Can you run a computer on Linux alone.

[thehitmen]

I do quite fancy running Linux, but is it possible to run a computer 100% on Linux without running back to Windows.

I don't want to "Leave" Windows, would like to be able to use both and see the benefits of Linux (If there is any)

The most common distro of Linux to my Knowledge is Ubutu, would this install correctly, sound, WI-FI adapter, sound etc...

I am looking for a epic long post from sir Mr.Goose :D

[Superewza]

Not the epic you were expecting from Goose, but hey - i've done it. I haven't even been using it for that long, it was about the same time as Windows 7 was released. I installed both that and Mint (i'd recommend this over Ubuntu for a beginner, it's based on it but i found it nicer to use coming from Windows - but then again it's all opinion) at the same time, then a few months down the line i realised that i had only used Windows 7 for about an hour. So i uninstalled it.

And i'd consider myself a gamer, not the most serious one though. TF2 in Wine with native games (such as Nexuiz and Warsow) is enough to keep my happy.

On hardware compatibility, it depends on the actual hardware and not the distro itself.

[thehitmen]

Not the epic you were expecting from Goose.

He seams the almighty god on things Linux based.

And thanks for the post, im going to have a look at "Mint"

[k810i]

Most hardware should be compatible with linux. There are however a few cases whereby a device isn't compatible. But this happens very rarely. Most software that you would use on windows will have a alternative available. For example, a windows live messenger alternative on linux would be Emesene: http://www.emesene.org/

Some of your favorite applications that you use on windows are sometimes available for use on linux. Of particular note is skype, which is currently available as a beta.

Overall linux is a great OS, with most distros being extremely easy to learn, and is well worth the switch from windows.

Nothing to serious, just thought I'd throw in my view on it all.

[Superewza]

Most hardware should be compatible with linux. There are however a few cases whereby a device isn't compatible. But this happens very rarely. Most software that you would use on windows will have a alternative available. For example, a windows live messenger alternative on linux would be Emesene: http://www.emesene.org/

Some of your favorite applications that you use on windows are sometimes available for use on linux. Of particular note is skype, which is currently available as a beta.

Overall linux is a great OS, with most distros being extremely easy to learn, and is well worth the switch from windows.

Nothing to serious, just thought I'd throw in my view on it all.

Most people prefer Pidgin as an IM Client though. The thing about installing programs is that 99% of the time they're already there - in the repos. You don't have to go looking for them :)

[Huge Pear]

i think linux mint is great(i have it) very user friendly but ill have to admit i still use windows far more than i use linux(due to the fact its the most used OS and has alot more programs that people can recognise)

But on the other hand it is far more difficult to get viruses on linux.

so the bottom line is. Its your choice. if you honestly think you could go with out windows then go for it.

[k810i]

Most people prefer Pidgin as an IM Client though. The thing about installing programs is that 99% of the time they're already there - in the repos. You don't have to go looking for them :)

Never tried pidgin, is it any good? I've only ever used empathy(which I don't like) and emesene, which is pretty easy to use. I don't see any need for anything else really, I only ever used to use msn.

And yes you can get most software from the repos, but some of the time it's out of date. So I prefer to go the website to get the up to date version.

[Superewza]

Never tried pidgin, is it any good? I've only ever used empathy(which I don't like) and emesene, which is pretty easy to use. I don't see any need for anything else really, I only ever used to use msn.

And yes you can get most software from the repos, but most of the time it's out of date. So I prefer to go the website to get the up to date version.

I like it, it's not exactly the same as what you're used to though. A really useful feature i've found is Facebook chat integration.

[thehitmen]

So if i want to play counter strike source and Call of Duty: Moder warfare 2 this WINE will play this fine.

[Superewza]

Counter Strike should work reasonably well, i wouldn't hold out to much hope for MW2 though. Being as it's a new game.

