New to linux... Newcommer Questions

tkdruan:

First and foremost, Linux is not Windows. It does not run Windows applications. It doesn't matter if those applications are games, multimedia, productivity, etc. There are programs available for Linux that add a Windows compatibility layer (e.g. WINE) but it is usually hit-or-miss trying to get Windows executables to work with them. If you absolutely, positively, will-die-the-death-of-a-thousand-cuts NEED to use Windows applications, you should probably be using Windows.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way ;), Linux IS a great operating system with a plethora of applications to help you get things done. There are games that DO run quite well in Linux environment (some using WINE -- I'm not a gamer, but you can use Google to great advantage to discover what games are available and how well they work in Linux). Almost every Windows program you can imagine has a Linux equivalent available. Microsoft Office? Try OpenOffice. Quicken? Try GnuCash. ITunes? Try AmaroK. Internet Exploder? Try Firefox. Outlook/Outlook Express? Try Thunderbird. Take a look at this web site: http://www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html
for more examples.

As far as "Most User Friendly" -- There is no such thing as User Friendly. That is an amorphous term that has no meaning outside of Windows users' complaints that Linux isn't exactly the same as Windows -- in other words, "user friendly" = "please dear GOD don't make me learn anything or read anything or think for myself." Of course, I'm SURE that this doesn't apply to you. ;) My current favorite is Kubuntu 7.04. Others prefer Ubuntu 7.04 (Kubuntu has KDE interface while Ubuntu uses Gnome). There is also openSuSE (I hate it), Fedora (I never used it), PCLinuxOS (pretty good, but not my cup of tea), Mandriva, and a myriad of others. If you stick with Ubuntu/Kubuntu, Fedora or openSuSE, you'll probably have an easier time finding help online. Ubuntu is the one that Dell has chosen to support. Its completely up to you. Linux = Choice! Viva el Linux!

Well as you may have seen, Dell is now offering Ubuntu Linux ( www.ubuntu.com) on some of their desktops and one laptop. I would highly recommend it for new users.

In general windows programs do not work in linux. There is some windows emulation software that you can install but it isn't always that great. However there are linux programs that will do most of what people use windows for. For web browsing there is Firefox. For email there is Thunderbird or Evolution. For IM there is GAIM. OpenOffice.org is an office suite that runs in Linux. Some games have Linux versions (like Unreal Tournament) but unfortunately most game makers only support Windows.

I would recommend downloading the liveCD from ubuntu, burning it and booting your computer from the CD. It will load up kind of a "preview" of a full installation directly from the CD and you can play around with it and see if your hardware works in linux and see what programs come installed. Note that it will be slower than a real installation because it is loading everything off of the CD. Also it will leave your hard drive completely untouched. When you are done playing in linux just eject the CD and reboot your computer and you will boot back into windows.

You can also install Linux in a "dual boot" configuration where you can choose to boot into linux or windows when you turn the computer on or reboot.

Good luck!

The version of Linux that Dell is currently offering, Ubuntu, is quite user friendly. The latest version, 7.04 (Feisty Fawn), is what is installed by Dell. I've been using Ubuntu for a few releases now, and Feisty is by far the easiest to set up.

If you buy from Dell I think they will take care of most of the setup/configuration for you. Previously, major stumbling stumbling blocks were setting up video acceleration and wireless internet. It is probable that Dell will not setup your computer to play all of the non-free codecs for media playback. That is not to say that you cannot playback such formats, it's just that it is not entirely legal to configure your computer to do so without paying someone a licensing fee.

You cannot run windows programs natively on your Linux operating system. You can usually find a Linux alternative for a program you are used to in windows. This table has a list of windows programs and their Linux equivalents. It hasn't been updated since last April, but it will at least get you started. There are standard programs that you may already be familiar with, like the Mozilla suite. Firefox for Internet and Thunderbird for mail are the two most common.

If there is a program that you cannot live without, it is possible to run them on your system. One option is called WINE that implements the windows API over X. You will be able to run most programs that use hardware that is already setup on your Linux install. A second option is to install a copy of windows in a Virtual Machine. This will let windows run as if it is installed normally, but can only use hardware that is configured in the host Linux OS. Virtualbox is a pretty good program to use for this, VMWare is also tried and true.

You cannot play most PC video games in Linux because they are coded to use the DirectX Direct3D API instead of OpenGL. Games from ID Software use OpenGL and can be made to run natively. I run Return to Castle Wolfenstein myself (old, but it's still fun to set up a game across the house network). The program Cedega, like WINE, is a program designed to run windows software. Cedega is geared more towards gaming.

Hope this helps. You can also search on the Ubuntu Forums for more information regarding Ubuntu, software, and basic help.

I was wondering which version of Linus is most user friendly for someone like me.

You can find good information to make your choice at www.desktoplinux.com.
Three good choices stand out: Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, and SimplyMepis.
I use Ubuntu now, but used RedHat and Fedora before, with good results. Since this is very personal decision, you have to read other people's opinions before embarking, to avoid frustrations.


