[PizzaGuy]

ok, lately (past year) i got involved in programming, i contantly here ppl saying that its best for me to work in a linux enviroment, it got me corious hehe
i heared that u cant run games and some other things i cant do...
is it true? anyway to override this?
and since i never used linux which ditro should i download?

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linux is good for programming because the whole operating system is programable, you can use emacs and other tools inside of linux to write c + code and other such stuff...it's pretty good stuff

and...well...as far as which distro to choose....that's really up to you....they all have their pros and cons....

[dsenette]

linux is good for programming because the whole operating system is programable, you can use emacs and other tools inside of linux to write c + code and other such stuff...it's pretty good stuff

and...well...as far as which distro to choose....that's really up to you....they all have their pros and cons....

[PizzaGuy]

ok thanks. what about games?

[dsenette]

what about them? there arent as many games written for linux as there are for windows (prepare for someone to come in and say something to the contrary) but the games that are written for linux are usually more stable...and often more fun

[PizzaGuy]

so i wont be able to play most of the games i played on windows right?
hey i dont know about any distros so...

[dsenette]

you can get windows emulators that will run those games...but sometimes they run a little buggy, it's usually best to make a dual boot system with windows and linux...that way you have the choice on what to load...

[PizzaGuy]

lol i need names of ditros i dont know any

[NullWolf]

Check out the reviews / even download some LiveCDs so you don't have to install the OS on your harddrive. Give a few a "test drive"

http://distrowatch.com/

As for the games, there are a few ways to play them on Linux.
Wine
Cedega

Wine is basically a catchall for Windows programs.
Cedega is made specifically for games, check their database to see if the games you want to play are listed.

[dsenette]

redhat 9 (going or gone out of support so, won't be able to get help from the distributor, but alot of good forums for support)
SUSE
Fedora Core
Mandriva (the one i use)
the list honestly just goes on and on and on and on and...well you get the picture...being open source..there are as many versions as there are users.....the one's i listed are the most popular...i probably left some of the poplular ones out too...

[dsenette]

hehe...i knew null would be coming in here soon....just waiting for you to see the thread and come save me hahaha.

[PizzaGuy]

hm, that makes me wonder if i want to use linux...
since i heared mostly about cons can u tell me about some pros?

[dsenette]

linux is great....the main thing being that it's free. plus once you learn enough you can uberconfigure it...you can change verything about the os if y ou know what you're doing, it's stable, it's a lifestyle/culture choice more than an os....linux opens you to a world of other penguin lovers who are pretty fun to talk to online, plus...i've done a few things in linux that helped me understand windows better because i could get further inside of the program/protocol/whatever in linux than i ever could in windows....it's good stuff...i'd do like null suggested and get a live distro (basically boots from cd so you don't have to install) so you can play around and see what y ou like

[NullWolf]

since i heared mostly about cons can u tell me about some pros?

Its best to check them out and make up your own mind. There will always be people that can give you pros / cons till the Earth ends.
example: Windows cons: Degrades with time, viruses-and-worms, expensive (often unnafordable) software, lots of legal issues: can't reinstall more than 7-8 times, can't reinstall on a second machine (ie laptop).

Linux pros: Extremely stable (depending how you tweak it of course), definitely faster, tonnes of free software (and no they are not shareware, addware, or spyware), very secure (no viruses)

Linux cons: very few GAMES, some hardware may not work or needs too much tweaking (ie winmodems - but then get yourself a router and problem solved), security-paranoid (passwords to do things, permission levels) ... it can be too technical at times.

Also check the wiki: http://en.wikipedia....ndows_vs._Linux

Basically if you ask a "hardcore" user of any OS, you're going to get Pros and Cons that sound good. The best way to decide is to try it.

[PizzaGuy]

thanks alot guys, i got the general image
im going to try ubuntu