Linux newbie

R

rudirautenbach

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OK, so I bought my wife an AspireOne. It came with Linux (think it is called Linpus, whatever this means), and I am really impressed by the OS. May I call it "fresh" compared to the bloated XP's and Vista's that I have been burdened with for so long...

You guys can obviously deduct I'm new to Linux. Now before I go and format all my PC's at home and install Linux :D I would like to try it on a redundant notebook first. Baby steps...

Can someone please help me with my 6 questions below:

1. Which versions of Linux are available and which one should I choose?
2. Where do I download it from?
3. Is it free or do I have to pay for it?
4. Does it come bundled with OpenOffice & Firefox or are those separate installations?
5. Should I anticipate driver/hardware problems? This is a Sony VAIO machine...
6. Is there a website where I could educate myself in the process of installing, configuring and using the OS?

Many thanks for your help. I am really looking forward to starting to explore this seemingly good OS!

Rudi
 
Ubuntu netbook remix final was released thursday, it is designed for the acer aspire one.

You can read about the features by visiting the ubuntu site, there will also be a local download link.
 
1)Basically any version you like is avaliable(Fedora,Ubuntu,RedHat,Gentoo,Suse, Arch - all do things a little differently). For someone new to Linux, I reccomend Ubuntu.
2)www.ubuntu.com (or see the sticky in the Linux section) :)
3)It is free, both as in beer and sometimes as in speech. The only you have to pay for is the bandwidth to download it and the CD to write it too.
4)Ubuntu 9.04 - released a day or two ago, comes bundled with everything you need to work right away. AFAIK it is installed with OO3 and Firefox3. There is also a really nice music player included (similiar to itunes). Although you can of course get whatever you would like.
5)Not really? Possibly with graphics, but I don't forsee their being any problems. Linux in general has pretty awesome hardware support. My new core i7 PC worked right away, and I so did the media keys on my keyboard (unlike in XP).
6)www.ubuntuforums.org is a good place to go if you get stuck. Here is a link you might find interesting! http://www.linux.com/feature/54945
 
More info on Ubuntu netbook remix...
Canonical has collaborated with Intel and is working with a number of OEM's to deliver Ubuntu on netbooks in retail. In keeping with the philosophy of our best work being available to everyone, the core remix product is available to all through the Canonical repositories. This version is free to download and modify by any user.
What is a remix?

A remix is a 'respun' version of Ubuntu built for a specific purpose. Although Canonical has encouraged community projects to use this terminology for some time, this is the first time that Canonical has used it. We are using it to differentiate from an 'Edition' which we consider a complete version with daily builds suitable for the average user with no additional work beyond installing the CD.

Canonical works with devices manufacturers (OEMs) to pre-install Ubuntu Netbook Remix. These commercial products contain software that is not free and built for a specific hardware configuration unique to the OEM. These are not publicly available as we do not have the right to redistribute the software.

All of the initial Ubuntu Netbook remixes combine optimisations from the Moblin project for Intel® Atom™ processors and it is specially designed for netbooks. Intel and Canonical are working to create a new computing experience across a rapidly expanding category of portable devices.
Reasons to choose Ubuntu Netbook Remix

For OEMs:
Rapid route to market - UI configured to work with Intel Atom processor-based netbooks so you are ready to go
Small OS footprint - fits within a 4GB flash drive with room for additional storage
Expert engineering - based on Ubuntu’s well-tested, globally proven software
Clean licensing - all work conforms with open source and commercial application licensing with audio and video codecs that are legally licensable
For users:
New Interface - built for accessing your favourite on and off-line applications rapidly and optimised for the restricted screen size this is radically different
No viruses - Ubuntu is a smooth, safe computing and browsing experience
Optimised for netbook components - built from the ground up to take advantage of speed and power capabilities of the chip set
Large developer community - gain the benefits of innovation from some of the world’s leading free and open source developers
http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr
Click to expand...

Wiki and instructions...
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UNR

Local Download...
ftp://www.mirror.ac.za/ubuntu/ubuntu-release/9.04/ubuntu-9.04-netbook-remix-i386.img
 
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Google your Vaio model +linux, there's a wealth of info out there.

One thing don't get caught up in older howto's as much of the info is misleading and there's generally a newer solution.
You maybe want to keep one windows box around just in case, Linux don't play games nicely.

2. Ubuntu does send you CDs free of charge, one installs the other boots live off CD.
3. Mostly it's free, enterprise versions and support you pay for.
6. Just install it, if there's errors google them.
 
Actually, if we're talking about a mission critical machine, you SHOULD install antivirus software. Linux is not immune to viruses. It's just FAR less susceptible.
 
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