dual boot setup with windows and linux

I've got 70 MB (*EDIT* I mean gigabytes *EDIT*) on my hard drive just sitting around, nothing to be used for. I currently am running Windows XP.

I'm thinking I'll set up a dual boot between linux and Windows which I have right now.

The only thing is I need to convince my dad to let me do it. What are some good reasons I can tell him to let me install a linux distro on here?

Also, I hear slackware is pretty good. What do you guys think? We already use one computer with linux redhat 7.x on it as our router. There's not a monitor on it, and it's not used as a normal-use computer. Just a router and server.

What are some other good linux distros? Pros and cons of them?

you only have 70mb left??? ouch man i wouldn't burn it on nix.....but watever eat yer heart out!

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/
http://www.linux.box.sk/
http://linuxiso.org/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/

LOL! Whoops!

Haha, 70 MB is a joke. Sorry for that typo. 70 GB is what I meant.....so anyhow keep the replies comin

We've got one linux box right now that is only used as a router and server, not as a normal-use computer. RedHat is installed on it.

On my normal-use computer, like I said, I want to dual boot with my current Windows XP and slackware. I am semi-familiar with linux so far.

I've done a LITTLE bit of scripting on linux.

Whenever I used our linux box with redhat I telnetted into it from our windows box, so I am familiar with doing things from the command line.

Oh, and we run samba to share files over our windows and linux box. DSL comes in on our linux box out to all our other windows comps.

1) Do you think slackware will be too hard to install and use with what I've told you about myself?

2) Is it customizeable?

3) Will it meet my programming needs?

4) Can I get windows clone-programs on it? EX: on redhat there is a clone for AOL's AIM, things like that.

Yes... at the core Linux is Linux. Programs should run on any distro. I'd go with something a little more friendly than slackware for your first distro.

Programming needs? Sure, Linux surpasses windows in that department. My distro came preloaded with tons of compilers/tools/editors. I'm currently trying out some Linux assembler.

>>1) Do you think slackware will be too hard to install and use with what I've told you about myself?

I knew nothing about Linux and installed Mandrake, Im not sure if the installation would be as easy for slackware, maybe someone else would know

>>2) Is it customizeable?

Well when I installed Mandrake, there were many packages to choose from.

>>3) Will it meet my programming needs?

Well Mandrake had severl editors, gcc, g++, python, from what I remember, there are probably many more

>>4) Can I get windows clone-programs on it? EX: on redhat there is a clone for AOL's AIM, things like that.

There are program clones, some are included with certain linux distros, some you may have to install.

Either this thread or the related one in the Linux Programming forum need to be closed. They're pretty much a cross-post.

Why use Linux when you could use MoFOs?

Hi Leeman_s!

Well what im going to tell you is that i've got slackware in the past (before my hdd died). It's pretti good, a standard distro without the bloat from say like Mandrake (no offense to mandarke-users). But if you're a super-beginner to linux then i recommend redhat 8 or mandrake. But there is nothing wrong for you to try out slackware, since it's not at all difficult to install.