Hello! Question...

[Kadjar]

I run Windows, and after looking at this fine website, realized that it may be beneficial to jump to a linux OS.

I am sure the answers to these questions have been answered several times, so if anyone would be so kind as to provide links or answer the questions anyway, I would be very happy.

1. Games. Can a linux OS handle and run a demanding game such as UT2k4?
2. I know GIMP is available for linux, but for my purposes, it would not be sufficient. Can linux run Photoshop?
3. Can I have multiple OS's on one PC? Is it a good idea?

 :confused:

Thank you!

[Refalm]

I run Windows, and after looking at this fine website, realized that it may be beneficial to jump to a linux OS.

I am sure the answers to these questions have been answered several times, so if anyone would be so kind as to provide links or answer the questions anyway, I would be very happy.

1. Games. Can a linux OS handle and run a demanding game such as UT2k4?
2. I know GIMP is available for linux, but for my purposes, it would not be sufficient. Can linux run Photoshop?
3. Can I have multiple OS's on one PC? Is it a good idea?

 :confused:

Thank you!

1. Can Linux handle it? Linux runes UT 2004 faster with smoother graphics although you it will only work with a nVidia, but hey, ATI drivers suck, their fault anyway.
2. You can run a lot of Windows programs thru Wine. A tutorial.
3. Yes, as long as you remember to create a Linux start-up floppy/CD-ROM, for the case when Windows overrides the MBR.

[Siplus]

I had similar questions when i first got here a few years ago. I'll add a little to Refalm's statements

1. Games. Can a linux OS handle and run a demanding game such as UT2k4?

Yes, Linux (Operating systems) can handle intense graphics. Linux OS's can produce better results more quickly, provided that certain conditions are met:

A) The game has a Linux port. You wouldn't try to run a windows program natively on a mac, you would use a mac program. This is the same case. To get a game to run, see if it has a Linux port (UT2k4, Doom3, Neverwinter Nights are the three i play natively).

B) 'A' above is not entirely correct. If it does not have a linux port then your best option is to use Cedega (http://www.transgaming.com). A $5 program that lets you run windows programs in linux by translating the Windows API into Linux API and Directx into OpenGL. There is a slight performace hit, and check transgaming's compatibility list. Hey... it's 5/month for a subscription and I use it to play World of Warcraft and Warcraft 3, although many others work.

c) It is best if you have a good graphics card. This is obvious. Good graphics cards for Linux include nVidia Geforce cards. ATI is not necessarily a good graphics card producer, as their drivers suck ass

2. I know GIMP is available for linux, but for my purposes, it would not be sufficient. Can linux run Photoshop?

Linux can run Photoshop, but not natively. Similar to Cedega (formerly called WineX, since it was derived from Wine) above, a program called Wine (http://www.winehq.com) can run windows programs. Wine focuses on WinAPI --> LinuxAPI, and doesn't do anything with Directx as far as I'm aware of. It is free, too.

3. Can I have multiple OS's on one PC? Is it a good idea?

Yup. all you need is a seperate hard drive. Don't have a seperate hard drive free? then make a partition on one with some open space. I usually give my operating systems (ya...plural) at least 20gb each, but that is up to you.

During the install of the Linux operating system, it will install a Bootloader. This bootloader will give you the option to load either Linux or Windows every time you bootup your computer. GRUB is the most common bootloader used nowadays

If you don't like that method, then you can not bother with it and make a floppy bootdisk if your computer has a floppy drive.

[Refalm]

A) The game has a Linux port. You wouldn't try to run a windows program natively on a mac, you would use a mac program. This is the same case. To get a game to run, see if it has a Linux port (UT2k4, Doom3, Neverwinter Nights are the three i play natively).

UT 2004 runs natively on Linux. Just run

Code: [Select]

cd /mnt/cdrom
sh ./install.sh

[WMD]

Just to say.  I have GTA3 working under plain Wine, almost perfectly.  The only problems are that the opening movie doesn't play, and the mouse doesn't work while using the menus.  I also can't seem to change the resolution from 640x480x16, but I don't care about that (it's a slow game, only 60fps on my 1-year-old system).

