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Linux!

Started by Grundy, August 03, 2004, 10:49:41 PM

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Louisiana Night

Grundy, have you installed Linux on your PC yet?

Grundy

Nup, I wont install it until I build my new system.   ;)

Louisiana Night


dew7

Does this imply the standing army of Linux penguins ready to invade Microsoft?   :suffer:   ;D
Carpe Diem  Trying to help all of us including myself understand the merry-go-round of life.

Louisiana Night

I was just replacing an old post, but why not? :P



They're coming to save us! ;D

GravityMX

Is Linux relatively easy to setup for directx7 and higher games?  ???

Louisiana Night

Depends. If you use WINE(I've used other programs, but it's what I normally use), it's not too hard. After installing it, I set it up, so that all I have to do, is run the game(like in Windows, by clicking on the game icon).

The one problem, is that some games will either take time and effort to get working, and some won't work at all. Like I said above, some games work just as well as they do in Windows. Another problem, is that the some of the newer(DX8/9) games, will run slow on all but the newest hardware.

If the Windows game is OpenGL, it has a MUCH better chance of running, and will run FAR faster.
The latest game I've played with WINE, is Morrowind(DX8, SLOW).

I hope I've answered your question. :)

Louisiana Night

So...

*looks around the forum for Linux users* :P

CC, since you mentioned using Konqueror, I'm guessing you use the KDE graphical interface. I think it's better than Gnome, but most people I've met online, prefer Gnome over KDE. What do you think? ???

I normally use KDE 70% of the time, no graphical interface(as in, don't use X) 25%, and Gnome 5% of the time. :-\

dew7

LN, you never use FireFox or Opera?   :o
Carpe Diem  Trying to help all of us including myself understand the merry-go-round of life.

Louisiana Night

#29
KDE and Gnome, are graphical interfaces for Linux(icons, windows, taskbars, etc), they're not internet browsers(Konqueror is the default KDE internet browser, that I rarely use). :P

I normally use Firefox, and sometimes Mozilla(in Linux and Windows). :)

dew7

Thanks for clearing that up.  I was confused.  ;)
Carpe Diem  Trying to help all of us including myself understand the merry-go-round of life.

Louisiana Night

#31
Quote from: dew7 on October 22, 2004, 08:29:40 PM
Is the main drawback of Linux is that is its not able to run Windows programs --- yes or no -- or is there some other major drawback?   ???

Top10 drawbacks to Linux(in my opinion, and in no particular order):

1:It's open-source

2:It's based on Unix(or technically Minux, which was based on Unix)

3:It has no true owner, despite Linus being the original creator

4:Despite being able to use many Mac/Windows/etc programs, it still is not truly compatible with their software

5:Lack of support

6:People using your PC

7: SCSI is favored(over IDE)

8:Young children (that's not a joke) XD

9:It tends to give you the label "computer geek" :P

10:The community

Reasoning:

1:Despite allowing bugs/security faults to be found and fixed quickly, it also allows them to be found by crackers.

2:It makes it more compatable with Unix software, among other advantages of the similar design/structure. It also makes it less compatable with OSs(Windows) that are loosely based on Unix(any modern OS, most likely has some ties to Unix).

3: That means that NOBODY could stop Linux's evolution, into a more modern OS(when the times and needs change, so will Linux). It also means that if you have a problem with the OS, there's no one place to go to for help(for different problems, it's best to go to different sources for help).

4:I doubt I need to explain my reasoning for that. :P

5:Despite more support from companies in recent years, Linux still doesn't have anywhere near as much support as Windows(or Macs for that matter). Some software/hardware you want to run, might not work, due to the lack of support. On the positive side, Linux has more support than many OSs, for things related to servers(and other, non-mainstream software/hardware). Also, many companies seem to think "they can figure it out themselves", and make things FAR more difficult than it could/should be(Unreal Tournament).

6: Since it's not mainstream, and has a reputation(to the average PC user that knows about it) for being hard to use. people might not want to use your PC. It's good if you don't want people to mess with your PC(that, and it has more security than Windows). It can be a bad thing though, if they want to print a file/surf the web/download software, and you don't have the time to help them(or don't care to spend the time to help them).

7: Servers normally use SCSI(faster/better, but expensive), while PCs normally use IDE(cheaper/slower, but more prone to failure/crashing/dying/errors/faults). IDE works fine(this is just a minor annoyance, that is barely noticeable), but because Linux has a tendency to favor SCSI, it's sometimes more difficult than it could/should be(opposite problem with Windows).

