Tech: How do I get Linux?

Subject: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: michaelr
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 08:06 PM

I keep hearing from folks who are fed up with Microsoft "Linux is it for me". What is Linux? Who sells Linux? What do I need to do to get it onto my computer? (I'm running Win98SE.)

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 09:06 PM

You just had to ask, didn't you. Linux is a kernel (never mind what that means, it doesn't matter). It uses the Gnu utilities and there are at least a hundred different versions or flavours available. Most of them are free. Go to distrowatch.com to get some idea whats available. For the the utter beginner a distro called Linspire or Freespire might be a good choice. Ubuntu, last time I heard, will send you a free installation cd. The 2 biggest drawbacks from your probable point of view are: the bound and printed documentation either stinks or doesnt exist at all and - of course - it's not windows, so things are done differently, sometimes in ways you might not expect. There are on-line communities for every distro, often very helpful. If you're the kind of person who explores the operating system just for the hell of it you may like it.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 10:24 PM

Linux is just beginning to be something that an average user can install and/or use. There are many issues and complications...including 'partitioning' a drive so that Linux and Windows don't conflict. There 'are' a couple of ways to put it on a CD and boot from there without installing it...just to see if you like it, but unless you buy a computer with it already set up, be prepared to need help.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 10:46 PM

The CD method Bill D mentioned is called a 'live' cd and will run an os without installing it. It's slow, though. Just meant to give you a taste of the distribution. There are a number of them available for free download. Try this search query - "live cd" + linux. Knoppix is the grandaddy of them all.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 03:51 AM

I have a drive partitioned in my rebuild computer ready to try, (C has Windoze on and D is empty and formatted, and E and F are there for data storage and backups) and a set of CDs on the shelf - and then I saw a remark in passing somewhere that Linux uses a different type of disk storage - now was it that it wasn't FAT32, or that it wasnt NTFS?

If my installation disks are going to reformat the entire drive not just the D partition, and if they are not going to give me the chance to put Linux in the D partition in stead of the C, I'm going to have problems....

Thoughts?

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Scrump
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 04:04 AM

I'm also interested in the possibility of installing Linux, probably as above, in a separate partition so I could revert to Windows occasionally if need be.

The things I want to be able to do are (more or less):

- internet access for email and web browser
- use MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint (and maybe a few other utilities/software packages)
- record sound, burn CDs, etc.

I think that about covers it (there may be other things but I can't think of them right now, so they can't be that important to me, I guess). Is it possible to get a Linux front end (or whatever it's called) that will allow you to run software designed for Windows (as most of it seems to be, understandably given the market)?

Just asking, as I know folk-all about Linux and would like to learn more.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 04:25 AM

Use VMWare Player or VMWare GSX Server - Both available as free downloads from vmware.com. The former will let you run pre-built Virtual Machines ad the latter will let you build your own. Create or load a virtual machine within your windows PC and run Linux in that to find out if you like it or not. If you don't like what you see just blow the VM's away. VMWare itself does have one or two driver issues though so if you like Linux I would recommend installing it instead of Windows - It will do all the stuff mentioned (and much more) but not by the names mentioned (MS Word, Excel etc.)
- Dave-

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 04:27 AM

PS - Posting this from Mozilla Firefox running within my Virtual Browser appliance in the Ubuntu linix OS VM on an XP desktop.

Geek or what? :-)
- Dave-

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 07:28 AM

Subtitles? I am a bit techy but I'm getting lost here. Why would I want to run a virtual machine rather than simply (is that the right word?) installing Linux on a separate partition on my boot harddrive?

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Scrump
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 07:38 AM

Well, I don't think you can get it from toilet seats.

... I'll get me coat.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 07:57 AM

Presumably you need Windows as well as Linux, in order to open up all the spreadsheets and word documents that people will carry on emailing you.
-Dave-

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 08:36 AM

Not necessarily. You could check out Open Office dot Org.
http://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html
It will work on Microsoft format and probably do a better job. It is also absolutely free.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 09:54 AM

With a VM you don't need to partition the disk. If the disk is already dedicated to Windows (or Linux) a VM will let you run Linux (or Windows) without the need to re-partition. On top of which there is no need to reboot to swith between Mr Gates and Mr Torvalds.

If there was any further reasons required you can have multiple VMs or, to get realy complicated, VMs within VMs. I have had Windows 95, 98 and 2000 running on my XP desktop as well as RedHat and Ubuntu Linix! Each VM takes around 8Gb.

Open Office is excelent - comes included in the full RedHat suite as well as others. Will read all MS Office documents and does everything that Outlook does. The only issue I had was getting Messanger working in RedHat but I managed it eventualy:-)
- Dave-

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 10:40 AM

To dual boot linux and windows:

Install windows first. If you install it second, it will overwrite the MBR and access to anything else will be lost.

In the linux installation process, make sure it's pointed at the right partition then let it format that partition for you.

Best not to select the reiser format, it's no longer being actively developed. Choose ext3. Herr Reiser has more pressing concerns these days.

Expect a certain amount of hassle in opening windows files. MS deliberately causes problems. Power Point is the one I have the most trouble with.

Ask for help when (not if) you need it.

Download and try some live cd's first to help you choose the flavour that suits you best.

Ubuntu and Fedora have the largest and most active user bases. Check out the forums. I like SuSE despite that.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: Scrump
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 10:45 AM

If you knew SuSE, like I know SuSE...

... I'll get me coat.

Subject: RE: Tech: How do I get Linux?
From: danensis
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 03:42 PM

I run quite a few different machines at home (as a squirrel I grab anything people are chucking out). I started with a number of SunSparcs running SunOS, and later Solaris, but I found they worked better when I put Linux on them.

Then I got a PC that was getting very tired running Windows 3.31. It perked up no end when I put RedHat Linux on it.

When I got a few Windows 98 machines, I installed Mandrake on them, originally 8.1 and then later releases up to 10.2. Since their reincarnation as Mandriva I've been less impressed, but it still installs out of the box by just selecting the defaults throughout.

I network my Unix boxes using NFS and my one remaining Windows machine using SMB. I have no problem reading and writing documents in all the Micro$oft formats, and can even write Adobe documents.

Until I got 8Mb ADSL I used to buy CDs from the Linux Emporium. It cost me £6 for the latest version of Mandriva. Now I just download the ISOs and burn them onto CD.

John