nd hand from ebay costing £130. I have a PCMCIA wireless network card. I browse and email from it. It can view PDF files. It has OpenOffice on it. It will play DVDs and MP3s. All my important documents and files I save on a USB flash drive, I can have them wherever there is a PC.

So most of the basics covered.

Linux requires a it more thinking to do certain things such as setting up a networked Lexmark e120n printer but thinking isn't expensive. It doesn't do everything but Windows doesn't do everything.

I'm not going to upgrade to Vista as I don't want to spend money on something that has a marginal benefit. I have access to an XP box if I need to.

If you don't want to put in the effort then buy windows but expect to pay for them to fix their mistakes and take money off you every few years. I can see the next release of Windows being a monthly subscription for the use of their software. It and all the media you paid for will only be accessible if you keep paying. A bit like Sky. Office 2007 isn't that different from 2003 which wasn't that different from 2000. But its cost you about £200 in 7 years. Writing in AbiWord or OpenOffice costs nothing(apart from mental effort).

If you have the money and don't mind a bit of hassle and paying, Windows is for you. (go with the flow, industry standard, no brainer).

If you really don't want the hassle but have the money then buy a Mac. (want to concentrate on the creative output).

If you haven't the money and have a bit of thinking time, try Linux for the cost of a blank CD. (Geeks, challenge seekers).

Linux has come on over the past few years. I'm at the point where I'm using it on a daily basis on the desktop. This was unthinkable 5 years ago.

Good distributions are Slax, PCLinuxOS, Ubuntu, Mandiva One, Mepis.
A good place to find your linux is https://www.distrowatch.com .

Cheers.

devizes18193

I have Ubuntu 6.10 installed on the desktop I'm writing this on itsa fresh install ona celeron 700 . I have not touched linux for about 6 years and to praphrase vista "wow".
It dual boots with xp and no loss on performance it picked up my hardware no probs and with opera there is compatablity with internet explorer if needed. The only down side is i can network my other pc's which are xp sp2 . But as others have said there is a bit of a learning curve but a small one .I'm only 3days into it

wolfman

As some have mentioned Linux does take time and effort.

Certain things (setting up Samba shares for example) aren't quite as easy as Windows.And especially setting up certain hardware.

With regards to hardware, it's all about picking the right hardware. nVidia graphics card preferably instead of ATI for example. So if you're planning on switching to Linux it's usually worth starting off with a dual boot setup until you've figured how to get everything setup.

Command line may seem nasty, and in some cases it is, but it makes giving instructions very easy (rather than click this then move here etc...). Plus you can't create scripts of your own. I've started making some, so off a fresh install, it'll remove everything I don't want, and install all the apps I need in one go. All that's left is configuring everything.

I wouldn't necessarily say Linux is about saving money. You can pick up XP for £50 which isn't a huge amount (or it comes with most packaged systems). It's more about taking control of your pc and having it how you want it, joining a community etc...

toontastic

A nice and easy way to use Myth http://www.mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html