[thehitmen]

Counter Strike should work reasonably well, i wouldn't hold out to much hope for MW2 though. Being as it's a new game.

That word, Reasonably Scares me, will i loose performance...

ATI Graphics Card
AMD CPU

[Superewza]

It's not so much performance, but stability that you should be worried about.

http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?iVersionId=3731

Wine is not a perfect solution. And on the ATI card - which one? Only recently have they begun to make decent drivers. The CPU shouldn't matter much.

[thehitmen]

Going to be using a 3870 for this PC :D

Handles it fine on Windows 7

[jonbanjo]

My elderly parents can. There are things Linux here that can record 3 tv programs at once and share them on the network and the customary LAMP platform. That comes to one reason why I can't - I use Windows for IE. Idon't make many edits but I do need to see things work right on that platform.

Reasons for others might include games, perhpas Autocad?....

[Mr. Orange]

i'll try out the Linux Mint... Open SuSe's really annoying me :(

what desktop do you use? :S

[Bracken]

It certainly is, my laptop is 100% GNU/Linux and I use it for weeks at a time when away from my flat.

[Nox]

Linux is 100% fine unless you want to play games.

Nox

[thehitmen]

I will later this month, install it, and see how long i can last using it :D

[jonbanjo]

i'll try out the Linux Mint... Open SuSe's really annoying me :(



Why? I find it the easiest I've tried (lately I looked at Ubuntu 9.10 and Fedora 12. I've never tried Mint though) as I seem to get on well with Yast and that set up is more familiar to me.

Not suggesting you shouldn't find another is better for you (and viva the choices) but I'm curious why you find this one a pain.

[mrgoose]

I do quite fancy running Linux, but is it possible to run a computer 100% on Linux without running back to Windows.

I don't want to "Leave" Windows, would like to be able to use both and see the benefits of Linux (If there is any)

The most common distro of Linux to my Knowledge is Ubutu, would this install correctly, sound, WI-FI adapter, sound etc...

I am looking for a epic long post from sir Mr.Goose :D
Sorry to disappoint but I have been engaged in other things for the last few days. It's hard to add to the good advice in the posts. But here's my 2p worth...


Thanks for the compliments but I'm not a Linux expert - more a perpetual student really - and I still have one heck of a lot to learn!
There is no universally "right" distro. Arguing about what's the "best distro" makes as much sense as debating whether red cars are better than blue ones lol. In y little business, we use Ubuntu & Kubuntu on laptops & media/file servers, Debian on web servers and Puppy on really old Windows95/98 era machines. In a nutshell, we try to choose the distro that best suited the task in hand.
IMHO the most suitable distro for the novice is probably Ubuntu. It may not be the best distro (though it is pretty damned good) but it is probably the most widely supported. This means you are more likely to get help if things go wrong. Getting your head around Ubuntu is a really good starting point for finally choosing the distro(s) that is/are right for you.
Linux is not Windows! Yeah OK, that sounds a banal statement. Superewza can probably explain the implications of this better than I can lol :) and perhaps suggest some further reading. But IMHO, reading Eric Raymond's How to Become a Hacker (http://www.catb.org/%7Eesr/faqs/hacker-howto.html) would be twenty-minutes well spent. There are some important concepts such as "free as in freedom" and why it is important for users to be able to control their systems - not the big corporations.
I dumped windows completely nearly three years ago and it was probably the best business decision I ever made. We don't dual boot either. We went completely "cold turkey" and I'm very glad we did. It's cheaper, faster and a heck of a lot more secure than Windows. And it is wonderful to be free from all those viruses, worms, trojan's spies, keyloggers etc. So yes, Windows can be replaced and there is a very strong business case for doing so, IMHO:-
Vista woes might lead us to better things (http://www.garfnet.org.uk/joomla/content/view/66/16/)
Most Windows apps have direct Linux replacements. Some windows apps will actually run on Linux using Wine or the commercial implementation CrossoverLinux. These are the Windows apps I was able to make work:-
Windows applications running successfully on Linux using WINE (http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.garfnet.org.uk/joomla/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26i d%3D67%26Itemid%3D58&ei=g_N6S9_0J4ey0gSSnuWHDg&sa=X&oi=nshc&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CA4QzgQoAA&usg=AFQjCNExgQJsEXn8V9zfhlajinF4nl6tjg)
At the moment Linux is not really for gamers - unless you like Linux games! lol. However a variant of CrossoverLinux called CrossoverGames allows a number of popular Windows-based games to run quite well:-
Windows Games Seamlessly Integrated on Mac or Linux - Mac Windows ... (http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxgames/)
It is also possible to run a complete Windows installation from within Linux - well several in fact! It is a technique called "virtualization" and is handy if you need to run the latest Photoshop or have specialist Windows software for say Video editing etc. It is very easy to do and it has some very interesting benefits:-
Using VirtualBox to run Windows apps that will not run on WINE (http://www.garfnet.org.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=144:using-virtualbox-to-run-windows-apps-that-will-not-run-on-wine&catid=19:technology&Itemid=58)