[Kadjar]

I think I may partition my HD to run Linux... is there a safe way to do so without losing all my files?

If I remember correctly, FDISK in Command.com erases everything...

(Using NTFS)

Oh, and another unrelated question:
Can alternative browsers use ActiveX controls? I love my net radio :cool:

[Kintaro]

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[RaZoR1394]

1. I have 64bit ut2004 running under 64bit gentoo + x850xt and it runs like there was no tomorrow . Still the ati drivers are very low performing. I could gain a lot more if they had the same performance as the windows drivers like the nVidia ones. My card wasn't detected because it was pretty new so I had to binary hack the module which wasn't exactly fun.

So if you have an ati card don't even expect it to work. If it does it will be performing worse than Windows.

Many Win32 games are also able to run on linux with the help of an application layer called Wine. There is also a modification of it called Cedega with a DirectX9 implementation to allow even more games to run. Common examples of popular games running Wine and Cedega are HL2, CS, CS:source, World of warcraft, Guild wars etc.

2. Yes, both Crossover office and Wine should run versions up to CS and CS2. Remember that there is an open source project that uses GIMP+photoshop interface for those who are interested.

3. Yes, the bootloader does the job.

[Orethrius]

In response to the second set of questions:

I think I may partition my HD to run Linux... is there a safe way to do so without losing all my files?

Yeah, by burning your files to CD/DVD first.  
Truthfully, you could probably repartition your drive with PartitionMagic or some similar tool, but your best bet is to backup your files before you repartition. Besides, what are you going to do when your hard drive dies in ten years?

Oh, and another unrelated question:
Can alternative browsers use ActiveX controls? I love my net radio :cool:

I don't see what the former has to do with the latter, there are several decent tools (both browser extensions and separate applications) that can handle most net radio protocols, including a number of proprietary formats. Most alternate browsers don't use ActiveX and - given the outbreaks of Downloader.Ject - that's probably a good thing. Actually, Netscape 8 is being shipped with both the Gecko and Trident engines (English: Firefox and IE), but that offering is strictly Windows only (unusual break of habit for Netscape, but probably motivated by AOHell's latest misdirection).

[Calum]

most linux distros (such as mandriva, xandros, ubuntu et cetera) have a very useful and good partitioning tool that will enable you to slice up your hard drive no problem **however* you should always do a FULL backup just in case, and by that i  mean to say it's very likely that you yourself will make a mistake and erase stuff you wanted to keep, it's happened to me enough times!

partition magic is good, but it's no better than the partitioners that generally come as part of the install process with shiny user friendly linux distros, and what's more they are free, and Pmagic is not.

[Jenda]

The Ubuntu partition tool sliced up my friend's NTFS sans probleme... And Windows still runs nopro too.
But still - BACKUP YOUR DATA...

[muzzy]

AFAIK photoshop under WINE has compatibility problems. I wouldn't use it. Windows is far better choice if your needs are gaming and graphics.

I'd recommend getting some linux livecd to begin with, and only make the transition when you know you want to do it. The livecd approach doesn't need installation, and doesn't thus fuck up NTFS. It won't be able to write to NTFS partitions safely however, unless you use a livecd with the Captive NTFS.SYS hack to use windows's own drivers to work the NTFS volume.

Jumping blindly to linux doesn't make anything better, you're better off making informed choices, and you can become more informed, safely, by trying with a livecd first. Or perhaps even multiple different livecd distributions...

[Aloone_Jonez]

I agree, I jumped into Linux without thinking and I had a bad experience with it. This is a bad idea if you don't make an informed decision you could end up with the opinion that Linux sucks and be put off for life like some people I know have.

Luckily I haven't been completely put off Linux as I've realized that Linux can be vary variable, while one distribution might be shit another might be really good.