[friedpooodle]

I'm looking into creating maybe a 10 gig partition on my Windows XP Home computer and trying linux out. I have a few questions:

1. What are the major differences between Windows OS's and Linux

2. I'm aware that there are different versions of Linux. Is there a good version for someone newer to linux?

3. How do I learn how to operate Linux?

Please respond and let me know.

[Advertisements]

Yeah

If your just starting out, try Suse 9.1 (or whatever version is available in Suse, it might be 9.2) It's a nice GUI interface and is simular to a mac or an xp system.
If you need any help setting up suse, let me know. Sometimes creating those partitions are a mess on linux. So it might take a little bit of help (are you pretty formilar with comps?) Setting up linux is nothing in comparision to xp. it involves a little more skilled user. Anyway, let me know what happens

David

[Technogeek8]

Yeah

If your just starting out, try Suse 9.1 (or whatever version is available in Suse, it might be 9.2) It's a nice GUI interface and is simular to a mac or an xp system.
If you need any help setting up suse, let me know. Sometimes creating those partitions are a mess on linux. So it might take a little bit of help (are you pretty formilar with comps?) Setting up linux is nothing in comparision to xp. it involves a little more skilled user. Anyway, let me know what happens

David

[Technogeek8]

One last good thing about suse...

It has an intensive help guide available which is really nice to use. If your on a network, you'll have to do some things in order to connect using linux. But it's so worth it in the end. Linux runs so much smoother that xp and is compatible with just about every piece of hardware available. So let me know what you think.

david

[mpfeif101]

The latest version of SuSe is actually 9.3.

I'm downloading it (it's HUGE) now, I use 9.1 now.

SuSe is great, but takes a bit getting used to.

My suggestion: SuSe and a few other distros have what are called "Live CD's", where you can run the OS from a CD, no installing anything. Try out the Live CD for a couple of distros, then use the one you like best.

[friedpooodle]

I know this will sound kind of stupid, but are there and Linux interfaces that look really cool? I'm a pretty experienced computer user and think I could adapt farely easily to the different types of commands that must be used. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[friedpooodle]

Here is the computer I have. Can we get a version that would fit these specs?

Windows XP Home SP2
72.4 GIGs (Partition of 10 Gigs will be made for running Linux OS)
256 MB's RAM

Thank you very much.

[CHEVELLEXP]

Try SuSe 9.3 Professional its my favorite Distro and i just downloaded it yesterday well if you mean themes for the cool interfaces you can always download some.Because to me the SuSe gui looks like a mac to me , sort of

[friedpooodle]

Alrighty then. My game plan is to format my harddriver and make a 10 GIG partition to install Suse 9.3. My problem is downloading it onto cds. I just don't know which files to download.

I like in Wisconsin in the U.S. (for the mirror I'll be using). Which files should I download and then burn onto a disk at the Suse website. Links would be appreciated.

[friedpooodle]

I have another question related to this. I've been told that the linux interface is "hard" to learn. Isn't it pretty much just a new os similar to a mac and windows? What's so hard about that?

Also, is a version of debian any good?

[mpfeif101]

If you have a DVD burner, download the DVD iso, if not, download the CD iso.

Then, using a program like nero, burn the iso to a disk and boot from it.

Linux is different from Windows. Period. It's not as a simple, there are different command lines, hard drive structure, etc. It will take some time getting used to.

[Dragon]

I have another question related to this.  I've been told that the linux interface is "hard" to learn.  Isn't it pretty much just a new os similar to a mac and windows?  What's so hard about that?

Also, is a version of debian any good?

I have a dual boot system with xp and Ubuntu. Ubuntu is Debian based, teh thing i like about Ubuntu is that it is easy to set up. just put the ISO in and it does it all for you, including settign up the duel boot avialibility. teh only issue with Ubuntu is that is known for corrupting Windows when it is put on a partition on the same hard drive as Windows.

ubuntu also has a faily knowledgeable HOWTO section with step by step instructions in their free help forums as well as a live chat room. Just so you know, with SuSE, regardless of version, if you have a problem they have a general knowledge base that is free, however they really only do "live" support for their paid distro. I used SuSE myself for 3 days when I started using Linux, and that was only 2 weeks ago.

[friedpooodle]

To get it to the dual boot, did you have to re-install windows? Because I don't have the disk so this would be a problem.

[Salient]

PCLinuxOS is also a very good distro for beginners ... it comes with all the good security apps like shorewall firewall, Fprot antivirus, chrootkit, ... it runs as a live CD (use this mode to make sure you like it) or can be installed to the hard drive.

http://www.pclinuxon...clos/index.html

[Dragon]

To get it to the dual boot, did you have to re-install windows?  Because I don't have the disk so this would be a problem.

no, wiht both ubuntu and SUSE, htey come with a program galled GRUB, this program sets up the options for dualboot. if you don't have a windows disk, then I would recommend purchasing a small harddrive to use as a slave. their fairly inexpensive now. you cna pick upo a 80gig hard drive for around $70 to $100.

[friedpooodle]

But from everything I've heard, GRUB allows you to make a partition, but deletes all old ones. For example, If I had XP already on it, and then installed Ubuntu I could make a partition for Windows but I would have to reinstall it and couldn't use the existing one.

Also, wait, what are you talking about with buying a slave harddrive? What does that have to do with anything? To set up Ubuntu on this?