Leave Microsoft goto Linux
 

Hello All,

I'm a bit new here, so please don't blast me to kingdom come, because whatever you believe, believe that the proletariat is the power of change. I want to know a search method of looking up threads here of people who know how to completely and unequivocally move from Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000/XP Desktop to Linux.

Mostly Desktop and Networking solutions, preferably free (e.g. Fedora), hardware, software, et al. I see so many threads I'm not sure where to begin.

But if someone knows of specific recourses that target, how it is in Microsoft and here's how to do it w/Linux - that's what I'd really really be looking for.

I'm not lazy, I can go to as many websites as there are out there, believe me I'm willing to do that until I'm old and gray... I just want to go down the right path so I'm not spinning my wheels on ancillary unrelated pursuits, and digressive solutions that may be programming vs. NOS and OS solutions I need.

Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

Cheers,

Ronald

(Doesn't belong to this category...)
Anyway, WELCOME !

I'll try and answer your questions. First, all Linux distribution worth noticing are free. Among them, I'd say the most known are Debian, Slackware, Fedora, SuSe, Mandrake. I'm a user of the latter, which I recommand to beginners. Mandrake is easy to install, easy to configure, and is (AFAIK) the one that autodetects/autoconfigures hardware the most.

That being said, Linux "easyness" is completely related to the compatibility of your hardware. Would Windows be able to run a device without a driver? No. Neither is Linux. The difference is that hardware manufacturers make drivers for Windows, and not for Linux. So Linux drivers have to be written by competent Linux users, instead of hardware suppliers.
Due to Linux fast-expanding market share, Linux users are many, and more than a few companies are now sponsoring Linux development. So we have drivers for most hardware.
A google search like "linux myhardware" will help you decide what parts are compatible, and what parts are not. Else ask for each specific part in its own thread in the Hardware forum.

As for software, There's plenty. Mandrake comes with a lot already, and much more is available on Internet. A good URL for starting is:
http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-l...en/table.shtml

Yves.

Hello,

Thanks for the quickie reply. This is brilliant. It's precisely what I needed.

Incidentally, where should I have posted this thread?

The forum you posted it in, Website Questions & Suggestions , is for questions about LQ itself. I have moved this thread to Linux - General.

--jeremy