Window 7

[OnymousIllusion]

Is there a website that can help me make the switch to linux... I used it a couple of times but really don't know anything about it so if anyone knows a good website i would appreciated

thanks....

[S6k9GNh0]

Well I can actually give you a tutorial:

1) Download your favorite variation of Linux.
2) Install it.
3) Fin.


On a serious note, most modern distributions come with a LiveCD ISO that you burn to a disc and boot from using your BIOS load manager. Then from there, it gives a network-less installation which is usually faster and even more simple than Windows, giving a step-by-step instructions on how to configure everything using simple GUI-based tools. Most LiveCDs even come with a UI Partition Tool, usually gParted. The LiveCD usually gives everything you need for your basic or advanced installation. The only thing you need to choose from is the wide variety of distributions.

And damnit! I wrote this article without thinking about the location of this post. Couldn't you have googled?

[OnymousIllusion]

Well I could but end up with bad website or take a shot in the dark and ask people on thus forum.

[S6k9GNh0]

http://www.linuxvirgins.com/index.html

I personally don't like Knoppix but its fine for general use. I use Fedora which can be buggy at times, arch linux when I feel like it, and an LFS when I'm being adventurous.

[OnymousIllusion]

Thank you

[tition]

Why not a bootable USB stick? (All three times I installed linux I did it this way).

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/create-a-ubuntu-9-10-live-usb-in-windows/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

Just make sure your BIOS can boot from USB. If not, you can still work-around it: look under section Alternative method->Requirements in the second of the two links.

[chrisname]

Ubuntu 10 is pretty much here (29th April), might as well wait for that if you're going to use Ubuntu.

@tition,
Can't you configure USB ports to emulate floppies?

[helios]

Can't you configure USB ports to emulate floppies?

Don't be silly.

[blackcoder41]

I used it a couple of times but really don't know anything about it so if anyone knows a good website i would appreciated

me too, tried it many time but all i know to do is to install and use the built in softwares thats it. i want to be able to understand its command line interface and the PATH, stuff like that.

anyway i use puppy linux with my usb drive.

[S6k9GNh0]

Windows and Linux actually both have a lot of similar functionality (on the outside anyways and that's still stretching it) . Linux is much more console oriented though and is a lot more restricting. I would suggest that you attempt an LFS (however boring it is) or read a book on the Linux structure. It's actually rather interesting.

[Bazzy]

Linux is much more console oriented though and is a lot more restricting

What? Linux is restricting?
BTW, You can use a Linux without even know what a console / terminal emulator is

[chrisname]

In what way is Linux "restricting?" You have 2 main choices for the X11 implementation (X.org, XFree86), you have at least 4 main choices for the desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, Fluxbox, Xfce), you have a lot of choice for shells (sh, bash, dash, zsh, csh, tcsh), C compilers (gcc, tcc, VC on Wine). You can choose everything. Even zip programs (p7zip, bzip2, gzip, zip). I have all of those installed.

Besides that, if you do something stupid in Linux, Linux will assume you want to do it and let you do it. That's not always a good thing, but IMO it's better than "Stop! What you're doing will break things! I'm not even going to give you the option of doing it anyway, because no-one could possibly want to uninstall Windows, right? Right??? Right!?!? Hey, what are you burning to that CD? Is that... is that Linux? NOOOOOOO!"

I will agree that Linux is more console-oriented. But there's very little that you can't do with a GUI. Personally, I like to use the terminal, I find it faster to do some things with a terminal.

[Bazzy]

if you do something stupid in Linux, Linux will assume you want to do it and let you do it

Not really, it will ask for root privileges before doing it

[chrisname]

Well, yeah; but otherewise you can still sudo rm -rf / and if your account is in the sudoers file, you're asked for your password rather than root's.

[Bazzy]

Only root can put you in the sudoers file...

[chrisname]

Yes, I know; but if you're in the sudoers file for whatever reason (Ubuntu, for example, puts the account you create at installation time in the sudoers file automatically) you can delete the file system anyway. If you had elevated privileges, you could do something stupid like rm -rf / and Linux would let you. Windows would stop you regardless of your privileges (although maybe it would ask you, I don't know).

Edit 1: Anyway, Bazzy, we're both arguing the same point -- Linux is not restricting. But it is secure. That's probably the best thing about it -- it achieves security without being annoying. And that's actually why I first used Linux -- I got sick of windows' stupid user account control and disabled it after about ten minutes. But then, that defeats the purpose of having it in the first place. Security should be implemented in kernel space, not user space.

Edit 2: Speaking of which, what does the windows GUI run in? I would assume userland, but it seems to be able to do things other programs can't which makes me think it's running in ring 1 or 2 (not 0).

Edit 3: @OnymousIllusion,
Did you try http://www.distrowatch.com ?

[S6k9GNh0]

I meant more secure, I'm sorry... Wrong syntax :/

[chrisname]

In that case, you were right. I was confused as to why you would say Linux was restricting because you use it; but oh well.

[blackcoder41]

Well I could but end up with bad website or take a shot in the dark and ask people on thus forum.

yeah i agree, google give different search results in different countries. also some website i find sometimes say that the content of their page is not available in our country.