Linux?

[Fistandantilis]

If I start using linux can I still play PC games, are there any issues, more importantly is linux hard or confusing to use?

 

[phisrow]

The answer is yes and no. A few games, mostly ones from Id and I think some version of UT, have native ports. Those ought to work fine, assuming your graphics system is in order(this is pretty easy if you have an NVIDIA card, ATI is rather harder). Others will work with Cedega, from transgaming, and some level of luck/tweaking. Others will Just Not Work Sorry.
Punchline: Linux gaming is a whole lot better than it used to be; but you might not want to nuke the Windows partition just yet, if you are a gamer.

On ease of use: Linux can be easy or difficult, depending on how you want to use it. Most of the mainstream distros, assuming you are using decently standard hardware, are pretty easy to use, assuming you are more or less fine with their defaults. It's pretty much just pop in the disk, do some clicking, and it's all done. Tweaking your system to be exactly what you want, or setting up more or less unusual hardware, will be a touch trickier; but still pretty doable with documentation available online(Incidentally, Linux is much less scary if you have a known good machine, either a Linux box that is all set, or a Windows machine, or a Mac, or whatever, to search for documentation with). Setting up one of the hands on distros also falls into the category of slightly tricky; but easy enough, if you have the time to give it. If you want to be a real Linux guru, of course, prepare to pay your dues(This isn't any diffirent than Windows, though, unless you find DCOM object scripting and whatnot to be an easy and standard part of using that OS).

If you can, the best way to learn about Linux is probably to set up a machine for it. You don't want to prejudice yourself against the OS by running it on some crufty old P-90 from the darkest days of Compaq's perverse love affair with proprietary hardware, which will make you want to gouge out your eyes; but you can get perfectly decent results from an older P-III box, particularly if you aren't going to be doing graphics heavy stuff and have enough RAM, and a P-III 450 or Athlon/Duron equivalent isn't a terribly high ticket item these days. That way you won't need to mess about with dual booting(which is doable; but slightly annoying) and you'll be able to read documents on one, if you get really stuck on the other. If you end up liking it, for technical and/or philosophical reasons, please do make the jump to all free software. Just don't jump too far too soon and then blame the OS, move in as fast as you want, and get to like the OS before you go all the way with it.

 

[The Linuxator]

Originally posted by: phisrow
The answer is yes and no. A few games, mostly ones from Id and I think some version of UT, have native ports. Those ought to work fine, assuming your graphics system is in order(this is pretty easy if you have an NVIDIA card, ATI is rather harder). Others will work with Cedega, from transgaming, and some level of luck/tweaking. Others will Just Not Work Sorry.
Punchline: Linux gaming is a whole lot better than it used to be; but you might not want to nuke the Windows partition just yet, if you are a gamer.

On ease of use: Linux can be easy or difficult, depending on how you want to use it. Most of the mainstream distros, assuming you are using decently standard hardware, are pretty easy to use, assuming you are more or less fine with their defaults. It's pretty much just pop in the disk, do some clicking, and it's all done. Tweaking your system to be exactly what you want, or setting up more or less unusual hardware, will be a touch trickier; but still pretty doable with documentation available online(Incidentally, Linux is much less scary if you have a known good machine, either a Linux box that is all set, or a Windows machine, or a Mac, or whatever, to search for documentation with). Setting up one of the hands on distros also falls into the category of slightly tricky; but easy enough, if you have the time to give it. If you want to be a real Linux guru, of course, prepare to pay your dues(This isn't any diffirent than Windows, though, unless you find DCOM object scripting and whatnot to be an easy and standard part of using that OS).

If you can, the best way to learn about Linux is probably to set up a machine for it. You don't want to prejudice yourself against the OS by running it on some crufty old P-90 from the darkest days of Compaq's perverse love affair with proprietary hardware, which will make you want to gouge out your eyes; but you can get perfectly decent results from an older P-III box, particularly if you aren't going to be doing graphics heavy stuff and have enough RAM, and a P-III 450 or Athlon/Duron equivalent isn't a terribly high ticket item these days. That way you won't need to mess about with dual booting(which is doable; but slightly annoying) and you'll be able to read documents on one, if you get really stuck on the other. If you end up liking it, for technical and/or philosophical reasons, please do make the jump to all free software. Just don't jump too far too soon and then blame the OS, move in as fast as you want, and get to like the OS before you go all the way with it.

Excellent answer, covered all corners of the issue, couldn't have said it better myself.:beer: