Could I Linux?

[PrettyboyTim]

Not XP. I'm running Win98. On a steam-powered pc. Been thinking of upgrading for oh...five years.

You'd probably be better with xubuntu rather than ubuntu then.

 

[domtyler]

I truly hate to say this, but, I would stick to Windows for the time being. Linux is just not quite there yet. This is from someone who uses Linux/Unix at work (on servers) and has done for over fifteen years now (eeek!). MS Windows is a truly hateful piece of corporate software but the truth is that the user experience is still far better than anything that the open source community has cooked up so far.

Sorry ajevans/PrettyBoyTim

 

[ajevans]

You'd probably be better with xubuntu rather than ubuntu then.

Agree with Tim, Xubuntu is the better option.

If you want a bit of choice ther is also
SAM Linux 2007 http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=sam

It's based on PCLinux2007 and therefore has mp3, flash, realplayer support right out of the box.

Good sight to look at Linux distrubtions wtih links to review of them is:

http://distrowatch.com/

 

[ajevans]

I truly hate to say this, but, I would stick to Windows for the time being. Linux is just not quite there yet. This is from someone who uses Linux/Unix at work (on servers) and has done for over fifteen years now (eeek!). MS Windows is a truly hateful piece of corporate software but the truth is that the user experience is still far better than anything that the open source community has cooked up so far.

Sorry ajevans/PrettyBoyTim

Well as someone who uses Linux on the desktop I'd strongly disagree with you as I've had a far better experience on Linux than I've had on any flavour of Windows.

 

[ajevans]

So if peripherals come with Linux drivers, will they work on all flavours or will some furtling be necessary?

Most peripherals don't require Linux drivers as such, they will be automatically recognised by Linux and installed with no work required.

Things like video cards will require you to install them separately in order to use 3D acceleration. This will typically involve on clicking a few buttons as most distributions have a copy of these drivers in their repositories which they have tested and are known to work.

Unfortunately though there'll be the odd piece of kit whose manufacturer is obstinate in not providing support for Linux which will give you hassle.

 

[domtyler]

Well as someone who uses Linux on the desktop I'd strongly disagree with you as I've had a far better experience on Linux than I've had on any flavour of Windows.

I hoped and expected you would!

I try and look at it from a casual home user though who wants the benefits of true plug and play, hardware and software compatibility, a wide range of available games and home use software and overall ease of use and slickness (for want of a better word) of the UI. The winner is.... MS Windows.

 

[Carwash]

I hoped and expected you would!

I try and look at it from a casual home user though who wants the benefits of true plug and play, hardware and software compatibility, a wide range of available games and home use software and overall ease of use and slickness (for want of a better word) of the UI. The winner is.... MS Windows.

Not a challenge, a genuine question:

Is your opinion (above) based on having actually used a non-Windows system for a non-trivial period of time in the last few years?

 

[ajevans]

I hoped and expected you would!

I try and look at it from a casual home user though who wants the benefits of true plug and play, hardware and software compatibility, a wide range of available games and home use software and overall ease of use and slickness (for want of a better word) of the UI. The winner is.... MS Windows.

I totally understand what your getting it and a few years ago you'd be 100% correct (I remember trying Red Hat 7 and giving up for a couple of years), however it's unfair to say that with modern desktop distros.

Firstly Linux isn't for everybody e.g. if you're a graphics professional it's an issue as you probably want Photoshop CS3, therefore you'll probably want a Mac or Windows.

Likewise if you want all the latest Windows Games, then get Windows!

However all the purposes listed by the original post could be aptly covered by Linux. Not only could Linux do these well but can do so with almost zero risk of malware or viruses.

My ex-gf and her sister could destroy a Windows installation within 6 months. I don't know what they did to their laptops but they managed it (probably from installing crap). Anyway I installed Ubuntu for them told them where to go for the programs they wanted, and guess what? 6 months later the installations are still running as smoothly as when I first installed them. These weren't tech-savvy girls! Despite my ex-gf being a Doctor, she didn't even know what a CD-ROM was?

Okay it is a little more difficult installing it yourself, but it is still easier than installing Windows (assuming you install a newbie distro like PCLinuxOS or Ubuntu). Plus there are so many guides on t'internet so it's really not that scary.

Granted you may get the odd niggle with a certain peripheral so it depends on what you'll be using. The average person would most probably be fine.

