Is Linux For Me? Im Interested...

[rkage 0]

I own an old Toshiba laptop which I dont really use anymore. It used to run Windows 2000 but I installed XP on it and of course it slowed down quite dramatically. I am wondering could I run a Linux distribution on it? The hard drive is only 6 gb and it is really slow. I mainly want to use three things on it - Word Processor (via OpenOffice), Wireless Network and watching DVD's on.So i want a nice Linux, full of Linux typical features, newbie friendly, but will run with optimum speed on y outdated laptop to give it a new burst of life.A few questions come to mind...What do people mean by "I know Linux". Does this mean they can code it. If so, would I need to learn Linux to be able to work it properly. This is not really a problem for me as I can pick up these languages quite quickly and just need a link to get me started. I code in PHP, SQL and C++. I know the former two are useless in this situation.So can someone give me a rundown of what I am looking for with all the above waffle? Any distribution links would be nice, or even a good tutorial would be helpful. I just don't know where to start or how to get into Linux, but Im pretty sure once I get started I will enjoy experimenting and i'll learn a lot.So in summary. I'm looking for a good, physically attractive Linux system which is newbie friendly but can be expanded. I need to know what Learning Linux involves and if i am required to do it. More so, can I install it on my laptop to do what i need it to do?

[yordan 10]

Your topic has several questions, like
1) should I switch to Linux
2) Which linux is the best one
3) Will I be able to do everything on my pc ?

Concerning the firtst question, the answer is obviously "yes" : everybody should learn how to use a unix system, and a Linux system is a rather good unix system.

Concerning the second question, you will see on that forum a lot of posts concerning "which Linux is the best one", see for instance
http://forums.xisto.com/topic/86265-topic/?findpost=1064320195=

I think the most important is your third question : will you be able to do comfortably what you want, more confortably than on MS-Windows ?
Depends from the application layer, which is simply not depending from Linux !
A) you want to do word processing. On my old Win98 PC, Microsoft word starts up far faster than OpenOffice. This is an OpenOffice problem, so you will probably have it on all the Linux distros you will find.
B ) you want to look at DVD's on your PC. Did you already read DVD's when your PC ran Microsoft windows ? were you satisfied with the result ? Then, for Linux, you should look at the posts I mentionned a few line above, look at the descritpion of these distros, and look if they have a standard embedded DVD player.
C) In my own opinion, you don't use your old Toshiba laptop now, you can spend a couple of hours installing a Mandrake distribution. You need to know nothing special for doing a basic install, and then you will be able to see the look and feel of Mandrake. If you don't like it, boot on a RedHat CD and install RedHat, and see if your prefer it. If not, go to Suze. Make yourself your own opinion. And then, come back to this forum and fight with the people having an opinion different from yours!

[unimatrix 0]

Your topic has several questions, like

1) should I switch to Linux

2) Which linux is the best one

3) Will I be able to do everything on my pc ?

 

Concerning the firtst question, the answer is obviously "yes" : everybody should learn how to use a unix system, and a Linux system is a rather good unix system.

 

1064322543[/snapback]

Small technical correction: Linux is not Unix. It is "Unix-Like". Linux looks like Unix, but there are some rather glaring technical differences between the two especially in theory of layout of the file structure (mainly that most Linux people that develop distros can't figure out what /var is used for or means).

 

As far as that token goes, OSX isn't Unix either. It is a Unix (freeBSD) file structure with a Mach (nextstep) kernal.

 

For switching to Linux: try a live distro version first that can be booted from CD-rom and see how well a basic Linux install will function on your machine. Sometimes laptops have speciallized hardware and drivers that might not be supported in Linux. That problem isn't so bad as it once was, but still can happen epsecially with laptops.

 

If you want to try real Unix, DL and burn a FreeBSD or NetBSD disc. NetBSD tends to be a little behind the development curve, but also will work on more systems including toasters. (and I'm not joking, someone made a toaster run NetBSD or rather NetBSD run on a toaster as the running joke about NetBSD is that it will run on anything except a toaster)

[Xplote 0]

I hate linux, because i dont stand it!

