This is my first post in the Linux community. I just got fed up with all the viruses and unstability of Windows and I will install Linux on my lap top.Most of the information regarding Linux I have gather it from the internet.

Just a 1-2 questions since I'm new and still learning few things regarding Linux Mandriva 2008 before installing them.
1. I'm using a 3d design program Winner (windows based)so will it worked on Linux?
2. I'm exporting the files in PDF format, does Linux mandriva support PDF format?

1. Maybe.. it might run under wine

2. You can configure a virtual PDF printer in Linux so anything you print can be made into a PDF. There are other options as well.

PDF is well supported, and actually you will find more tools for working on this format in the common Linux distros out of the box.

Most Windows programs can be run using Wine.
You are strongly recommended to dual boot, i.e. keep your Windows and install Linux to another partition. This way you can use Windows to get out of sticky situations while you are taking baby steps in Linux.

As far as 3d modeling try the linux equivalent blender. I cannot say I have heard of winner but you can try it with wine. Wine hogs alot of the systems resources though and anymore linux has alot of alternatives to almost any windows programs out there. You would be better off setting up a virtual desktop with linux than using wine.All linux distro's support pdf format just make sure you install the right packages. And good luck with your move to linux after a few months you won't even miss winblows

Hi,

You have been given some good advice that you should do. I would like to add 'BACKUP', BACKUP and BACKUP your current system before you do anything.

I switched to Linux (Open SuSE) about 2 months ago and to be honest with you I do not miss W$ndow$ or any M$cro$oft products BUT unfortunately I have some applications that I must run using W$ndow$.
Dual boot is a pretty good idea, I have xp and Suse on my laptop and desktop pc. I barely use W$ndow$ except when I had to run one of the windows applications however I was able to use WINE to run some of them.
PDF, Linux handles PDFs nicely.
Have fun using and Discovering Linux!

You can also install linux, then virtual box, and re-install Winduhs inside Linux+Virtual Box. That way you can use WinDuhs and Linux without rebooting. You can also reboot WinDuhs when it crashes - it's kind of funny to watch something reboot on a computer that's still running and doing useful things. It also means you can continue working on other things while WinDuhs is rebooting after a crash.

I just bought a new laptop a few months ago and it came pre-loaded with vista. So I left it alone installed ut3 and played a little bit till halfway through I was met with the bluescreen of death? I had almost forgot about the whole antivirus/spyware thing over the last few years. I never turned back after installing opensuse 10 for the first time. Over the years the most I have ever done was an upgrade. You will become very relaxed with any linux distro. But back then there were not as many programs as there are now. Google is your friend. Name one program and I am sure someone here at LQ can give you the linux equivalent and you may just like it better than the windows program.
I am running a couple of linux programs in vista that have been ported from linux to windows like gimp and openoffice. But as soon as the linux client comes out for ut3 I'm ditching vista completely on the laptop

I recommend dual-booting as well. If not permanently, then at least until you find out what can run under Linux, with emulation, virtualisation, etc.

Winner doesn't appear in the codeweavers data base, so if you do try it under WINE, you should report your results. Not appearing doesn't mean it won't work, but it does make one more pessimistic. Otherwise agree with all the above advice.