Greetings Spott,

 

Good question ... first-off, Linux and various spins/distros therein are here to stay for a while, if nowhere else, in the enterprise arena, as it presents a cheap and highly configurable OS which can be tailored to any peice of hardware, unlike DOS/Windows and MacOS.  Gnu/Linux also started, indeed, as a "geeky" OS, as it was originally the brainchild of a grad student back in 1991.  The fact that it remains deeply rooted in the "geeky" community is a bonus for other end-users as most issues, compatability problems, and new apps are quickly hacked and ported if not written specifically for ... that brings up another issue of porting versus development ... which we won't get into ;-)

 

Anyway - the question you should ask yourself is rather, what do I want to get out of my PC? and why I am disappointed with Vista?  I can assume the answer to the 2nd is obvious ;-) as I have used Vista as well, and I totally agree it is a huge disappointment.  That said, if you had the choice of Windows XP or Linux, would you still be considering Linux?  If the answer is no, then you should stick with windows as future developments are sure to improve the underlying OS (DOS)...in fact, i wouldn't be surprised to see MS take a new direction on with the next upgrade (possibly even steering away from the system registry).

 

MacOS is was actually a nice alternative to this dilemma, and two years ago I would have suggested it ... personally, I use Fedora, and have used RPM based distros (RedHat, Fedora, etc) since I started using linux ... I enjoy the occasional fondle on my iBook, but with recent developments in desktop managers such as Compiz-Fusion, a lot of the "eye candy" that made macs more desireable is now available in linux and you aren't tied into certain hardware specs.

 

Linux, in the sense of distros (technically Linux just refers to the kernel, Gnu/Linux is the kernel plus the libraries and binaries, then Fedora or Ubuntu is a distro that ties all this together along with bundled open source software for end users such as office suites, graphical manipulation, firefox/thunderbird, etc..) has a way to go before, say, a lifetime Windows user can feel comfortable.  That said, the fact that you have dual-booted and haven't turned back after having to reinstall, etc ... I think answers your question ...

 

Also as for apps that you need to port ... remember you can always run a Windows XP or Vista virtual machine inside your linux workstation via VMWare or another virtualization application ... it is easy and qorks amazingly well (and fast) if you have good hardware and your specs in your signature is more than enough to get a fully virtualized Windows OS to run concurrently with a Linux distro.

 

Anyway ... if after only 7 weeks you are considering this option, I think you will eventually migrate over...but don't do it before you feel comfortable as it will spoil your entire experience if you find out half way into the migration you can't port an essential peice of software.

 

Brad

 

 

Brad,

 

Thanks for your reply. I really like Ubuntu, but I guess it's just too soon to make a decision. Guess I'll stick with the dual-boot for a few months and see how it goes. Just wanted to get some input.

 

Thanks again

No problem ... always be weary of those who bash an OS or make generalized statements ... Linux is great, for me ... but it isn't great for my grandmother, or my brother ... and so on ... find what is right for you, be it open source or proprietary and don't feel pressured into making a decision ... life's too short to spend it in front of a computer hacking away anyway, I just get paid to do it, so I do all my fun stuff at work ;-)

 

Have a good week

 

I would recommend moving to using vmware sooner rather than later to make your migration easier, as having to re-boot everytime you want to use another application can become a pain in the backside.

 

You can either create a Linux virtual machine to start with, or download one from the vmware appliance site, all ready built for you, and that way you can use the two along side each other without having to re-boot. You might also want to investigate crossover office, which allows you to run microsoft applications directly from your Linux desktop, thus again saving having to switch between the two.

 

I have helped several of my friends and colleagues migrate this way, without losing or migrating data, but just over time switching to the new applications when they are ready to do so.

 

Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu) , is a user friendly distribution, that takes some of the pain away, as most of the addons are already installed.

 

Hope it goes well.

 

Cod

 

 

codfather,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not to the point of using VM yet. I feel secure with dual-boot right now.

 

At this point (8 weeks using Ubuntu), I feel that the peripheral support is just not good enough to go any farther with Ubuntu. Most peripherals "work" on Ubuntu, but the quality and functionality is no where close to Windows and Windows drivers. I can't see re-booting into Windows every time I want to scan/print anything important.

 

Thanks,

 

Spott

Linux is not just a geeky fad -- it is capable of doing nearly anything from real-time stuff (NYSE and the military would want that) to rendering (Pixar's rendering machines use Linux) to being a nice home computer you and I use today.

 

When asking whether Linux is really the way to go, that's entirely up to you to answer.  For starters, a nice alternative to Microsoft Money is GnuCash (also available for Windows). My journey has been about four years long, and my patience has been tried many, many times.  Just remember that if you use Linux, you can leverage your existing hardware and make it serve you for more years to come.

 

P.S. There's no shame in dual-booting. ;)

Is Linux here to stay I believe YES!!!

 

It has almost everything MS or Mac has, except Gaming is kind of hard, even with Cedega or Wine factored in the mix...

MS is still the way to go with gaming in my opnion....

 

Now as for ease of Linux I've been having alot of probs getting Linux to run on my boxes for one reason or another, Video, Sound, Wireless, Kernel Panic and the like.

 

Even though  I've used Ubuntu quite alot and Mepis as well as others.

When my one PC Blew Up it's been one headache after the next trying to get Linux to run on anything, which I don't understand because there's nothing special about any of them...

 

In short...

 

Is it here to stay? YES I believe so....

Is it a replacement for MS Mac? Could be depending on your needs...

Is it easy to change from one PC to the next and keep the OS your using?  In my experence No, not without alot of headaches...

But you shouldn't lose data because there's plenty of programs that are compatiable with one another... 

 

As one poster here said, there's NO SHAME in Dual Booting....

 

And as another said how soon you switch or don't switch is entirely up to you "GOOD LUCK"... 

I Like Open Source Linux Ubuntu 8.04 Long term Support A Whole Lot Better Than Any Version Of Windows Vista Service Pack One, However I Do Not Use Progams Like Microsoft Office And Quicken/Microsoft Money On A Regular Basis, As I Use Open Source Linux Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support Mainly 4 Web Browsing, So Migrating Files Is Not A Big Deal 4 Me, But There Is Another Solution If You Decide That Open Source Linux Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support Is Not The Way 2 Go, It's Called Windows XP Service Pack 3, Just FYI.

I'm an exact oppisite.

I've used Vista and Vista SP1 without probs, and it's handled everything I've thrown at it like a Champ.

 

XP Period with or without SP3 is nothing but a headache for me.

 

But each person has different needs, and holds their teeth different...

 

It's all about Choice I'm happy that XP SP3 works for you...

I have used Linux and BSD for about fifteen years , the last Microsoft software I used was Dos and windows 3.1. Back then it came on about 80 floppy discs, Slackware,  and took days to put on and configure and I only perservered because of my amateur radio interest which was memory hungry and it ran the memory without the 640k problem in Dos.   My box is never switched off it never crashes Linux is very stable and reliable.

 

The choice is yours but before you make your mind up you could consider other distributions which you can run up on live CD's without mucking your system up.   

 

I currently use Mint Linux on my Dimension 2400 and PCLinuxOS on my Dell Inspiron 1525.

 

I consider the bottom line is Linux and Unix are networking systems with a desktop and Windows is a desktop with networking facilities. Linux has survived and hopefully will despite attempts to make it awkward for people to by computers without paying for Microsoft.   Dell would not sell me the Dimension without  it the laptop came with it installed and I consider that progress.

 

I hope my input is helpful?

 

Regards

Graham

In a world without fences who needs Gates?