[rkage 0]

I've been looking into it somemore, and i have a question. Say, for example, I wanted to run ArkLinux. it's got a good layout, looks nice...blah blah. But I go to download a program and it says the options are Red Hat, Mandrake, Windows or Source code. does that mean I cant run it on Arklinux?

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

Well, ArkLinux isn't the best choice, IMO, SuSE is the best bet, but if you seriously need a supremely fast Linux distribution on an old laptop and without all the iCandies, then go for Damn Small Linux.

Xplote: The reason you can't stand it is because you're used to the Windows world where Billy Gates creates a chauffeur for you and make that chauffeur do regular tasks that a computer does. Linux actually lets you "drive" the computer. It hands you the keys and you actually use it! You're just a bit ignorant on computers.

Ignorance may be bliss, but it's also short-lived. Knowledge is eternal. It might take days, weeks, or months to get your knowledge level up from "Linux newbie" to "average Linux user", but once it's there, you've got years of Linux use ahead of you. Putting in lots of code to make software easier for newcomers would be like permanently bolting stabiliser wheels to all bicycles. They might make it easier right at the start, but after that. . ?
You wouldn't buy a bike with stabilisers on it now, I'm sure. And not because you're some anti-user-friendly freak. No, it would be because they're useless to you, and useless to anybody other than a beginner, and all they'd do is get in the way.

-- Linux Is Not Windows, oneandoneis2.org

Here is a nice article: http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm


xboxrulz

[yordan 10]

Small technical correction: Linux is not Unix.

Here start the funny game I was talking about. Linux is not fully BSD. So, unimatrix says Linux is not a Unix. Let's spend a little bit for a philosophy talking. I say that there are several Unix fields, the best known of them being BSD Unix and System V Unix. Each designer makes it's own Unix, more ore less compliant with BSD or SysV. HP-UX says it's one ist the best Unix, Sun says the same thing about Sun-Os. In my own opinion, AIX is the best one, compliant with everything, I use it for big servers, and I use Linux for playing or for man/machine interfaces. And I think Linux is a very good unix, the only differences you find between linux and the other unixes are more precisely the differences between "bash" and "ksh", which are slightly different implementation of the command-line interfaces.

I wanted to run ArkLinux

If you wanted to run ArkLinux and you see that it's currently directly available on Mandrake and RedHet, and as source to be compiled, your first trial should be Mandrake (because I tell you to do so) or RedHat. This will be the easiest way, first boot on the Mandrake CD, then install Mandrake, then downlad and run ArkLinux. If you read what xboxrulz says, you will not use Mandrake nor Redhat, you will insall Suze, and learn how to compile ArkLInux with the C compiler on Suze...That's the really interesting part in the OpenSource world, you ask four people the same questions, you have four different answers. Moreouver, all the four persons are right !
Regards
Yordan

[hazeshow 0]

Well I think the only way to find out the answer to the question whether Linux is for you, is to try it out! Wise after the event ... GreetingZ

[qwijibow 0]

You dont need to be able to program to use linux, however, havin an understanding of at least one programming language shows that you will have no trouble getting down and dirty with manually editing config files shouldthe need arise.I dont think the distro choice is as important as the Desktop Choice for your requirements.For older hardware, a desktop like iceWM will fly, its minimalist desktop that runs lightning fast, loads fast, and takes very little memory and cpu power. However its not very attractive.KDE is possably the most windows like desktop, attractive, newbie friendly, but takes more memory and power, depennding on how many *eye candy* features you select.If you dont mind spending a little longer learning and configureing, i would reccomend the GNOME desktop.Its a nice combination of style, design, and efficancy. Should easily run very fast on your hardware.

[hatim 0]

One more vote for Dam Small Linux.

[organicbmx 0]

My vote for you as a newbie, but you dont really seem like much of a newbie seeing that you can code those three, is to go for a gentoo install with kde. Its a fast distro that will make the most of your hardware, and you should have the ability to get through an install. You dont have to go for kde though but it is easy gui.