Stop Microsoft

Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: choochun2b on 6 August 2005, 08:06

Title: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: choochun2b on 6 August 2005, 08:06
Hey guys. ALright since I was a kid I have been using Microsoft on all my computers. After going through so many troublesome reboots, windows xp repair installations, reboot installations, blue screens, and computer crashes I ahve been fed up. I got really fed up about this weekend. I am running a web design business and so I need to be on my computer almost every time. My computer crashed one day after turning it on and a black screen came up saying a recent hardwae or software change might have caused this while I ahd not installed or done anything wrong. So then the computer endlessly started rebooting and thats when I said enough is ENOUGH! So I ask you guys to help me out and show me a different solutions where I can have a different OS and I can also use my programs like Word Excel and MAcromedia Flash and Dreamweaver . So basically I want a different OS but to be able to use the same Programs.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 6 August 2005, 08:40
Ubuntu (http://www.openoffice.org/product2/writer.html) is a very good GNU/Linux distribution (operating system) for new users. You can download it (http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download/) or have it sent out for free (http://shipit.ubuntulinux.org/). Installation is fairly straight forward, and ubuntuguide.org (http://ubuntuguide.org/) have some excellent documentation to get you started after that.

Instead of using Microsoft Word and Excel, consider the OpenOffice.org office suite (http://openoffice.org) which has Writer (http://www.openoffice.org/product/writer.html) and Calc (http://www.openoffice.org/product/calc.html), or Abiword (http://www.abisource.com/) and Gnumeric (http://www.gnumeric.org/) if you don't want to install a whole office suite.

None of the recent (MX+) versions of either Flash or Dreamweaver work under Wine (http://winehq.com), which is a program that can be used for running programs designed for Windows in GNU/Linux. However, Nvu (http://www.nvu.com/) is a good free alternative to Dreamweaver, so you could try that.
Unfortunately, I've never come accross an alternative to Flash.


All the software I linked to above is free (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) and free (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=gratis).
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: worker201 on 6 August 2005, 08:41
I have been damn impressed with my Macintosh iBook.  I have Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, and Fireworks.  I can also use GNU programs like the gimp and gaim.  I dare not speak of Word or Excel, but Mariner Write is one of the coolest word processors I have ever used, and it only costs like $60.  Total number of crashes in the last 18 months - 2.  Total number of required restarts - like 15.  Total number of antivirus programs - 0.

If you want to hold onto your design tools, I suggest a Mac.  Sure, you can get the programs running in Linux, but it's somewhat buggy and slow.  And, to be perfectly honest, you probably don't want to learn a whole new computing paradigm at this point in your life.  Macs are high value for the money, and OSX is an incredible OS.

If you DO want to learn a new and challenging but exciting way of computing, I and others would be more than happy to help you get started with Linux.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: choochun2b on 6 August 2005, 11:04
THANK YOU so much guys!!! I think this really helped me out but I was wondering also, if i install these programs would i be able to access all my files on the hard drive I have using these programs cause I have valuable files on there. Also I am a web designer so I need to use macromedia products cause all my stuff is in that format is there anyway i can use both. Id like to use mac OS but I have a PC . Is it possible to put a mac os in there??
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 6 August 2005, 15:51
Quote from: choochun2b
if i install these programs would i be able to access all my files on the hard drive I have using these programs cause I have valuable files on there.
Yep, but I'd recommend you backup any valuable data before repartitioning the drive.
You can keep Windows installed and dualboot between it and GNU/Linux (then when you turn on the computer it'll ask you whether you wanna boot Windows or GNU/Linux).
Quote from: choochun2b
Also I am a web designer so I need to use macromedia products cause all my stuff is in that format is there anyway i can use both.
If you're dualbooting, you could use Windows for Dreamweaver/Flash, and GNU/Linux for browsing the web and whatever else you do. There's another program like Wine, Crossover Office, and it's much better than Wine for applications like Dreamweaver and Flash, but it's non-free (and non-free). I think Dreamweaver MX and Flash MX work in that, dunno about MX 2004.

Or, you could get your hands on vmware or a similar program, which allows you to run Windows inside GNU/Linux. I've never used them before, and don't know much about them.
Quote from: choochun2b
Id like to use mac OS but I have a PC . Is it possible to put a mac os in there??
Kindof (http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/), but, I wouldn't recommend it for full-time use...
Maybe soon though (after Mac OS X is out for intel chips. And is... Cracked, hopefully)...
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: Lead Head on 6 August 2005, 15:53
You cannot put a mac OS on a Pc because macs use there own specialo hardware, When/if you install ubuntu it should have an option to shrink the windows partition so you can have some space on ubuntu. You should be able to acces the windows files
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: Calum on 7 August 2005, 01:46
vmware (which is a PC emulator, it emulates the hardware of a PC) is fantastic, by the way, although it does cost money. however it has a lot of advantages over using a real PC to run windows (or any other OS) on, you get to change a lot of options that you would have to buy new hardware for if you were using a real machine.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: toadlife on 7 August 2005, 02:43
Buy a Mac.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: WMD on 7 August 2005, 03:37
Quote from: toadlife
Buy a Mac.

