My move from Windows to Linux/using big monitors

[prost]

The last time I used this forum I was using Windows. I bought the parts to make a new quiet PC. I decided for many reasons I had to use Linux, which comes with virtually all of the software needed for all the files commonly used in Windows. I installed Linux (Mandriva 2007 which only cost me £4/$6) on my PC which has onboard graphics. It was easy to install & just about everything works great. I found that Linux uses generic drivers for most hardware, including the sound, onboard USB, serial port/broadband modems & display, so I never had to install any driver software at all (anyone wishing to use Linux can see what I did at www.linuxlinux.co.nr).

I installed Mandriva 32bit. I could have installed the 64bit version if I wanted to, but I needed to use certain Windows software using what's called Wine(Windows emulator). I do have a 64bit AMD Sempron cpu, but since I installed the 32bit OS I can't tell how much better it would have been, although I did read one review which said it was faster.

I have viewed dvd's which work fine. There's no spyware/virus problems either.

Linux automatically handles screen refresh rates. I found that Mandriva can use monitors with resolutions up to 1600x1200, flat screens up to 1920x1200. My motherboard's software drivers would never reach that much. And Microsoft, a commercial product, take little responsibility for writing generic hardware drivers. Even if the motherboard's XP drivers work with Vista, they probably won't with what comes afterwards. In the far future Linux will work with your current & older motherboard hardware.

Mandriva can take you through the wifi card set up if you have one. Linux comes with many printer drivers.

Linux will co-exist with Windows on the hard drive. I hear stories of people sticking with XP as they can't afford Vista, or 98 because they can't afford XP or using 64bit Linux because they're not paying for 64bit XP/Vista.

Mandriva & the other major Linux OSs come out every 6 months.

See

www.linuxforums.org/reviews/Mandriva_2007_review.html

or www.linuxiso.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=113 has a very impressive on-screen demo of the Linux desktop.

[Mike567]

If anyone is new to linux I recommend using wubi, wubi basically places a image of ubuntu, kubuntu, edubuntu or stutioubuntu on your existing windows partition but will still boot it like your running another partition.

This makes it easy to uninstall and will make sure that your boot.ini isn't messed up by ubuntu's installation process.

if you want something closer to vista you could use pclinuxos2007 as it comes with all the graphical crap like beryl which looks cool and doesn't eat your resources like its cookies sitting in front of you which is handy.

so if a newbie use wubi to install kubuntu, and if you want it on a dedicated partition later on look in the wubi faq's

[trackrat]

Mike 567, a better way is to run a live Cd as this runs in memory, it also does not mess up your Windows Installation.

These can be downloaded from the net then burned to CD or DVD, also Ubuntu can be got on CD for nothing including the postage from http://www.ubuntu.com/

[Mike567]

a live cd just gives you a limited experience of linux, it is a good way to use linux but only on a number of distributions.

[Seshomaru Samma]

andr115, do you mean which distro ?

it really depends on you

one way is to start with an "easy" distro ,where most things "just work", like Ubuntu or Fedora

after getting used to the Linux way you can move to more 'hardcore' distros like Debian, Slackware or Gentoo

if you want to "really" learn then you can try Linux From Scratch , which is exactly what it is