LINUX: Many Questions

[besafe]

1. What are the advantages of using LINUX on your desktop PC vs Windiws?

2. Is it feasible for a person of average computer skills to install and use LINUX on their desktop?

3. What are the disadvantages of using LINUX?

Personally, I'm in favor of using as few Microsoft products as possible. The problem is that it only seems like those with advanced computer skills can truly do so.

[WSFuser]

1. its more secure out of the box; far less malware is targeted towards its; no DRM or activation; much software for linux can be gotten for free

2. depends on the distro. Ubuntu and SUSE, for example, would be easy to install and setup.

if you do have questions though, theres always people here and at other forums who would gladly help you.

3. gaming is limited/crippled (depending on the game); some hardware drivers are hard to find

[Kerodo]

I pretty much made the switch to Linux about 6 months ago. I use it 99% of the time now, except when I get the urge to install XP for a while and play with security and other apps for fun.

The main advantage of using Linux for me is that you can forget about the malware and virus infested world of Windows. You don't have all that in Linux. There are a few Linux viruses, but for the most part you can proceed as if there are none. It is very secure in general.

Some Linux distros are easier than others, however, I would have to say that almost all of them do require some patience and tweaking to get everything working. For example most need some work to get video codecs and video stuff working right. Some need extra work to get mp3 playing working. Sometimes you have to install flash manually to get that working. Other little tweaks and file editing is sometimes necessary as well.

I think an average PC user can do it, it just requires some patience and the willingness to search for answers to questions. 99% of the time you can find your answers in the support forums of the distro of your choice. Whenever you're learning and installing a Linux distro, the same questions come up over and over, so many other users have provided help and answers for you, and tips, etc.

[Rmus]

I have to agree with Kerodo that the "average PC user can do it, it just requires some patience and the willingness to search for answers to questions."

I have several friends who use Linux - one has always been a *NIX person.

Those that switched were interested in the Open Source concept, and there are oodles of applications that work on a Linux system.

You might look at some of the "classrooms" on the Linux site for a tutorial and introduction:

http://www.linux.org/


regards,

-rich

[Durad]

It all depense what Linux distro you use. There are some that are made for advanced users only and other ones for beginers..

If you have no linux expirience you should wait 1-2 months untill Freespire 2 is out, its ready out of the box... Also Ubuntu 7.04 is very good but it still need some post install work to make it compatible with different media types.

Once you setup everything it will work very very good. I just got tired of thinnking about viruses, spywares, registry clenaers, defragmentation and of course paid software.

With Linux most of the software is free!

The main thing with linux is to get it connected to chat rooms (freenode..) there you can get help to almost any question that you have ;)

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,

Security aside, Linux is more fun, faster, more stable, more everything.
Configuration a proper system, including all the programs you need, takes much less time than Windows, actually. Most people don't realize the following:

- When you install Windows (40-60 min), you have just begun.
- When you install Linux (40-60 min), you're almost done.

In Windows, you have to install everything. In Linux, you need to install the few things that you are used to from Windows, like media codecs, but other than that ... you're ready to go out of the box.

Sometimes, especially with new hardware, there are problems, but mainly because vendors are too lazy to properly test their drivers and issue bug-free sources. With hardware older than a year, you're good to go instantly.

Spyware, viruses, no such time. Silence of the geeks.

Compatibility, speed, diversity, functionality, superb.

Mrk

[Longboard]

Hello
MrKvonic is being shy :)
Go to his website as above and here: Computer software & security
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computer_software.html

You will find a massive treasure of tutorials and info. re Linux and others.

:thumb:

[aigle]

{QUOTE-> That,s very true. For normal user, he has not to install a pile of software( browsers, messengers, office etc) to start using it.
Almost everything is there by default.

[Alphalutra1]

{QUOTE->
Almost everything is there by default. <-QUOTE}
Depends what distro. Some people also don't like having a bunch of unecessary stuff that we will never use, so other distros or OS's are much better (like Arch, Slackware, *BSD).

But then, the install literally takes 5-10 minutes, then adding all the stuff you want depends on the speed of your internet connection, knowledge of the OS and distro, and if you are compiling, RAM/CPU.

Cheers,

Alphalutra1

[coolbluewater]

{QUOTE-> 1. What are the advantages of using LINUX on your desktop PC vs Windiws?

2. Is it feasible for a person of average computer skills to install and use LINUX on their desktop?

3. What are the disadvantages of using LINUX?

Personally, I'm in favor of using as few Microsoft products as possible. The problem is that it only seems like those with advanced computer skills can truly do so. <-QUOTE}

Where do I start? :)
First of all, Linux is free, unless you order a ready-made CD or DVD version which also may include support, but Google is your friend for that.
Linux doesn't have to be installed - you can run a "Live" CD or DVD version and boot from it and try it out; of course, it can also be installed as well if you want. You can download free .iso images and burn them to CD/DVD.
Knoppix v4 and SuSE 10.2 are both great at detecting hardware; other flavors are also freely available. Try doing that with Windows ;)
Plus they include office suites, server apps, and many other useful apps and utilities - all FREE. Running a Live CD or DVD is practically dummy-proof, and malware isn't much of an issue unless you download questionable content.
Installing and using it does have a learning curve, depending on what you want to use it for.

A few standout disadvantages are gaming support, although you can also get free games that run on Linux (and many are even included on the install images), but nowhere near as good as the choices of games that run on Windows. Some newer audio and video hardware is buggy to install and need tweaking, but it's usually the exception, and support is getting better all the time.