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  1. #1

    Default Re: Lunix

    There is an abundance of info on Linux on the net as well as forums for most distros, as well as wikis and howtos. Sometimes you just have to look for this info and not just plunge in impatiently - as I am prone to doing myself. I found that once I had learned some patience with Linux and stopped thinking in "windows mode" that things became a lot clearer. Getting hold of a decent book helped as well.

    As far as Linux goes I'm pretty much shoulder to shoulder with Blodrast and Xiahou in that this is an accessible, solid, secure and totally free OS that is available to all that have the patience determination to persevere with something that is so clearly not Windows.

    “The majestic equality of the laws prohibits the rich and the poor alike from sleeping under bridges, begging in the streets and stealing bread.” - Anatole France

    "The law is like a spider’s web. The small are caught, and the great tear it up.” - Anacharsis

  2. #2

    Default Re: Lunix

    Thanks Blodrast a few questions

    Would you notice much of a jump in performance on a lower end machine compared to windows?

    What Distro do orgahs here use and what do they think about them

    Finilly does Itunes work via wine or anyother method is there some other program that works with ipods?
    When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples
    -Stephen Crane

  3. #3

    Default Re: Lunix

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Winter
    Thanks Blodrast a few questions

    Would you notice much of a jump in performance on a lower end machine compared to windows?
    Define "performance", please... I talked about this in my post above, towards the end, in the "Performance" section. The general rule is that you can choose to have all the bells and whistles, and in that case of course the OS will use up a lot of resources, or you can choose to have fewer bells and whistles, and the OS will use fewer resources.

    The big desktop environments, Gnome and KDE, are / can be as much a resource hog as Windows is. The main difference is that you can choose exactly how many resources to enable (to a larger extent than just using/not using, say, Aero).

    However, as a rule, on average, I'd say that a machine with modest resources would have a much easier time running a Linux/Unix OS than Windows, yes.
    Remember, this is an OS where one doesn't even need a graphical interface, and can do everything from the command line, if one chooses so (and this is a very common case with servers). Naturally, you will use a GUI, but even so, yes, I would argue that fewer resources are needed to have a smooth-running OS than with Windows.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Winter
    What Distro do orgahs here use and what do they think about them
    The other members will speak for themselves, naturally. As for me, I'm using Fedora at home (dual-boot with windows though, since I do play games occasionally), and Debian and Ubuntu at work. All three of them are major distros, and I would advise going with a popular distro first, since it will be easier to find help and/or fix common issues, and there will be plenty of support (as opposed to some very specialized, obscure distro).

    All three of these are popular for good reasons, and you can't really go wrong with any of them. I would maybe recommend Ubuntu, since it seems the most user-friendly of all. But really, the differences between the three are not relevant to you at this point - e.g., I don't think you care that certain configuration files are called differently, or located in different places, or have a different format.


    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Winter
    Finilly does Itunes work via wine or anyother method is there some other program that works with ipods?
    Good question, and I don't know the answer to that one. Never tried, never looked into it.
    iTunes doesn't natively run on Linux/Unix. There are alternatives on Linux, like, for example, Amarok. However, if you want to buy music from Apple, afaik, you can only do that through iTunes. However, it does support iPods - check out its features: http://amarok.kde.org/features.

    Somewhat related, though, is this: you can use Rockbox (see if your particular ipod is supported). It will replace the original firmware, and give you extra functionality (mainly, you'll be able to play a whole bunch of other formats on your ipod, which may or may not be relevant/useful to you, depending on your digital music library).
    Therapy helps, but screaming obscenities is cheaper.

  4. #4
    The very model of a modern Moderator Xiahou's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lunix

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Winter
    What Distro do orgahs here use and what do they think about them
    I've been using Mandrake/Mandriva for years now and have generally been very happy with it. I used to use Redhat, but decided to try something different when I did a reinstall and never went back. I've also played around with a Kubuntu bootable CD on my laptop- seems nice, but I always end up going back to what's familiar.

    That said, I think distros are very much a matter of personal taste/needs. If you need a direction, here is a simple questionnaire that could give you some idea of a good fit.
    "Don't believe everything you read online."
    -Abraham Lincoln

  5. #5

    Default Re: Lunix

    Hmm the last time I took that test a year or two back, Ubuntu was the best for me, but now it says:
    1) Fedora
    2) OpenSuSE
    3) Ubuntu
    4) Mandriva.

    I've used Mandriva (Mandrake) in the past but could never get on with KDE. I prefer Gnome by a mile. I've also tried Fedora last year but I'll probably stick with my current distro Ubuntu 7.09.
    Last edited by caravel; 12-30-2007 at 16:00.
    “The majestic equality of the laws prohibits the rich and the poor alike from sleeping under bridges, begging in the streets and stealing bread.” - Anatole France

    "The law is like a spider’s web. The small are caught, and the great tear it up.” - Anacharsis

  6. #6
    L'Etranger Senior Member Banquo's Ghost's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lunix

    I used to use Mandrake (before the Mandriva change) and it was very easy to get to grips with. I played with Fedora and before that, Red Hat too, and both were nicely presented and professional.

    In my more enthusiastic days I also set up a box with Debian, which is a wonderful distro but not for the new (at least not in those days). I lost interest when I actually needed to be productive, rather than find fascinating new tangents.

    I hated SuSE, even though it was one of the first boxed sets available in retail stores here.
    "If there is a sin against life, it consists not so much in despairing as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this one."
    Albert Camus "Noces"

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