We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide
Should I bother with Linux?
EchoLocation
Posts: 901 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
Having recently emptied and formatted my secondary HDD I've been thinking about trying Linux as a dual-boot alongside Windows 7, but the sheer amount of choice is a bit overwhelming.
Any advice or recommendations would be welcome; however, before I even start asking the many questions I have... should I even bother with Linux? Is curiosity a good enough reason? I won't be ditching Windows, so is it really worth bothering with a second OS?
I like the idea that there is substantially less malware targeted at Linux, and being open-source it's likely to offer better privacy(?). But can it really offer a worthwhile alternative experience to Windows 7?
Any advice or recommendations would be welcome; however, before I even start asking the many questions I have... should I even bother with Linux? Is curiosity a good enough reason? I won't be ditching Windows, so is it really worth bothering with a second OS?
I like the idea that there is substantially less malware targeted at Linux, and being open-source it's likely to offer better privacy(?). But can it really offer a worthwhile alternative experience to Windows 7?
0
Comments
-
should I even bother with Linux?
Not unless you have a beard, wear sandals, drink copies amounts of home-brew ale and find T-shirts with "There's no place like 127.0.0.1" absolutely hilarious.0 -
No not unless you need Linux .
Wait for one of the linux based OS to go mainstream .0 -
You don't have to install Linux to trial it, you can burn a DVD with a Live Linux distribution and run that on your system.
It also depends what you want to use Linux for, most Linux distributions contain Open Office, modern browsers like Firefox, support for Flash (YouTube), plenty of free applications, plus the ability to customise almost everything.
There are so many distributions available and it will usually boil down to personal choice. Most modern Linux distributions will usually be based on one of the original distributions, especially when it comes to package management, for example: rpm (Redhat package management) or apt (Advanced Packaging Tool which was originally designed for Debian Linux).
You also have different Window Managers, the two most popular being KDE and Gnome
Personally, I use OpenSUSE: http://software.opensuse.org/131/en
OpenSUSE has two "Live" Desktops that you can use, KDE and Gnome, you just need to burn to DVD and boot it up.
Ubuntu Linux is quite popular and is built on Debian Linux architecture (uses the "apt" package management tool.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop
Another popular Linux distribution is Linux Mint which is based on Ubuntu and Debian and also includes multimedia support:
http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
You might see mention of Cinnamon, which is a desktop environment, has better menu selection than Gnome imo: http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/0 -
I_have_spoken wrote: »Not unless you have a beard, wear sandals, drink copies amounts of home-brew ale and find T-shirts with "There's no place like 127.0.0.1" absolutely hilarious.
Made me laugh. (as I type looking like Gandalf) :cool:0 -
The "Linux industry" is too fragmented
There are umpteen Linux distributions some even with several totally different desktop GUI/user interface variants you could install within the distribution backend.
Personally I don't get the appeal of Linux it just seems everything is so difficult not to mention the obsession with the command line commands to fix everything - it shouldn't need fixing!
For curiosity sake indeed have a go. I am told that in practice its best to avoid the hassles of dual boot with different partition types and instead have the Linux on a totally separate disk which you simply swap over with your windows disk as and when you want to.
I understand Linux Mint is one of the easiest to get to grips with for a Windows user.0 -
Ubuntu Linux is a good desktop OS aimed at the home user, no sandals nor pointed hat with a propeller on top of it required.
I am currently using Windows 7 as my main OS, and plan to skip Windows 8; if Windows 9 doesn't address my issues with Windows 8, then I'll be moving over to Ubuntu as my main OS.
The advantage of Linux is that it is free, so there are no licensing issues.
The disadvantage is that it doesn't run Microsoft Office (only available on Windows and Mac, though you can run a Windows VM on a Linux host and/or look at the WINE Windows Emulation environment to get it going, which definitely requires sandals!). There may also be some games which only run on Windows, though I guess most people would have dedicated games appliances (Xbox/Playstation/Wii) for gaming.
