Finding The Right OS

[TonyFordz]

I am very new to Linux, but over the years I have heard good things about it. I am rather sick of MicroSoft Windows, and now wish to build my 2nd PC with a different OS. The only reason I have continued to use Windows, is because I do not know if my software & games will be compatible with another OS other then Windows.

I just bought a new motherboard, and so far it seams to work great. The down side is, it doesn't have drivers to support Linux, and or anything other then Windows OSes. This is a slight downfall.

I know most people are going with AMD now days, and I still to this day prefer P4 & Xeon processors. I am at this time running a P4 1.7GHz Socket 478 CPU, 20GB Quantum Fireball 5400 rpm Master, 300GB Maxtor 7200 rpm ATA133 16mb buffer, 1GB DDR333, P4P800-E Deluxe Motherboard, 17" KDS Monitor, MicroFucker Inferred Keyboard & Wireless Mouse, OEM Non Brand Name DVD Writer, 52x32x52 Liteon CD Writer, ATI 9600 Pro 128mb AGP 8x.... This is my first PC that I have been upgrading over time.

I want a stable OS that is not a resource hog. I am sick of having my PC crash, and being nailed with everything known to man on the net, that was meant to target MicroSoft OSes. I am in great need of suggestions for an OS that is simple to use, but also very powerful. Something that will not be a waste of money, and will be well worth my time and money.

Anyone know of an OS that may be suitable for me? If so please do share you're ideas, and help.

Thank you,
Tony

[mobrien_12]

I am very new to Linux, but over the years I have heard good things about it. I am rather sick of MicroSoft Windows, and now wish to build my 2nd PC with a different OS. The only reason I have continued to use Windows, is because I do not know if my software & games will be compatible with another OS other then Windows.

I just bought a new motherboard, and so far it seams to work great. The down side is, it doesn't have drivers to support Linux, and or anything other then Windows OSes. This is a slight downfall.

I know most people are going with AMD now days, and I still to this day prefer P4 & Xeon processors. I am at this time running a P4 1.7GHz Socket 478 CPU, 20GB Quantum Fireball 5400 rpm Master, 300GB Maxtor 7200 rpm ATA133 16mb buffer, 1GB DDR333, P4P800-E Deluxe Motherboard, 17" KDS Monitor, MicroFucker Inferred Keyboard & Wireless Mouse, OEM Non Brand Name DVD Writer, 52x32x52 Liteon CD Writer, ATI 9600 Pro 128mb AGP 8x.... This is my first PC that I have been upgrading over time.

I want a stable OS that is not a resource hog. I am sick of having my PC crash, and being nailed with everything known to man on the net, that was meant to target MicroSoft OSes. I am in great need of suggestions for an OS that is simple to use, but also very powerful. Something that will not be a waste of money, and will be well worth my time and money.

Anyone know of an OS that may be suitable for me? If so please do share you're ideas, and help.

Thank you,
Tony

What exactly makes you think that your mother board won't work with Linux?
Just because the manufacturer doesn't supply drivers for Linux doesn't mean it isn't supported.  Unless it has a wierd hard disk controller, I really don't think you would have a problem.  You may know something you are not telling us, which is why I ask.  

But as for your current windows based games, well don't expect them to run on a non-Windows operating systems.  Some games will work under wine using linux or BSD, but the performance hit can sometimes be bad, and sometimes not. I don't run games under wine.

Some of your simpler windows programs will run under Wine.  Don't expect most of them to, and sometimes getting a program to rununder wine can be a chore.  IF you go to a new OS, you in general go to new apps.  If you go to Linux or BSD, you get a bunch of great open source apps with the  Operating System.

BSD rocks, but takes more work to set up than your avg. Linux distro.

My advice is to first get yourself a copy of knoppix and try linux out from the Knoppix live CD.  See if it fits your requirements.

[Aloone_Jonez]

[The down side is, it doesn't have drivers to support Linux, and or anything other then Windows OSes. This is a slight downfall.

