I am thinking about switching to Linux, please help multiple questions?
Monday, April 4th, 2011 at
19:40
what will become of all my media files, do i have to format my whole hard drive or just uninstall windows. linux is open source, correct? if not it is cheaper than win-XP. ive read some horror stories that without a computer science degree you have no chance of making it work. are these lies planted by microsoft? please include anything else you may feel is pertinent
Tagged with: computer science degree • hard drive • horror stories • Linux • Microsoft • Open Source • uninstall windows
Filed under: Open Source
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Linux, like any other OS, takes time to learn and become accustomed to. It’s just as easy as Mac,and Windows, except for the fact that you won’t be able to play games easily.
Linux is now in a position of offering a viable alternative to proprietary platforms and more than capable of offering a full desktop experience.
You would be best off RUNNING LINUX LIVE so you can get the feel of things.
There are two worth taking an immediate look at and both use the GNOME Desktop Environment being Linux Mint 6 and Ubuntu 9.04 and both are very easy to use.
Linux Mint 6 Release notes
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_felicia.php
Ubuntu 9.04 Technical overview
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JauntyJackalope/TechnicalOverview
Linux Mint 6 Download
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=31
Ubuntu 9.04 Download
http://releases.ubuntu.com/9.04/
Once you have become accustomed
Linux Mint 6 installation tutorial
http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-6-felicia
Ubuntu 9.04 installation tutorial
http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-ubuntu-9.04
You download the ISO. image of either Linux Mint 6 or Ubuntu 9.04 then you need to create a Bootable CD from the ISO. This can easily be done using Nero Burning ROM or similar software. Linux Mint 6 and Ubuntu 9.04 can also be run straight from the LiveCD you have created without touching your Hard Drive.
Screenshot of my custom LiveDVD of Mint 6 running Beryl 0.2.1
http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/Linux_Ubuntu_geek/?action=view¤t=Screenshot-1.png
Screenshot of my custom LiveDVD of Ubuntu 9.04 running Beryl 0.2.1
http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/Linux_Ubuntu_geek/?action=view¤t=Screenshot.png
Remember you can RUN IT LIVE !
LUg.
Many linux operating systems are captiable of being able to install side by side with windows. We call this a dual-boot as when a computer starts to bootup a menu will appear asking to ether boot into windows or a linux operating system.
Linux is freeware and opensourced
I have no idea how to program and I do not have any technial computer degree let alone a computer science degree. But I can still understand to use the major linux operating systems
Anyway there are a lot of different linux operating systems. Which is confusing to some people. But I would heavily suggest the Ubuntu Linux operating system. It is a linux operating system built around user-friendlyness and advance hardware support.
http://www.ubuntu.com
I have only recently started using Linux and find that it is not really as daunting as often described.
If your media files are on the same logical drive as your Windows installation, you may need to back them up on some form of removable media. Repartitioning may be required as Linux requires a small SWAP partition aside from the primary partition.
Your best distro option coming from Windows is probably one of the Ubuntu flavors. The most popular Linux distributions come with one of 2 user interfaces. The Gnome interface is has been around longer and is supported by slightly more software packages. The KDE interface, however, is much easier to use for users shifting from Windows. If you are technically strong then Ubuntu (Gnome) will work for you. However, if your not so sure and want to ease the learning curve, then try Kubuntu (KDE). Kubuntu is my personal choice for newbies and is very well done. It makes for a pleasant experience.
http://www.ubuntu.com/
http://www.kubuntu.org/
And yes, Linux is in fact open source and is free to download. If you don’t want to download you can "buy" it on disk in which case the cost is usually under $10 (really just paying for the medium and S&H)
Also, forgot to mention that before you install, you can run most Linux distributions right off the installation CD without installing first. This is nice for testing different distros to see which one you may like the best. Then Install the one you want the first time.