1)hai i am krishna . i am looking to install linux in my pc.so may i know how much RAM is required for linux. Also about processer requirements.


2)how linux is better than microsoft windows versions?

3) I heard that linux is a opensource code. what does it mean?

4)Any magazines available to know basics of linux?or any website?

Hi,

Find the link to understand linux.

http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/

That depends on what *your* requirements are. Linux can work in anything from 386 and above and with very little ram. Modern desktop distributions requirements usually range in the 0.5-1 GB of ram, any cpu from k7-pII will work, the more candy you want the more power you'll need. If you have already decided which distro to use you should check the requirements in their web page.

You'll have to answer that yourself after trying. Linux is a different animal, it's not better or worse, it depends on the task you have at hand.

The source code for the linux kernel and a lot of programs is available for you to see, download and modify at your wish, as long as you keep the license open. In practise, this means that, if someone discover a vulnerability in firefox, you don't have to wait for MS to release a new patched version, you can fix it yourself and submit the patch to mozilla, and it will available for everyone to download in a very short amount of time. But, if you want to see what open licenses are you can research about that in the net yourself. I am not expert anyway.

Info is al around the net, it depends on what exactly do you want to know. About papers, it's been long since I bought the last one, so I don't know.

1- Depends on the 'distro'. 'Disro' is short for 'distribution', a general name applied to linux/GNU OS versions. There are lots of different OSes using the linux kernel. By the way, 'linux' is just the kernel, and you cant just run the kernel.

3- You can see (and modify if you want) the source code.

I'm not even going to try to answer 2 + 4 now.

please follow this links,these will give you basic idea of Linux:
1) What Is Linux: An Overview of the Linux Operating System
2) Switch to Linux
3) Operating Systems: Unix vs. Windows

If you have any other query,then please let us know.
And make sure that you ask specific questions and it is always better to google some common questions like RAM requirements,than posting question and waiting for the answer....
Welcome to LQ !

Your question about minimum hardware needs suggests that you may have an old computer. If this is so, go to
http://distrowatch.com/search.php
where you can search for distro in categories like "Old computers" and "Beginners".

RAM: any Linux distro should install in 512MB, although some will run better in more. If you have less, there are still possibilities. For example, Salix and Vector Standard will run in 256MB, while Antix and Vector Light can work in only 64MB.
Processor: any Linux can run on a Pentium Pro, although it will work better on a Pentium II or later model.

Distrowatch has a page of information about each distro, with links to its website and to reviews. It's a good idea to check the reviews, including the ones on this site. The home pages of the distros often have very good guides or wikis to prepare you for installing them and help you use them.

And if you ever have a problem, there's always us!

Like the above posts say, you can use pretty old or low-end hardware to run Linux (as in an operating system; this has become so much of a synonym for an operating system based on the Linux kernel that most folks understand right away what you mean, and the rest should--details are good, but like in Latin, understanding the big thing is more important). What differentiates some distributions that won't run on small amount of RAM and/or slow processor from other distributions that do is the bundled software and ability to tweak the installation right in the installer. For example Ubuntu (desktop version) is an "easy job", it installs without much questions. That's fine--you get a nice system without much work or knowledge required, and it works for most modern systems without a hitch. On the other hand, if your hardware isn't in for it, you can't modify too much what's going to be installed (unless you use a different kind of installer). For example Slackware installer, on the other hand, lets you select quite freely what you want and what you don't, including the kernel version. This flexibility allows you to install it even onto low-end hardware, because you can simply opt out of the things that are resource hogs. You can have a modern system on old hardware (i.e., there is no need to run a specifically tailored granny-distribution, unless you want to), you just can't have things that simply cannot run on it--for example a 3D desktop on a system with no 3d accelaration, very little RAM and a slow CPU. So if you need to find a distribution that surely works on your hardware (i.e., you are worried that most will not run), simply find one that lets you customize the system during the installation, and if needed, even one with a text-based installer rather than graphical (the latter type is often more problematic).

It is not, unless it suits you better. The same applies to any two operating systems, not just Linux--Windows.

Linux, the kernel, is. A lot of software available for Linux distributions is. Not all of the software you can run on Linux systems is. You need to check the licences for the software you use, to be sure. Open source means that the source code is open, often that you can (quite easily) obtain and view the code, modify it to suit your needs, possibly redistribute and even sell it. That all depends on the licence, so read it (for the software you're interested in). It is all explained there, altough the language is quite difficult to read, compared to some other texts...

This (LQ) site; here we have lots and lots and lots of threads about basic and not-so-basic topics, so you'll surely find some useful things if you take the time to search. There are tons of other sites as well that contain information about Linux (simply manual pages, or tutorials, or small tips, etc.) For magazines, head to the closest shop that sells any magazines related to computers and you're bound to find at least one or two. By reading you can see if they fit you--some of them are better than others, but they're all magazines, so you know what to expect. I'd say learning the basics through magazines is not the fastest route, the web is probably faster. Even better, set up a playground system and go at it