Dead C drive = time to try Linux?

well, my old 133 MHz box's C:/ drive is about to die. I have another HD on their that's partitioned into two drives and i am thinking of installing a free version of linux on one of them and restrict the computer to solely programming purposes.

a few questions before i start installing Linux or BeOS:

java support: is it there? i'm doing alot of Java programming these days.

ease of installation: is it as hard to install linux on my box as people say it is?

quality: should i go out and buy a version of commercial linux, or is Mandrake or BSD a viable alternative?

Java support, yes.
Difficult installation, not really, they do have installation programs. The difficulty is usually partitioning or not having the right hardware. Make sure you know what components you have and check the supported hardware for whatever *nix you're going to use (not a huge problem).

I'm currently running Redhat 7.2 but I'm going to be switching to FreeBSD. If you can download a distro off the net, there's not much advantage in buying a commercial product (except your support for them). The best thing to do is try and get your hands on as many different variants as you can and play around with all of them before you commit to one.
If you're looking for something close to the simplicity of Windows, you might start with Redhat. I've found it very simple.

Well to save me typing a bunch of stuff, all your questions can be answered in the way that would please you most. There's Java support, if you're an experienced programmer installation really shuldn't be a problem, and I'm told Linux puts Windows to shame. I haven't tried it myself, but my brother says it's good.

I triple boot Win2k, Win98 and Linux"Mandrake". I like all three but in all honesty I am a Linux newbie.

The only thing to make sure you check is wheather or not your hardware is compatible. I believe most software modems are not Linux compatible.

I have two seperate computers, one with Redhat 6.1 and another with Win98. I love Linux, its a great operating system. And on the other hand windows is alos great.

As far as the distribution, its realy a personal preference. I like doing everything for my self, which is why ill be moving to slackware soon.

I would say download the distribution off the net because there are so many support sites and forums for linux.

Linux is not too hard to install if you know what your doing, readup before hand on the installation, if its your first time installing it. Make sure you know all the parts of your computer, ie. model number, type, etc... All your networking information to set up the internet. You should be fine, aran.

Hi!

Linux is great... I use it most of the time. (Except for one at home, because It only has an external usb modem that is not supported by linux, because the microcode is uploaded at usb-initialisation by the Windos-drivers.)

If you want to install linux, you can pick any of the CD-distributions (Mandrake, Suse, RedHat, Sla(c)kware, whatever, Debian). If you have a reliable and fast internet connection, supported by the linux kernel, I recommend Debian. The CD-version (2.2r5, 3 CDs, binaries only) is old, but very reliable and reasonably easy to install. I installed this one on my own computer with one boot-floppy (containing a kernel that supports the necessery hardware) and the default "rescue" floppy (which contains the install program). This version is called "stable". It is! The version called "unstable" is quite reliable (I have had two minor problems in about 18 months), contains reasonably new software, and a lot of it (the semi-official CDs are seven!). It is at the moment easiest to install the base-system of "stable" first, then upgrade to "unstable", and then installing the non-critical software.

One piece of advice wich you may or may not want to follow : with any distribution you should resist the temptation of installing the X windows system immediately, unless you know exactly what graphics hardware you have, and which xserver/xservermodule is needed. Choosing the wrong one can make your system unusable. Most installers do not recover gracefully when you need to reboot the computer, because the text-console is rendered unreadable...

Have fun...

alex

I tried to install Debian. And I'd definitely not recommend you try to . I couldn't get X configured in Debian (well, other than in 640x480x16.. and that ain't pretty), but I did so easily in Mandrake. Also, I couldn't manage to get my net connection working in Debian either.

well, my 133 is too old to access the net with the connection i have and too old to be networked properly. It's a Compaq, so hardware upgrades will be hell. I'm not much of a hardware person which may cause me some strife whilst installing linux...

i don't know. i'll have to think about it more.

Are "Aran" and "Aran Elus" the same person? Anyways, I have RedHat Linux on a dual boot with Windows 98, and im pretty pleased with it. If its your first time using Linux you may want to buy a distro, as it comes with a manual, installation guid...etc