Is Linux a good os

I was thinking of trying something new on my computer and alot of people talk about linux. What are the pros and cons to linux, how do i learn more about it, and what is the best linux os to get (redhat...ect.)... thanks to all

 

Although this isn't exactly the forum for this, I will answer you anyway. Linux is a great operating system. Far superior than anything to come out of microsoft. More powerful, more secure, more versatile, and it's FREE.
Site to look at:
www.linux.org

For the new user I would recommend Red Hat (I use it) or Mandrake.

 

Rebernik is right...linux is a very powerful operating system. The reason for this is that you can customize anything about the OS....and i mean ANYTHING, as you have the source code for it all.

The pros: full power over your system, really secure, a lot faster than windows, just about everything is free (rarely will you pay for any software...only when its big time software such as VMWare which is a superb OS emulator)

The cons: takes time to learn.

Basically, if you are just a person that wants to have an OS loaded and ready to go, linux probably isnt the way to go....its not nearly as easy as windows. Depending on which distribution you choose, there will be different learning curves.

There are easier to use distributions. These come with loads of bells and whistles: Red Hat (Fedora now), Mandrake, Debian

And there are harder distros such as Slackware.

Note: its a good idea to research how popular the distro is, because the more popular, the easier it is to find help if you need it....all the ones i listed are popular distros.

With linux you could go anywhere from a complete command line OS to a full bells and whistles OS like windows. But just remember, dont even bother if you aren't willing to take the time to learn it. And always check out the distros website.

If you do plan on installing linux, test your system out by downloading Knoppix or Topologi. Knoppix boots the OS off a CD, so you never have to install, and Topologi creates a virtual OS on your system by making a file in windows that acts as a Linux partition. NEITHER WILL INTERFERE WITH WINDOWS.

I will be installing Slackware on a new hard drive in a couple weeks...(i got plenty of time to learn )

Good place to check out too is www.tomshardware.com, and look for the linux migration article.

Hope that helps

 

I have Linux on one of my boxes here and really like it.

 

Thanks alot... i have redhat 9 i think might be 7 cant remember but i put it on once and i didnt even know where to start. i really liked the os but i found i couldnt use any microsoft software on it...like msn messneger.... i guess there are all kinds of tricks with getting those on there eh... any way thanks for the replys, alot of help

 

No windows based software works on linux, because they are 2 different OS's. You need to get linux programs then...There are plenty of places to get them. Also, for things like MSN messenger, or AIM, there are programs for Linux that you can use to connect to those services. I think one is called GAIM (connects to most IM services...like msn, aim, yahoo, icq etc).

Anyways....search around red hat's website for packages. Just remember that you cannot use a windows program on linux...unless you have an emulator of course.

 

ya i think i would be better off getting a linux theme for windows and keeping xp pro hahaha lol