I've been fiddling with linux for the past half year, making posts on this forum on and off as I ran into problems. But once again, I find myself here, typing this in Windows. Why? I don't know. I lost interest in Linux somewhere after the 20,000,000 driver install.

I really do not want to become a slave to Microshaft, and wish there were still a way I could switch. The only distro I have tried so far is Red Hat Fedora, and as I mentioned, I've been having immense problems with it.

What is the best way to switch to linux? How did you start out? Can you recommend a distro that would most likely be compatible with my custom built computer? I am really tired of booting into Windows, and I wish I could just wipe this partition compltely.

Windows is an operating system. Linux is a culture. I want to be part of that culture.

Thank you for your feedback,

Forezt

Actually what do you use your computer for? Like do you use alot of gadgets like scanner , wired printer and stuff? These require some patience in linux because you need to compile some codes and patch here and there. As for me, I like this kind of adventures. Some people just like to download driver and can use it straight away without any problem. Which one are you?

Actually all distros have pros and cons. I have been switching from one distro to another just to learn'em. The "no brainer" one so far is Mandrake( my opinion). Installation and management tool is easy to understand and use. Got supermount. Again , when it comes to hardware tweaking it is the same with all other distros. If you are lucky you'll find the working rpm for you. A driver perhaps.

And you need to get use of this forum and google search engine. .......

No, I don't have many gadgets attached to my computer, except for my iPod and WebCam. I already know some good programs for using my iPod in Linux, and I think there is a web cam utility built into some distros, right?

I do alot of graphics editing in Photoshop. I really cannot use the GIMP, but I think Photoshop can be installed with WINE.

I also do alot of my music purchasing/listening on iTunes for Windows, which I am unsure of its Linux compatibility.

One big thing I think I can't find in Linux is good DVD backup. I use DVD decrypter to back up all of my DVDs, but I don't know if this is for Linux or if there is a similar program.

I already use Blackbox for Windows, so i've got the interface down. Gnome seems a little sluggish even on my 2.8Ghz P4 system. I haven't tried KDE yet except for in Knoppix.

I started with knoppix to check that every hardware was detected then when i saw that i was beginning to use it alot i downloaded mandrake 9.1 , it was very easy to use but it did work right with me there were bugs and i hated the dependency hell so i uninstalled it and returned to windows.
But when i was using windows i werent happy its may be bec. i tasted linux , when i read all the reviews of libranet 2.8 of being very easy to use and install new programs i tried it and its just GR8.
i havent used windows from the time that i installed it .
you must check it out

www.libranet.com

and check out osnews.com for distro. reviews and news and distrowatch.com

I'm so new I can't even pronounce it properly. I was once familiar with the Pick O.S. and really liked it for running our application at my biz in Upstate NY. I'd also like to get away from Windows, and back to actually feeling like I have some sort of control over my own destiny and applications. Do any Windows apps. run in LInux? All of them? (at least in the theoretical world?) Is there some really low impact primer on Linux that I can/should read? Thanks -t.

So ask yourself this question. What make I uncomfortable with linux? Then work it out. As for the dvd, try the dvd::rip http://www.exit1.org/dvdrip/

When I first started useing linux (back with RedHat 6.2) i kept switching back and forth between RH and windows because I hated to install drivers, and sometimes I'd do it wrong and mess something up so bad the computer would freeze or not start up. So i just went to windows and ahh easy working. But then I got sick of not being able to do stuff so back to linux, till I got a new game or device and had to use windows again. Thankfully Today this is not so much the case. There are linux drivers for most things (some harder to find then others) and nice HOW-TOs put out but the Open Source community and hardware manufactures. Here is my biggest tip, and I think mac useres will get this more then windows users. SHOP for the iteams you want, RESEARCH them first. For example say you want a new usb game pad, fine pick up any gamepad at best buy and it should work with most distros. But lets say you want a Video Capture Card. Look online before you buy it see what ones have linux support, see what it takes to get the driver working, find out about the companies histroy with open source and linux. Then chose the best Video Capture Card thats supported and then buy. Most windows users (including my former self) want a new wireless pc card so we go to bust buy or circut city and pick up the cheapest or neates looking or the one with the most propriatary features. Bad linux user, you can't do that with a lot of things under linux. Find out what is supported first and go from there. You probally bulit you computer the "windows" way with no reguard of what it compatable with linux. This can cause problems expecially if you get cheap hardware or propriatary hardware. Just get some info on what you want hardware wise find out if it is supported and go from there. Let me give you one final example.

A friend of mine who also uses linux is alway stateing "Your computer is running so much smoother then mine what did you do to it". And I simple point out that I built mine to run linux and it does you built yours to run windows and stuck linux on it.

