[mrpooh3]

Hi,I have been using my PC for a couple of years now but still consider myself a Novice PC user.In all that time I have only ever used xp home or pro Operating Systems.I have been looking to upgrade my PC and do some bits and bobs with it lately and I started considering ugrading the OS to maybe Vista or even Windows 7.I really hate MicroSoft with a passion though and started looking into Linux(UBUNTU distribution)because it is free.The only thing putting me off moving to Linux is that I read some drivers,Hardware and Software may not be compatible with it.I only use my PC for Web Surfing(online shopping)Downloading Film and MP3s(via Rapidshare),watching Video,listening to music,burning Films etc,etc and most important of all:practicing my guitar with Amplitube and line 6 through my Toneport.I ocassionally dabble with Photoshop too.Would I still be able to do all this with UBUNTU?I also read that you can't get viruses or malware with UBUNTU,is this true?Any advice from users of any OS especially Ubuntu would be grand!

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i use mandriva linux and can pass on a bit of my meager knowledge,

ubuntu comes as a live cd, same as mandriva - so when you burn the iso you can pop it in your cd drive, boot from it and check that all your hardware is detected,
it will take a short while to load as it will be running from your memory

for web browsing - firefox as standard
for downloading films and music - i can't comment as some is illegal
for watching films - i use xine and mplayer
for music - i use amarok
burning films - i use devede (for iso creation) and k3b to burn to disk
for images - digikam (for my camera), showfoto and gimp for image manipulation

i don't play a guitar so i can't say anything about that


as far as malware is concerened then they are few and far between, as long as you only download software from your repositories then you should be ok

[hawklord]

i use mandriva linux and can pass on a bit of my meager knowledge,

ubuntu comes as a live cd, same as mandriva - so when you burn the iso you can pop it in your cd drive, boot from it and check that all your hardware is detected,
it will take a short while to load as it will be running from your memory

for web browsing - firefox as standard
for downloading films and music - i can't comment as some is illegal
for watching films - i use xine and mplayer
for music - i use amarok
burning films - i use devede (for iso creation) and k3b to burn to disk
for images - digikam (for my camera), showfoto and gimp for image manipulation

i don't play a guitar so i can't say anything about that


as far as malware is concerened then they are few and far between, as long as you only download software from your repositories then you should be ok

[Lafayette]

mandriva linux is and user friendly ...and another one till the experiences of mine is you should go for Fedora...it's also good one..

[anzenketh]

If you are choosing ubuntu in the ubuntu store there are some items that make it legal to play MP3's and DVDs. Those peices of software are also avalible for other distros it looks but you would have to look at their site for that informaiton.

[mrpooh3]

thanks all!I downloaded and burned the live cd of Ubuntu last night....I am quite impressed with Linux however I use too many apps that Linux doesnt support I am going to stick with xp for now and use the live cd to try and get a better grip on Ubuntu.I am going to have a look at some other distros too.

[Lafayette]

and also try for the installation also...you getting some good knowledge from there also...concerned to OS and platform compatibility...!!..(try with the safety...with the backup.)

[arekdaset]

If you want to stay Microsoft based than I would definitely recommend either Win 2000 or Win XP Professional. That's what I would choose. Good luck.

[matthewdbrown]

I currently have windows 7. I know computers pretty well and must say that I like this one the best. It is very user friendly and has instructions with all of it's programs. It works with almost any program you download and already has many useful standard programs.

[Ferrari]

I also read that you can't get viruses or malware with UBUNTU,is this true?

This is sort of true... . The reason Windows OS's get viruses is because 90% of the market uses Windows, so this is where the Malware Writers target (the majority of users). It is possible to get viruses on any OS, but it is far and few in between when using OS's not as popular as Windows simply for that reason.

I always tell my customers if what you are using works for you (which is usually XP) then stick with XP. Only change if there are major compatibility issues with your favorite apps or just a plain hatred for a particular OS. I've been using Windows 7 since BETA stage, and I like it very much... look into it when you buy your next new PC.

[hawklord]

the reason there are no (or very few) linux malware is because of the lack of root access, .exe's cannot run on linux, temp files are cleaned automagically at boot, all software is thoroughly tested for each distro, there are thousands of people who use a various distro and bugs are quick to be found and fixed,
and there is no need to search the web for software - all the software you need is in your repositories, tested and used by thousands
if you did get a virus then you would, in most cases, have to start it manually,

yes - there are anti-virus apps for linux - so there must be a virus,

the linux anti-virus apps are for scanning e-mails so that an infected e-mail cannot be passed to a system where it can cause damage, they also use windows detection codes - for windows malware

..some Linux machines definitely need anti-virus software. Samba or NFS servers, for instance, may store documents in undocumented, vulnerable Microsoft formats, such as Word and Excel, that contain and propagate viruses. Linux mail servers should run AV software in order to neutralize viruses before they show up in the mailboxes of Outlook and Outlook Express users.

someone could become very famous for mass infecting linux servers though - wonder why it hasn't happened

[bmwboy]

On the guitar aspect of the operating system, linux does lag behind in the multimedia area. There is a somewhat primative driver for Line6 devices on linux, and I've had some luck with it and my X3 Pro Pod.

[livingdreams20]

If I am not mistaken I believe you can use Wine (a free application) to run Windows applications on Linux systems.

[Alex Carlson]

Hi,
I would definitely recommend either Win 2000, Win XP Professional or Win 7 . That's what I would choose.

Good luck.

[FNP]

If I am not mistaken I believe you can use Wine (a free application) to run Windows applications on Linux systems.

WINE is one of the most successful Windows emulators available, though its developers don't call it an 'emulator' specifically. Unfortunately, not every program is compatible with WINE. It takes a little bit of testing and research to get accustomed to using WINE, but it's definitely a useful tool.

[kristain]

Windows 7 is the best. It add great functionality and also require less computer power than the Windoes Vista.

Edited by kristain, 30 March 2010 - 05:13 AM.