Fair enough, sorry.
I still maintain that since Windows needs bare metal he may as well buy a machine with Windows installed and use a Linux VM. I can't think of any benefits of doing it the other way around.

Firerat is correct. I own the Windows copy of Scrivener and my license allows me to put it on my new laptop without paying for it again. I am planning on purchasing a legit copy of Windows 7 either way since I can get it at a discount, because while I would prefer to run it on Ubuntu Linux for the added security and stability, that won't work for every program I own. I'm just wondering whether you would recommend dual boot or running Windows in a virtual machine for my situation.

And I'm a "she."

Sorry ma'am, I should have clocked the "ette".
I still think that if you want to play Windows games cannot run Windows in a virtual machine. So that either leaves you dual booting and getting frustrated at having to or making an Ubuntu VM which you can use for web browsing and anything else you would rather use a "more secure" OS for.

For your situation, because you need 3D acceleration in your games, I would recommend to run Windows native and Linux in a virtual machine. You won't have improved security if you run Windows in a VM and you won't have less security if you run Linux in a VM.

I'm wanting Ubuntu Linux as my main OS for the security and stability reasons I mentioned. Ideally I'd like to use that as much as possible and just use Windows 7 for the things I just really can't make work in Linux. If Linux was the VM I'd have to have Windows running on it all the time...in which case I'd lose the exact reasons I want to switch anyway and I'd just buy a Lenovo with Windows 7 and not mess with learning Linux.

Plus I can get a comp with much better specs for the price this way and we're really on a budget. Try to find ANYTHING with Windows preinstalled that comes with 16GB of RAM under $1400. The Pangolin Performance is going to be $919 shipped with upgrades for the 16GB RAM and Intel Core i7 processor.

I also have learned on the Scrivener forums that I can probably make that work on Wine with a little extra effort. So I'm wondering if maybe the dual core is a better idea than the virtual machine since we'd basically just be using it for games. Thoughts?

How much processor power you need comes down to your needs. If you are just authoring texts and occasionally playing a not too demanding game a dual-core will be fine. If you want to run Linux as main OS and need 3d acceleration on Windows than you have to dual boot.

Not all functions of Scrivener will work in Wine, have a look here: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManage...sion&iId=26846

I refer you to TobiSGD's answer above about security and stability. I haven't used Windows at home for at least 10 years outside a VM and I don't intend to any time soon, however I don't think that Ubuntu (or any Linux) is going to be more secure than Windows 7 if it's set up right.
I am extremely surprised that you find prices for Linux machines cheaper -- whenever I've looked machines with Linux pre-installed have cost more if there has been a price difference. You're lucky to find that.
If you must run Linux outside a VM then your only choice is to dual boot. You cannot run most Windows games in a VM and a lot of the ones you can don't run properly. You could buy a laptop with Linux though and try the games in a VM -- you may get lucky.

Thanks. I've seen that and I think those are features I can live without. All the ones that are really important to make the program do what I want it to do seem to be intact so I think it will be ok even if it's not perfect.

In light of that, I'm thinking the dual boot might not be a bad option because we'd basically just need Windows 7 occasionally on the weekend when my husband wants to play with his RC flight simulator or one of our various "Tycoon" games. The more I think about my actual usage, I mostly use it for writing and research, e-mail and playing web-based Euro strategy nerd games.

It sounds like you have a plan .
As I see it Linux is great but if you need Windows then you need Windows and a VM means no 3D support and dual booting means that if you're using Windows regularly it gets annoying. I would rather discourage somebody from using Linux than encourage them to use it where it causes frustration.

No worries, sorry for being curt.
If you take away the security/stability reasoning then there is no real need for Linux at all.
But, Windows hosting a Linux VM would be good for the toe in the water experience. A complicated experience so many options with different distos and desktops ( Me hate unity )

Anyway this is how I see it.
lets just assume Linux is pre installed, for secure public WiFi

( apologies for the poor formating below, been a while )
The Primary concern is whether or not Scrivener will work
Apparently there is a Linux Version of Scrivener, but it is in Beta and is not production quality, thus ruled out.
Options?

