Linux Distributions

[Carl Martin]

I've been reading a bit about Linux lately (due in large part to my disappointment with Vista) and find it intriguing. However, when reading the on-line articles, I often think they're written in a foreign language. I have a few questions I hope you guys can answer.

Seems running Ubuntu or Kubuntu from a CD is a good way to get familiar with the system. Is one better than the other?

Is there a good guide on the web for rookies like me? (I've never even seen a computer running Linux, and find all the jargon frustrating and confusing.)

Will Ubuntu/Kubuntu run slower, faster than Windows XP, or about the same?

Thanks,
Carl

[Jokerswild]

Yuri is our resident expert but I'd try the live cd first. I've tried varius distro's and from what I can tell they run very similar so windows as far as speed and they are easy to set-up. For gaming they are nowhere near as good but there is a program called Wine that will let you run some windows games on linux. Video card drivers are also a problem sometimes.

[gvblake22]

the difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu are just the "interfaces". Ubuntu uses what is called Gnome while Kubuntu uses KDE. Gnome and KDE are different Linux desktop environments kindof like the visual useability part of the operating system, but both Ubuntu and Kubuntu are still both essentially the same Linux kernel or "core" underneath. Does that make any sense? I'm still trying learn more about Linux myself and have downloaded Ubunty 6.10 and am just waiting to get my secondary system fixed up so I can try it out. I've never actually had any hands on experiences with any Linux, so we'll see if Yuri (yurimxpxman) to chime in because he is the Linux know-it-all around these parts.

As far as I know, Ubuntu should run very quickly, especially on older hardware/computers. HERE is an interesting article benchmarking Windows XP, Vista, and Ubuntu. They are all neck and neck with each other, so I have no reason to see why Ubuntu would be any slower on the same hardware. These Linux distros all seem to be pretty slicked back with no b"loatware" so to speak of.

[yurimxpxman]

I think Blake summed it up rather nicely, and Gordon was correct about the video card drivers. Don't expect to do a lot of heavy gaming with your Radeon card. ATI's Linux drivers are very pathetic, I'm afraid. They don't support many cards and, to be perfectly honest, you'd be better off with the open source drivers (which are configured by default in most distributions if your card is supported).

The truly wonderful part of Linux is the CLI (text only, command line interface). Don't let it remind you of DOS, because it's nothing like that ;-)

[screwballl]

except for gaming, it is very easy to step from Windows to Ubuntu/Kubuntu. There are little popup balloons to tell you what each program is and does... Installation is very straight forward. I also find that Kubuntu does a better job of finding the proper resolution but Ubuntu you have to do the gdm setup again and edit the config to use a specific resolution. I have a box with Kubuntu on it and does very well. Also have a 600MHz Celeron that is seldom run with Ubuntu 6.06 on it. When I have the time, this will be my webserver for the hosted website.

[Lead Head]

Originally Posted by yurimxpxman

I think Blake summed it up rather nicely, and Gordon was correct about the video card drivers. Don't expect to do a lot of heavy gaming with your Radeon card. ATI's Linux drivers are very pathetic, I'm afraid. They don't support many cards and, to be perfectly honest, you'd be better off with the open source drivers (which are configured by default in most distributions if your card is supported).

The truly wonderful part of Linux is the CLI (text only, command line interface). Don't let it remind you of DOS, because it's nothing like that ;-)

Actually, Since AMD acquired them, the Linux drivers are shaping up nicely, iirc, the latest drivers even have Catalyst Control Center, instead of the FireGL control panel!

[Hitman]

Like these guys said if your not a heavy gamer then Linux will probably work just fine for you. There are many different distros of Linux available and I would encourage trying a few before settling on one. Allot of people are raving about Unbuntu/Kubuntu, they are good distros but there are better ones out there. Fedora Core and Suse both top my list, with Ubuntu/Kubuntu running 3rd.

Linux has two main Desktop environments (Like Blake explained briefly) KDE and Gnome. KDE is most like the Windows enivorment, and will probably look the most familiar to you right after install. Gnome is more like the Mac OS enviroment, and will be most familiar to Mac users. I suggest trying them both out, and see which one you prefer.

Live CDs are good for a test drive of Linux, but to get the full experience you need to install it. The best way is to install it on a second machine, so you can play around with it, without sacrificing your main computer. This also lets you play around with networking with windows machines.

There are programs available in Linux that will do almost everything you can do in Windows. It just takes some reading and asking questions to figure out which software you need. Some games like Quake 4, have Linux installers available, that let you play the game natively in Linux.

[yurimxpxman]

Originally Posted by Lead Head

Actually, Since AMD acquired them, the Linux drivers are shaping up nicely, iirc, the latest drivers even have Catalyst Control Center, instead of the FireGL control panel!

Good. I was hoping they would. W00T! Another score for AMD!

- AMD fanboi

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by Lead Head

Actually, Since AMD acquired them, the Linux drivers are shaping up nicely, iirc, the latest drivers even have Catalyst Control Center, instead of the FireGL control panel!

Don't you mean IIGC (If I Googled Correctly)?

[Carl Martin]

Thanks guys. I'd still like to find a guide free of all the jargon, but I'll probably download a few distros, burn some disks, and start playing. May try to find a small hard drive to put these on.