Alright, i want linux now, but im not sure how well it will work. from what i read, it is not like windows or OS X, which is what i am familiar with. Also, partitioning my hard drive sounds hard, and im kinda lazy. linux seems like too much work, eventhough its reviews are amazing. i guess i am looking for guidance. i dont want to screw up my comp, but i want to try linux. i want to know which distribution i should get. the main things i do are: coding, internet surfing, iming, listening to music and gaming. but with linux, i am not sure i will be able to do that. so will having xp and linux be good. but if i boot up with linux, will my windows xp stuff run I.E. antivirus, security stuff, router software. and will i have to get new stuff because most programs arent designed for linux. My basic concern is that switching to linux will narrow my ability to do what i want with my computer. so if i switch, will i always have to reboot when i want something on my other os. i just need to know how different everything will be.

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i suggest the ubuntu distribution. its totally free and it does the partitioning easily.

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Usually all you have to do is hit "Next" during the installation and it'll partition everything for you (root partiton and swap)! The installation will also check to see if you have any other operating systems installed, and during start-up you can choose which one you would like to boot. You can do all of this in Linux, some of which you can do better and more efficiently in Linux—IM'ing (Pidgin, Kopete), Music (Amarok, XMMS, etc), Coding (Kate, Gedit, etc), Internet Surfing (Firefox, Opera, Konqueror, etc), Gaming (WINE, Cedega, or Linux-only games). You can install Windows XP through Linux using VMWare, but i'd recommend a dual-core processor if you choose to do so. Most of what you need comes pre-installed in Linux. And you don't really have to worry about viruses in Linux, since people mostly attack Windows , but you can still install a virus scanner if you want. If you want a firewall for Linux, i'd recommend Firestarter—i blocked my own self with it!

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But, yeah, i'd recommend Ubuntu as well.

 

 

 

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I would recommend either Ubuntu or Kubuntu as a good distribution to start off with. OpenSUSE is also quite a "friendly" distribution to get started with. The only difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu is the look - Ubuntu uses Gnome and Kubuntu make good use of KDE. I personally prefer KDE so I use Kubuntu at the moment. OpenSUSE gives you the choice when you come to install it.

Most distributions offer very helpful guides on switching from Windows or Mac to using Linux, and the communties are always helpful in providing lists of alternative software. Alternatively, find someone who uses Linux and is willing to help. I use both XP and Kubuntu on my laptop and can provide help on whats different between the two, and some help getting up and running.

Taking each of your wanted tasks separately:

• Coding: Linux is generally considered to handle coding of most languages better than Windows or Mac. Plenty of free, open-source software is available for Linux to write code with. Eclipse is available on all 3 OSs, and is a pretty good piece of kit. Just remeber that with Linux, you can try the software and be happy in the knowledge you have wasted absolutely no money trying it out
• Internet Surfing: Firefox and Opera are both available for Linux. Ubuntu comes with Firefox pre-installed and Kubuntu uses Konqueror as its default browser. They all support the same stuff and have the same features - its just a matter of personal preference really.
• IMing: As truefusion has said, Pidgin and Kopete are just two of the very popular IM clients for Linux. Each one supports all sorts of protocols simultaneously (MSN, AIM, YIM...) so are often considered better than the separate applications made by each service. However, you may lose some functionality (such as the games in MSN Messenger) but most of it still works and the developers are always working to improve them.
• Music: Each Linux distribution comes with some form of music player. Some even take WMA files Ogg Vorbis (.OGG) is the usual music format on Linux, but it is possible to get MP3s working (depending on where you live).
• Gaming: This, unfortunately, is where Linux really falls down. No manufacturer sells Linux games off the shelf in PC World or Dixons, etc. All the games for Linux are free and usually pretty basic, although there are a few exceptions to that rule. To try and solve this problem, Wine was developed, which allows you to run Windows applications in Linux. Check their application database to see which games will work with your chosen Linux distribution.

