• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

linux what is it good for?

B

BooGiMaN

Diamond Member
so i installed redhat 9.0 on a computer im usign for a project before i hand it off to the software guys....

my question is...im thinking of using this as a learning experience and of dabbling with 9.0 and really get to learn it, buy a couple of books and install it on my home PC stuff like that

so once i get the nuances can i really use it as simply as i use windows?
i know the drivers for soem thigns are non existant so what do u guys use it for primarily

i guess im tryign to figure out if its worth it to get into it..

please let me know ur experiences with it and what ur using it for..thanx
 
I switch back and forth between linux and windows on one machine at home. I was using linux last night to try and rebuild a pine mailbox file from another machine. As far as I know, pine doesn't run on windows (maybe under cygwin).
 
Linux is an excellent server OS. I would never use it for a desktop OS the same way I would never user Windows as a server OS.
 
depends on what you want it to do ...

Just some suggestions

you can use openoffice for all your productivity work (or if you are one of those MS office is better type of people, you can install WINE and then use MS Office)

you can use vi, pico, or emacs for all your programming/coding/scripting etc

use Mozilla Firebird for browsing the web

BitchX or Xchat for IRC

GFTP for ftp client

Proftpd or WUFTPd for FTP server

Apache for webserver (with either PGsql or mysql)

iptables so you can set it up as your router if you want to

The Gimp for photo editing (IMO just as good as photoshop for most things ... I like both though as Gimp can do some things better, and photoshop does some things better)

for the people that thing solitare and minesweeper are cool KDE and Gnome both come with a bunch of crappy little games, though none are quite as bad as minesweeper.

you can use KIT or GAIM to access the AIM network and use it for Instant Messaging

XMMS will play mp3s and avis and mpegs ... you should be able to find most codecs for linux on the web

use Samba for file sharing (and printer sharing if you want) ...

I run Mandrake 9.1 on my Server and Laptop (laptop is dual boot with 2k) ... I could not live without It (well ... I could probably change to freebsd but it would take me some time to adjust)
 
Since he asked what it was GOOD for, and not just what it does, I'm going to analyze BurnItDwn's post...

you can use openoffice for all your productivity work (or if you are one of those MS office is better type of people, you can install WINE and then use MS Office)
Click to expand...
You can use openoffice on windows, too. Installing office under Wine as an alternative to using Office in windows is retarded.

you can use vi, pico, or emacs for all your programming/coding/scripting etc
Click to expand...
Yep, this is a good use for linux

use Mozilla Firebird for browsing the web
Click to expand...
Same as windows

BitchX or Xchat for IRC
Click to expand...
There are plently of decent IRC clients for windows, too. I don't see linux as having an advantage here.

GFTP for ftp client
Click to expand...
I'd actually say windows has the upper hand in FTP clients.

Proftpd or WUFTPd for FTP server
Click to expand...
I prefer the command line linux ftp servers to things like Serv-U and WARftpd. Score one for linux.

Apache for webserver (with either PGsql or mysql)
Click to expand...
Same on windows, although Apache is supposed to be more stable for unix than win32.

iptables so you can set it up as your router if you want to
Click to expand...
True, but IPtables is a bitch to set up. If you really want to, though, then yeah, linux will work well for that.

The Gimp for photo editing (IMO just as good as photoshop for most things ... I like both though as Gimp can do some things better, and photoshop does some things better)
Click to expand...
The Gimp is NOT jsut as good as photoshop for most things. If the Gimp was just as good as photoshop, graphic artists would use it. It doesn't even support CMYK color.

for the people that thing solitare and minesweeper are cool KDE and Gnome both come with a bunch of crappy little games, though none are quite as bad as minesweeper.
Click to expand...
Heh, those little games suck on boh windows an linux 😉

you can use KIT or GAIM to access the AIM network and use it for Instant Messaging
Click to expand...
Not any better than chatting on windows, though.

XMMS will play mp3s and avis and mpegs ... you should be able to find most codecs for linux on the web
Click to expand...
You can do that stuff equally as well in windows.

use Samba for file sharing (and printer sharing if you want) ...
Click to expand...
Samba is cool if you're sharing files across machines with different OSes, but if it's as an alternative to an all windows network, I don't see it as an advantage.


 
If you use the fluffy RedHat 9 Bloatware, than nothing.

Linux is good for poor college students who dont feel like pirating Windows or for making their own little server. You can also take comfort that you wont get a lot of the viruses Windows gets because you'll be in the less than 1% of people that use Linux.
 
It can do everything windows does, but it has somewhat less software selection. It's a nice alternative if you aren't doing anything that you can only find windows software for (games, CAD, etc.).
 
Originally posted by: dabuddha
Originally posted by: notfred
I switch back and forth between linux and windows on one machine at home. I was using linux last night to try and rebuild a pine mailbox file from another machine. As far as I know, pine doesn't run on windows (maybe under cygwin).
Click to expand...

http://www.washington.edu/pine/

Pine is available on windows as well.
Click to expand...

hmm, well, I don't want to install it on windows 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Ameesh
thanks notfred you saved me the time to reply.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thanks notfred but here's the short version of what notfred just said:

1. If you're a programmer, linux can work for you; otherwise, go with Windows.
2. Just go with windows, most people do.
3. Repeat 1 and 2.
 
Originally posted by: BooGiMaN
linux what is it good for?
Click to expand...

Not giving Mr. Bill (ooooooo nnnoooooooo it's Mr. Hand!!!!!) $150 for your operating system, then $250 for MS Office.

Otherwise, go with Windoze.

Seriously, I like to putter around with Linux, and GIMP is pretty cool, but Photoshop works just fine, thankyouverymuch!
 
Originally posted by: notfred
I switch back and forth between linux and windows on one machine at home. I was using linux last night to try and rebuild a pine mailbox file from another machine. As far as I know, pine doesn't run on windows (maybe under cygwin).
Click to expand...
There's a PC-Pine but I'm not sure if people use it. I'm somewhat interested because I'd love to be able to transparently access the same mbox file from both Linux & Winblows at any time without resorting to VMware.

What was wrong with the mailbox file?
 
I use Windows as my primary machine, but I always find myself going back to Linux because their command line stuff is so rich. Besides nifty server and programming stuff, I use it for almost anything that would require repetitive work across multiple files. Aside from CS and Mathematics, I also notice that many of the top professors in Politics, Economics and Sociology use Linux as well. There are plenty of stats apps for Linux, that's for sure. Yes, Windows may have ports of several of the popular Linux apps, but they don't run nearly as fast and the environment to run them is often incomplete.

But let me point out that what notfred said is right. If you want Linux to run common Windows stuff, just run Windows. Because no matter how well Linux apps might compare, you're always going to want it to behave exactly like the Windows version and you may never be happy with it.


 
I tried doing what you're doing but all it ended me up doing was deleting it in frustration. No executables REALLY pissed me off. I'm too much of a Microsoft fan-boy to go any other way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top