Simple, yet worthy, advice. :thumbup:
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: Jenda on 7 August 2005, 12:02
You have really come to the right place.

I'll add a few comments:
Quote
When/if you install ubuntu it should have an option to shrink the windows partition so you can have some space on ubuntu. You should be able to acces the windows files
Yes, it does have the option. It uses fdisk, I think, and it has no problem whatsoever with NTFS partitions, which is what you prolly have if you use XP or win2k. Linux access to NTFS partitions is, however, read-only, so I would recommend (in case of a Linux(Ubuntu)-Windows dual boot) having four partitions. One (about 5 gigs, NTFS) for Windows, one (as big as you can, FAT32) for documents, work etc., and two more for Ubuntu(each about two and a half or three gigs), one for the system (/) and the other for your GNU/Linux documents and settings (/home). You might also want a swap partition, which is Linux's way of saying "virtual memory". That is usually twice the size of your RAM.

Ubuntu fills the purpose of a home desktop perfectly. I would suppose it would work OK for you too.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: ksym on 8 August 2005, 20:04
Quote from: toadlife
Buy a Mac.

Just like he said:
Buy a Mac.

Not knowing GNU/Linux makes you get frustrated later on ... if you just want an operating system, that does all the thinking for you, then buy a Mac.

I use Linux cuz i know how. Same goes for BSD afaik.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 8 August 2005, 20:19
Quote from: ksym
I use Linux cuz i know how. Same goes for BSD afaik.
Learning GNU/Linux isn't terribly hard. If you're determined enough, you'll survive brilliantly. If you're not, while you would get by, you're probably better off on a more user-friendly operating system.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: ksym on 8 August 2005, 20:31
Quote from: piratePenguin
Learning GNU/Linux isn't terribly hard. If you're determined enough, you'll survive brilliantly. If you're not, while you would get by, you're probably better off on a more user-friendly operating system.

I may be a bastard elitist, but most people who I know are IT-handicapped retards.

You know, these guys who think it is "ELITE" to get a pirated game cracked.

Sucks to be so perceptive ... I think I just should plug my eyes out and be ignorant ... I'd be happier that way.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 8 August 2005, 20:35
Quote from: ksym
I may be a bastard elitist, but most people who I know are IT-handicapped retards.

You know, these guys who think it is "ELITE" to get a pirated game cracked.

Sucks to be so perceptive ... I think I just should plug my eyes out and be ignorant ... I'd be happier that way.
The same people, if they hated Windows like choochun2b does, would surely survive in the user-friendly ubuntu if they wanted to.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: ksym on 8 August 2005, 20:40
Quote from: piratePenguin
The same people, if they hated Windows like choochun2b does, would surely survive in the user-friendly ubuntu if they wanted to.

At the first time they need to get DVD playback working (installing libdvdcss and others), they decide they want not survive with Linux ;)

Believe me, this is how it works in most of cases.

Only the most daring and the most brilliant people should be given rights to use GNU/Linux or BSD systems. The rest retardos should go wank on their Windows ...

This way we need not listen to the complains of some illiterate "3lit3-h4ck3rs" who know not how to use google ...
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 8 August 2005, 20:49
Quote from: ksym
At the first time they need to get DVD playback working (installing libdvdcss and others), they decide they want not survive with Linux ;)
http://ubuntuguide.org/ (http://ubuntuguide.org/)
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: worker201 on 8 August 2005, 21:42
Detailed instructions don't make something easy.  And they don't help you deal with new or strange problems either.  They make you dumb.  It makes me sick to see all the kids on linuxforums.org who are like "I can't find the install.exe for audacity" and "where can i find a driver for my mouse?".  Windows has rotted their brains, and made them incapable of understanding or appreciating Linux.

The only way to succeed in Linux is to just jump in and expect to fail.  Wipe your computer clean and reinstall.  If you can't get on the internet, go to the library and use theirs to find answers.  Don't even consider a dualboot for the first 3 months.  Read everything you can, and try everything you can.  Reinstall every week, and build your own kernels.  Eventually, you will be comfortable enough to start doing cool shit.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: ksym on 8 August 2005, 21:47
Quote from: worker201
Detailed instructions don't make something easy. And they don't help you deal with new or strange problems either. They make you dumb. It makes me sick to see all the kids on linuxforums.org who are like "I can't find the install.exe for audacity" and "where can i find a driver for my mouse?". Windows has rotted their brains, and made them incapable of understanding or appreciating Linux.

