im looking to get a new comp, and i heard that for anything remotly "fun" windows sux total a**! somone help me out with details on OS's and what best works for them, i know i could go read a bunch of text philes but when i finaly get there my add kicks in and i skip half the phile, heh so just help me out plz

Uh what's fun?
Windows is a versitile operating system with the broadest range of applications. If games are fun then this is a good OS cause its got the most by far. Its the most user-friendly.

Macs are good for artistic develoopement. Ive never really used them for anything else. Since Ive been hardcore into technology. But if digital art is fun this is your OS.

Linux is the most configurable and customizable OS but its the least userfriendly. Its for programmers and people who really know what there doing. Its fun if you enjoy reading millions of pages of technical data. It's not fun at first it doesent get fun until you master it and that takes a long time.

Everyone feel free to disagree with me.

Go with slackware (or redhat) and then install Wine/Winex or Win4Lin and your problem solved, use almost any windows program in nix...

<img border="0" alt="[[censored]]" title="" src="graemlins/[censored].gif" /> uhhh ok ???? how would i do that do i just tell the guy at gateway i want a comp with linux or somthin or do i have to do it my self??

buy the computer, bring it home, take your recovery cd's and send them back to gateway stating "I do not wish to use your microsoft software, please refund me" and theil send you like $100-$200 back, then download slackware www.slackware.com or i'll download it and send it to you for $10, then install that [censored] and you're done... for the most part...

whats the diff between slackware and mandrake?? any advantages to one, any <img border="0" alt="[?]" title="" src="graemlins/question.gif" /> disadvantages?

Yeah, you know, just install slackware, its soo easy. heh.

The difference is in the name, the propriatary software included and the ease of instalation. Slackware is more stable and secure than mandrake but 100 times more difficult to use for someone used to windows. If your new to linux go with redhat or mandrake until you get a feel for the system then go to the better versions like slack debian or onto *BSD

www.gamepc.com <-- high end dual boot gaming sytems

Oh, and you cant tell the guy @ gateway to do it. If you want to learn anything at all, do it yourself. Figure it out. Dont have some [censored] [censored] at gateway or something do it for you. If you ever want to learn how to do it or how to have "fun" without getting caught, do it for yourself.

I wouldn't say that linux is just for hard core programmers anymore. Certainly that's how it started, but now it's become much more user friendly. Anyway, the differences between Mandrake and Red Hat and Slackware are in the user friendliness. Mandrake is based on RH, it just has some different software. Both RH and Mandrake come with a bunch of software and utilities for doing everything from word processing and games to maintaining your system. Slackware requires you to rely a bit more on yourself. There aren't many utilities to maintain your system, you have to hand edit all the config files. In my opinion, this is a good thing,
because you learn the most about your system.

What OS to go with depends on your definition of fun. As sinetific said, Windows is awesome for games, Mac is the way to go for imaging and video, and unix is good for learning a whole bunch about how computers actually work. So it all depends on what you want to do.

I'd say set up a dual-boot system with Win2k and RH.

Well again, up to you what OS you want. Think you can learn linux, up to the battle? Your can't use your old win progs, unless you get an emulator.. They got a bunch of em though. I'll get into that in my forum perhaps... If you want to start with linix, go with Mandrake. It is favored a lot by people starting for the first time.

I'm not sure if they are still around but try www.penguincomputing.com and dell may still have their linux service up... Give em a try (I take dell over gateway neway).

[censored] that, go with Wine and WinEX or win4lin and you can run just about anything in linux...

umh, that would be the most powerful thing to do but not by far the easiest... It's all up to you if you're ready for the challenge <img border="0" alt="[[censored]]" title="" src="graemlins/[censored].gif" />

thanks, i think ill try mandrake or slack if i feel dareing. i was wondering if i need a certain prgram to veiw any kind of pic or somthing, i donno i cant see anything on a telnet prompt, is it anyhitng like that? <img border="0" alt="[[censored]]" title="" src="graemlins/[censored].gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[?]" title="" src="graemlins/question.gif" />

lol if you're planning on using it as just your OS it has a GUI heh... Telnet/SSH/etc are remote administration user interfaces.

Xwindows is just as graphical as MS Windows, just cant run windows [censored] without some work, but its well worth it in the long run. In fact when i get my new HD i'm going to be dual booting Slackware 8.0 and WinXP and configuring win4lin (windows in a window, uNF) and i'll strictly be in slackware all the time.

Why the hell would you want a comp from gateway?!?!?

I used mandrake, don't like it too much. It all comes down to RED HAT. yes, i know it's the best everybody. You can d/l linux pretty much any linux site. Don't spend ANY money on it at best buy or [censored]. if you do, i will smack you with gizmo's great peniX.

die.

he likes to touch my [censored]

Well, If you're very new to everything and you're looking to use linux...but you still want a windows type "click this and it will do that" feel, then I'd go with Red Hat or Mandrake. They do everything for you really, and you don't really have to hand configure much.

Slackware is what I use, and is what my server uses (OpenBSD & FreeBSD have some hardware conflicts with the server). Slackware doesn't have a great packaging system, and not many programmers put their programs into slackware packages. So you've usually gotta install everything from the source...which has it's ups and downs.

I'd say, start out with Redhat or Mandrake, and then if you like it, and you really wanna get down to the bare bones of everything...try Slackware.

Just remember...you're going to miss your games an awful lot. That's why on this computer...It's a dual boot with Slackware and Win2k.

[censored], install Win4Lin or Wine and WineX. You'll be able to run anything in slack that you can in windows...

ESPECIALLY in win4lin since it loads windows in a window, like it was meant to be...

Nah. I prefer to keep my operating systems segregated. Like they're intended to be. Running windows in a window...PROPOSTEROUS! <img border="0" alt="[Joker]" title="" src="graemlins/joker.gif" />

Hmm using 2 os's, how do u do this, is it like 2 comps on one screen. wow this sounds cool, windows and lunix at the same time wow, so you coudl actualy have windows in a window lol sounds kinda ironic...... so how woudl i do somthing like this?

Go locate Win4Lin, I have the rpm for it somewhere, so on some distros you have to get a package manager, but you can find it most of the time on diff sites, i believe the manufacturer charges $50 for it or something though...

wut 'bout VMWare on lin.

I can't get it to work cuz I can't find a working serial but I got it working on windows and it's the [censored] fattest prog i've seen. It was 12megs and it's download is sooooooo worth it.

I run win98 in a window just for using my LIve! Drive , I have win2k and debian all this on virtual disks, ram, harware,etc.
(WInXP is host system).

my respect to the Vmware coders...

ok so anyway, say that i wanted to try red hat.... would i have to delete my harddrive first, or can the program jsut do it for me, or what do i need to do???? <img border="0" alt="[?]" title="" src="graemlins/question.gif" /> little confused on how to install it