Linux

[Polish Hippy]

A friend of mine is looking to buy a new PC and the spec looks pretty good for the price but the OS is Linux. Does anyone use this as an OS? Opinions please.

[DeepSpace]

The best answer to this is an old quote:

"Windows is for people who like playing with computers, Linux for people who like playing with operating systems".

It pains me to say it, as politically the concept of Linux is a good one & as an alternative to a Gates-dominated future I tried hard to get to grips with it, but you have to really know computers inside out to get anywhere. Application installation is complex & in my experience rarely goes smoothly! There are of course those who swear by Linux, & the Linux community are incredibly supportive & knowledgeable, but for a newbie wanting to get up & running, it's not so much a steep learning curve as a sheer rock face.

Hope that's of some help!

[CaptainHart]

I think the idea that Linux is difficult is a bit oversold. I'm posting this from a PC with Ubuntu. What type Linux is on the PC? It can make a difference. The other question is what does your friend intend to use it for? If it's for browsing, e-mail and an office suite then Linux is pretty much as easy as a PC.

[Polish Hippy]

Yes, all she wants is basic internet access and some kind of home office package but then again her PC skills are limited as are mine so maybe it might be a case of better the devil you know but then again most new PCs are coming with some version of Vista so that's a world away from XP I guess.

[bbb]

deepspace said:

The best answer to this is an old quote:

"Windows is for people who like playing with computers, Linux for people who like playing with operating systems".

It pains me to say it, as politically the concept of Linux is a good one & as an alternative to a Gates-dominated future I tried hard to get to grips with it, but you have to really know computers inside out to get anywhere. Application installation is complex & in my experience rarely goes smoothly! There are of course those who swear by Linux, & the Linux community are incredibly supportive & knowledgeable, but for a newbie wanting to get up & running, it's not so much a steep learning curve as a sheer rock face.

Hope that's of some help!

Can't really add any more to that, as the above appraisal pretty much says it all.

I use Ubuntu which of all the Linux flavours (and there are many) this has been the easiest to get to grips with. I had to buy an Ubuntu book and i was sat reading for days.

Vista isnt that bad, ive been using it now since Beta. Ive turned off all the UAC stuff as its a pain.

My 8 year old made the transition from XP to Vista no problem.

[DeepSpace]

IMO, Vista has based itself heavily on Linux, but again, though it pains me to say it, is a lot more user friendly. Having said that, my own experience is that Vista seems very crash prone.

I messed around with Linux (at one time or another I've probably had a crack at most of the main distros) on & off for years, & set a target of being Windows-free, but never quite managed it. I could generally get a system installed with dual-boot, but always came a cropper when I tried to install the half-dozen or do key packages that I rely on. I'd usually find that some library or other that I'd need was missing & then struggle to get that installed, etc...

My last experience was a bad one, though & I ended up having to totally reformat a hard drive, so gave it up as a bad job after that

Having said that, I have an old laptop I don't use, so I might just be tempted to have another crack!

[bbb]

deepspace said:

IMO, Vista has based itself heavily on Linux, but again, though it pains me to say it, is a lot more user friendly. Having said that, my own experience is that Vista seems very crash prone.

I messed around with Linux (at one time or another I've probably had a crack at most of the main distros) on & off for years, & set a target of being Windows-free, but never quite managed it. I could generally get a system installed with dual-boot, but always came a cropper when I tried to install the half-dozen or do key packages that I rely on. I'd usually find that some library or other that I'd need was missing & then struggle to get that installed, etc...

My last experience was a bad one, though & I ended up having to totally reformat a hard drive, so gave it up as a bad job after that

Having said that, I have an old laptop I don't use, so I might just be tempted to have another crack!

Throw a bit more memory at your box and get yourself a copy of VMWare or Virtual PC (If you dont use it already)

[Polish Hippy]

Cheers for that folks, I think after that i'd be put off Linux and i'm not a technophobe. I'll tell her to stick to Vista