Linux, Lindows etc.

[Vaskez]

Just wondering if anyone's tried Lindows? This OS is supposed to be Linux but with a Windows ease-of-use. I'm not gonna get it cos it costs money and I never pay for operating systems, but I would still like to know what people who have used it, think. Hey don't get me wrong, I don't pay for OS's cos I don't need to. I got windows 2000 free from university as a Computer Engineering student. Also, Linux is usually free, but not Lindows...

Anyway, PC Magazine installed Lindows 3.0 in 7 minutes apparently!!! Can you believe that? An operating system that installs onto a clean hard drive in 7 mins?! Bloody hell!

http://www.lindows.com/

[ 01-18-2003, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Vaskez ]

[Sir Krustin]

I don't like Lindows simply because it tries too hard to be winblows.

I have heard good things about Xandros/CrossOver office, though. Makes installing most winblows productivity software installation and use a snap on linux machines. Unfortunately, it's a pay product but it is relatively cheap for the CrossOver Office plugin alone.

Check out this article

FYI, I like Debian the best - as with any linux product, be prepared for a steep learning curve - I recommend a dual-boot system until you get familiarized.

[Animal]

Never tried it, but I've heard it doesn't live up to it's promises.

[Vaskez]

Originally posted by Sir Krustin: I don't like Lindows simply because it tries too hard to be winblows. I have heard good things about Xandros/CrossOver office, though. Makes installing most winblows productivity software installation and use a snap on linux machines. Unfortunately, it's a pay product but it is relatively cheap for the CrossOver Office plugin alone. Check out this article FYI, I like Debian the best - as with any linux product, be prepared for a steep learning curve - I recommend a dual-boot system until you get familiarized.

Yeah even though I've been using PCs for 14 years, I'm still a Linux newbie having only used it at uni so of course I was gonna have a dual boot. That's why it's good that Linux can reside on a logical partition anywhere on your HD.
What I never got was what's the different between Debian-based and Red-hat based distributions. I mean ok, they're based on slightly different schools of thought but functionally what's different?
Also I was gonna download Redhat but it's 5 CDs and even on ADSL I can't be bothered to download that right now so I downloaded BestLinux which fits on one CD. But it's like what??? Even Windows XP Pro comes on one CD so what the hell can RedHat put on 5 CDs??

[ 01-18-2003, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: Vaskez ]

[Vaskez]

bump

just cos the topic title ain't that interesting for you dumbasses [img]tongue.gif[/img] doesn't mean you can ignore this topic Does ANYONE have any knowledge on this?

[Sir Krustin]

Originally posted by Vaskez: What I never got was what's the different between Debian-based and Red-hat based distributions. I mean ok, they're based on slightly different schools of thought but functionally what's different?

The biggest difference between Debian and RedHat is the way they are packaged and distributed. (If anyone askes, RPM sucks! apt-get rules!)

The biggest advantage of Debian is the way that it's installed on your machine - while you can still download all five cds and install Debian from them, the slickest way is to pick one of the five cds that boots the configuration you need (the vast majority of people will use the first cd, some with exotic configs like USB keyboards and mice will use cd 5)

You then install EVERYTHING ELSE from the NET! One of the biggest advantages of this approach is that you always get the latest versions of the applications you're installing. And apt-get will resolve dependencies for you, that is to say if Package A needs Package B to install, and Package B needs Packages C and D, then apt-get will automatically download all four packages for you when you install Package A.

Also I was gonna download Redhat but it's 5 CDs and even on ADSL I can't be bothered to download that right now so I downloaded BestLinux which fits on one CD. But it's like what??? Even Windows XP Pro comes on one CD so what the hell can RedHat put on 5 CDs??

Both RH and Debian package every possible piece of Linux software available. They all use the same kernel (in fact, you can get a kernel from Linus himself and build your own Linux distro if you want). As of last time I counted, Debian has over 8500 different software packages available in their distribution - you will install only a small portion of these on your system.

You might want to use Knoppix to start trying Linux, a lot of people like it's method of installation and it's only one CD as well. (It's a compilation of Debian apps).

After getting the hang of Knoppix, you can then graduate to Debian and the full package.

EDIT> spelling

[ 01-18-2003, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Sir Krustin ]

[Vaskez]

Thanks Sir K. [img]smile.gif[/img]

You say that I can try Knoppix and then graduate to full Debian package. But Knoppix is a full OS right? I mean all that's missing from it are applications compared to the full Debian package right? This was not clear to me after I scanned the website.

Also, it talks about running it from the CD, hehe I have 640MB of RAM so it should be no problem, but what if I want to install it properly - can I do this too? I can just make a new partition for it - Linux only needs a logical partition anyway, right?

[Sir Krustin]

Knoppix is it's own distro, that is it has everything you need in an OS for basic functionality. When I say "graduate" I mean wipe it, and install Debian.

Yes, you can run it from the CD - there are also mini-distros (usually used for maintenance) that fit on a floppy.

As for installing it on an hd, I recommend you hang out in alt.os.linux for a while and lurk. Read every piece of documentation you can find, Linux handles devices quite differently than winblows.

What you want to do is use Winblows fdisk to free up a partition (ie, delete/shrink partitions on your hd to create "freespace"), then use the Linux tools to create your linux partitions -> you will need, at a minimum, a lilo/grub partition, boot partition, swap, and a partition for all your other stuff. Though linux will install on very little (especially compared to XP!) I recommend having about 800mb-1gb of freespace to give yourself plenty of room to install all the necessary stuff.

Read the Debian Install Manual for a good overview on what's required to install a linux system.

[Vaskez]

Originally posted by Sir Krustin: Knoppix is it's own distro, that is it has everything you need in an OS for basic functionality. When I say "graduate" I mean wipe it, and install Debian. Yes, you can run it from the CD - there are also mini-distros (usually used for maintenance) that fit on a floppy. As for installing it on an hd, I recommend you hang out in alt.os.linux for a while and lurk. Read every piece of documentation you can find, Linux handles devices quite differently than winblows. What you want to do is use Winblows fdisk to free up a partition (ie, delete/shrink partitions on your hd to create "freespace"), then use the Linux tools to create your linux partitions -> you will need, at a minimum, a lilo/grub partition, boot partition, swap, and a partition for all your other stuff. Though linux will install on very little (especially compared to XP!) I recommend having about 800mb-1gb of freespace to give yourself plenty of room to install all the necessary stuff. Read the Debian Install Manual for a good overview on what's required to install a linux system.

Hehe space is no problem, I have 100GB of it. Also I'm running Windows 2000 which doesn't have fdisk (it has diskmngmt.msc), but that doesn't matter as I have PartitionMagic. That can also create Linux partitions for me. So I guess if I just create a new partition and format it as an Ext2 partition it should be fine. According to PartitionMagic, it doesn't need to be a primary partition, i.e. it doesn't need to reside in the first 2GB of your HD, this is correct from your experience?
But why are you saying that I need like 4 partitions?

[Sir Krustin]

Read the docs I mentioned, things'll get a lot clearer after you read them.

Don't let Partition Magic set the partitions, just clear off some freespace. The linux installer of the distro you want to use will set up the partitions for you, using linux tools like fdisk or cfdisk.

You'll need a partition for either lilo or grub in order to get your boot menu, to select windows or linux. (Don't use Microsoft's tools - they deliberately screw up other oses)

If you want a swap (not necessary, linux doesn't need a swap like winblows - especially with 640mb! ), you need a partition for that. Linux also requires a separate partion to boot from. That leaves the partition for all your data and executables. [img]tongue.gif[/img]