Migrating to Linux

[calvincoetzee]

While Linux is very interesting, I am still pondering on the thought, can Linux do the same for me that Windows Vista can?
Now I really don't want a bashing when I say, yes Windows works fine, doesn't give me problems etc.

But honestly when one considers switching to another OS I still want to be able to do the same things I used to be able to do in Windows Vista.

Important things for me is codecs,
I need to be able to decode the latest episodes of this and that series..
It's a big part of what I use my PC for when it comes to entertainment.
Sometimes getting these things to work can be a real pain, I've tried before plenty times.

Audio playback is also important and a good audio player will be needed, I know of one, used it in SuSE, amarok I think..

So was wondering could some of the Linux users on MB shed some light on what they have done to replace Windows, I am very eager to learn a bit more about this OS.

Thanks

 

[Sparky_za]

I've tried quite a few Linux versions over the last couple months, and none have been as easy as Ubuntu 8.10. I've been running only Ubuntu since the launch date a few weeks back, and haven't found anything I can't do with it. Sometimes it just takes a little patience and searching for the answer. I primarily use my system for entertainment. TV card works like a dream.

 

[Tassidar]

While Linux is very interesting, I am still pondering on the thought, can Linux do the same for me that Windows Vista can?
Now I really don't want a bashing when I say, yes Windows works fine, doesn't give me problems etc.

But honestly when one considers switching to another OS I still want to be able to do the same things I used to be able to do in Windows Vista.

Important things for me is codecs,
I need to be able to decode the latest episodes of this and that series..
It's a big part of what I use my PC for when it comes to entertainment.
Sometimes getting these things to work can be a real pain, I've tried before plenty times.

Audio playback is also important and a good audio player will be needed, I know of one, used it in SuSE, amarok I think..

So was wondering could some of the Linux users on MB shed some light on what they have done to replace Windows, I am very eager to learn a bit more about this OS.

Thanks

So far, I've had no real problem getting codecs working - might require a bit of googling. If you install Ubuntu, make sure to install the restricted extras.

The real question you need to ask yourself is "Are there any applications that I need that are specifically designed for Windows".

For example, it's easy enough to use Open Office instead of Office. However, if you run something like Polar Training Software, you might run into problems. Some apps can run under wine (www.winehq.org), and I suggest you check that they are compatible.

With Ubuntu it's quite easy to set up a dual boot (using Wubi) that doesn't require removing Windows or changing partitions. Perhaps this is the best way to go initially - if you want to remove it, all you do is go to "Add/Remove Programs" and remove it.

 

[foozball3000]

While Linux is very interesting, I am still pondering on the thought, can Linux do the same for me that Windows Vista can?
Now I really don't want a bashing when I say, yes Windows works fine, doesn't give me problems etc.

But honestly when one considers switching to another OS I still want to be able to do the same things I used to be able to do in Windows Vista.

Important things for me is codecs,
I need to be able to decode the latest episodes of this and that series..
It's a big part of what I use my PC for when it comes to entertainment.
Sometimes getting these things to work can be a real pain, I've tried before plenty times.

Audio playback is also important and a good audio player will be needed, I know of one, used it in SuSE, amarok I think..

So was wondering could some of the Linux users on MB shed some light on what they have done to replace Windows, I am very eager to learn a bit more about this OS.

Thanks

Why not have both? You can set your PC up for Dual Boot. Then you can use the OS you're in the mood for every day.

 

[calvincoetzee]

What I have done in the past with Linux and XP, is that when I remove the linux partition I usually ran the XP installation disk and reinstall the boot loader from there
Does anybody know how to do this with Vista?
I am very excited to try it out again, especially now that I have a Core2Duo, but since it is a notebook I cannot do the old swap a hard disk out trick.