The only way to succeed in Linux is to just jump in and expect to fail. Wipe your computer clean and reinstall. If you can't get on the internet, go to the library and use theirs to find answers. Don't even consider a dualboot for the first 3 months. Read everything you can, and try everything you can. Reinstall every week, and build your own kernels. Eventually, you will be comfortable enough to start doing cool shit.

So true.

And this makes GNU/Linux an enterprise level OS, right?

AFAIK enterprise OS's need to have everything thought out for the user ... GNU/Linuxes are more make-it-yourself, so no enterprise for Linux then ;)

No wait, we have a chance!

What about you GNU/Linux dudes start admitting that GNU/Linux has a lot of problems, starting with non-standardized userland, ABI incompatibilities and the lack of robust installation API?

Admitting these defiencies should not be too hard, I know, I have done it. As a Linux user I know the faults and quirks of our platform, yet I am not ashamed of them.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: ksym on 8 August 2005, 22:45
Quote from: choochun2b
Hey guys. ALright since I was a kid I have been using Microsoft on all my computers. After going through so many troublesome reboots, windows xp repair installations, reboot installations, blue screens, and computer crashes I ahve been fed up. I got really fed up about this weekend. I am running a web design business and so I need to be on my computer almost every time. My computer crashed one day after turning it on and a black screen came up saying a recent hardwae or software change might have caused this while I ahd not installed or done anything wrong. So then the computer endlessly started rebooting and thats when I said enough is ENOUGH! So I ask you guys to help me out and show me a different solutions where I can have a different OS and I can also use my programs like Word Excel and MAcromedia Flash and Dreamweaver . So basically I want a different OS but to be able to use the same Programs.

And If you are really into it ...

JUST INSTALL BSD.

You get nice, well thought out standards and system designs with it. In GNU/Linux you sometimes need to do it all yourself, since these systems are not standardized in any way ...
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: piratePenguin on 8 August 2005, 22:56
Quote from: ksym
JUST INSTALL BSD.
Good suggestion.
You can get some information about GNU/FreeBSD at http://www.nongnu.org/glibc-bsd/ (http://www.nongnu.org/glibc-bsd/)

Just kidding. choochun2b, if you wanna go the *BSD route (hard. Very hard. But if you really wanted to do it, you could, and it would likely pay off in the end.), I suggest FreeBSD (http://www.freebsd.org/) (NOT GNU/FreeBSD). The FreeBSD Handbook (http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/index.html) provides some brilliant and extensive documentation for FreeBSD to get you started.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: Jenda on 9 August 2005, 19:02
Quote
At the first time they need to get DVD playback working (installing libdvdcss and others), they decide they want not survive with Linux (http://../ubb/ubb/wink.gif)

Believe me, this is how it works in most of cases.
Very true. Very unfortunate.
 
Quote
Only the most daring and the most brilliant people should be given rights to use GNU/Linux or BSD systems. The rest retardos should go wank on their Windows ...
No. This is wrong and you know it. But if they complain, say, that there ain't no Start menu, then let them rot away with Windows.
 
Quote
   Detailed instructions don't make something easy. And they don't help you deal with new or strange problems either. They make you dumb. It makes me sick to see all the kids on linuxforums.org who are like "I can't find the install.exe for audacity" and "where can i find a driver for my mouse?". Windows has rotted their brains, and made them incapable of understanding or appreciating Linux.

Ubuntuguide does make the stuff easy. Most people won't bother though. Anyway: UG tells you the exact commands and it takes about five seconds to copy them down into the terminal. It takes a little longer if you try to understand what you actually do.
 
Quote
What about you GNU/Linux dudes start admitting that GNU/Linux has a lot of problems, starting with non-standardized userland, ABI incompatibilities and the lack of robust installation API?

Admitting these defiencies should not be too hard, I know, I have done it. As a Linux user I know the faults and quirks of our platform, yet I am not ashamed of them.
In essence I agree. GNU/Linux has many, many faults. But I do think the community is more or less aware of this reality (it is quite obvious, I think) and a lot of people are working their asses off, most of these without being paid for it, to make things better.
Title: Re: Please Help! Have been Finally Fed Up With Microsoft!
Post by: hm_murdock on 10 August 2005, 00:40
Mac mini is $499. Plug your USB mouse, keyboard, and VGA display into it.