I’m really new here (just joined). I’m an American that lives and teach in China now.
finally had it with windows, internet explorer, viruses and all other expenses that goes with Microsoft and wana go linux on a new laptop I’m planning to buy.

read the Getting Started with Linux on www.linux.org and love it. what took me so long to go linux? maybe because I thought Linux was for the Unix people lol.

My degree is in math and the last time I used math was for my exams in the 70s. Just because I love math and physics does not make me smart or good at them, really, trust me on that.
I have another degree in computer science and worked in the IT for over 25 years but I’m as dumb as they come in the PC, networking and stuff like that. So please be gentle with me.

I have a new Dell laptop (insprion) with Window 7 ultimate, a 3 year old desk top (some Taiwanese motherboard) with Windows Vista ultimate and a 6 year old HP laptop with windows XP and an old CISCO Wireless G series router. Maybe I’ll network them together once I get and learn Linux.

What is the best lap top I should buy for Linux?
I plan to order the Debian GNU/Linux CDs. What do you think?

Help me out guys.

Welcome to LQ!

My personal preference for laptops are Lenovo ThinkPads.

They have local warranty centers here in China.

I would also recommend Slackware over Debian, but that is
just personal preference. Learn to use <Linux> Google and
LinuxQuestions.org, as well as Google ... and read, read, read.
I use a proxy server to get only English results in Google,
and not Hanzi. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but sometimes it
just does.

You should like the difference in performance in a properly
setup Linux distribution, such as ability to multi-task.

Happy Linux journey!

Thank you Bruce. Lenova was not on my list (HP was on the top) but Lenova is on the top now.

I teach at an engineering university and I am also a member of math and computer science club here. There are students in the computer club that use Linux and they have talked me into using my PC with Vista ultimate and install Linux, Ubuntu that they say is based on Debian but easier for new users as the duel operating system to start with, learn and experience it 1st. That’s what they have on their lap tops but with Windows XP. They will also provide me with the CDs that Linux is already burned on them.

I have 400 GB disk drive installed on the PC (desk top) with C, D, E and F and only use about 15% of the available space despite all the pictures and movies on my drive. I have 255 GB of external disk for back up and just purchased another 500 GB of external disk for keeping my pictures, movies and perhaps other backups.

My plan now is to clean up everything on my PC and reinstall Vista on 100 GB allocated for Vista (maybe C and D) and then the other 300 GB for Linux, tools and Linux based applications. I’m sure I will learn a lot from this experience and then move on into a standalone system with just Linux.

I like GUI but I spent a life time typing commands on the keyboard and feel that I have lost control of what I want my computer to do. Okay, I admit that I love programming and even know how to program LOL. But I don’t see BAL (Basic Assembly Language), FORTRAN, COBAL (didn’t like it) and RPGII anymore. They are C, C++ which is okay and then java and other things that are more like what we used to call 4th generation programming languages. Things we used to pick up the manual read it for a few days and start coding.

By the way I use China Unicom 3G as my Wireless Service Provider which is very fast (I like it) and Astrill as my proxy. The Internet access that the university provides is very secure and controlled and I cannot use proxy or any routers on it.

My phone is China Unicom 3G but use ADSL at the house. When we're
on the road (headed to Kunming tomorrow, then Vietnam Wednesday)
we sure are glad to have that iPhone for staying in contact.

Those guys at your school will be a big help to get you started.

I'm not a GUI fan at all. My email is checked with Mutt, and the
only things GUI for me are QQ, Skype, and Firefox. Sometimes it's
easier to even read a LQ post with lynx. And yes, most of my time
is spent in a terminal emulator.

You might enjoy this Windows-to-Linux roadmap series from IBM.

You're welcome to email me through the forums if you'd like.

Best wishes jumping into Linux!

1 members found this post helpful.

And be sure that it's about being curious about how Linux works (you'll have lots of fun learning), NOT about just wanting a free Windows with no viruses (you'll be very dissapointed).

1 members found this post helpful.

Whatever your motives for trying out linux, this article is always a good read for people coming from the windows environment.

Have fun with linux!!!

1 members found this post helpful.

LOL bruce your just a command line junkey. I respect that but I was reading LQ and Lynx once too. But it was driving up the wall lol.