Also, do programs for windows work on linux? would Games work? would web browsers work? thanks tkdruan

Windows was made incompatible with everything else on purpose by Microsoft to hold people like you tied and afraid to move. So, naturally nothing from Windows should work on GNU/Linux. However, good souls in our community have tried hard to make Windows-only applications work on GNU/Linux. One of these bridges is called Wine. Wine is only partially successful, though.
I think the best transition method in your case would be to proceed as follows:
1)Install Ubuntu on your computer, or buy one of the Dell computers with Ubuntu preinstalled on it.
2) Have someone guide you or install for you "vmware-server" on your Ubuntu. You can find exact instructions by entering "vmware-server install" on Google or Yahoo. If you have difficulty, ask me again at miyojim@gmail.com and can give you the method that worked for me.
3) Under the vmware server, use your Windows NT, 2000 or XP installation CD to install it on a "virtual machine", which works like another PC inside your PC.
4) Once you complete the installation procedure, you can start your Windows by pressing the button with the green arrow, and you will be able to use it as you always used your Windows before.
Again, I can guide you in these steps, if you need.

At the same time, without bringing your virtual Windows down, you will be able to use the Ubuntu environment and learn about it. You will have the two worlds, Windows and GNU/Linux, working simultaneously in separate windows.

You will be able to live with this transitional state indefinitely, and teach other people to do the same, to enjoy independence from Microsoft, and still being able to play games and other Windows-only applications.

The Ubuntu repository has 21,420 packages listed, of which I now have 1,196 installed and automatically updated. You will like what you see. Now I am going to watch a movie that I downloaded through bittornado; the images and sounds are impressive, better than on Windows XP. I need no virus scanner. Ubuntu is fast and stable.

mariomiy, wouldn't dual-boot be easier than virtual? I mean, either approach has its snares for the uninitiated, but a lot more people have done the dual-boot thing rather than virtualization.

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There is a huge advantage to using VM's for day to day use of
alternate operating system applications and functions, some of
the keys points mentioned above.

Although, Gaming is probably not one of them that justifies a VM.

For those seeking out Windows only games, (which is a pretty huge
customer base), running them in Linux can be relative easy with
"Cedega" by TransGaming. http://www.transgaming.com

Of course, there can be performance hits (and in some cases
improvements), so for the die-hard gamers where performance is
everything to them, a dual-boot might be in order.

I for one really want to see more gaming production studios
(*cough*-EA-*cough*) offer native Linux versions of their
products. If they actually listened to their customers in a
similar fashion as Dell has, they would see similar results.

Hope the input is useful.

Respectfully,
GM

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do yourself a favour grab the attention of a person already using which ever distro you use long enough to get the following bits

1 the high level ap to install/remove/verify packages (i think debian/Ubuntu uses Synaptic)
2 how do you add sources for the "extras" (I think you would need the "universe" or nonfree repos)
3 How do you install KDE (its closer to windows than GNOME)

If you go for the live cd route and you have a bunch of ram (2+ gigs) find the "cheat code" to load the disc into memory
and run from there (its normally something like linux toram)

the other big thing is with linux the files
abc
Abc
aBc
abC
ABc
AbC
aBC
ABC
are all different files (linux is case sensitive

KDE is NOT closer to Windows, but you can configure it so that it looks and feels like Windows. With Gnome, this is impossible.

WOW! thanks for all the help! It really cleared alot of things up for me. I think i will try Dual boot because i may, for some reason need to use a Windows App, but would still want to use Linux frequently. Is there any drawbacks or side-effects of choosing to Dual boot? Like would the computer run slower, etc? I have already ordered the Ubuntu CD. Would there be an option for me to dual boot? or is it some really complicated process. Thanks, tkdruan

tkdruan:

While you await the delivery of your Ubuntu 7.04 CD, you might like to spend some time looking at this document. I don't know if it addresses all your questions, but it is a great place to start.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!

dual boot just takes a chunk of disk space you will land up with 2 sets of "modes"

1 Ubuntu Linux
A normal boot
B panic boot
C kernel entries for each nondefault kernel (fall back to old kernel or jump to a different kernel as they are installed

2 Windows
A normal boot
B safe mode boot
C roll back boot (known good config)
D my install is broke and i need to go low level (DO NOT USE THIS ENTRY BOOT TO UBUNTU INSTEAD)

The Ubuntu installer will find your windows install and then offer to resize it to fit Ubuntu
DO NOT RESIZE OR MODIFY DELL DIAGNOSTIC PARTIONS RESIZE YOUR WINDOWS PARTION (this should be the largest one closest to the front of the disk (hda1 or hda2)
comment from a mod??

then you will see the Ubuntu loader first with an entry for windows if you chose windows you will then procede to windows or see the windows loader (note the default may or may not be the Ubuntu boot)

I'm also a relative newcomer to linux, but I think I'd like to set up the Latitude D630 I'll be ordering today to dual boot. I'm definitely not ready for a full switch, but I'd like to be able to use linux too.

I'm planning to get a copy of the Ubuntu disk and to try out the live CD version first, but I was wondering whether I should go for the 32 or the 64-bit version. The processor in the D630 should be able to handle either, right?

From what I've read, it seems pretty clear to me that I want to stick with the 32-bit version of Windows due to compatibility issues, but I wasn't sure if there are similar drawbacks to 64-bit in Linux.

Thanks!

Apparently there are no major problems with a 64-bit GNU/Linux OS, since 32-bit applications can work on it.

The advantages of a 64-bit machine only appear when you have an applications that require heavy floating-point number-crunching, like scientific applications or graphics applications (resizing, transformations, etc.). There are not many yet.

Hmm... I actually do do a lot of intense mathematical calculations. I looked up 64 bit computing on the MathWorks support page (since I usually use matlab) and it looks like there isn't much of a performance gain, so I'll probably stick with 32 bit for now. Anyway, thanks for the advice.