How different is Linux from Windows 98 and how hard is it to learn? I have got a copy of a Linux CD, but am kind of intimidated about using it just yet.

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On a 1 to 10 scale of how different it is, I'd say about an 8. While Linux provides (in a much more sensible manner) all of the same general functions as Windows, it does so in a very different way. How much perceived difference there is also depends on how you plan on using Linux. If you just want it to be a replacement for a desktop OS for browsing the web and instant messaging, it would be a very smoothe transition. If you want to harness the real power of Linux (and reason for its existance and popularity), then it'll be a lot different when you "pop the hood" and start getting into the nitty gritty of how a real Linux system actually works.

The great thing is that it's flexible; it can be anything you want it to be. You can run it on a PC and play solitaire, or you can run it on enterprise-class servers hosting mission-criticle applications. How you use it (and how hard you make it) is up to you.

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tu vm for the information. i have some Ubuntu cd's that I got for free and one of them says live cd and says I can boot from that. i will try to use that to learn from. all i have is my own computer so i dont know much at all about servers and am still scared to install it over windows since i have heard about hardware problems like with modems and things. do you know of any place where a beginner can learn about linux for free online (i am a student and dont have money to spend on many books)? tu again.

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You can check out The Linux Documentation Project at www.tldp.org. Here are a few examples from their site:

Intro to Linux:
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/

Linux System Administrator's Guide (more advanced):
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/sag/html/index.html

The Linux distribution CentOS (free alternative to Red Hat Enterprise) has some great documentation at: http://www.centos.org/docs/4/

Also, you can search Google and find about a million other resources

A live CD is a great way to take Linux for a test drive without running the risk of accidentally munging the partitions on your hard drive. If you happen to get into Linux though, you'll probably want to run through installs of various distributions and find one that's right for you. Also to note, if you have older hardware with a slow CPU or little RAM, a live CD won't run too well. And yes, Linux doesn't like software modems though linmodems.org provides software drivers for some popular Winmodems. Have Fun!

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Last edited by smrkdown on 09-12-05 at 11:17 PM

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quote:

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Originally posted by smrkdown
You can check out The Linux Documentation Project at www.tldp.org. Here are a few examples from their site:

Intro to Linux:
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/

Linux System Administrator's Guide (more advanced):
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/sag/html/index.html

The Linux distribution CentOS (free alternative to Red Hat Enterprise) has some great documentation at: http://www.centos.org/docs/4/

Also, you can search Google and find about a million other resources

A live CD is a great way to take Linux for a test drive without running the risk of accidentally munging the partitions on your hard drive. If you happen to get into Linux though, you'll probably want to run through installs of verious distributions and find one that's right for you. Also to note, if you have older hardware with a slow CPU or little RAM, a live CD won't run too well. And yes, Linux doesn't like software modems though linmodems.org provides software drivers for some popular Winmodems. Have Fun!

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As much as I love and appreciate Linux, it is not a Windows replacement. In my opinion, Linux is best suited as a 24-7 server and not a desktop/workstation operating system. Sure, you can surf with FireFox and listen to MP3s, but hardware manufacturers and mainstream application developers are focused on Microsoft. It's sometimes too frustrating to use Linux as an everyday desktop OS. But there's a reason why most of the world's websites run on a Unix/Linux solution.

People who are either totally anti-MS or anti-Linux are really missing out. I think it's great to know and understand both.

If you can't download them, you can get Live CDs/DVDs (or full install CDs) from Ebay.

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quote:

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Originally posted by benbuiltpc
As much as I love and appreciate Linux, it is not a Windows replacement. In my opinion, Linux is best suited as a 24-7 server and not a desktop/workstation operating system. Sure, you can surf with FireFox and listen to MP3s, but hardware manufacturers and mainstream application developers are focused on Microsoft. It's sometimes too frustrating to use Linux as an everyday desktop OS. But there's a reason why most of the world's websites run on a Unix/Linux solution.

People who are either totally anti-MS or anti-Linux are really missing out. I think it's great to know and understand both.

If you can't download them, you can get Live CDs/DVDs (or full install CDs) from Ebay.

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Linux is great for Server operation..but for Desktop, i will think twice... i've migrated some of my user's to Linux desktop... but i can't escape the users comparison of the ease of use between linux and windows....
btw, im using centos for my servers and Fedora for my desktop...

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I'm using SuSE Linux 10 from Novell It works about the same as windows, it just takes a little more messing with it to get it figured out. All of the drivers I needed were native in the OS. I just downloaded the ISO file, burned it to DVD, and installed the OS. Installation was a breeze, it took less than an hour to install and almost everything that I use, as far as software was included in the install. This is as close to windows as a Linux release has come.

Personally, I really like it and I think that about any novice, like me, should be able to get up and running with Linux with this one...

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One alternative to the Live CD method would be virtualization. I use a variety of VMware's products but would suggest either VMplayer or VMserver for dipping your feet into Linux. You can get more information as well as prebuilt appliances here:
http://www.vmware.com/products/free_virtualization.html

These appliances remove the hurdle with installation/configuration questions and allow a newbie to learn the OS and applications. Once you have "mastered" you can burn your own iso or DVD and move forward.

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