How practical is a switch to Linux?

[BTW]

How practical is it to switch over to the Linux OS? I know this game doesn't run under Linux, but what other problems would one run into? Is it hard to find things like drivers for you DVD writer and video card?

From the articles I've been reading on Microsoft, and some of the problems I've been reading about here, I wonder if Linux might be an option.

I'm thinking about buying a real cheap computer just to try out the OS.

[Momus--]

Easiest thing is just to try it. I built a third PC out of some dusty spares I had lying around the house - Athlon 600, 640MB RAM, Voodoo 3 Gfx Card, crappy 10GB hard disk etc etc - Kubuntu linux installed straight from a downloaded CD image and auto-detected every device in the system.

You can also download the live CD image and boot direct from CD which should give you an idea of whether all your components are supported out of the box.

It runs Open Office and Firefox just fine - doesn't feel sluggish at all for a system made from decade-old components.

[storch]

I'd love to try linux but I'm not techy oriented.

[Airscrew]

someone just posted within the last couple of weeks that his son-in-law got AH to run on a Linux system I just dont remember who and when, had video of it running.  He was going to post a "how-to"

[Airscrew]

here's the thread

http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=200549&highlight=linux

[FastFwd]

BTW - I went through what you're about to go through. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have bothered.

I had "Fedora Core" Linux. I was able to download it and get it on to CD OK, and then install it. HUGE disappointment. The interface took me back 15 years. I was like going back to something more primitive than DOS 5.0 and Win 3.0. There was limited "point and clickability"; there were all these dossy line commands that had to be learned. Getting drivers was another headache.

[Skuzzy]

There are multiple interfaces available.  You want a restrictive GUI, then you can have a restrictive GUI.  You want full control over the OS and computer, you can have that too in the CLI (command line interface) mode.

For me, the CLI is much faster and easier to use than the GUI's.  But that is just me.  Oh and CLI's are not primitive.  They are the most sophisticated means you have to control a computer as they let you do anything with the computer.  It is just a steep learning curve.

The nice thing about Linux is you do not have to have a top of the line piece of hardware to run it and run it well.  Whether of not it is for you is pretty much up to you.

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by BTW
How practical is it to switch over to the Linux OS? I know this game doesn't run under Linux, but what other problems would one run into? Is it hard to find things like drivers for you DVD writer and video card?

From the articles I've been reading on Microsoft, and some of the problems I've been reading about here, I wonder if Linux might be an option.

I'm thinking about buying a real cheap computer just to try out the OS.

It might be easier to boot Linux off an external drive, rather than finding a separate computer.

Otherwise Mandriva (formerly Mandrake) Linux, like others I'm sure, will partition your drive and install Linux right next to Windows offering you a dual boot option at start up. Install is very simple and fast too.

I'm not gonna say its "easy" to use, just different than Windows... after looking at Win for so long Mandrake is a refreshing change for sure.

Mandrake is 100% free to DL: http://www.mandriva.com/download

I believe Xandros Linux, the non free one, has WINE built in to run Windows apps / games.

[Russian]

I have Fedora Core 6(formally known as Red Hat) installed as dualboot on laptop. For everyday use I prefer to use Fedora. It automatically detected my hardware and installed everything needed. The only downside, I can’t get wireless card working properly. But I didn’t spend enough time trying to fix it.

Stick a small drive into your current system and install linux on it….no loss except for time.

[eagl]

Nvidia linux drivers are generally considered better than ATI video drivers for linux.  Nvidia fairly regularly updates their proprietary (binary only, no source code) video card drivers so you can actually get a reasonable amount of control over your vid card running linux if you use those drivers.

A linux "purist" still hates both ATI and Nvidia for not releasing full source code to all their drivers, but people who just want to *use* linux and not make love to it don't seem to care much

That said, if you're not playing games or using one of the spiffy new 3D enhanced desktops on your linux box then it doesn't matter too much what vid card you're using.  But if you want the latest in eye candy or want to play games on the linux box, you're much better off with an nvidia video card.  Even the integrated nvidia cards such as the 6150 based chipsets are fairly well supported by the nvidia drivers.

I've been using ubuntu recently and it's pretty decent.  Just remember like almost any OS, you'll probably want to update the vid drivers after installation because it doesn't ship with the latest nvidia drivers.  They're listed in the software download/update tool that comes with ubuntu, so it's really easy to do.

[BTW]

Originally posted by FastFwd
BTW - I went through what you're about to go through. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have bothered.

I had "Fedora Core" Linux. I was able to download it and get it on to CD OK, and then install it. HUGE disappointment. The interface took me back 15 years. I was like going back to something more primitive than DOS 5.0 and Win 3.0. There was limited "point and clickability"; there were all these dossy line commands that had to be learned. Getting drivers was another headache.

I'm pretty comfortable in unix. I learned ansi C in a unix interface. And no, I don't think I'd want to be completely back in unix, I also don't want Microsoft shoving intrusive marketing down my throat. I would make a rebel conversion to unix if I can keep most of my graphics and midi programs running.

[Vulcan]

The problem with linux is you usually acquire a sort of infection with it. First you feet deform, so you have to stop wearing regular shoes and switch to either jandals (aka flip flops aka thongs) and/or roman sandals.
Stage 2 of the infection sees the infection spreading to the glands of the linux user, signs of this stage are excessive body odour. In the final stages of the infection the linux user grows a large 'birdsnest' like beard, often accompanied by either scruffy hair or a complete loss of hair.

[Shamus]

^^^^^^^^^
Sounds like Woz.

shamus

[bbosen]

Note:

I have Aces High 2 running very very well under PcLinuxOs and "Cedega". My son-in-law uses it with Ubuntu Linux and "wine", but he had to use a highly optimized, recently tweaked wine version. I have not been able to get it running on my HP Pavilion zV5000 laptop with PcLinuxOs and Cedega and I think that's because the nVidia GeForce4 video card isn't as well supported by Wine or Cedega.

Check the "Technical Support" from for "Linux" threads and you'll find various instructions and success stories.

I don't think we can expect any formal support from HTC on this effort unless/until the Linux community gets a lot bigger, so it's probably best not to ask Skuzzy for help on this subject. He's got plenty to do just keeping the Vista folks flying....

Regards,


-Peabody-

[Vulcan]

Hark! Upon yonder plains the cry of the geek...

Originally posted by Skuzzy
For me, the CLI is much faster and easier to use than the GUI's.  But that is just me.  Oh and CLI's are not primitive.  They are the most sophisticated means you have to control a computer as they let you do anything with the computer.  It is just a steep learning curve.