As for a distro I prefer Redhat but Mandrake is probally the easyest to get running. Slack ware is probally one of the harder ones (i say probally bcause I didn't have any problems but i enjoy a minimal distro) But the biggest thing is distro wise to get info (from the website) and then make a choice based on that (weather yo buy or download it) as for the application question proposed I can see why you would choose Photoshop over gimp but one i got used to the gimp interface I really do like it better. Also Photoshop runs fine under wine/winex (your choice) and in an ideal world any non-hardware accessing windows software should run fine under wine/winex, but in accuality there are several exceptions.

As a after thought on hardware look for the most standard driver hardware they almost always work for instance if you see 2 wireless cards in the store and you didn;t do your homework; one with a box saying fully 802.11b complient 11 Mbps, and the other satateing 80.11b complient with dual trancever technology giving you rates of up tp 22Mbs go with the first one the second one will probaly only half work anyway and if it works 100% then your breaking the standard any which means your have to operate at 11 mbps unless you get a new base station etc etc etc...... Standards are our friends get the hard ware that complies to them and they usally work under linux (rule of thumb only not a law)

While back on hardware I'll give ya my list of desktop hardware that i found usally works the best for home based pcs running linux

-Asus mother boards
-AMD Athlon/Intel P4 (accually anything not celcron or duron, they just dont work well any way for games and all)
-Nvidia Graphcis Accelerators
-3com NICs or DLink SMC is ok too,, Linksys is allright but i dont prefer them (if you can get your hands on a realtek card go for it)
-Crative Labs or Turtle Beach Sound cards (the emu10k1 chipset in Creative cards works like it is supposed to but the quality of the chip is questionable)
and thats about it, Just one last rule of thumb, If it is a common device it probally works for instance mice, just about any mouse you plug in is going to work. but if it is a less common device then you might have a problem, for another example I have a pair of 3d revelators that have never worked under linux PERIOD. and they probally never will I bougth them back in my windows shopping days (they were cool) But it is an odd device and there for probaly never will work (I do relize the is a commercial X server out there that they will run on but I dont like them that much any way can only use them for about 30 mins before my eyes feel like they want to fall out.) Any way hope the info/tips/ideas help a little but because of the flexibility of linux there is noo straight forward awnser to the question

There's a Blackbox for Windows!!!?

Thanks for the advice coteyr. The main problem I'm having with my computer's compatibily with linux is the integrated AC' 97 integrated 5.1 sound card. Like I said, I could not go a day without music, so this is the first thing I'll need to get working. All my other hardware is pretty much compatible upon install.

Yes, there is Blackbox for Windows.

Not to much I can do for you an that one I am sre it works but I never use the onboard sound. If you need music badly head to you local computer sore and pick up a used sound card for about 5 bucks with the new 2.6.1 kernel supporting alsa almost every saound card works great.

How to switch. Buy yourself a beginners's to intermediate distro like Mandrake or SuSE. Stay away from Debian or Gentoo unless you want to make the learning curve like HELL!

I actually bought a guide to Red Hat Linux 9. I haven't used it much since it doesn't go through dual booting and it assumed hardware would work as soon as I installed.

Do you think it would be smart of me to completely wipe windows off my system, and get a fresh start with linux? This is what I've considered for the past day as I have noticed myself booting into windows instead of Linux. I figure if I didn't have a chioce, it would force me to use Linux. I will buy a new soundcard, and I think that should solve my biggest compatibility problem.

"Do you think it would be smart of me to completely wipe windows off my system, and get a fresh start with linux?"

personally I'd say no, when your ready for linux you will know, granted the best way to learn something is by using it, but you need options. also software is going to be another big issue, theres just some things that dont work in linux; many games, antocad, photoshop, the list goes on (wine doesnt work for many).

I still have windows installed but i use it only for games, and after repartitioning (and installing) it only takes up 3 of my 10 gigs.

Getting software and hardware up I would have to say SUSE. I have read tons of articles about Lindows that say it's suprisinly good. It runs great and is great for newcommers but I have never used it.

Personally once I spent a little time with linux I went to Debian and fell in love. But out of the box SUSE has impressed me the most.

Remember linux is much different than windows. Windows you buy one app to do everything while linux is much more like a lego set. You need to pick the peices you want and make the box for what you need.

Hi, I agree with these guys, using SuSE or Mandrake is your best bet. But theres still a vertical learning curve ahead. I think the best way to learn linux and move to it as your main os is:
1) Install Linux (SuSE or mandrake first) (Most recent version (Highly recommended))
2) Before you do anything, get connected. Linux was created from the net, and if you have your linux connected, you can download anything you need, read howtos. Use these forums, irc and so forth. Its best to have a hardware modem. (ATI graphics card recommended)
3) Then google high and low for rpms if your using SuSE, this is harder. Patch your kernel, admin your iptables, compile your binarys... and so forth...
4) Dont give up! It can take weeks and weeks trying to fix things. But their are always alternative tools to do certain things

You know this didnt come out as simple as i hoped. Just dont give up, if all else fails google it...the answers are out there.