Linux or Windows

[Bear]

Is there any good reason to use Linux rather than Windows?. I've just installed Ubuntu on a spare computer which also runs WIN2K. The most obvious difference is that Linux crawls whereas Windows saunters (its a 500MHz P3 which is, by modern standards, slow). Firefox under Ubuntu looks just like IE6 (which always worked OK for me) and Evolution Mail is sufficiently similar to Outlook Express that it took me all of 2 minutes to make it work. Is Linux really a good thing in its own right or is it Not Windows and therefore good by defenition?

 

[Carl]

this is of no help whatsoever ...

but neither.... what you need is Mac OS X

Linux is for geeks and Windows is for corporate whores

 

[robroy]

It crawls? That doesn't sound right. Sure you're not running a bunch of web servers and other stuff in the background?

 

[Slowdown]

Linux is great unless you want to do something a little less mainstream. Then you enter a world of pain. Webcams, scanners, voice recognition and such.

But if all you want to do is write letters (OpenOffice) use the web (firefox) and read e-mail (many many mail programs) then it's great!

 

[qwertme]

.... what you need is Mac OS X

+1

All the power of Linux without the pain

 

[bobsayshello]

Go Mac and never look back

 

[Deleted account LB]

Ok

My 2p worth

Like Linux - simple to use as standard but if you want to start adding bits and changing things then its a bit of a pain unless you know what you are doing - lots of free stuff out there and some helpful forums but I found that I spent more time tweeking it to suit rather than doing what I was supposed to be doing ! - less memory hungry than windows but with the price of hardware not much of an issue

Umbuto - (or something like it) - Linux based windows lookalike - better than linux to use but a bit crashy !!

Windows Vista - latest versions fine if you have a bigger spec machine.

Windows XP - best for what I need - rock stable now and runs whatever you want.

All the above tested on Acer aspire one and Samsung NC10 small form notebooks.

I do have Mac OS on one of there machines which is great but until Mac release a sub £250 netbook - no use really

 

[cookie]

Umbuto - (or something like it) - Linux based windows lookalike - better than linux to use but a bit crashy !!

ubuntu is just another linux distribution. it is linux.

there is no distro called "linux" AFAIK, just lots of tweaks of the same underpinnings.

 

[unhinged]

I doubt it's Linux that's crawling, it's the bloated desktop that is gnome, nautilus and evolution that'll be giving a 500Mhz pc a run for it's money.

 

[Bear]

So where do I look for applications and a source of knowledge regarding Linux in all its flavours please? A quick glance round a couple of forums suggests that real enthusiasts stay at the command line level but I gave that up with iRMX when I retired. I'm not convinced that there's a Linux for Dummies yet but if one comes out as good as Vista for .. then it might just help.

 

[cookie]

i have this book, which seems quite helpful.

i've not really used it much, as i bought it just before i realised that mac os-x was the thinking man's way to go when it come to computers

 

[Bear]

i have this book, which seems quite helpful.

It would be even more helpful if Amazon actually had a copy. Not to worry, my foray into Linux is primarilly because I'm a retired techie and I'm terminally bored waiting for the ice to go so I can go riding. Thanks for the link.

 

[cookie]

It would be even more helpful if Amazon actually had a copy.

they (amazon marketplace thing below normal pricing) have a s/h copy for under a tenner

i'd sell you mine, but you never know, i might bang my head really hard one day and feel like giving linux another shot

 

[unhinged]

I would say if you're going to "do" Linux then Ubuntu's the best place to start as it seems to provide the best out of the box support. You can then add, remove and configure as much as you like.

 

[Redboots]

my foray into Linux is primarilly because I'm a retired techie and I'm terminally bored waiting for the ice to go so I can go riding

I like this distribution: damnsmalllinux
Neat.

John

 

[Slowdown]

Asking 'Which Linux Distro' is like asking 'What bike should i get'

Buy a copy or two of any of the Linux magazines.

Although experience tells me to go with one of the bigger distributions - Ubuntu, Suse, Debian, and the like. Personally, I like Gentoo, but only use server side components and a command line interface (no X).

 

[Bear]

they (amazon marketplace thing below normal pricing) have a s/h copy for under a tenner

i'd sell you mine, but you never know, i might bang my head really hard one day and feel like giving linux another shot

That's exactly why I avoid ever selling anything.

 

[Belizibub]

If you want to try linux before going through all the agro of wiping out what youve already got try a live distro http://www.livecdlist.com/
Runs off a DVD/CD lets you play/test and evaluate if its the right distro for you.