[xynthetik]

Hey guys, I'm thnking about using Linux ( Knoppix ) on my laptop but I am unsure of how it works. Can I still play my games on it? For instance, Ragnarok Online and such. Can I still do the same things? What are the pros and cons? Thanks alot guys, I'm tired of windows and linux's penguin looks leet

[jakec]

xynthetik,

Gaming on Linux is a no, you are far better off using windows as windows has the corner on the games Market, you can use an emulator such as wine but it is buggy and slow. Of Course you can do all the Other stuff you would Normally do on a Windows System, Such as surf the net Word Process Etc.

How Familiar are you with Linux? I do not reccomend you jump in head first if you are a novice do your Homework First, Familarise yourself with all the Basic Command line stuff first, Do a 'Practice' Install on a system and learn how to install a few Programs First.

Also please make sure that all your Hardware is compatible with Linux (ie. that it will run or you can make it run) on your system some HW periferals such as Graphics cards etc. don't

here are a few Links for you:

A comparison of Linux to windows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_vs._Linux

Wine:
http://www.winehq.com/

See what other People have installed on your model laptop:
http://www.tuxmobil.org/

Hope this Makes sence to you and does help somewhat

Jake

[xynthetik]

ohh i get it now. Linux is basically a lilttle more complicated because you have to use wine or the line of command within linux to run programs and such instead of windows click system? I got a question, which linux should I use? I currently have Knoppix downloaded on my computer ( waiting for a cd big enough to hold it ). Is knoppix good? whats the difference? thanks alot guys ! I think im jsut going to end up installing both windows and linux. One for gaming and one for everyday use. Also, do you know if theres ways to use windows programs within linux for instance, Aol Instant Messenger? Basically what I do on a computer is AIM, Music, Web search and a little gaming.


What I'm really curious about though is if let's say I want to start learning, PERL, C++, or Visual Basic. is it the same programming in Linux then it is in Windows?

[horndude]

for every windows program your used to, there is an equivalent linux one for the most part, cept for games

its not all command line, there are like a dozen GUI's to choose from

perl and C++ are ok on linux, visual basic is windows only, but linux has programming languages that are very similar and quite a few more that windows does not have and never will

knoppix os ok for a live CD, as an installed distro it isnt so good, a regular one would be better

Biggest difference you will notice with linux is of course all the names for things are different, but also its based on the same ideas as unix, so anything you know about windows likely doesnt apply, but everything about unix does. Linux is much more modular and flexible than windows, and there really isnt too many limits to what you can do, no licenses to deal with either. Most things in linux can be done via commandline or GUI, and in many cases the GUI is nothing more than a graphical front end for the commandline apps.

As far as using windows apps in linux, ya you can use some of them, but quite honestly, your better off using the linux ones, they work just fine.

Im not even going to get into which distro is best LOL, pick a few and try them out, check your hardware compatibility first please, I warn all rookies about this and few heed the warning, latest to do this was john3.........I wont help if you do this. Linux IS NOT WINDOWS period, there is no other way to say it. Do not expect bleeding edge brand new hardware to work like it does in windows.

[xynthetik]

Ahh i see ! interesting. So wait.. i thought the only way to have linux as a permanent OS is to burn the files to a cd, and go to boot from cd? ><


also, i need to know if Yahoo Messenger or AIM is for linux too...kidna needs to be exact when it comes to those cause theyr the only chat system i use ><

[xynthetik]

oh yes, How do i check if my hardware is compatible with linux? thanks a bunch so far guys !

[Greg]

1.) You can partition your harddrive and have both windows and linux on one computer

2.) There are programs for Linux such as GAIM or Kopete that allow you to chat over those protocols

3.) Your system should run it fine. Nvidia writes drivers for Linux, so you should be good to go.

[jakec]

xynthetik,

Horndude and Greg are Correct (again) It's not all Command line but when installing programs this is usually Done from Command line. another Go is the Nvidia if you are using this HW you are fine, I mearly put it in my above post as I was not sure what HW you were using but please still make suree it is compatible you can do this by checking the Manafacturers site to see if Linux support is Availible

but Horndude is right About Knoppix being a pain in regards to a full install as a live CD it works great (Saved me on countless Occasions) so you'd be better off using Another Distro, As for IM programs you can omport your IM contacts from Windows MSN into a IM program for Linux such as gaim or Kopete.

Now for your Distro Question... When asking Linux users your answers will differ greatly every Linux user has their Preference, Horndudes advice is the Best test a couple and pick which one you like.

My preference is PCLinuxOS, Everything works Right from the box, Easy to install and works well as a live CD that you can then install from

http://www.pclinuxos.com/news.php

If your looking for somthing a little more Advanced I reccomend Slackware (to learn Linux)

http://www.slackware.com/

but Please Checkout Tux Mobil (link in post above) it has all the H/W info for which HW Periferals are supported in Linux and What Distro works well on which laptop

Somthing else you might want to check out is this Link
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

It is a Linux Distro Chooser it askes you a series of Questions then based on that info comes up with a Linux distro Suited to you

Also Please note that if you are dual booting (Windows and Linux on the Same Machine) buy another HDD to install Linux on it saves alot of hassle in the long run, Although you can partition and install a dual boot system with one HDD if anyuthing goes wrong it can get messy

Hope this Helps,

Jake

[xynthetik]

Alright !! I would love to say thank you everyone for helping me out. This is a big change for me. Im looking to get into programming and coding... and Linux so thank you everyone so much. Thanks Jake for that link, it suggest me to get Kunbutu or Unbutu... does it matter?

Is there anything else anyone want to recomend to me regarding linux or any programming languages? Im new to both ! thanks again everyone ! =D

[xynthetik]

Oh ! how can I forget.. Is there anyway to install linux without a cd? I cant seem to find a cd big enough to burn it onto... and also can i format my computer then install linux via the cd? O_O