Anyway it's a fairly pointless debate as the proof is in the pudding. For anyone wondering whether to give it a go. Try it for yourself and make your own mind up, there's 1000s of people willing to bend over backwards to help you, and there's no harm at all in giving a live-disk a go.

 

[domtyler]

Not a challenge, a genuine question:

Is your opinion (above) based on having actually used a non-Windows system for a non-trivial period of time in the last few years?

I have access to Linux desktop machines all the time at work and use it at home on older machines for various purposes, mainly networking duties. I most recently converted my two main home use machines that are shared by my non-techie wife to Ubuntu for about a month before the nagging reached critical levels and I was forced to convert them back. One of the main complaints was that if the laptop was to be taken to my wife's school it would not 'just work'.

That is the main problem, nothing 'just works'. It all involves hacking around or hunting for and installing fixes and/or workarounds. Fine for myself but my missus just cannot do that.

 

[domtyler]

I would just add to the above that if you are dedicated to the idea and have the will and patience to do it then it is definitely possible. The main problems are if you do not have those qualities or you share your machine(s) with people whose expectations are - Turn it on and it must work.

 

[barq]

I try and look at it from a casual home user though who wants the benefits of true plug and play, hardware and software compatibility, a wide range of available games and home use software and overall ease of use and slickness (for want of a better word) of the UI. The winner is.... MS Windows.

I do basically agree with you, but Sloe (the original poster) said he/she doesn't want games. I think we are dealing with a set of quite specific questions from two people who are (potentially) interested in linux.

I also agree with you about Plug and Play, but thanks to 'live' CDs anyone can easily boot into linux and find out whether their hardware is recognised so that does help a lot. The only significant problem that's arisen is WiFi. However if new hardware is being purchased then it won't be a problem to buy WiFi kit which linux immediately recognises.

 

[ajevans]

I have access to Linux desktop machines all the time at work and use it at home on older machines for various purposes, mainly networking duties. I most recently converted my two main home use machines that are shared by my non-techie wife to Ubuntu for about a month before the nagging reached critical levels and I was forced to convert them back. One of the main complaints was that if the laptop was to be taken to my wife's school it would not 'just work'.

That is the main problem, nothing 'just works'. It all involves hacking around or hunting for and installing fixes and/or workarounds. Fine for myself but my missus just cannot do that.

Well I think it's safe to say that your wife's experience here may not be relevant.

Firstly the original poster may not be transporting his PC around and plugging into different networks. Plug any computer into an alien network and it is unlikely to 'just work'.

Secondly the original poster is entering into this with an open mind. I'm not necessarily saying this was your wife's view, but it's difficult to suddenly change from one interface to one that is completely brand new. For instance the 'gnome' interface that Ubuntu uses is quite different to Windows. Whereas the 'KDE' interface that PCLinuxOS uses is quite similar.

 

[sloe]

Don't have a functioning cd player so cant either burn or run!

But been reading your explanations and looking at all these links you've all been providing - it doesn't look totally scary. In fact it begins to look interesting.

So if I got this Dell and the Belkin £35 router

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N1264015&s=dhs

and a bit of extra battery, it comes in at a bit under £400.

Would it work in wireless hotspots?
And how is Totem for watching DVDs?

 

[Carwash]

I have access to Linux desktop machines all the time at work and use it at home on older machines for various purposes, mainly networking duties. I most recently converted my two main home use machines that are shared by my non-techie wife to Ubuntu for about a month before the nagging reached critical levels and I was forced to convert them back. One of the main complaints was that if the laptop was to be taken to my wife's school it would not 'just work'.

That is the main problem, nothing 'just works'. It all involves hacking around or hunting for and installing fixes and/or workarounds. Fine for myself but my missus just cannot do that.

Thanks for that - just thought it was worth clarifying.

For what it's worth, I recently helped a non-techy friend setup his ageing Win98 laptop with Xubuntu. He loves it, no complaints so far.

 

[PrettyboyTim]

I truly hate to say this, but, I would stick to Windows for the time being. Linux is just not quite there yet. This is from someone who uses Linux/Unix at work (on servers) and has done for over fifteen years now (eeek!). MS Windows is a truly hateful piece of corporate software but the truth is that the user experience is still far better than anything that the open source community has cooked up so far.

Sorry ajevans/PrettyBoyTim

Oh, I agree. I use XP at home. But I think ubuntu's a better option than windows 98, which he currently runs!