Just for future referance check that a piece of hardware is Linux compatable before you buy it if you intend to use it under Linux. Check the Internet first, as mobrian said, just because it doesn't come with Linux drivers it doesn't mean it isn't Linux compatable.

[worker201]

OSX sounds like exactly what you are looking for - too bad it isn't available for PCs.  Yet.

Ubuntu seems to be great for beginners.  New users love it, seasoned users hate it.  Sounds like a good place to start to me.

[ReggieMicheals]

Just work your way up the UNIX ladder - starting with Ubuntu, and ending with something somewhat more complex - such as I dunno, Fedora? I haven't tried many Linux Distros.

[cymon]

I would never, ever, recommend anything RPM-based to a newbie. The last thing someone needs when using a new operating system is a dependancy hell. You can use ubuntu, or Debian if you're up to a bit of research.

[Siplus]

I would never, ever, recommend anything RPM-based to a newbie. The last thing someone needs when using a new operating system is a dependancy hell. You can use ubuntu, or Debian if you're up to a bit of research.

Huh. I started with Redhat 8 and I never had a 'problem' with dependancies. I know 'dependancy hell' exists, i hear people talking about it, but I have never experienced it. Apt-get works for Redhat/Fedora.

In my opinion, the UI involved in installing rpm's on fedora is much better than the UI involved with installing deb's on ubuntu.

In fedora, I can just double click on an RPM in Gnome and it will ask for Root's password and install. In Ubuntu I have to 'sudo dpkg -i package.deb' in a command line.

New users typically like GUI more than entering commands in CLI :-P

[cymon]

Using .deb packages is a bit like buying OSX Tiger, then running nothing but classic apps on it. If you're running Ubuntu, or anything else Debian based, then you should use apt-get. Otherwise, you're making it harder to do something that was designed to be simple.

[worker201]

Dependency hell is part of the fun!  Seriously!  You can learn a lot just by going through it a few times.  By definition it forces you to see what libraries are used where, and gives useful insights into the inner-workings of Linux.

But unfortunately for me, programs like synaptic have made system maintenance in Fedora extraordinarily easy.  Dependency hell is no longer my problem.  Of course that deprives newbs of the challenge and experience of figuring out how to use the rpm command properly to query, erase, install, and upgrade.  Or doing web searches for rpm repos that have the packages you need.

[offtopic]I think that the marketing dicks who decided that everyone gets to use a computer have kinda ruined things for the rest of us.  If every dumbhole wants to use a computer, of course you are going to have garbage like Windows, Excel, Powerpoint, Roxio, and proprietary scanner interfaces.  I'd rather have only people who really care about computers - how they run, how they could run, how they should run, and how to build your own - using Linux.  That would prevent the industry from getting too user-friendly, since so far, it seems that user-friendly = poweruser-unfriendly.[/offtopic]

[Jenda]

I can recommend using Ubuntu. I started with Mandrake - which I can honestly NOT recommend , and then switched to Ubuntu. I'm quite advanced now as a Linux user and see no reason to switch from Ubuntu. It is a slight resource hog, but nothing compared to Windows - and can be easily chopped down to be less demanding. With specs like yours - you have nothing to worry about.
There are many expert users who are happy with Ubuntu - so I don't see why worker201 says they hate it. You can download it from ubuntulinux.org or order free (really free, no $ at all) CDs on shipit.ubuntu.org - it takes them 6 weeks to deliver though.
Ubuntu uses Gnome by default, and if you want something more robust (and more demanding resource-wise), you can switch to KDE (called Kubuntu) and if you want it to be more lightweight (but not just CLI), you can use XFCE (Xubuntu) or Fluxbox (Flubuntu - not too widespread ATM). Ubuntu has massive online support at Ubuntuforums.org and on IRC at #ubuntu, #kubuntu, #xubuntu etc. Definitely a good place to start - and has LiveCDs available if you want to try it out.

