Is linux GOOD and worth it?

Question

Your Question

is linux Good and worth to try it?

im currently running windows vista on my laptop

its a 2007 module with 1.49GB ram..

anyhow.. from your personel Experince how you find linux os?

and what linux os fit the most in my laptop?

and how i can try it without spoil my whole system that im using?

can i easily use it as i only used windows in my whole life?

THNX IN ADVANCE

Answer 1

all you have to do is to taste it . try a Live CD of linux before deciding to get in the world of linux. there are many flavours of it . i'm running Mandriva 2007 spring powerpack for 2 years without formatting the hard disk and i don't have any problems.

before to install it RTFM.

Answer 2

As your new to linux, you'll want something thats easy to use and has alot of support. I recommend Ubuntu. I tried it recently and it works very well and fast. Linux is really flexible. You can put it on anything.... anything from your router to your microwave could use linux. One of the things i enjoy most is being 100% protected against internet threats. Ubuntu isn't effected by viruses and spyware, and ships with no open ports (which means hackers can't get in).

Your computer is far more than enough than whats needed to run ANY linux distrobution.

Answer 3

Wayne A. is correct.  Obviously many of us think Linux is good and worth a try.  Many of us also think Windows is bad and worth avoiding.  My niece who is not a Linux user (the other one agrees with her husband that using it is a good way to see their three-year-old can't access bad websites easily) tends to use Macintoshes when she uses public computers. If she can't use a Mac she's inclined to avoid it.  And she owns a Windows laptop.

The best way to try linux is with a live CD.  You can buy books about how to use Knoppix.  I recommend Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks (no hack does not mean use it illegally -- it means work at an engineering problem until you have it working) which comes with a CD or DVD in back you can use to boot it.  Knoppix was the creation of a computer consultant who wanted his own desktop to use when he was working on clients' computers.  This does mean, yes. there are a lot of technical tools on it.  There is also OpenOffice.org, so you can write letters, xine which lets you watch some wmv and mov files, (a better player is mplayer but I don't see it on the old Knoppix I just booted on my laptop) and surf the net.  If you surf the net you have two choices.  Because of (of all things) a trademark dispute Debian derivatives like Knoppix (Ubuntu has lawyers who straightened this out) are not permitted to call Firefox Firefox.  They call it Iceweasel.  Alternatively, the desktop, which is a lot like Kubuntu, has a web browser called Konqueror as its default.  Apple's Safari licenses the technology for it, so while the interface may not be totally familiar, that's what you'll be using.

Of course if you have a CD burner and CD Burning software, you can download an iso image of it and burn the CD Iso image using your software's menu option for that.  More information at:

http://www.knoppix.com

A second Live CD which is excellent is Slax.  It's derived from Slackware, which was called in one user group as close to a vanilla Linux as you are going to get.  You boot it up,  log in, it does take you to the command line.  From there, you first make sure that it will run on your computer.  Type "xorgcfg".  After a few minutes you will get a graphical screen that shows your computer.  Either save the configuration file and exit, or tweak it if you know how, and type startx.  Then the main show starts.  It's worth the hassle.  It's a much simpler desktop but if you are connected to the web (and it's good at connectivity) just download modules from the slax website and put them in the OS with the command "uselivemod" module name.  You can have a free and pretty impressive linux up and running quickly.

The slax website is down right now.  Nevertheless it is at:

http://www.slax.com

Also check out:

http://www.geocities.com/slaxfansite/

Finally, at the opposite extreme from Knoppix, is Dyne:Bolic.  Created by an Italian Rastafarian who lives in Amsterdam named Jaromil (yes, you may start the Herb jokes now) it is intended "for media activists".  It has a wealth of programs on it for mixing, producing music, tapes, and videos and drawing.  If you've never used the three-d animation program blender, it is there.  It uses the XFCE desktop, which takes some getting used to, but it is an experience I would not deprive myself of and in its own way is as beautiful as the Macontosh.

http://www.dynebolic.org

Answer 4

any ubuntu based distro with the most built in goodies out the box like linux mint if your specs are good enough I would try mint first just run the live cd and see there is no need to install anything at first most modern distros offer a live version ubuntu, open suse, fedora, mandrivaand on and on

Answer 5

Linux has a steep learning curve if not used B4

Search the web there are Linux versions that run from a CD and do not interfere with windows also some computer magazines come with it on a DVD

Ubuntu is the easiest version to use. also there are how to books in news agencies to help

Answer 6

I would look at Ubuntu I have been getting ready to make a switch or actually to dual boot both linux and xp.  Installation is simple.  Make sure you understand partitioning otherwise you could run into some trouble.  As far doing "everyday tasks" linux is very comparable and in some ways better.  No or very little viruses and software is free.  Linux generally makes slower cpu more useful so yours will be just fine.