There are a ton of free alternative programs under Linux that mimick the functionality of popular Windows/Mac programs:
- Blender = 3D modeling program
- GIMP = Adobe PhotoShop
- OpenOffice = Microsoft Office
The only problem that I run into going for different programs is that you have to learn how to use different programs when you have the more inciting option of just sticking with Windows.
I have Linux on this PC that I'm typing from but I rarely use it because I'm too lazy to learn up the operating system, the programs, and even booting into it. (For some reason, Kubuntu 7.04 seems to take a slightly longer boot time than Windows XP. Not by much, though.)
As for network driver support, Linux is pretty good in automatically detecting devices and making it a seamless, worry-free deal for most users. However, if it doesn't find your wireless network card, you CAN use
ndiswrapper to get a Windows driver to work. It took me a while to figure out how to use it, and I finally got it working... only to change from my Linspire distro to Kubuntu later, which automatically-detected my network controller anyway.
And did we mention that you can emulate the Windows environment and its programs using 'nix alternatives like Wine?
I really have to get off my butt and learn that OS...
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Jul 6, 2008
(like Adobe PhotoShop CS) and some of hardware can be a problem too, but it is all matter of taste.
