If I'm in the wrong forum, I apologize, but this is kinda GERNERAL stuff.. RIGHT!

I am thinking of switching to Linux from Windows XP. Kinda sick of windows, and this Linux stuff seems really interesting, especially Mandrake. Seems around my speed. I do mostly play games, play some online, tinker around with Radiant ( a Quake based level editor ) and other home.personal stuff.

I've read some topics about hardware conflicts, internet problems and the like, and would like to know if there's certain types of hardware Linux doesn't like ?
I'm in the middle of building a new PC ( still on the old one ) and would like to know if i'll have a problem with any of these items so far.

Athlon 64 3000+ , Gigabyte K8ns Pro motherboard , 6600 GT Nvidia card ( future buy) , Soundblaster LIVE, Western Dig 160GB HD. I also run a DSL line for internet access. I read an article of a version of Linux having problems with the 64 bit chips so any info on that'd help, too.


I found alot of information on Linux online, but not anything basic enough for me to grasp yet. The bottom line here is what are my options with Linux, and could you point me to any tutorials, books, or whatnot to get started. Also, what are my limitations with Linux over XP , if any?

Linux will support pretty much all of the hardware you'll readily find. The only trick is sometimes you'll have to compile your own kernel to get it to do so. (One trick to see if it's supported out the ass is Google - Linux the product. If it comes up a lot, you're safe because if nothing else, tons of people have gone before you.) There are no "types" of hardware that Linux doesn't like, i.e. doesn't support, but from what I've been reading WIFI is no piece of cake to get going.

If I'm not mistaken, as long as you compile everything for a 64-bit machine, there aren't any problems, but I'm still rocking a P4, so I don't have any first hand experience there.

For DSL, I would recommend a router for the added protection you get, as well as the ease of setup, but it's your call.

nVidia and SBLive are supported like mad, so you're set there.

As far as newbie material, Google is your friend.

Finally, I would recommend against Mandrake for one reason: too much automation and GUI tools. They seem like a help at first, but then you become dependent upon them and hit a whole new learning curve when you leave them. For you, my best recommendation is Gentoo, simply because you compile everything for your processor right from the off, and I think with a 64-bit, that's the best strategy. Trust me, I've known complete newbs that have gotten into Gentoo and haven't had any trouble. (I think the overuse of merge may keep them from learning as much about their system as they would otherwise, but on the whole, not a bad way to go.)

Anyway, hope I helped, and welcome to Linux!

hi
what a nice and polite way to start communication with lq
i don´t want to discourage you, but maybe linux is not a perfect gaming platform yet. well, it would be if game makers would support it
check out http://www.winehq.com/ to see what windows games work without too much tinkering.

as for hardware, generally linux doesn´t like winmodems, certain wlan-boards, some scanners and web cameras and to some extent ati cards (again we should say that the manufacturers don´t like linux).

64 bit support in linux is quite good, compared to windows

here are many threads about linux vs. windows. check them out to read some of the thoughts.

maybe a good solution would be to make a double boot so that you can play in windows without hassle and do other stuff in linux. at least until you can be sure that linux is what you want.

A good place to start with Linux?

Knoppix .


Basically it has everything you'd expect a system to do, without having to get your hands too dirty too quickly.

Also, it's a LiveCD, so you can always start over fresh easily if you make a mistake. It can install, and basically becomes Debian with a ton of preconfigured software (usefull for newbies to Linux).

Go for Knoppix Gamer (same link) for a more gaming-oriented system.


Also, unlike many distros (Red hat for example) Knoppix can read/write NTFS partitions (used by Windows XP).

In the end what distro you use is up to you.

Oh yeah, and my gamer friends are all big fans of Gentoo because merge takes care of everything. So they've all got Wine working great and can play CS at least.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in Linux-General and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.