Hi I have a Question about Linux!
 

Hi everyone... :)

OK I'm new here and am new to Linux as well...

I Hate Microsoft plus it keeps giving me LOADS of problems etc... so my Friend has suggested that I get rid of Windows and install Linux so my Mother has just bought it for me!

The Question is?
Can I install Linux onto a HDD (Hard Drive) that used to have Windows on it??? and if so whats the Security status? like do I still have to download Updates like you have to with Windows from Windows Download Centre or what may I ask? :)

Also can Linux use Yahoo and MSN Messenger???
and other stuff like Ad Aware SE Pro and stuff or?

I don't know anything about Linux but I want to learn everything there is to know about it - if that's possible :p -

Thanks ^_^

Reven

Welcome to the world of Linux :)

1) Yes, you can install Linux on an HD which had Windows before, you can even install Linux on an HD with Windows still on it, and use both operating systems.
2) Concerning security: Linux is very secure and stable, there are barely any viruses for it, and those that exist never became widespread. And you won't download any of those security updates that were simply confusing. The only updates you will be downloading are the newest versions of your software and programs.
3) Yes there are clients for running MSN and Yahoo. Some programs work on many networks at the same time: ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber (Google Talk), IRC, and others. Basically there is almost nothing you can do on Windows that you can't do on Linux (except maybe play all high-end games without problems).
4) AdAware Pro? Not really necessary. It's very unlikely that Linux gets infected with Spyware or Viruses. But there are security tools available, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Which distribution (type) of Linux did your mother buy you by the way?

Cheers, and welcome again :)

-A

Linux Question...
 

Hi A ^_^

Thanks a lot!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

My Mother has bought something called SuSE Linux 10.0
I have No idea what exactly it doe's as we haven't installed it and... I'm just on the pc with Windows at the moment! :) hehe...

Is that SuSe thing any good may I ask???

Thanks again!!! :D

Reven

Its very good and user friendly. There are many people on this site who use Suse (I use it on my laptop), so you are guaranteed to get help if you face any problems.

Thanks Red ^_^ hehe...

also for future reference linux is free if you download it yourself. Take a look at distrowatch.com just download the iso file which should be about 700Mb and burn it to the cd. That gives you the same thing. If you look at distrowatch you will see that suse is listed as one of the distros (versions of linux). There are many others that you may want to try out for fun once you get used to suse a bit. They all have different features and depending on your preferences you may like some more than others.

Good luck with starting linux

Since you have it in nice packaging....it will be a good idea to look at the documentation/directions that comes with it....Suse is very well documented, both printed and online.

Kewl thanks a lot >_<

Is there like any other stuff that you can use on Suse? like does Nero and stuff work on it???

Thanks =)

Yeah there is a nero version, but in my experience, K3b kicks the arse out of any windows alternative:

Nero - http://www.nero.com/en/NeroLINUX.html (need to buy a serial #)

K3B - www.k3b.org

"and stuff" doesn't really tell much about what you want, generally there are equivelents to any windows software, we may use a different OS but our needs and requirements are generally the same.

Kew... thanks alot Ethics :D hehe... ^_^

A basic rule of thumb... If it works fine on Windows (without having to compile it from source, and if you don't know if you had to do that then you didn't), it WON'T work on Linux. Not by itself anyway. You can use WINE (http://www.winehq.org) a compatibility layer to run Windows binaries on Linux, but not everything will run on it, so don't necessarily count on it! Basically, you need Linux binaries to run software on Linux, Windows binaries to run software on Linux.

The exceptions to this general rule are programs written in interpreted languages for which there is an interpreter available for Linux and Windows. Like JAVA, Python... most common software you've probably encountered probably isn't though, so this isn't really such an issue.

If it helps- that is, if you have a lot of software for Windows that you don't want to lose... just think of the things you'll be glad to loose. I don't know, Internet Explorer perhaps.

Or, keep Windows handy, and install SUSE on a new partition. Then you can dual boot. I believe that the SUSE installer has an option to automate this process, but I've never tried it, so I can't guarantee from first hand.

Good luck with SUSE and Linux in general! Hope you enjoy it...