Linux on a PC

[Steveg]

I'm seriously thinking about putting Linux on my PC to run alongside Windows XP - just for fun to experiment with Linux & learn about it. I've found an article about how to install Ubuntu when XP is already loaded so it should be possible to do it without rebuilding my PC softwarewise. I probably won't try this until the New Year but I thought I might start gathering information.

Does anybody here know much about Linux & its versions. If so I have a few questions:

1. Is Ubuntu the best version? It seems to be the most prominent.

2. How can I find out whether it will support my hardware (PC / printer / modem)?

3. Where are the best sources of applications, apart from the standard ones that come with it?

4. What's the best forum for help?

5. Anything I should consider (including don't do it )?

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks

[gibby]

I had my laptop set up to dual boot Linux Mint (which is like a beefed up version of ubuntu) and Windows Vista. It was fun to play around with and it loads FAST! (also shuts down fast) and is secure. I used it for my public internet browsing.

All my hardware worked fine for it. The only issue I had was connecting to a secure internet connection via wireless. I could connect to open connections just fine.

Also, the grub boot loader was annoying. If you didn't select Windows right away when the boot screen came up, it automatically loaded Linux.

As far as applications, there are many out there like open office, gimp, firefox, etc.

Linux is fun to play around with and is more tailored to geeks. I had fun with it but where it falls way short is that it won't run my Adobe software which I am always using (Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc.)

But, since I got Windows 7, I wiped my hard drive of Vista and Linux and started fresh with it.

If you do install it on another partition(which I did) let me know and I can hook you up with a free program that lets you change the boot loader to load Windows first.

[DeaconDan]

1. Is Ubuntu the best version? It seems to be the most prominent.

One of the best.

2. How can I find out whether it will support my hardware (PC / printer / modem)?

Ubuntu can be ran from the CD without installing it.

3. Where are the best sources of applications, apart from the standard ones that come with it?

Ubuntu will offer you access to a large repository of software.

4. What's the best forum for help?

?

5. Anything I should consider (including don't do it )?

Whether you want a star or an angel on top of your Christmas tree.

[Steveg]

I had my laptop set up to dual boot Linux Mint (which is like a beefed up version of ubuntu) and Windows Vista. It was fun to play around with and it loads FAST! (also shuts down fast) and is secure. I used it for my public internet browsing.

All my hardware worked fine for it. The only issue I had was connecting to a secure internet connection via wireless. I could connect to open connections just fine.

Also, the grub boot loader was annoying. If you didn't select Windows right away when the boot screen came up, it automatically loaded Linux.

As far as applications, there are many out there like open office, gimp, firefox, etc.

Linux is fun to play around with and is more tailored to geeks. I had fun with it but where it falls way short is that it won't run my Adobe software which I am always using (Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc.)

But, since I got Windows 7, I wiped my hard drive of Vista and Linux and started fresh with it.

If you do install it on another partition(which I did) let me know and I can hook you up with a free program that lets you change the boot loader to load Windows first.

Thanks gibby, that's very encouraging. I already use Firefox and Thunderbird (for emails) so transition there shoudl be easy.

I already have two partitions on my PC, one for Windows and one for data. 75% of the data partition is unused so I can take some of that for a Linux partition.

As with you I will need to keep using Windows for some applications, like Dreamweaver.

It's be an interesting project for the New Year.

[Steveg]

1. Is Ubuntu the best version? It seems to be the most prominent.

One of the best.

2. How can I find out whether it will support my hardware (PC / printer / modem)?

Ubuntu can be ran from the CD without installing it.

3. Where are the best sources of applications, apart from the standard ones that come with it?

Ubuntu will offer you access to a large repository of software.

4. What's the best forum for help?

?

5. Anything I should consider (including don't do it )?

Whether you want a star or an angel on top of your Christmas tree.

Thanks Dan,

I had forgotten about running it from a CD. Some time ago I got a copy of Xubuntu to try running from CD on an old laptop I had. Sadly there was some problem with the Bios being too old (& I think rather short of memory) and so it wouldn't run. I've freecycled the lap top since then & given away the Xubuntu disc.

[Steveg]

I spent a bit of time reading up and agonising between Ubuntu & Kubuntu but I've decided to go for Ubuntu. I've ordered a disc via ebay & might even have a go at booting up from the CD between Christmas and New Year.

[gibby]

How come you didn't download it as an .iso and burn it to disk? Wouldn't have cost you anything.

[Steveg]

How come you didn't download it as an .iso and burn it to disk? Wouldn't have cost you anything.

I know, but I reckoned the download time would be pretty long. My broadband isn't the fastest.

