I had better try linux out..

Hey,

I feel i have been using ms now for to long, and i have been hearing alot about linux but there are loads of different versions .

Can someone reccoment tell me all the versions of linux, cause all i can think of is mandranke but i have seen like red hat and stuff as well. Also, can i duel boot linux with win xp?

Thanks
TNT

You sound quite advanced.

Redhat is good for just diving in.

Hmm, ok i will get hold of it one way or another . Brian do you know if i can duel boot it with xp ok? On two seperate partitions.

Also whats the latest version of red hat.

Thanks
TNT

Redhat 7.2 is the latest version. Anaconda (Redhat installer) can't resize partitions (I know, WTF) , but you can duel boot if you manage to get some space for a partition so I used seperate hard drives. It's worth it, though.

slackware 8.0!

SuSE Linux is the user friendliest Linux I've every seen...

But SuSE is a german company, so I don't know if you can buy it outside the german-speaking-countries.

But SuSE's installer can resize partitions and it runs perfectly with windows on the same HDD

I know many people saying that Debian or Mandrake are the best Linux versions... But I've never tried others than SuSE and RadHat...

Redhat 7.2 can be run on a Fat32 partition without the need for it's own (if you just want to test Linux out). If you've got extra space on your Windows drive, you can intsall it on that and boot from a disk to get to it. When you're done testing, all you have to do is delete a file and it's gone. I believe DemoLinux can run from a CD if you want to go that route too.

Dual booting's a little more difficult. You have to make sure that your Linux boot partition (doesn't have to be large, only a few MB) is under the 1024 cyclinder on the disk (somewhere around 6G, but depends on your drive). A program called PartitionMagic can do the repartitioning safely for you. Then just make a couple small partitions in the front of the drive. I used to used this scheme 4.5G Fat -> 6G Linux -> 9.5G Fat, but then I got another HD so I run Windows on it's own and Linux on it's own. Then when you install Linux, just make sure you use the boot manager and load it in the MBR (Master Boot Record). Then when you boot up your machine you get the choice of which OS you want to run.

I would suggest not repartitioning until you decide if you like using Linux.

As someone who can finally use Linux comfortably, I would recommend Suse to anyone.

As far as Im aware, it should be available everywhere - Im in the UK and they even sell it here in major bookshops!

If you have two HD in ur PC, and you decide to use one for Linux and the other for Windows (I would recommend a HD larger than 2Gb for Linux) , it will do it all automatically for you - creating, in the process a boot menu for you to choose your os!

I have played with Redhat from version 5.2 - and I find that its a little unstandard (although not to the same extreme as m$)
- Considering how that is one of the major complains about M$ - whats the point of choosing an alternative which does the same thing?

At the end of the day though, Linux, whatever version you chose, is so much cooler than windows - once you understand the concept - and that should only take a few weeks.

have fun

Hmm ok, i will try and get hold of SuSe, i am a little confused about devices under this OS though. I mean will i be able to get hold of drivers for all my hardware, or is this not a great concern under linux?? I dont know alot about how linux works as i have never used it.

Thanks
TNT

I don't know enough about Linux to have all the answers, but the basic rules for devices are that if it was designed for Windows, you will have a problem using it with Linux.

E.g. Modems , especially Internal Modems, tend to use software to make them work, and that software is designed for Windows.

USB devices and some Printers are another sore point. many usb devices do not have Linux drivers, although some manafacturers are helping out here with writing Linux drivers.

As you can gather, Windows devices are sold cheaply because they relay on the software to do all the hard work, so making the hardware cheaper to sell. Solwly, the Linux community is finding solutions to this, but at the end of the day, you will find buying good quality equipment being the easiest option with Linux.