How easy is it to switch to Linux from Windows

[Nothinman]

Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

Even if it takes you a week it's time well spent because you only have to do it once. I've been using this install of sid for ~6 years now. And the last time I tried instaling XP it was much more of a PITA, installing drivers requires a reboot, installing all of the patches requires a dozen reboots and once I'm done I've got nothing in the way of apps installed so I've got to spend hours installing 3rd party tools that I have out of the box on Linux.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

Even if it takes you a week it's time well spent because you only have to do it once. I've been using this install of sid for ~6 years now. And the last time I tried instaling XP it was much more of a PITA, installing drivers requires a reboot, installing all of the patches requires a dozen reboots and once I'm done I've got nothing in the way of apps installed so I've got to spend hours installing 3rd party tools that I have out of the box on Linux.

Exactly. The last time I installed Windows it took the better part of a weekend to get it not just functional, but actually useful. The last time I installed Linux it took the better part of two hours.

 

[Fish11]

Originally posted by: PEEONPENGUINS
Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly.

Already mentioned but I started using SUSE 2 months ago. I'm as big as a Linux noob there is.

It found everything automatically. I didn't have to dl anything else other than use YOU to get my updates. The only other thing I had to install that wasn't there was Opera and that's only because it's not open source. And I never had to reboot like I do with windows, not to metion going all over trying to find the correct drivers etc. It took me about an hour and a half and I was done with everything and surfing online.

I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

Actually it was right about a month I formatted XP off this system and went from dual boot to a SUSE system only.

 

[ctracyw]

I've just started using a Knoppix live cd (about a week ago) and I'm getting ready to repartition and dual boot. Even running off of my cd drive, performance is comparable, and all of my hardware was recognized without having to go on the web. (xpsp2 doesn't do that!)

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: PEEONPENGUINS
Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

That's the fun of it, though...unless you use a silly easy distro, like Debian (and any derivatives), SUSE, etc..

I took about a week to get my last Linux install booting correctly, and I hadn't had that much fun with my computer in years! It wasn't too fun spending all of last night recompiling everything (X, KDE, and Gnome took up ~6 hours), though--I'll admit that.

 

[pkme2]

I installed Ubuntu on my P2 and it was the easiest install I ever had. I recommend Ubuntu for anyone who's new to Linux. You can progress to the other distros when experience sets in, or just stay with Ubuntu. Your choice.
I have Fedora Core 4 on my A64 machine and its offers other features. It requires more fine tuning than Ubuntu, and it can be challenging.

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: PEEONPENGUINS
Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

I guess I'm a little late on the noob you suck remarks for this poster....

But here goes anyways.. You noob. If you had an ounce of experience you should be able to get Ubuntu running in less than an hour.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: PEEONPENGUINS
Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

Umm...I beg to differ. If you are a bigtime gamer you may have to still dual boot Winblows and Linux. If you like photoshop and other various apps you can run them using Wine in Linux.

If you just want a stable OS to surf and E-mail Linux is the total answer.


Ausm

 

[scottws]

Originally posted by: ndruw

Originally posted by: PEEONPENGUINS
Linux is pain!!!!! You have to enjoy spending weeks getting a computer running properly. I'll bet you'll be trying your best to forget about your linux experience in a month.

a weekend? im a complete linux noob but i got Debian working in 1 hour and ubuntu in under 30 minutes ... for the record, it takes me 2 hours to get XP set up withh all of the security settings/drivers/etc i need to have it run the way i need it to

stop trolling

While his post borders on trolling, I don't think his comments are invalid.

I spent an entire month trying to get the ATi drivers working on my PC for my 9800XT on FC2.

1. Try to install drivers - failure.
2. Search online. Find a few guides.
3. Download kernel-source.
4. Try to compile kernel module.
5. Need gcc compiler.
6. Get gcc. compiler.
7. Try to install gcc, need three libraries.
8. Get one of the libraries.
9. Try to install library, need three other libraries.
10. Get one of the libraries.
11. Try to install library, need two other libraries.
12. Say "f--- it."
13. Reinstall FC2 with every single package possible.
14. Try to install drivers - failure.

It went on like that forever (a whole month), but I finally got them working, but since it was basically a hack - the ATi drivers didn't officially support FC2 or the 9800XT at the time - I attempted to upgrade to the first driver version that did officially support what I had... and was back at square one: non-working drivers. I didn't bother at that point. I used the FC2 installer to just delete the partitions and went back to XP.

I hear that is the fault of ATi, and the dependency issues with RPM don't really exist anymore. If so, great!

However, I recently tried to use Ubuntu. I didn't even get as far as trying to get the videocard drivers working. Ubuntu wouldn't detect my wireless card. Two weeks of trying to get it working resulted in absolutely no progress, and probably useless, broken files strewn all over.