HTH. :D Best wishes, G.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

I have been using linux now for several years.

The most important thing you can read before you leap is this:http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

Now with windows you install it then customise it to your preferences and set it up for what you want to use it for. Now with Linux you can choose from about 850 different distros according to your preferences then you can choose a desktop enviroment.

If you like windows then I would reccommend the KDE desktop enviroment but if you prefer mac then use Gnome as your DE.
There are a lot more desktop enviriments but Gnome and KDE are the main ones.

As for distro's I went to http://distrowatch.com/ and tried the top distro's on the list on the right hand side. I have now used about 40 ish distros and I just use what works on a computer. To test you can boot up the Live CD and have a play.

On my laptop ( a novatech x65) I use Ubuntu , which gives you a nice easy to use install, but on my desktop I went very custom and used Arch with openbox which you build from a command line. For my backup server I used somthing for the purpose and used FreeNAS and plan to use debian on my new work machine as it was the most stable out of all the distros I tried on that computer.

Just have a look around and see what you prefer.
I reccommend ubuntu over mint as the forums for ubuntu are very noob friendly and you will get help.

Personally I do NOT like OpenSUSE but it is up to you.
My list I would reccommend you would be

1 ubuntu ( Or Kubuntu for the more windows like feel)
2 fedora ( with gnome or KDE desktop depending on preference)
3 Debian ( rock solid stable)
4 OpenSUSE ( Has a lot of support and are planning to port some windows apps)
5 Sabayon

Hope you enjoy.

[candtalan]

I do quite fancy running Linux, but is it possible to run a computer 100% on Linux without running back to Windows
Yes, it is for me. However, some of what you have become used to including some Windows based games, will not work, so why not keep Windows around for a while anyway?


I don't want to "Leave" Windows, would like to be able to use both and see the benefits of Linux (If there is any)
LOL. The GNU project began in 1983. There must be an occasional benefit or two in using GNU/Linux, or I guess that it would not still be around. If you do not want to 'leave' windows then be careful to keep a working system available for yourself. With a Live CD, you do not even have to install most GNU/Linux distributions, they will run from the CD drive, in RAM as a full system.


The most common distro of Linux to my Knowledge is Ubutu, would this install correctly, sound, WI-FI adapter, sound etc...
Probably, although most of the hardware at your disposal will have been made with Windows in mind. One way to find out for yourself on your own system, is to use a live CD. Try different distributions, including Mint, as mentioned in another message?


My motivation for running GNU/Linux has changed over the five or six years. I began because I was not confident about online security even though I kept a well maintained machine - for financial use online etc. I was not really sure I could identify *everything* that was installed.

Later I began to appreciate that there were ethical reasons to use and suppoort free software too. These reasons are now very important for me, easily equal to the ease of good security.

Good luck.