Linux Pros and Cons

I have been a Windows user for longer then I care to admit, but I have recently become interested in Linux. With all the various "distros" it's a little confusing for some one from the Windows world where you just hand your machine to Microsoft on a platter.

There are several things that initially appeal to me about Linux (in no certain order):

1. Linux looks as though it will run with much less overhead then a Windows system. Speed is very appealing.

2. It seems that a large percentage of online attacks target Windows Systems. Is it true that Linux systems don't require as much secondary internet security to be running in the background?

3. Not having a software manufacturer watching (and changing) your computer at will is extremely appealing.

I would love to hear from anyone working with Linux regarding their experience and/or recommendations.

Also, how difficult is it to convert from an XP system to one of the Linux distributions.

Thanks,

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Scott,
Thank you for your insight.
I would be running this on a desktop system.
The computer is not running anything special on it. It's simply a family computer with multiple users. I was already considering a dual boot system (at least for starters).

I stumbled across some referrences to VMWare during my initial searches on Linux. I'll be sure to check it out.

Any recommendations on specific distributions?


Thanks again,

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The biggest drawback to Linux is lack of hardware support and the lack of top notch software and software variety.

But as far as basic day to day computer use, office programs, email, web surfing, etc, Linux is right on par with Windows. You really wont notice a difference other than looks.

My personal favorite distro is PCLOS. But Suse, RedHat, Mandrivia, Ubuntu, knoppix are all good choices for someone new to linux.

I know PCLOS and knoppix (and many others) will both run (fully operational) from a CD without ever having to install it on your hard drive. This way you can get a feel for how they work and run without completely committing yourself. If you decide you like it then you can go ahead and install them to your hard drive. Its a great way to basically test drive Linux.

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Oh, keep in mind that running Linux from a CD will not be nearly as fast as running from your hard drive. So don't judge the performance when test driving Linux from the CD drive.

The conversion process, in my opinion, is hardest for those that are deeply entrenched in Windows (like me). I spend a lot of time frustrated with Linux because it is not Windows. Things do not work the same way.

Yoda said it best, "You must unlearn what you have learned."

I'm a full time Linux user and love it. I used to have a dual boot setup on my laptop with Windows but now only run SuSE 10.0 on it. If you are a gamer, Linux is not for you. There are games out for Linux but the newest and greatest are usually only available for Windows. Should you use your computer for anything else, Linux might be a good choice for you.

Since you don't run Linux as root, Administrator, a malicious program can only infect the files you have permission to, which excludes all essential operating system files.
All good Linux systems come with an EXCELLENT firewall out of the box.

I have been using Linux for almost 10 years now and have settled with SuSE, the included KDE desktop is great to work with, once you use it for a while you will find out where Microsoft is getting their ideas from.
Go give SuSE a try, OpenSuSE is free and should be everything you need.
http://en.opensuse.org/Welcome_to_openSUSE.org

I use Linux for:
Internet - Mozilla Navigator - mozilla.org
eMail - Thunderbird
Basic Webdesing - Mozilla Composer
Programming - Kate, Netbeans
Word processor,Spreadsheet - OpenOffice - openoffice.org
Digital Camera Fujifilm s5200 - No Drivers required it just works
Image Editing - Gimp - gimp.org
CD/DVD Burning - K3b
Bittorrent - Ktorrent
I also host my own domain names with websites and email server, no special "$700 Server Edition" required. I have full http,smtp,pop3 and ssh support.
All Programs are on the Operating System CDs

I fix Windows computers for a living, when I come home I want an Operating System that "just works".

---
Skylinux
Network-Technologies.org

Well, I had a complete system crash last week - my hard drive fried, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give Linux a try. I am happy to say that I am now Microsoft-free. No more reporting to "Big Brother" for this guy.

The operating system appears to run at least twice as fast as XP and I have yet to experience any problems. There were a few things that needed to be "un-learned", but for the most part, the change from Windows to Linux has been very easy.

Anyone who has grown tired of all the nonsense associated with an MS operating system really needs to give Linux a look.