Again, I'm sure I'll be blamed, as well as the hardware manufacturer of the card.

Fine. But people who try to say that Linux is as easy (or easier) to set up as Windows XP just are lucky to have the hardware that Linux is actually compatible with.

For people that set up their PC with Linux in mind probably will have many fewer issues than someone who later just decides to try it out. In any case, to act like there are no issues or that a potential new "customer" isn't going to run into any issues whatsoever is just putting blinders on.

 

[nweaver]

and I spent less then 2 hours getting the ATI drivers onto my laptop...

When I ordered my Dell laptop, the only thing I checked was the Wireless card, to make sure it was an Intel or Atheros based. It took me less then 2 hours to get Ubuntu up and working flawlessly WITH ati drivers, and it took me more then 3 to get it going with Windows XP.

 

[scottws]

I'm not saying everyone will have the same experience. But a lot of people on this forum simply refuse to believe that other people do run into problems when trying to install and use Linux for the first time and have trouble getting things working. That's all I'm saying.

Saying, "It took me an hour to install Linux and get it working to my liking" doesn't simply mean that it's going to somehow only take an hour for everyone else that tries it. Like I said, that's just putting blinders on. Good for you, it took only an hour. But it took me well over a month and it never worked to my liking.

 

[Nothinman]

I spent an entire month trying to get the ATi drivers working on my PC for my 9800XT on FC2.

That's ATI's fault, blame them.

 

[scottws]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I spent an entire month trying to get the ATi drivers working on my PC for my 9800XT on FC2.

That's ATI's fault, blame them.

If you read the rest of my post, you'll see that I did.

Again, my point isn't that Linux sucks or doesn't work, it is that too many people on this forum excuse problems people have with it as if they didn't or don't happen. Or when they do happen, it is the fault of the hardware manufacturer.

Even if that's true (often it is), the complaint about Windows setup times seems irrelevant when the hardware actually does work on Windows and not in Linux. All too often that point is ignored.

What good to me is your statement that it took you (and your 100% Linux compatible PC) two hours to set up Linux, when some of my stuff is completely unsupported in Linux? It's not going to take me two hours. The Windows setup time for the same hardware for me will likely be far shorter.

 

[Brazen]

I'm a long time Windows user, and a long time Linux server administrator. But I've spent like 6 months switching to Linux on my desktop at home. Most of that however is the WAF. I've gradually been replacing programs in Windows with the opensource equivalents that have native Linux ports to gradually build up the WAF.

 

[Nothinman]

Again, my point isn't that Linux sucks or doesn't work, it is that too many people on this forum excuse problems people have with it as if they didn't or don't happen.

It's not that they don't happen, but there's nothing the Linux community can do to fix them because ATI can't release their drivers under the GPL. There are some people who have packaged drivers from nVidia and ATI and made them easier to install but the fact still remains that not legally redistributable (and possibly not legal at all) and only so much can be handled outside of each company.

Over the years I'd say my experiences with Windows drivers have been much, much worse.

 

[Brazen]

One other thing! Some of you may not have heard yet that VMWare has decided to release GSX Server for FREE! That's right, free (as in beer, NOT free as in speech). Go to www.vmware.com and it's right on their frontpage. So anyway, install it and run a virtuall linux installation on top of Windows (I also suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu for the desktop). That way, if you have any questions you can still get around and browse linux sites, google for it, or ask on Linux forums from within your Windows installation.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Brazen
One other thing! Some of you may not have heard yet that VMWare has decided to release GSX Server for FREE! That's right, free (as in beer, NOT free as in speech). Go to www.vmware.com and it's right on their frontpage. So anyway, install it and run a virtuall linux installation on top of Windows (I also suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu for the desktop). That way, if you have any questions you can still get around and browse linux sites, google for it, or ask on Linux forums from within your Windows installation.

I tried and tried to get that thing downloaded and it just timed out here. I think I managed to find the correct file on FileMirrors.com though. Enjoy!

http://download3.vmware.com/software/vm...Mware-server-installer-e.x.p-20925.exe

 

[The Linuxator]

Originally posted by: pkme2
I installed Ubuntu on my P2 and it was the easiest install I ever had. I recommend Ubuntu for anyone who's new to Linux. You can progress to the other distros when experience sets in, or just stay with Ubuntu. Your choice.
I have Fedora Core 4 on my A64 machine and its offers other features. It requires more fine tuning than Ubuntu, and it can be challenging.