As far as usability goes, the shift from Windows XP & 7 to Ubuntu Linux is probably less than the shift to Windows 8.
I've mentioned Ubuntu; there are others too, including Mint/Cinnamon for home users, and Red Hat/CentOS/Oracle (all from the same code base) & SuSE for business/technical users, but I found Mint a bit quirky and the business/techie ones user interfaces a bit retro.0 -
No not unless you need Linux .
Wait for one of the linux based OS to go mainstream .
Not a major concern for me, although I must admit I thought Linux had gained a decent market share; however, having looked at Wikipedia it's still, percentage wise at least, quite low. Surely though it's never likely to trouble the OS monopolies of the big players....
There are so many distributions available and it will usually boil down to personal choice.
Another popular Linux distribution is Linux Mint which is based on Ubuntu and Debian and also includes multimedia support:
http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
You might see mention of Cinnamon, which is a desktop environment, has better menu selection than Gnome imo: http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/I understand Linux Mint is one of the easiest to get to grips with for a Windows user.
Mint is certainly one of the distros I like the sound of and I've seen mentioned as a recommendation. Elementary looked clean and interesting as well. I think an Ubuntu-derived distro looks the best bet for me at the moment, though I've maybe fallen into the trap looking for something that replicates Windows rather than something that offers a different experience.The "Linux industry" is too fragmented
There are umpteen Linux distributions some even with several totally different desktop GUI/user interface variants you could install within the distribution backend.
Personally I don't get the appeal of Linux it just seems everything is so difficult not to mention the obsession with the command line commands to fix everything - it shouldn't need fixing!
For curiosity sake indeed have a go. I am told that in practice its best to avoid the hassles of dual boot with different partition types and instead have the Linux on a totally separate disk which you simply swap over with your windows disk as and when you want to.
I understand Linux Mint is one of the easiest to get to grips with for a Windows user.
After a small amount of research and googling, I think this summarizes my view perfectly.0 -
Personally I don't get the appeal of Linux it just seems everything is so difficult not to mention the obsession with the command line commands to fix everything - it shouldn't need fixing!
personally been duel booting linux and windows for years and i have to say, i have never, not once, had to use the command line to fix anything, ok so i have used Ubuntu and Linux Mint which are probably the two most common and therefore generally the least buggy distros, but i just dont understand the misconception of having to use the command line for everything as i just have not needed it for anything
i have also successfully got my 82 year old father in law and 75 year old mother in law moved over to linux mint full time and they have not had a single problem with the switch, and they enjoy the security it offers, the extra speed when doing anything, and the software centre as a single place to get everything they have wantedDrop a brand challenge
on a £100 shop you might on average get 70 items save
10p per product = £7 a week ~ £28 a month
20p per product = £14 a week ~ £56 a month
30p per product = £21 a week ~ £84 a month (or in other words one weeks shoping at the new price)0 -
The disadvantage is that it doesn't run Microsoft Office (only available on Windows and Mac, though you can run a Windows VM on a Linux host and/or look at the WINE Windows Emulation environment to get it going, which definitely requires sandals!).
but I found Mint a bit quirky and the business/techie ones user interfaces a bit retro.
Hi
I have Linux Mint 15 on my laptop and use Office 2007, mainly Word 2007. Installed using the Office 2007 disc and Wine/Winetricks. Wine is very easy to use. (Sandals are optional:):rotfl:)
I really like Linux Mint 15. Saved me when Windows 7 failed on my laptop. It's quick to boot and has regular updates. The only problem I have is I can't print using Linux. Use my Windows 7 PC for that.
What's quirky about Linux Mint?Sealed Pot Challenge No 089-Finally got a signature.:rotfl::j0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 353.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 455K Spending & Discounts
- 246.6K Work, Benefits & Business
- 602.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.1K Life & Family
- 260.6K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards