[MaverickSidewinder]

Hi, from this magazine called " PC OPEN " i got Mandrake Linux. Im a noob in this sector...Is this the full os? if i install it will i loose all my data in windows xp?

I really don't know what to do.

Ill write here what it says on the cd:

MandrakeLinux 10.0

Complete operatin system (since i live in italy it says in italian) piu` i principali applicativi...(maybe: plus the most important applications... )

Anyway...

I wanna hear some comments on this OS...if its worth a try.

Thanks again!



- Maverick

[mpfeif101]

Hi there,

Yes, Mandrake is a "Full" operating system, meaning that you can install it and it will be similar to windows in a general computing sense.

When you boot from the Mandrake CD it will allow you to create a new partiton for it. In fact, it will probably automatically get it set up for you so that all you have to do is hit "Okay". The only way that you will lose Windows is if you accidentally delete the Windows Partition. A word of caution: always back up anything that you would not want to lose.

Mandrake is a distribution of Linux. It is a very popular distro for new Linux users. You will find that it is very user friendly. Good choice

Don't be afraid to ask any questions

[MaverickSidewinder]

Thank you very much for your answer!

Ill keep it in mind and as soon as i save all my important data ill give this popular LINUX a try!

Thanks again!

- Maverick

[BKO]

As a side note so as not to confuse you later on. Mandrake changed its name to Mandriva after a merger with Conectiva back in April of this year. A link to that press release can found at: http://www.mandriva.com/company/press/pr?n.../corporate/2551

The home page for Mandriva can be found at:
http://www1.mandrivalinux.com/en-us/
and
http://www.mandriva.com/

A good source for the latest releases for Linux can be found at:
http://distrowatch.com/


Good luck with your install.

[MaverickSidewinder]

Thank you very much with your help...

Why is Linux so confusing?

Its full of names...

SuSe
Ubuntu
Mandrake - Mandriva ecc...

I don't understand anything

Anyway....thanks again guys!




- Maverick

[mpfeif101]

Linux itself is just command line, so all the different distros repackage it, add a file system, etc.

Each is unique and each is good in its own way. Here is a list of major distros and their pros and cons. You can click the name for more info:
http://distrowatch.c...?resource=major

[whitesox]

I fully recomend Ubuntu. They focus on having it available in all languages and it is overall the easyest free linux out there. You could also try Fedora Core. After you back up your HD, try 3 or 4 distros (linux distrobutions) also, check out distrowatch.com, it gives you day-to-day stats on the most popular distros.

[MaverickSidewinder]

Since this is my topic i guess i can add a question...

When i install Linux Mandrake 10.0 (Mandriva) will it automatically divide my hard disk?

I really don't want to lose my data.

Thanks again for the help!



- Maverick

[mpfeif101]

Yes, partioning means "diving your hard drive". It will automatically take some extra space from Windows and give it to Mandrake. It will give you a default number of gigabytes for each partition and I recommend that you leave it, but if you want to make your Windows partition bigger or smaller (or vice versa) you can.

To whitesox -> Yes, Ubuntu is a great distro, however I like the KDE desktop interface better than gnome. Yes I know that there is Kubuntu, but it is buggy and isn't as good.

[mpfeif101]

Just an addition, I see you are starting to program in C++. C++ is available in Linux too

[MaverickSidewinder]

Yes i am!

Im starting to get very interested in C++.

To hear the C++ is available in Linux too is great!


Thanks again to everyone and especially mpfeif101 who always seems to answer my topics or questions!



- Maverick

[mpfeif101]

Glad to help