Thanks for all the quick replies

 

[web]

What I have done in the past with Linux and XP, is that when I remove the linux partition I usually ran the XP installation disk and reinstall the boot loader from there
Does anybody know how to do this with Vista?
I am very excited to try it out again, especially now that I have a Core2Duo, but since it is a notebook I cannot do the old swap a hard disk out trick.

Thanks for all the quick replies

If you install Mandriva and want to revert to a plain Windoze pc it is straight forward you boot with the Mandriva DVD go to the rescue options and choose reinstall windows bootloader *bang* its done Mandriva will be gone and you will boot straight into Windoze.

 

[SlinkyMike]

Codec-wise: I have yet to discover a damn thing that VLC cant play back.
Apart from that: if you are simply an entertainment user then Linux is going to frustrate you hugely... only play around with it if you have a huge interest in OS/interfaces/computers in general... don't believe the hype - Linux is still very much for enthusiasts only.

...flame on fanboys.

 

[Tux]

Linux is still very much for enthusiasts only.

Allow me to point out that I have both me 60ish mum and my 14yo daughter using Ubuntu and they do it well. neither could be classified even remotely as enthusiasts.

 

[orin76]

Allow me to point out that I have both me 60ish mum and my 14yo daughter using Ubuntu and they do it well. neither could be classified even remotely as enthusiasts.

SlinkyMike has a point. I can setup Linux for someone and once configured they can use it without any problems, but if they buy a new Wimax device for example and need to get it running quickly in Linux, chances are your mum and daughter are going to have serious problems. In windows you'd just hand them a CD and tell them to double click setup.

 

[slayerza]

SlinkyMike has a point. I can setup Linux for someone and once configured they can use it without any problems, but if they buy a new Wimax device for example and need to get it running quickly in Linux, chances are your mum and daughter are going to have serious problems. In windows you'd just hand them a CD and tell them to double click setup.

If this was the case for all non-enthusiasts and standard users I would be out of a job. But I get the fact that something is not always as easy as one would like, although unless you change your hardware very often this should not be an issue.

 

[Tux]

SlinkyMike has a point. I can setup Linux for someone and once configured they can use it without any problems, but if they buy a new Wimax device for example and need to get it running quickly in Linux, chances are your mum and daughter are going to have serious problems. In windows you'd just hand them a CD and tell them to double click setup.

Granted. Well me mum might be flabbergasted, give me a call and have me do it. the spawnlette will try to do it herself and either get it right or take the whole system down

 

[sn3rd]

Getting your system up and running for media playback has never been easier than now, with ubuntu and the ubuntu-restricted-extras package.

Linux can do all the general things that a desktop user would want. And it can do it well. There's the option for running some Windows applications through wine, but if you don't come right, there are plenty of free alternatives. You will, however, have trouble if you need to run Adobe applications, games and quite a few others.

I have to disagree about it being an enthusiast thing. Even regular Windows users have issues troubleshooting problems, and would have trouble with a lot of new hardware. And once one gets used to the way Linux works, it stops being a problem anyway, because one thing I've found is that my problems are not unique. Somewhere out there, someone has experienced the same, and if a solution was found, a quick search will uncover it.

While every operating system has its pros and cons, some huge advantages of ubuntu are the ubuntuforums and apt. They make life much easier for new users

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Give it a try as a VM using Virtualbox. Your either gonna love it or not, but either way you will gain a better insight on how to use your OS (regardless of choice).

 

[Lino]

Have you made up your mind exactly which distro you will be installing? If it is Ubuntu (K)(X) then first install it using Wubi. As close to a real install might give you a very good idea!

 

[.Froot.]

Codec-wise: I have yet to discover a damn thing that VLC cant play back.
Apart from that: if you are simply an entertainment user then Linux is going to frustrate you hugely... only play around with it if you have a huge interest in OS/interfaces/computers in general... don't believe the hype - Linux is still very much for enthusiasts only.

...flame on fanboys.

.....Real Media..... but the new one, not .rm, I think it's something like .rmdb or something.