[TonyFordz]

Thank you for all the ideas... This PC will keep windows regardless. I need it for my programs, and games. I will be putting something else on the 2nd I will be building. As for what I am not sure right now.
 
About Redhat, I used a copy of Mandrake one time, and it was a real bitch trying to get it to notice my eithernet cards, and I never did find drivers that supported it, so i gave up, and deleted it. That was a different board then, and to be honest I think I would be better off with something like Free BSD. Not sure though, as I know nothing at all about it.
 
For the most part I am a lazy bastard when it comes to reading, and research. I want something simple and easy to use. Not something that will challenge me, I get enough of that with the BS of windows. Every time you go to a damn web site some shit is forced into you're PC. It really sucks that companies can get away with that shit, knowing damn well it lags the persons computers down like a mother fucker. I never place spyware in my appz, or programs, and nothing hidden. Free is free, no bullshit added..
 
Take Yahoo messenger for example. They have two check boxes at the beginning of installation. One is asking if you want the stupid toolbar, the other is to make them you're start page. Ok you say no to both, and as soon as you open IE that fucking toolbar is right there. Now that shit aught to be illegal. I notice that with a lot of programs. You say no, and you end up with it anyway.
 
Half the damn anti spyware appz put shit on you're PC while taking others off. Whats the damn point of having them. And wtf is with windows update? All you are doing is installing & replacing old errors with new ones. What has Microsoft ever done right other then Win98. They don't give a rats ass about the user, its all about the money. And half the shit they come out with is ripped off someone else.
 
Again thank you for the ideas, although I have no clue what most of you are on about.. But then I did just wake up..
 
I would go back to Mac, but it has been so dam long since I have used one, and the prices are outrageous compared to PCs. Though in many ways a Mac will smoke a PC any day.

[Aloone_Jonez]

FreeBSD is harder to use than most Linux distros, I recommend either Ubuntu or Vector Linux because they've both worked well enough for me. Seriously though you sound like the kind of person who'd prefer a Mac, I haven't used one for any great length of time but I'm told it's the best option if you want something easy to use, stable and secure.

Oh and don't use Internet Explorer use Opera or Firefox, don't use Outlook use thunderbird.

[Aloone_Jonez]

Just work your way up the UNIX ladder - starting with Ubuntu, and ending with something somewhat more complex - such as I dunno, Fedora? I haven't tried many Linux Distros.

Kevin,
This post illustrates how little you know about the various distributions of Linux  Fedora and Ununtu are both fairly easy to use an example of a more hardcore distro might be Slackware.

How many distros have you actually tried?
Not many going by this post, so don't you think you've been a bit quick to judge Linux?

[cymon]

I've worked with Debian, it's quite nice actually.

[piratePenguin]

I started with Mandrake - which I can honestly NOT recommend

Why's that?

It's interesting to know why different people dislike different GNU/Linux distributions. It seems like it wouldn't be possible for about half a billion people to each be happy with a single GNU/Linux distribution, and it wouldn't. Windows has about half a billion users, but they're definetly not all completely happy with the way things are done (not muzzy. Not Aloone_Jonez. (RE: default settings, and probably other stuff. Infact, probably noone bar some offline users, can be completely happy with the way things are done on Windows.)). The same half a billion users, using different GNU/Linux distributions based on whatever the hell they want, will be miles happier with the way things are done, because they have all the different distributions and tools to chose from, and their source code, and everything they'd need to make their own system (read: the inappropriately-named "Linux From Scratch").

It's beautiful, and it's called freedom. And it's why worker201 doesn't and probably won't ever have much of a problem to worry about.

With enough effort, there is little doubt that Tony, you couldn't "Find The Right OS" in a GNU/Linux distribution (either an already-existant one with or without a few customizations or one you create yourself).

I am now going to post an overly large picture that has previously been posted by skyman:


Have a good day.