Linux?

Well yeah I'm a noob at this stuff and don't know if it belongs here but, I want to know what Linux actually is/does. I tried google but all I got were downloads and diggs. I'm installing Gnu/Linux and I don't know whether I should keep Windows or get Linux. Wut shud i do?

Sorry and please move this if you're a cool mod. I saw the " linux distros " Thread and thought it might go here.
Now I see it doesn't

[Prometheum]

Gnu/Linux is an operating system. It fulfills the same functions as Windows or OS X, and has a lot of features that end up making it faster than both, lighter than both, more secure than both, etc.

If you're installing Gnu/Linux, I recommend you boot off of the gNewSense live CD. If everything works, install that. If some things (like network devices or graphics cards) don't, then install Ubuntu. The reason for that is...

The main asset of Gnu/Linux is freedom. Free software and its development process have a lot of edges over non-free software and its process, so the more free, the better. Freedom gives software security, stability, faster release cycles, more features, and fewer bugs. gNewSense is a 100% free distro, but to do that, they had to take out non-free drivers and firmware. Ubuntu has those drivers, but the downside is, if the drivers are faulty, nobody can fix them and you're fucked. With free drivers, there are usually fixes within a day of any major bug.

http://gnewsense.org
http://ubuntu.com

You're making a good choice, coming to Gnu/Linux. It'll be tough at first, as you'll be learning how to use a whole new operating system, but it'll start paying off fast.

Originally Posted by Prometheum

Gnu/Linux is an operating system. It fulfills the same functions as Windows or OS X, and has a lot of features that end up making it faster than both, lighter than both, more secure than both, etc.

If you're installing Gnu/Linux, I recommend you boot off of the gNewSense live CD. If everything works, install that. If some things (like network devices or graphics cards) don't, then install Ubuntu. The reason for that is...

The main asset of Gnu/Linux is freedom. Free software and its development process have a lot of edges over non-free software and its process, so the more free, the better. Freedom gives software security, stability, faster release cycles, more features, and fewer bugs. gNewSense is a 100% free distro, but to do that, they had to take out non-free drivers and firmware. Ubuntu has those drivers, but the downside is, if the drivers are faulty, nobody can fix them and you're fucked. With free drivers, there are usually fixes within a day of any major bug.

http://gnewsense.org
http://ubuntu.com

You're making a good choice, coming to Gnu/Linux. It'll be tough at first, as you'll be learning how to use a whole new operating system, but it'll start paying off fast.

Would I be able to backup Windows XP just in case??

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by Ub3rMonk3y

Would I be able to backup Windows XP just in case??

Yeah, you would.

This is a bit complex, and there are easier ways to do it, but the way I always back up my installed systems is just by directly imaging them with dd.

You'll want a command like this:

dd if=/dev/hda1 of=/media/disk/winxp_bak.img

What that means is it takes the input file /dev/hda1 and copies it to the oput file /media/disk/winxp_bak.img.

In that case, /dev/hda1 is the first IDE hard drive on the system. Adjust that for what your XP system's real device node is. The second partition on the first drive is /dev/hda2, while the second drive is /dev/hdb. This isn't too hard.


(On Ubuntu and some other later distros, it's /dev/sd<whatever> because of kernel hackery they use.)

The file that you just put on your backup drive (mounted at /media/disk) is a full image of the entire drive. You can copy it back to the drive later and have everything restored in one go if you need to.

Never mind this post.


I'll try the thing you provided and/or try to see if I can also back it up on a DVD/CD disk....

Originally Posted by Prometheum

If you're installing Gnu/Linux, I recommend you boot off of the gNewSense live CD. If everything works, install that. If some things (like network devices or graphics cards) don't, then install Ubuntu.

I disagree. OP if you're just starting out in GNU/Linux, you need not to worry about open source/property software yet, it might not even be a problem to you, or it may even be something that you're not even bothered about.

suggesting to him to boot gNewSense will probably end up being problematic, even if everything seems to work off a live CD. Lets not make it difficult for him first time around, and have him fuss about how is wireless/graphics card is not working. Although I do understand where your coming from prom and I do agree that it'll most likely be more beneficial to him in the long run. But I see so many people who get turned off about using GNU/Linux after spending so many hours trying to fix the distro, right after they have just installed it.

As far as going to find sources for education, you can pretty much find them anywhere. I mean, there's so much information out there, it really shouldn't be to hard.

http://www.ubuntu.com/
https://help.ubuntu.com/
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/
http://ubuntuforums.org/
http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Hardy
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/
http://www.tldp.org/
http://www.linuxcommand.org/ <-- Really Good
http://distrowatch.com/ <-- Also Really Good.

Those are just a few, but there a literally tons out there.

OP, Just go with ubuntu for now.

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by villageillness

I disagree. OP if you're just starting out in GNU/Linux, you need not to worry about open source/property software yet, it might not even be a problem to you, or it may even be something that you're not even bothered about.

suggesting to him to boot gNewSense will probably end up being problematic, even if everything seems to work off a live CD. Lets not make it difficult for him first time around, and have him fuss about how is wireless/graphics card is not working. Although I do understand where your coming from prom and I do agree that it'll most likely be more beneficial to him in the long run. But I see so many people who get turned off about using GNU/Linux after spending so many hours trying to fix the distro, right after they have just installed it.

Worrying about your freedom is completely separate from starting to use Gnu/Linux. A fully free distro will be easier to learn from, as all of the components will have available source code. Also, if someone's starting to use Gnu/Linux, I'm going to suggest the most free distro I can find, because I wouldn't suggest that anyone shackle themselves and think that that's the way life is.

The gNewSense liveCD has only free software on it. If an ethernet/wireless/graphics card won't work on the LiveCD, it won't work on the full install, and if it won't work on the full install, it won't work on the liveCD. The only conflict I can see is the fact that graphics cards that are non-free will work with Vesa, but when tutorials on the internet say to put some non-free driver in xorg.conf, the system will barf. However, the graphics will be shit on the liveCD in that case, and if that doesn't fit the OP's needs, he can use Ubuntu and get better hardware later.

I get what you mean. However, booting a LiveCD won't hurt him; and if anything works, he gets to be a user of a fully free system. To add to that, gNewSense is in it's infancy as distros go, and he'll be able to learn a lot about the system just by hanging out in the IRC room or getting on the mailing list. Not all of us can run gNewSense (yet) and that includes myself (on some machines ), but the least he can do is try it and see if it works.