can i do this in linux?
 

I am just about to install slackware, but before I do I have a few questions. I have never used linux before and so I was wondering if I could do the following things:

1. rip and encode dvds

2. connect to internet using same isp

3. write documents like in M$ word (I need double spacing, page margins etc.)

I've been reading a lot about linux and am really ready to get started. thanx

Re: can i do this in linux?
 

I don't have a DVD burner but I think you can do this.

You should be able to connect to any standard ISP in Linux assuming you have a compatable modem.

Use Open Office for M$ word stuff.

1. Our resident DVD Ripping expert wrote a program for doing this, www.acidrip.thirtythreeandathird.net from acid_kewpie

Cool

there is no problem riping and encoding dvd's in linux.

depending on your isp linux will have no problem connecting to internet

OpenOffice is great. http://www.openoffice.org i have a w2k installation on my computer and i even use OpenOffice there. OpenOffice is so much better than M$Office

AS LONG AS your isp is normal. :D

ie, make sure you can connect w/o 3-rd party apps (eg. A0L will not work.)

So your answers are:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
Now you can start your Linux adventure!

There may be some problems with 1 (UDF support is still a bit shaky) & 2 (some isps are a pain in the ass with no official linux support). 3 is definitely no problem - OpenOffice is already mentioned, and there's also Abiword.

If you are looking at Slackware and want something similar. Try Evil Entity. www.undeadlinux.com. It's slack based and installs in a jiffy. Totally optimized for i686.

Is there a reason you're using Slack? That's probably one of the hardest distros for newbies - you almost certainly *will* encounter problems with it. Better distros for people new to Linux would be Redhat, SuSE or Mandrake.