[discipulusnatura]

Steveg:

I am fairly experienced with Linux and I will try to answer your questions. If you need any help with anything, please post or PM me the problem and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Ubuntu is not the most popular Linux distribution, but the one most recommended for new users. It is a bit easier and harder, in my opinion, for different reasons. Using "sudo" (pseudo root) is a blessing and a curse, for a new user. (just remember the command sudo -s : true root) You shall find out what I mean within the first day of using Ubuntu, most likely.

Linux is one of the most powerful and most copied sets of technologies that exists in the computing world today. Most of the "advances" in the Microcrap (microsoft) and Macintosh world were first introduced on either Linux or its predecessor Unix. Actually, of Mac OSX 10.1 Macintosh is now a trademark of Unix because almost 100% of its kernel was taken directly from the Unix kernel.

(layman's terms: kernel - brain of the Operating System. Deals with allocation of hardware resources and how applications interact with one another and the hardware in a computer)

Linux gives the user more control over different aspects of the OS. You sill be using synaptic package manager to install, remove, and update applications. There are thrid party repositories you should add to increase the amount of software that can be installed automagically. Otherwise, I'll be walking you through compiling and installing tarballs (source files); not fun.


A few notes before you attempt to install it:
1. Ubuntu will try to resize your windows partition if you do not have free space. It has only messed up on me once out of a lot of installs, but it can and does happen occasionally. BACK UP YOUR DATA!!! Documents, pictures, etc. You are using XP which seriously decreases the chances of it messing up as compared to Vista. (Vista puts some of its files at the end of the filesystem just in case any pesky user resizes the partition. This makes vista completely unusable unless you let vista resize itself or reinstall into the smaller partition, but you don't run Vista [hurrah!]. But do back up your files!)

In response to what gibby said:

1. Anyone can change how GRUB loads, and it's actually very simple! How? use Google...
ok really, anyone who doesn't want to look it up browse to /boot/grub/menu.lst BACK UP THIS FILE AND HAVE A LIVE CD HANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you can't do that, don't mess with the file, PERIOD. In the file you can change how quickly one of the OS's boots and which is the default boot target (windows or ubuntu)

2. Yes, adobe products can work. Look up WINE (Wine is Not a windows Emulator) is what WINE stands for. In its most basic form, WINE emulates the API structure of windows allowing windows applications to be used on Linux. There is a very good list on the main site (WineHQ - Run Windows applications on Linux, BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X) of the applications that work and the status (garbage, bronze, silver, gold, platinum) of how they work. I believe adobe photoshop in cs2 (9.0?) was rated Platinum, but it has been a while since I looked up that information. WineHQ - Wine Application Database The status of over 13,000 applications are listed in the database

3. changing GRUB to work the way you need it to is much safer than installing another bootloader. It just takes a little time and patience to get it set up the way you want it.

--end response--

I have used many different types of Linux including Ubuntu 5.04, 6.06, 7.04, 8.04, and 8.10, Fedora 3,4,5,6,7 and 8, openSuse, trinux, PHLACK, backtrack, vixta, F.I.R.E, Solaris (technically Unix), as well as many others. In addition, I used the server install of Ubuntu and installed most packages piecemeal to keep the size down in order to make a portable DVD penetration testing distribution for my senior project when I was in college.

if you have any questions feel free to let me know. If anything wasn't clear, let me know and i'll try again.

I'm on 768k adsl and an ubuntu download for the cd of 700MB is usually around 2+ hours. Better than waiting for shipping If you don't know how fast your internet speed is you can browse on over to http://www.speedtest.net/ and run a speed test to see how fast (or slow) your internet is and compare that to the average of other customers of that ISP!

http://www.ubuntuforums.org and http://www.techsupportforum.com are good places to find help.

There is a linux hardware compatibility list...http://www.ubuntuhcl.org/ that one is targeted towards Ubuntu.

using synaptic you will have access to hundreds of thousands of free applications learn open source, love open source
some of my favorites include: firefox, gimp, thunderbird, firestarter (GUI for firewall), pidgin (IM), openoffice suite, and many many others.

The only thing you shouldn't do is hold back because your afraid of making mistakes. Learn from them. You will break things, this is the nature of Linux.

have fun. remember, feel free to contact me anytime you wish.

regards,
discipulusnatura

[Steveg]

HI discipulusnatura,

Thanks for your post and offers of help. I'm going to have a go running from the live CD after Christmas, and if that goes OK I'll install it.

I will certainly back up all my data - I'm a believer in doing that before experimenting.

I'm going to create an empty partition for Ubuntu to load in so that should be OK.

I already use Firefox & Thunderbird, partly because they are not Microsoft, though to be fair to microsoft they provided me with a living for many years so I shouldn't knock them too much. I've also tried OpenOffice in the past.

I'll let you know how it goes.

thanks

Steve