KC Dude im glad you have an interest in linux and welcome to LQ as well. Debian from what I understand is the last distro you as a beginner may want. Ubuntu is great for beginners but as you get more skill you may find your self hatting its debian style. Slackware is a great distro as well but not for beginners. By default it will boot to a command line and you have to type "startx" to get the gui. But you could away edit the /etc/inittab and set the default run level to 4. The 2 that I do know is great for beginners is Ubuntu and openSUSE. If you ever get to playing with a Linux server CentOS maybe your choice then.

And you probably never heard of linux to later is because Microsoft is a monopoly trying to burn linux. Personally I think if intel has to pay billions of dollars to AMD since intel monopolies then Microsoft should be forced to pay Linux Distro billions of dollars too.

Linux is Unix like build to resemble Minux but has no Unix code in it at all so it stay completely free no matter what. Linus Torvolds build the kernel from ground up and some other programmers built the software to become a distro. But that doesn't mean a Linux newbie or somebody who never really wants to see the command line has to. Most things in linux can be done in the GUI (KDE, Gnome, etc).

1 members found this post helpful.

Very good reading sycamorex. In fact everything I’ve read about Linux is smart (thoughtful). I remember the friends that I knew since 20 years ago who talked about Linux and were going Linux were smart, kind, gentle and helpful, the really quality kind of people.

I don’t really know what I can contribute to the Linux community but because I’m a Linux user now I have to pretend that I’m kind, gentle, helpful and just nice so that I don’t damage the Linux people’s image. I guess if I pretend this long enough I may even become one LOL.

I’ve briefly glanced at readings that involve Linux commands not to learn them but to get a feel for the capabilities and functionalities I can exercise. I know from experience that learning the commands happens when I want to do something and use a set of commands over and over again.

By the way I just installed Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (one minutes ago) and wana go play with it. I was posting this using my laptop while waiting for Ubuntu get installed.

I hope you don't find out that all of us Linux users are not "smart, kind, gentle and helpful, the really
quality kind of people." If that were so Jeremy would have to kick me off of LQ.

Here's some more reading you might find interesting:

http://www.linux.org/lessons/ (you might have found that one already)

http://www.linuxscrew.com/2009/12/21...-cheat-sheets/ (essentials for esoteric software)

http://linuxcommand.org/ (Learn the Linux command line)

So many more but you have a job to do ... Linux will consume you for sure if you let it, as I have.

Okay! Installed Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (dual with Vista ultimate) without the help from the students at the computer club. It was easy but not trouble free. The students are too fast for me and they fight over grabbing the mouse to do things their ways and their English is not so good. By doing it alone it was peaceful and I learned more.

After the installation students came over at 8 PM on Saturday (China time) to setup my connection to the university internet, finding a driver for the Wireless Service Provider that I have, updating Ubuntu and run into all kinds of problems and issues some related to Windows. They were here till 9:30 AM this morning LOL. I stayed out of their ways did my things on the lap top and went to sleep at midnight.

So the first phase of going Linux for me is finished and I will be closing this LQ and creating other LQs as it relates to my issue. And YES! I looked up “what is LQ” on Google and know it stands for “Linux Question” not “Lover’s Quarrel” LOL.

The students at the math and computer club here are VERY bright. Each one of them have written different system software for Linux, solved classical math problems, have won awards and recognitions from the government when they were in high school. Some are as young as 16 and 2nd year EE students at the university, the oldest one is 19. They talk fast with their broken English tell me the details of the work they have done but I get tired of continually parsing them. I love these kids and try to help them to learn to like and love themselves without needing approvals from others. They are a little like my 22 year old daughter that is a math graduate and now studies, physics at the UC system in California and talks to me (non-stop) about parallel universes, other dimensions, the dark energy and that all universes become flat as they expand and reach absolute zero temperature. OMG! I just want to learn and play with Linux before all that happens.
Maybe I should start an EQLP thread (Emotional Question for Linux People) LOL.

I got a glimpse of the applications, capabilities and functionalities that are available on Linux not just by reading about them and I am really impressed.

It looks like I have to redo reloading Vista and installing Ubuntu from scratch to resolve some of the issues. That’s okay, I don’t mind. So I leave this LQ open till I get somewhat of a stable system working.

We don't close threads here, you mark them as solved (in Thread Tools).