Is Linux/Unix worth it?

[MoeMag]

Its worth it if your time is worth nothing to you.

[robnix]

Robnix,

I understand what your saying....about the virus thing...but in my experience with most viruses, the code that they use for Windows based machines is completely different from Linux...I have intentionally opened a Virus attached to an email, with an executable extension, and Linux didn't know what to do with it...But yes, any pc should be protected...

It's not the code, it's the design. There's an article here:

http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/index.php?page=virus

that can explain it better than I can.

[juliano191]

Robnix,

Yes, that definately explained it better than I could..Nice article...thanks for the link...

Rob,

What Linux Distro do you use?

[robnix]

Robnix,

Yes, that definately explained it better than I could..Nice article...thanks for the link...

Rob,

What Linux Distro do you use?

I've been using Debian for years on servers, and now use Ubuntu on desktops at home.

[robnix]

I've been using the PCLinuxOS TR4 distro...absolutely love it!!

I checked that distro out once, Tex does a great job and builds a nice distro.

[PBChappy]

gentoo linux is a great distro if you really really want to learn all about linux. it has a hard learning curve but if you read the man pages and doc files, ask questions in the forums you will have a great linux time and never turn back the the evil that is mircosoft

[Hexis]

Slackware and FreeBSD (not Linux, still unix tho) for headless machines. Have not really played with headed Linux boxen in a long time. That's what OSX is for.

[thecavemankevin]

hey guys, where's a good place to learn more about the basics of Linux?

i figure i ought to start at the beginning

[Hexis]

man man

The book store.

[thecavemankevin]

man man

The book store.

any where online that you guys recommend? obviously i can find some myself, but i was wondering if there were any linux for beginners resources you all like and have used.

[Little_Ho]

Just to give my 2 cents....

I have 2 Laptops aboth running Windows and Ubuntu Linux in Dual Boot. Ever since i installed it in Dual Boot i started going to the Bookstore more and more often to read about Ubuntu and off course using the Online Forum quiet often to ask questions. My Windows is starting up not more that often because i love Ubuntu. I have no Trouble at all with Drivers thanks to the restricted Driver Manager....

I need to say I will get rid of Windows on my Main Laptop soon the other not because iam playing Games on it sometimes.

Iam happy with my Ubuntu and the Help you find in Books or Online.


Little_Ho

[robnix]

any where online that you guys recommend? obviously i can find some myself, but i was wondering if there were any linux for beginners resources you all like and have used.

http://www.ubuntugeek.com

http://www.ubuntuforums.com

http://www.debuntu.org

http://www.debian-administration.org

http://www.debianadmin.com

Yes, there's a bias, but I use primarily debian based distros.

My one tip is to learn to use the command line as much as possible. It's powerful and fast once you get the hang of it, will let you skip a lot of needless point and clicking, and will teach you more about the OS and your computer then you thought you'd ever know.

[robnix]

Robnix,

I may just try that Linux MInt on my Laptop. I'm always on the lookout for a new distro....trying news is always a challenge, and I learn new things about Linux all the time...Thanks

It's on my workstation right now. They've done a very nice job with it.

[slade]

yes, linux is worth it. its not hard to learn at all.

it has a few drawbacks. almost all of which are related to vendor support, both hardware and software. windows has the greatest marketshare, so hardware manufacturers and game designers are most concerned with supporting windows. because of that, people are more likely to stay with windows, and therefore vendors are more likely to continue supporting windows.

as far as software is concerned, if you're willing to give up a few games and the occasional proprietary program that doesn't have a linux substitute (for me, pro/engineer) then its a great choice. i use mainly fedora and debian. they're both great, although due to patents etc. you'll have to do a bit of work to get support for things like mp3 and other proprietary codecs. doing so is easy though, there are step by step walkthroughs for it online.

as far as hardware is concerned, desktops are almost always completely supported. i've never had a problem getting one running, although ati cards can be a pain. nvidia releases drivers for linux if you want good 3D support, and there are open source drivers as well. don't expect to get a webcam working (although some will be supported, and amsn works with webcams)

laptops have much less support. you should be able to install linux, but you might run into issues with functions like hibernate, or wireless support. some hardware should work perfectly out of the box. I got my lenovo T61P because everything should work perfectly out of the box, but we'll see when i get it.

but yes, it is worth it. it's free, faster than windows, more customizable, has more options, is more stable, and has a better interface. the software management is much better. you can find software in one location and install/remove it easily, as opposed to downloading files from all over the internet that (that may or may not contain adware/spyware, if you don't know what you're doing). updates are easy to install and often have new features (and never something like WGA, microsoft spyware) and you can continue using your computer after an update without rebooting.

[Glickman]

ubuntu = a great starter for linux