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10-13-2007, 09:59 AM
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#1
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Quetta, Pakistan,South Asia
Distribution: Moving to Ubuntu very soon
Posts: 47
Rep:
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Linux for me....comming from windows
Greetings!!
This is my first post on this forum.I was a regular Windows Xp user now i am planning to switch Linux due to it's popularity and acessilblity there are no viruses for Linux and Most security tools like dsniff run on linux.
I need help on selecting Linux Distro.
My System stats are
Motherboard:3.4 Intel Desktop board d945Gccr
Graphics :Intel8945G express chipset family
80 Gb HDD
1 Combo Drive
2 Lan card
intel(R) PRO/100+ Management Adapter for connecting to Internet
intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection for connecting to LAN
I need a distro which can play music,dvd and support my sound card plus i love to surfing internet and can run hacking tools.....it has good image editing software like Fireworks and it shall be easy to extremely easy to use
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10-13-2007, 10:16 AM
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#2
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LQ 5k Club
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Oldham, Lancs, England
Distribution: Slackware64 15; SlackwareARM-current (aarch64); Debian 12
Posts: 8,311
Rep: 
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No need to ditch Windows right away - try dual-booting. And try a few distros 'til you find the one that suits you best.
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10-13-2007, 10:22 AM
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#3
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Distribution: Ubuntu 8.10 beta and Debian etch
Posts: 75
Rep:
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yeah your system requrimetns are more then ok for any of the latest distros give dual booting ago just in case you crack it and want to go back to windows. its also very handy if you need to troubleshoot. by the way there are viruses for linux but there are stuff all compared to other operating system like windows, but dont worry to much about that lol

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10-13-2007, 10:23 AM
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#4
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LQ Veteran
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Annapolis, MD
Distribution: Mint
Posts: 17,809
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Take a look at the "getting started' link below
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10-13-2007, 10:29 AM
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#5
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Member
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Canada
Distribution: Gentoo
Posts: 702
Rep:
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Try some LiveCD's to get a feel for it.
Most distribution's have a bootable LiveCD to try the OS without having to install it.
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10-13-2007, 10:38 AM
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#6
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Quetta, Pakistan,South Asia
Distribution: Moving to Ubuntu very soon
Posts: 47
Original Poster
Rep:
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thanx
thanx for your immediate response
@dxqcanada
I tired slax it was to difficult to config it
and LiveCd'd does not Save anything
i tried SusE but it is totally useless it does not detect my LAN CARD,SOUND card and modem
@pixellany
Thanx for the link i have bookmarked and i will review it sooner
@townie
I though Linux will require to upgrade my system......i hope linux has fewer viruses and it is secure than windows.........Windows always require to update which is damn slow.......and the New "Genuine Check" has made pain in my ass.........it detect my windows as a couterfeit......My father gave me Windows Xp in 2003 and now it's no of use
@brianL
You r right i will Dual boot while learning Linux when i am pro i will remove Windows XP..................but i still need to know which Linux distro i shall try first
waiting for ur response
Last edited by dstar101; 10-13-2007 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: improving grammar
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10-13-2007, 10:59 AM
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#7
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LQ 5k Club
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Oldham, Lancs, England
Distribution: Slackware64 15; SlackwareARM-current (aarch64); Debian 12
Posts: 8,311
Rep: 
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Start with the easiest: Ubuntu.
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10-13-2007, 11:29 AM
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#8
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Member
Registered: Mar 2007
Location: Amiens, France
Distribution: Debian Etch,
Posts: 181
Rep:
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Quote:
i hope linux has fewer viruses and it is secure than windows
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There are viruses for Linux BUT
1) Almost all viruses are written for Windows as they aim to hit the maximum number of computers. Linux is still minority so not interesting.
2) Linux is generally much more secure anyway. If you install something or make any change to the system whatsoever, you need to supply a separate password. So, if you stick with the official repositories, it is very unlikely that someone could install a virus on your computer.
3) The architecture of Unix type systems (Linux, Unix, BSD, Solaris....) is such that even if you were to get a virus the damage it could inflict would be minimal compared to Windows.
Quote:
Windows always require to update which is damn slow
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Not so with Linux. Because it's open source, people from all around the world can look at the code, which means potential security problems can be spotted very quickly. This means that, rather than waiting a month to get a fix, you can update within a few hours of the problem being noticed. What's more, Linux doesn't content itself with simply updating the system, all the software you download from the official repositories auto-update too. And this all happens in the blink of an eye! This morning, for example, I updated the system - in about 1 minute.