8:This could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I've seen it happen before(and often). With default sounds on(in KDE at least), it gets their attention. 6-8 year olds, if they see one or two of the games(at this moment, I'm referring to the Redhat distros), that's what they'll remember every time they see the PC(and they'll tell you the EXACT game that's supposed to be on the screen). If you have one of those guys that walks around on your windows while you're using the PC, they'll think it's the greatest thing in the world(the name of the program I'm thinking of, that comes with many distros, escapes me at the moment). Finally, since many Linux users like to have Tux(the penguin) on their screen(not necessarily as wallpaper), that adds another reason for them to want to play with a Linux PC. See? Linux is FUN!! :D :P

9:Once again, I doubt I need to explain it. Whether it's a good thing, or a bad thing, is up for debate. :-\

10:I don't consider it a drawback, but it is for most companies, and also keeps Linux from having as much support as Windows(from outside the community). As far as buying software goes, they're not the most interested people in retail software. Add the fact, that MANY(and IMO, most) Linux users don't want companies to gain strength/influence in the Linux community(at least, to a certain degree), and you can see why companies don't want to invest too much money/effort into increasing support(this might be the most far-fetched idea on this list, and I might not have explained the idea/concept well, but if I'm wrong, I'm not too far off).

Many of the "drawbacks" are both a great advantage, and a great disadvantage

Many(most?) of the drawbacks/advantages mentioned on this list, also apply to other open-source OSs(freeBSD).

P.S. I made this in a short period of time, so I'm SURE I missed many drawbacks of Linux(I also might not have thought everything thru, and made mistakes about the drawbacks).

EDIT: I believe Bill Gates said that the GNU was the greatest drawback/weakness. ;P XD

Louisiana Night

#32
Another thing I'd like to mention, is about the language barrier. If you're not familiar with one of the major languages(verbal languages), Linux has a HUGE advantage over Windows(translations are made faster, and more accurately than Windows). Then again, even if you know a major language, it's still an advantage(don't like American/British/other spelling? There's a good chance you can find it with "correct" spelling).

P.S. I could have added the difficulty of operating Linux, to the list of "drawbacks", but I don't think that's been much of an issue, for a few years now.

Also, one of the problems I named(support for the OS, as far as technical support goes), can be avoided, by using a retail distro like Redhat(you'll have to pay for Redhat, to get the technical support, but you can get the distro/files free online). I've never had a need for the technical support, but I think it's worth paying for, when you're first learning to use the OS.

dew7

Linux is definately one thing I will have to try one of these days.  LN, can I partition part of my Windows hard drive to give Linux a try?
Carpe Diem  Trying to help all of us including myself understand the merry-go-round of life.

Louisiana Night

#34
I seem to recall you mentioning Partition Magic. If I remember correctly, the latest version allows the creation of Linux partitions(can't remember the filesystem used :P ). If you're going to put it on the same hardrive, use that. If you're going to use seperate hardrives, use Diskdruid(many Linux distros come with it). If I were you, I'd try a LiveCD first, and then, if I liked it, I'd buy a book on the subject(a good book/manual/guide is a great help, and has saved my PC on two occasions).

Another thing I should mention, is that if you decide to put Linux on the same hardrive with XP, MAKE SURE THAT XP IS INSTALLED FIRST. If you install XP second, it will overwrite GRUB/LILO/etc(what is used to choose OSs), and you will be forced to use a boot-disk(floppy) to run Linux.

P.S. I know there's a way to run Linux from within Windows(and vice-versa), but since I don't know much about it, you'd have to Google for the info.
----------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you that are curious about Linux, there's no reason not to try it(assuming you have broadband, and a CDburner). Just download a live distro(if you want links to some, just ask), and burn it to a CD. As long as you meet the minimum requirements of the OS(for a full-featured one, all you normally need is 128meg of memory), it shouldn't be too difficult. You just put the CD-ROM into your drive, restart your PC, it asks a few questions(most can be skipped), and Linux starts(unless your BIOS doesn't support booting from CDs). Then you can just play around with Linux, and decide if you like it. :D

NOTE: WHILE A LINUX LIVE OS/DISTRO IS RUNNING, DO NOT REMOVE THE CD. ONLY REMOVE THE DISC AFTER CLOSING LINUX(all live distros, use the information on the CD, and load whatever's in use to your memory, thus avoiding writing to your hardisk).

P.S. After it starts up, there's one thing you might want to avoid doing... playing 3D games(if your drivers aren't setup, then it runs EXTREMELY slow).

Louisiana Night

#35
Adventure Games_Official Wine Application Database

If anyone wants to know if their Adventure games will work in Linux, look at the link (it's somewhat new, so there might not be info on the game you're looking for).

I'm probably going to join later(after getting the latest version of Wine setup). ;D

Note: This is just Wine, so certain games might work with a different program (like DOSbox) .

GravityMX

I have an old Pentium 166 that hasnt been used for about 8 months. What's the highest version of Linux (redhat) that can be supported under this hardware. I'm interested in giving linux a try in the next few weeks.

Specs.....
Pentium MMX166
16mb Ram
1Gb HDD
4x CD-Rom
15" Monitor
Current OS: Win98

Louisiana Night

#37
Honestly, considering the specs, I'd use something besides Redhat. :P

I'd have to do a little research though, to find a better distro.

*Googles*

Also, it would help, if you said what you wanted to use it for(games, server, book balancing...).

This might help. 8)
200mhzCPU_whichdistro

GravityMX

I just want to mess around with Linux, not really use it for a particular task.

Louisiana Night

Okay then, I have one VERY important question.

You're wanting to use a graphical interface with that PC? :-\

As in, you willing to use a DOS style interface, or do you want a Windows style interface? ???