I'd been wanting to give Linux a try for a couple years, it's been hard to download anything over dial-up (That's all we get in these parts.), so when somebody recommended Ubuntu, which was available through ShipIt, I figured "What do I have to lose?" so I got the discs... tried out the live CD and discovered that it got along best out of all the other live CD's I've tried (Move, Damn Small, Dyne:Bolic) so I decided to install it alongside Win2k (I still need windows for doing my artwork since my tablet doesn't work all that great under Ubuntu) and after finding out how to configure an old external modem I got from a friend, I got online and began to fall in love...

But I really didn't get into it much until a couple of weeks ago, I'm staying at my parents and I brought my laptop over... I decided to go ahead and install it on here alongside Win2k, as well (Mind you this laptop is pretty old) and here I am... I've been getting used to the terminal, since I had to install the winmodem, and to install some programs manuallly, I'm a newbie, mind you, but I seem to be getting along pretty good. I really enjoy the learning experience and since it includes many programs I already use under Windows (GAIM, Firefox, Open Office.org) it really suits me quite well. So far, my experience with Ubuntu has been a very enjoyable!

I use Kubuntu and like it quite a lot. First of all it's based on debian so there are many packages availble for it and they are fast and easy to install. Also it's easier to work with than Debian, so I can work instead of playing with it all the time (even though that can be fun at certain times). And finally it uses KDE instead of GNOME. I find KDE having more advanced features that make the life easier. But I have nothing against GNOME though, I would definitly suggest it to someone who only wants to use the computer to surf the web and read email.

Btw, I'm running the beta version of kubuntu, Edgy Eft.

I have just started using ubuntu, and I am scared as hell. Its extremely weird jumping from an OS that you've been so used to for most of you computing life(Windows), to something different and new. Don't get me wrong, it's probably one of the best decisons I've ever made, but it will take some getting used to.

Now that I have it up and running, with some of the programs I've been curious about, what do I do now? I mean, I went through the trouble of changing over, I dont want to waste my time just surfing the internet. I want to do something constructive on the linux platform...

There are a lot of thinks that you can play around with on Linux! Just search the web, but here are some ideas. Look around the WIKI or the forums for ideas, mainly the Tips and Tricks sections. Also if you have a fancy graphics card (I don't think you even need a fancy one, a simple intel one should do) then check out the beryl project. It is an fork of the compiz project started by novell. It allows one to take advantage of a 3D accelerated desktop that is availible with an extension for now, and in the next ubuntu release it will be built in. Some effects it can do that I like is expose like effect, shadows, transparency and wobbly windows. Other things to play around on linux are of course programming and app hunting. Check out the "Add/Remove Apps" menu item in the applications menu to see if you find anything useful there. Or go to GnomeFiles for even more applications.

Let us know how your linux experience goes or if you discovered anything cool to do!

I have Knoppix 4 live DVD , its the only one I got.

you should consider expanding your knowledge of linux!

knoppix is a great live distro, probably one of the best, but it's just that - a live distro. I'd say try ubuntu for a start, or perhaps mepis. Ubuntu is nice cause they send you free cds and have a great community. The installs are relatively short, or you could do live like Knoppix, though of course they will be a lot slower.

I guess that was off topic, though. It was just a question, not a "convert people to linux" thread...

-E

Duh offcourse it was off the topic, you would need any live cd to copy files on your hardrive.

Hehehheh, i am using three distro, Mandrake 9.2, SuSE 10 and Kubuntu 0.6,

Its great, but I pefer Kubuntu, Its User Friendly.

It you want to get kubuntu cd, please go to http://shipit.kubuntu.com

Back in the day, I used to use Mandrake, but that was along time ago, and it was buggy and horrible back then. I wouldn't reccomend because of past expieriences. I've also used FreeBSD, and I definately wouldn't recomend that unless you know what you're doing. If you are a newbie to Linux or UNIX, and you have know idea what you're doing, do NOT use FreeBSD. When I was younger, I tried it out, and ended up destroying my computer, and my previous site. Now I'm much more expierienced, but I'm too scared to reinstall any Linux distros, because of my past expieriences.

Anyways, just don't use FreeBSD. Anything else is okay.