Partitioning is no big deal really, unless you are trying to keep you existing Windows XP partition, as I did. I actually have a video somewhere of how I did it, if you are interested. The main problem is trying to work out how much space you want for each operating system - but it is possible to keep all your existing data and applications, and install Linux on a separate partition. Again, contact me if you want some advice, or have a look around the internet.

Anti-virus and firewalls for Linux are debatable. Some say you still need them, whereas some say Linux is as good a defence as any. Put it this way: a Windows computer will be taken down within 15 minutes of being on the Internet if it has no defences. Linux PCs have run for years with no defences and no problems. Very few viruses are developed for Linux, but firewalls and anti virus software are available and well maintained.

You will not always have to reboot to access files on the other OS. Linux can easily read any FAT32 partition with Windows installed (this is how I play my music - one copy on the XP partition, read by Linux when it needs it). Windows CANNOT read Linux file systems (ext2, ext3, reiserfs, etc...) so if you want to access your Linux files from another OS, format the Linux partition as FAT32. Alternatively, some people suggest a small partition for XP, formatted as NTFS, another for Linux formatted as a Linux file system, and one large FAT32 partition for shared files.

The main difference you will notice will be when you turn your computer on you will be asked to decide which operating system to boot into. Its a simple list you go up and down with arrows and hit enter when you've decided. If you leave it for a set time period it will automatically boot a default OS. You can change these settings from within your Linux system.

If you want any more help, advice, or convincing to switch then I am happy to help. PM or email me and I'll see what I can do. I was in the same boat as you (didn't want to break anything by installing Linux!) and I took a lot of convincing from a friend before I tried it. Now I am happy with Linux and would never look back

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so then my next concern is if i will have enough space on my hard drive. i only have 12gb left. i can clear some space but is 12gb enough. maybe what i need is help on partitioning it so i can have the shared part and then the windows and linux parts.

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Windows by default cannot read Linux partitions; however, i made my Windows system capable of doing so by installing FS-driver. Though, whether or not Windows should write to such a formatted partition is debatable.

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My current Linux Distro is installed on a 13gig HDD, and i've already wasted over 6gigs of it. If you're planning on using Windows for just games, then you should be fine with 12gigs. If you're planning on installing Linux on the same HDD that Windows is on, make sure you defrag your Windows partition a lot, 'cause you'll have to resize your partition. Resizing the partition can have you lose some data, that's why you want to bring all the files to the "front" by defragging.

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I personally like Knoppix quite a lot. It is a different type of Linux that runs totally off of a CD-ROM. These are called Live CD's. You don't need to install anything, it detects all of your hardware and configures it, and you don't need to mess with any partitions whatsoever. You can also install it onto your hard drive (like I did yesterday), and it runs just like normal, perhaps even a little faster . I'll be releasing a tutorial on how to download and use Knoppix, and even install it on a hard drive. Ubuntu and Kubuntu are also good Linux distros. I have yet to use them, but I have heard many great things about them. Good luck and switching , and thanks for supporting Open Source!

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Go ahead, and use Ubuntu, or Kubuntu, whichever you prefer... It's quite easy, and I would suggest it to anyone, just switching from Window$... Easy to use, finishes all the work for you, and is very user friendly... Also, runs very fast on slower machines, you don't need to upgrade your computer with every new release... I have all the Ubuntus, since version 5.04, and they've been all runnng on a same machine, with the same speed and performance...

Heck, I even have my 50 year old parents, using Ubuntu on their computer (which is some old, P2-300MHz or so), and it runs great... They already know how to check email, surf the web, play a few games (they just love those flash games )

Partitioning is quite easy with Ubuntu, unlike some older distros, for which you needed to know how to use fdisk, and similar tools...

Welcome to the world of Open Source

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to try linux, I'd suggest Wubi. You download it on your Windoze system, and it'll install. When you reboot the computer, it'll aske Windows or Linux? you pick. If you don't like it, simply uninstall from Windoze. and no particioning required.

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