[snypercore]

ok so i am pretty advanced with windows XP and i have a Big slave harddrive which i use for backign up stuff on windows. so i am considergin installing linux on a prtition of that drive. thogh i know next to nothign on linux but i am a very fast learner so i haev a few Q's i want to know before i install.

is ALL off linux 100% free or is it just the base system?

where do i get drivers from?

how compatible is it with games and apps ro major games at least?

can it read the NTFS file table?

what is a "distro"?

is Ubuntu a skin for linux?

where can i find linux apps etc..?

i use windows/msn messenger is there a linux substitute?

theres no way im leaving firefox lol is FF linux compatible?

how much of my system will linux use on IDLE?

and are there any major things i should know, also while in lunux any short cuts i shud rle know like in windwos CTRL+ALT+DEL is pretty major thigns like that ?

And most importantly which is the real linux and where can i get it from?

help is very much appreciiated

[The General]

Originally posted by snypercore
is ALL off linux 100% free or is it just the base system?

There are programs for Linux that aren't free, but most programs for Linux are free. Don't plan on paying for anything...

Originally posted by snypercore
where do i get drivers from?

The same place you would any other drivers... The internet...

Originally posted by snypercore
how compatible is it with games and apps ro major games at least?

Not very. There are a few games that have linux versions to, everything else needs a sort of "emulator" but some games work using that too.

Originally posted by snypercore
can it read the NTFS file table?

Yes.

Originally posted by snypercore
what is a "distro"?

A distribution. A set of programs that are included with Linux and a package manager.

It's a whole operating system. Linux is not.

Originally posted by snypercore
is Ubuntu a skin for linux?

No, it's a distro. Linux can't be "skinned" unless it had a graphical user interface, which it does not.

Originally posted by snypercore
where can i find linux apps etc..?

Google...

Originally posted by snypercore
i use windows/msn messenger is there a linux substitute?

Google... http://gaim.sf.net

Originally posted by snypercore
theres no way im leaving firefox lol is FF linux compatible?

Google... it will come with pretty much any distro you install...

Originally posted by snypercore
how much of my system will linux use on IDLE?

Umm... That depends on how many daemons are running, etc. Generally less than Windows.

Originally posted by snypercore
and are there any major things i should know, also while in lunux any short cuts i shud rle know like in windwos CTRL+ALT+DEL is pretty major thigns like that

Not really, it's completely different... CTRL+ALT+DEL does absolutely nothing in Linux unless you bind those keys to something...

Originally posted by snypercore
And most importantly which is the real linux and where can i get it from?

The real Linux? WTF are you talking about?

[snypercore]

well thanks youve answered a few Q's lol but yeah im realy new so dont be all GOOGLE on me.

ok so since posting this and reading answeres i kinda get alot more now. how had are drivers to find? alos i have a pretty new GFX card ATIX1950Pro so is there any driver sites ud recomend?
whats a "daemon" and which distro would you recomend?

will the distro contain any driver packs?

[zmatt]

1. All of linux is free except for some versions of red Hat enterprise

2. Drivers for whatever version you use will be found on the Distro's official website

3. The is an app called WINE that will let you use most windows programs in linux, unfortunately its all emulated so it would run slower than usual, as for gamesm WINE does not support Direct X. so except for a few games that have been officially ported you are out of luck

4.Yes, most disto's can read NTFS, although many cannot write to it.

5.a "distro" is a distribution, which is slang for a different version of linux. Like SUSE, Ubuntu, or Debian.

6. No Ubuntu is its own Distro, it runs on its own and is one of the more advanced and better supported versions. it is also well known for being a good beginner distro.

7. Like drivers the official website for the particular disto has repositories for that. if you cannot download them directly at the least there will be links to the software downloads.

8. I believe there is a linux port of the IM client Gaim. it is able to talk to multiple IM services at once.

9.Yes in fact Ubuntu comes with Firefox

10. Depends on which distro you are using. but on average it will use less than windows.

11. Each has its own, and reading the user manual is a good way to learn them.

12. there is no "real" linux. the linux kernel was originally written by a college student a long time ago. but to my knowledge there is no official linux. it is a term for a family of operating systems. But www.linux.org has a lot of distros listed and is a great resource to learn more.