Quote:
it detect my windows as a couterfeit
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This will never happen in a Linux/Free BSD system because it's free!
As for your distribution, I go along with brianL - Ubuntu is excellent for beginners (but it doesn't have root); you could also try Simply Mepis (which does have root).
Welcome to the Linux community by the way!
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10-13-2007, 01:59 PM
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#9
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Quetta, Pakistan,South Asia
Distribution: Moving to Ubuntu very soon
Posts: 47
Original Poster
Rep:
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Quote:
As for your distribution, I go along with brianL - Ubuntu is excellent for beginners (but it doesn't have root); you could also try Simply Mepis (which does have root).
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What will happen if Ubuntu does not has root
from mephis website
Code:
Hardware That's Not Hard
If you've ever installed any operating system you know the many hours spent installing drivers and getting your hardware and peripherals to work. Some things may never work properly. The SimplyMEPIS hardware detection takes care of installing the drivers for you. It checks on every boot for new hardware, then loads the right driver. SimplyMEPIS also makes it easy to manage your system with the unique MEPIS Tools found in the System Configuartion (Settings).
It's nice
From ubuntu Website
Code:
System Requirements
Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit and Mac architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the desktop install CD. Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space.
It takes 4 GB space
While i will research to which choose from Ubuntu or Mephis
Last edited by dstar101; 10-13-2007 at 02:01 PM.
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10-13-2007, 02:01 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: Austria
Distribution: Ubuntu 12.10
Posts: 1,142
Rep:
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There is no root account by default, but you can create one with "sudo passwd root".
It's a non-issue. I would also suggest you jump on the Ubuntu bandwagon. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, and it will work for 90% of the desktop users.
Last edited by oskar; 10-13-2007 at 02:05 PM.
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10-13-2007, 02:08 PM
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#11
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LQ Guru
Registered: Nov 2006
Location: Belgium
Distribution: Ubuntu 11.04, Debian testing
Posts: 5,019
Rep: 
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To put it more clearly, Ubuntu doesn't have the "su" command to sign in as root but it uses "sudo", which for most purposes is exactly interchangeable. As to which is the safest option, there has been a lot of debate. Some say su, others say sudo. As long as the debate rages on, I think neither can be all that bad.
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10-13-2007, 02:10 PM
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#12
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Quetta, Pakistan,South Asia
Distribution: Moving to Ubuntu very soon
Posts: 47
Original Poster
Rep:
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I think
I will try Ubuntu.The new version of ubuntu will release in 5 days so i will have to wait for five days.....i hope that ubuntu will be able to detect my computer devices like modem,lan cards,sound card and display
Thanx to all people who take out their precious time and answered my dumb like question
Is there any book about Ubuntu.........??
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10-13-2007, 02:23 PM
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#13
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LQ Guru
Registered: Nov 2006
Location: Belgium
Distribution: Ubuntu 11.04, Debian testing
Posts: 5,019
Rep: 
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Yes, there is the Ubuntu Bible. I leafed through the version that was released for Ubuntu 6.06 and it looks like something that could be really helpful for novices while it goes quite in depth also in the later chapters. It explains such simple things as making desktop icons but also how to set up an ftp or a mail server. But there are more books, just check one of the online bookshops.
As for having to wait five days, maybe. Ubuntu 7.10 has reached release candidate status, which should mean that it is about as stable as the official release will be. Then again, I installed the previous release (beta) two weeks ago and it was still very buggy so there aren't any guarantees. If you're impatient, have a try. You can also burn 7.04 to a cd. It can be used as a livecd so you'll be able to run it without installing anything while you're waiting for the official release of 7.10.
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10-13-2007, 02:28 PM
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#14
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Member
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Quetta, Pakistan,South Asia
Distribution: Moving to Ubuntu very soon
Posts: 47
Original Poster
Rep:
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I can not download the Ubuntu coz my net speed is about 60 kbps..........i have to buy the from the City (not far away from my home) and the deliviring does not deliver in my Country Pakistan
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10-13-2007, 02:35 PM
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#15
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LQ Guru
Registered: Nov 2006
Location: Belgium
Distribution: Ubuntu 11.04, Debian testing
Posts: 5,019
Rep: 
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Oh, OK. Well, five more days is not all that long to wait and with a slow connection, I wouldn't recommend installing a beta or a release candidate anyway. There may still be some huge updates that could take forever to download.
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