1. Wine , Scrivener is listed on WineHQ with GOLD status
   Key features work, but some features do not
   Test report was submitted Oct 2012, things may have moved on.
   + Wine would have the advantage of being seamless (mostly), assuming all required functions work.
   + Also no extra cost involved.
   - But Wine may come with install/setup frustration ( install complication ).
2. VM , Scrivener pretty much guaranteed to work
   - may put a strain on resources, causing lag and excessive power consumption.
   - extra cost
3. Dual Boot
   + Scrivener guaranteed to work
   - inconvenient
   - cost
   - install complication
4. Wildcard , http://alternativeto.net/software/scrivener/
   + may find something superior

Next problem is Games,
again we can go though Wine >> VM >> Dual Boot

I feel that Dual boot for games would be less inconvenient.. then again perhaps not idk.

technically there are no problems
Regards diskspace I'm the wrong person to answer this, no matter the size I will fill it

I think win7 bare minimum is 30GB , but you will run out of space very quickly once the bloat, malware and toolbars start installing themselves
I think the 100GB for win suggestions are spot on
an exta data (NTFS?) partition is not a bad idea, but I find the Linux Drivers to be a little crazy with CPU usage.

Installing Windows over Linux is a pain, but no need for Linux > win > Linux

1. using LiveCD or gparted CD shrink the Linux partition and create a new partition for Win
2. using something like https://launchpad.net/grub-customizer, 'backup' grub to the MBR of a pendrive/external drive
3. Install Windows
4. Boot From pendrive, re-install grub to MBR and update ( to find windows )

1 members found this post helpful.

No problem at all and I apologise also. I did skim-read the original post so I phrased my answer badly.

@spinnerette I still would encourage you to go with the dualboot. If you need to reboot to switch session, well a new computer boots in less than a minute so that will give you time to refill your tea or coffee cup.

VirtualBox in Linux is fine and if you change your mind after installing it then just delete it and no a big deal. If somebody ask why are you running Virtualbox in Linux well the best answer is 'Because I can, so what?' it is nobody's business anyway what you run in your computer.

So have fun and apologies for calling you a He at first. Good luck to you

Yeah, dual boot is the direction I think I'm going to take. Since realistically I think I'll only use Windows very occasionally for games and to update my phone (I have an iPhone and it doesn't seem from my googling that iTunes runs well in Wine, compatibility rankings ranged from "bronze" to "garbage") the minute to reboot is not a big deal. It would be different if those were things I used daily but they're not. I took an inventory today of the programs I actually use (versus the ones I have that I haven't touched in a year) and really I can probably make the switch a lot less painfully than some people since iTunes is the only incompatible thing I really *have* to have.

I did pursue Firerat's "option 4" a little and it looks like there is a decent writing program called Celtx that supports Linux and is only $14.99 for the "Pro" version so I may give that a shot and see if it's a viable replacement for Scrivener. If not I'll just run Scrivener in Wine and deal with the few minor bugs. If I have trouble figuring out how to set up the dual boot on my own I have someone IRL who can walk me through it in exchange for baked goods

And no need to apologize TroN-0074, I wasn't offended, just though I'd clarify the pronoun

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Update...typed on my new System 76 Gazelle (I decided to go with the Gazelle instead of the Pangolin for the better graphics card and I went with upgrades for 16GB RAM and the 240GB SSD. Couldn't be happier.)

I changed my mind...again...after using Ubuntu for a few days (love it) and re-evaluating what I ACTUALLY use vs. what I have and use more in theory than practice. We don't really game that much. I don't think we've played a single non-web based computer game since I started this thread. I basically only HAVE to have Windows for iTunes and Rosetta Stone. (I decided to switch from Scriviner to the Linux-friendly Celtx so that became a non-issue.) So I decided to go with VirtualBox instead. I think I'll be happier with that in the long run. Thanks for all the advice. I'm just sad it took me so long to figure out I'm really a Linux girl at heart!

Congratulations on your new computer. Good to heard you are enjoying your new experience with linux, however if you have some questions in the future you can always come back to the forums and post whichever question or comment you might have.

You could mark this thread as solved by clicking on the thread tools tab at the beginning of the thread.
Best luck for you in all your activities