[The General]

Originally posted by zmatt
1. All of linux is free except for some versions of red Hat enterprise

And Suse and Linspire, and that crap they sell at Wal-Mart.

"Linux" = kernel. Linux is 100% free.

Distros = your milage may vary...

Originally posted by zmatt
2. Drivers for whatever version you use will be found on the Distro's official website

Well, actually no. Most hardware is supported but the kernel itself, if not, then you need to get the kernel modules with aren't usually attached to a specific distribution.

Originally posted by zmatt
3. The is an app called WINE that will let you use most windows programs in linux, unfortunately its all emulated so it would run slower than usual, as for gamesm WINE does not support Direct X. so except for a few games that have been officially ported you are out of luck

Well, WINE is one of them. There are two commercial forks of Wine called Crossover Office that works well for OpenGL apps and other office related crap. The other is Cedega, which is designed specifically FOR games. It DOES support DirectX 9.

Wine Is Not and Emulator. It is an open source implementation of the Win32 API. The applications running "in wine" are being run natively...

Originally posted by zmatt
5.a "distro" is a distribution, which is slang for a different version of linux. Like SUSE, Ubuntu, or Debian.

No, slang terms for different versions of Linux are usually things like "2.4" or "2.6.16"

Originally posted by zmatt
7. Like drivers the official website for the particular disto has repositories for that. if you cannot download them directly at the least there will be links to the software downloads.

Most, if not all package managers now can download and install them with one command. For instance...

apt-get install gaim

Apt will download the gaim package and all necessary dependancies from the Debian/Ubuntu repository and install it all automagically.

Originally posted by zmatt
8. I believe there is a linux port of the IM client Gaim. it is able to talk to multiple IM services at once.

You've got to be freaking kidding me. Gaim was ported to Windows, not to Linux. That's why you need the GTK run time environment in Windows. Because the program is for Linux.

Originally posted by zmatt
12. there is no "real" linux. the linux kernel was originally written by a college student a long time ago. but to my knowledge there is no official linux. it is a term for a family of operating systems. But www.linux.org has a lot of distros listed and is a great resource to learn more.

Linux is NOT a distro and it's not a term for a family, Linux is the kernel and the kernel only. So if you want the "official" or "real" Linux, go to www.kernel.org and get it.

All Linux distros use the same kernel, the Linux kernel ... They might make slight variations, but that's it. The only thing that makes Ubuntu different from Debian, is that some settings are different and the software included it in is of a different variety.

[snypercore]

thanks guys i thinkim gonna go DL ubuntu and give it a try
still want to know what a damon is?

and hwo do i instal stuff in ubuntu is it like the MS GUI double click on a
EXE type file?

[snypercore]

thanks guys i thinkim gonna go DL ubuntu and give it a try
still want to know what a damon is?

and hwo do i instal stuff in ubuntu is it like the MS GUI double click on a
EXE type file?

[void]

From your questions it sounds if you have a lot to learn, and that you may expect Linux (or GNU/Linux) to be like Windows, it isn't. I'd suggest getting a LiveCD of the different Linux distros (probably Ubuntu) and see what you think.

And yes you are going to have to Google the answers to questions yourself, because there too explain.

[snypercore]

ok ive learned some already thanks for the imput though, downloading ubuntu 6.10 from ubuntu.com, if i have any really hard probs that google wont solve ill post back, thanks.
hope i enjoy using linux

[The General]

Daemons are like "services" in Windows.

Boot to the Ubuntu disc, and double click on the installer icon on the desktop. It will run you through the installer.

Back up all your data before doing so. If you want to dual boot Windows/Ubuntu, go to (in Ubuntu) System -> Administration -> GNOME Partition Editor and resize your partition Windows partition. It will install the boot loader for you.

EXE, C:\, DLL, registry ... all Windows-only stuff that you will not see in Linux.

Instead you may see .x86, .so, /dev/hda1, /etc ...