That's the exact type of advice I have been giving ppl I know for a while, anyone falsify my statement if you wish, but I owe all that I know about Linux till now to my problems with Fedora, the problems that arise with Fedora are more challenging and asking you to go out there and learn a bit, I have been running Ubuntu for a while now and it just did't give me any incentive to learn something about it(not that problems are good but you get what I mean),plus their rpm format is widely used however it is in a dire need for a nice app manager (YUM is improving there non the less!).

In Ubuntu it all runs OK and the package manager (apt-get with Synaptic) is all I wanted YUM to be and same thing goes to their repos, but it's absolutley boring in Ubuntu.
I really can't find out why (keep in mind it's all IMHO).

But yes once you get a little bit more knowledgable, you can safely venture in the land of Fedora and start doing some real tinkering around

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
One other thing! Some of you may not have heard yet that VMWare has decided to release GSX Server for FREE! That's right, free (as in beer, NOT free as in speech). Go to www.vmware.com and it's right on their frontpage. So anyway, install it and run a virtuall linux installation on top of Windows (I also suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu for the desktop). That way, if you have any questions you can still get around and browse linux sites, google for it, or ask on Linux forums from within your Windows installation.

qemu is also free, and runs on a variety of OSes.

Linux on NetBSD/Xen> VMWare* :evil:

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Brazen
One other thing! Some of you may not have heard yet that VMWare has decided to release GSX Server for FREE! That's right, free (as in beer, NOT free as in speech). Go to www.vmware.com and it's right on their frontpage. So anyway, install it and run a virtuall linux installation on top of Windows (I also suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu for the desktop). That way, if you have any questions you can still get around and browse linux sites, google for it, or ask on Linux forums from within your Windows installation.

qemu is also free, and runs on a variety of OSes.

Linux on NetBSD/Xen> VMWare* :evil:

I have not used Xen, but I have attempted to use qemu on Windows with little to no luck. I have heard, however, the Xen was a big reason why VMWare decided to release a free version of their software.

Unfortunately, it looks to me like only certain OSes, and special versions of the OS at that, can run on Xen (unless I'm misunderstanding) which will not do for my situation.

 

[Nothinman]

Unfortunately, it looks to me like only certain OSes, and special versions of the OS at that, can run on Xen (unless I'm misunderstanding) which will not do for my situation.

Yes, right now an OS needs to be ported to Xen to run. But once the CPUs from AMD and Intel with the virtualization instructions are released that won't be necessary anymore.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
I have not used Xen, but I have attempted to use qemu on Windows with little to no luck. I have heard, however, the Xen was a big reason why VMWare decided to release a free version of their software.

I managed to get an older version of qemu running on my powerbook a year or so ago. Emulating an x86 processor wasn't too fast (especially on the beta of qemu or whatever it was I used), but it worked flawlessly.

Unfortunately, it looks to me like only certain OSes, and special versions of the OS at that, can run on Xen (unless I'm misunderstanding) which will not do for my situation.

The only OS I can think of that worth while that doesn't have Xen support is OpenBSD. Everything else works or doesn't really fit with how I envision using Xen.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Brazen
I have not used Xen, but I have attempted to use qemu on Windows with little to no luck. I have heard, however, the Xen was a big reason why VMWare decided to release a free version of their software.

I managed to get an older version of qemu running on my powerbook a year or so ago. Emulating an x86 processor wasn't too fast (especially on the beta of qemu or whatever it was I used), but it worked flawlessly.

Unfortunately, it looks to me like only certain OSes, and special versions of the OS at that, can run on Xen (unless I'm misunderstanding) which will not do for my situation.

The only OS I can think of that worth while that doesn't have Xen support is OpenBSD. Everything else works or doesn't really fit with how I envision using Xen.

What about Windows? It does have it's purposes, and like it or not, I have to test some things on Windows OSes. VMWare is great in that I can install it on a minimal CentOS box and run Windows or Linux virtual machines. So for now, my free software mooching is on VMWare Server.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
What about Windows? It does have it's purposes, and like it or not, I have to test some things on Windows OSes. VMWare is great in that I can install it on a minimal CentOS box and run Windows or Linux virtual machines. So for now, my free software mooching is on VMWare Server.

Windows doesn't fit into how I envision using Xen.

That's what qemu is for anyhow.

 

[Nothinman]

I managed to get an older version of qemu running on my powerbook a year or so ago. Emulating an x86 processor wasn't too fast (especially on the beta of qemu or whatever it was I used), but it worked flawlessly.

They do provide a binary-only kernel module to make it faster, but I've never tried it.

What about Windows? It does have it's purposes, and like it or not, I have to test some things on Windows OSes. VMWare is great in that I can install it on a minimal CentOS box and run Windows or Linux virtual machines. So for now, my free software mooching is on VMWare Server.

I heard that someone did port Windows to XEN for a proof of concept, but MS won't release it.