Hello,

I want to switch from windows to linux operating system but not sure what to expect in respect to maintaining my normal mode of operation.

For example, I want to keep the messengers (yahoo and msn), also how is the office system like word etc. as well as outlook.

basically I want the transition to be seemless, or to know what to expect when it comes to software limitation.. like macromedia, photoshop etc...

any help will be highly appreciated.. don't want to wake up and find I am stuck

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I want to switch from windows to linux operating system but not sure what to expect in respect to maintaining my normal mode of operation.
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Be welcome! You can maintain every aspect of your computing needs. But the location and operation mode will change, surely.

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For example, I want to keep the messengers (yahoo and msn), also how is the office system like word etc. as well as outlook.
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Linux has chat programs for all these protocols. No problem.
The office has several solutions. The main one might be OpenOffice, which is installed by default in most modern distros. But also AbiWord is a good idea.
Evolution might be the linux similar to outlook. Filters, different boxes, more than one account checking and handling, etc... But there are several other mail programs.


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basically I want the transition to be seemless, or to know what to expect when it comes to software limitation.. like macromedia, photoshop etc...
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Dreamweaver, you mean? html editors can be more or less a problem, depending on the kind of work you do. There are html editors in linux, but I don´t think they equal dreamweaver. Macromedia Flash has a linux version.

Photoshop in linux = The Gimp. Very nice software.

any help will be highly appreciated.. don't want to wake up and find I am stuck

Did you choose distro already? what´s the machine?

edman1 - firstly, welcome to LQ . If you haven't already chosen/obtained a distro, the following 3 links will be of help:
http://distrowatch.com/ - a great place for reviews
http://www.linuxquestions.org/reviews/index.php?cat=2 - an ever better place () for distro reviews
http://www.linuxiso.org - a good place to download your distro
The following link will give you the Linux equivalents of popular Windows programs:
http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-l...en/table.shtml - Windows programs/Linux programs equivalency

If you absolutely cannot do without several Windows programs, the following will be of assistance:
www.winehq.org - Wine (enables you to run Windows programs)
www.frankscorner.org - explanations of running programs under Wine
http://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover/ - Crossover Office - not free but runs many programs. Easier to use than Wine. They also have a table to say which programs will run.

Good luck.

Thanks a lot guys... will review the links you posted and see what I come up with

what about hardware issues, would I need to change any of my components.

If you have an internal pcimodem (aka Winmodem) ditch it - they give many problems and are hard to get setup. An external modem will give better performance and will work. Check the LQ HCL to see others experiences. Also, when you decide on a distro, check their HCL and specs to make sure your pc will run it. The specs can normally be found on the distros home page. Back to the modem - check out http://linmodems.org/ and http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Winmodems-...nux-HOWTO.html and http://www.google.com/search?q=winmo...utf-8&oe=utf-8 if you have an internal modem.

Otherwise, the majority of hardware will work.

Forgive me to sound dum

but what is a distro exactly

Distro is short for "distribution". Is a complete OS with all tools and software needed to run a computer, not just the kernel (linux).
Distros are maintained by enterprises or a community of users. They are people who collect GNU software, add the linux kernel and a few other tools and distribute it, often free of charge.

If you wanna read more, besides those links already posted, you can five valuable info at the Linux Documentation Project:
www.tldp.org

Look for howto´s at the begginers section, specially dealing with distros. Choosing the adequate distro is an important step to give you a rewarding linux experience.

Thanks,

will look through and see what I can put together

edman1's explanation on distro is more a legal term (lol).

In a nutshell, Debian, RedHat, Suse, Mandrake are some of the currenlty available distro .

Please don't shot me if I forgot some names.

Thanks,

Looking forward to begin the transition

Get Mandrake 9.1 - recommended for beginners. If someone says Debian, RedHat, Suse, or Slackware, then run!

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Get Mandrake 9.1 - recommended for beginners. If someone says Debian, RedHat, Suse, or Slackware, then run!
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Don't need to run from suse....

Whats the advantage of Mandrake 9.1, and how about the others?

Is it that the others are too hard to install ?

Thanks again

There are always zealots running around the forums telling you to use their distribution and knocking off others. Mandrake is now at version 10 and it is a good distribution for beginners. There is nothing wrong with the other distributions. Fedora(Red Hat) or Suse would work just as well. Read the reviews of the different distributions from http://www.distrowatch.com/ as XavierP suggested, then pick one that fits your needs.

Hello Guys,

I am on this page now, trying this out first.

Do I need to download all of them.

Also went to the store to see and wowowow the prices are scary there

do I ned to purchase these?

http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3