i have some very simply questions to ask about linux/lindows.

i have an extra machine, originally i was going to upgrade it & then sell it but i'm in the middle of looking for a new job after being layed off and i've seen several ad's w/linux experience along w/windows.

since i don't know linux i was thinking of changing the machine to maybe a dual boot configuration w/say windows 98 and linux or lindows or maybe a staight linux based machine. could someone either explain/give me a web site to check out on what linux really is good for and why i should learn it? and what the differences are between linux (red hat version 8.0 $30 @ newegg) and lindows ($129 @lindows.com)?

thanks in advance.

fyi: the machine i'm planning on using is an amd 1700 athlon xp processor, epox 8kha+ mobo(kt266a chipset) w/onboard sound, 256mb of pc2100, 40gb hard drive, visiontek gf3, modem, nic card and cd-rom.

Others will have different opinions, but for me, Linux is fine for a do-it-all machine. BUT, I don't play many games, and I'm happy with <A HREF="http://www.openoffice.org" target="_new">OpenOffice.org</A> despite its bugs.

Linux is good if you code a lot, if you like unrestricted access to your system (you can break anything you like ;-), if you don't want to pay for most of your software and don't want to steal it either, particularly development stuff (nb, there is professional pay-for software available too, like <A HREF="http://www.aliaswavefront.com/en/products/maya/index.shtml" target="_new">Maya</A> or <A HREF="http://www.ptc.com/appserver/it/icm/cda/icm01_list.jsp?group=201&num=1&show=y&keyword=403" target="_new">Pro/ENGINEER</A> ). It's good for serving up <A HREF="http://www.apache.org" target="_new">web</A>/<A HREF="http://www.samba.org" target="_new">file</A>/<A HREF="http://www.postfix.org" target="_new">email</A>/<A HREF="http://www.sapdb.org" target="_new">database</A>/etc, and without extra "server" fees for doing so. It's good for desktop use too, if you use a <A HREF="http://www.kernel.org" target="_new">kernel</A> with the right mix of <A HREF="http://members.optusnet.com.au/ckolivas/kernel/" target="_new">patches</A> and choose your <A HREF="http://www.gnome.org" target="_new">software</A> well. ;-) OK, a bit of bias there, but <A HREF="http://www.kde.org" target="_new">KDE</A> is schweet too. <A HREF="http://www.ximian.com" target="_new">Ximian</A> has a nice desktop product, and of course RedHat and Lindows come pre-configured, so you need not worry about that just yet...

Linux is bad if gaming is your thing - there's limited titles available, although <A HREF="http://www.transgaming.com" target="_new">Transgaming's WineX</A> and similar seem to do a pretty decent job, and if seamless file-transfer with MS Office is needed - most Linux office apps aren't perfect yet with regards to MS I/O filters.

I'm no expert on Lindows, but it seems to be a modified <A HREF="http://www.debian.org" target="_new">Debian</A> distro with <A HREF="http://www.winehq.com" target="_new">WINE</A>, and Fees attached. I consider this a Bad Thing, not because they're making money, but because their base is Debian which is really the anti-commercial distro, and Debian appears to get little in return. Even their <A HREF="http://www.lindows.com" target="_new">website navbar</A> looks like it's been ripped off from <A HREF="http://www.apple.com" target="_new">Apple</A>. Maybe the product is fine, but I just don't like their business approach. There's a couple of posts + opinions previously about it.

<A HREF="http://www.redhat.com" target="_new">RedHat</A> would be my philisophical choice of the two, because it's kind-of the industry standard - <A HREF="http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/" target="_new">Mandrake</A> and some others are derived from it. Also because they've been around for ages and have made large contributions to the software base. Of course, WINE and similar are available for RedHat and everyone else too. And it's cheaper.

Why should you learn it? Because it's good not to have all your eggs in one basket. It's good to get a different perspective on networking, programming, and how computers work. It's another arrow for your quiver of IT solutions. When putting together systems, I still run thru a list of <A HREF="http://www.bebits.com/app/2680" target="_new">BeOS</A>, <A HREF="http://www.qnx.com/" target="_new">QNX</A>, <A HREF="http://www.linux.org" target="_new">Linux</A>, <A HREF="http://www.openbsd.org" target="_new">OpenBSD</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.freebsd.org" target="_new">FreeBSD</A>, <A HREF="http://wwws.sun.com/software/product_categories/operating_systems.html" target="_new">Solaris</A>, <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.mspx" target="_new">Windows 2000 and XP</A>, <A HREF="http://www.apple.com/macosx/" target="_new">MacOS X</A>. It's horses for courses, and if all you know is Windows you'll be limiting yourself and your customers/employers. It's also not going away - companies and governments are switching to Linux at many levels, so sooner or later you'll be faced with it. And of course, it'll make you more employable.

Re your hardware, Linux will absolutely scream on that box, but the modem probably won't work if it's an internal PCI or AMR dialup WinModem. Don't forget to install the <A HREF="http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IO=linux_display_ia32_1.0-4191" target="_new">Nvidia drivers</A> when the time comes - the rest should be fine "out of the box".

<i>Knock Knock, Neo</i>

thanks for the help. i have to get a few things soon at newegg and now i think i'll add linux to the order.

<A HREF="http://www.suse.com" target="_new">SuSE 8.2</A> will be released next month.
SuSE's my Linux distro of choice...give it a try and I bet you'll love it too.

Disregard my previous post.
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