...I actually prefer Linux over Windows. Right about now, I would ditch XP entirely if I didn't need it for games. (I know about Cedega, but I don't feel like paying for it. I would be open to a free alternative, however.) I've been forcing myself to use Linux every day at uni on my laptop for the past month and a half, and it has definitely paid off. I have come to rely on the customizability and robustness of Linux, and now XP just feels inadequate for serious work. Linux is so damn powerful that after using it for awhile and getting ued to it, WinXP feels like a toy by comparison.

The thing that I like the most is the modular package design of linux. It seems so much more refined that the registry-encumbered model of windows where everything is dumped into a folder and then hooked into the registry. It's nice to just be able to invoke any program I want from the command prompt just by typing the program name, it's far better than having to remember the full pathname like I have to do in XP b/c windows is too damn stupid to find the program on its own. It took me some time to realize that virtually ANYTHING can be swapped out and replaced with something similar with no problems more often than not. Don't like KDE? just replace it with Gnome or something similar, the kernel won't care. With WinXP, you're stuck with explorer.exe unless you want to go to a lot of trouble to replace it.

The second thing that I now can't live without is Apt-get. This is awesome b/c it makes the modular design of linux even better. All I have to do is check the debian package lists, find a program I want, type apt-get install [package] and then keep on working. It downloads it and sets it up so I don't have to, much better than having to stop what i'm doing and install everything manually like in WinXp.

Another thing I like is how you can fix Linux fairly easily even when you can't load a window manager and everything seems hopeless. If I at least can get a command prompt as root, I've found that I can bail myself out of almost anything b/c I can replace missing/damaged packages with apt most of the time. In the good old days, if win9x broke, you had the option of replacing files manually in DOS. However, if WinXP breaks and you are using NTFS, you are SOL b/c DOS can't read/write to NTFS natively. The best maintenace mode that Winxp has to offer to fix a broken WinXP install is a repair console, but that is a far cry from having a fully functional kernel and software retrival system accessable from a command prompt.

Granted, I've had my share of problems during the learning curve, but the worst of it is behind me and I'm glad that I forced myself to use linux this past month.

Linux users: Post what you like most about Linux.

Once I build my new dual-core PC, I'll take the hard drive from this one and use it for games, and the other I'll put Linux on and rig up a dual-boot. Either that, or I'll put Linux on a laptop if I get one, and that'll be my "test-run." The only fear I have is not being able to use professional grade/required programs in college.

I'd like to try some Linux sometime, maybe if I get another new computer. And actually would need it for something.

Debian is the ****. It's awesome. Apt is so convenient. And KDE is definitely my favorite shell. When I get a chance I'm going to set up a dual boot, but not for a while I fear. Maybe this summer.

But one thing I gotta say to everyone who says they wanna go balls-in to Linux--don't. It's stupid. Ease into it. You'll like it a lot more.

Also, RTFM.

Some of my fondest memories were when I was taking the info tutorial - in info - describing how to use info. After about 20 minutes of that, I'm like - WTF am I doing? I'm RTFM about how to RTFM!

[QUOTE=Dj Yoshi]
But one thing I gotta say to everyone who says they wanna go balls-in to Linux--don't. It's stupid. Ease into it. You'll like it a lot more.[/QUOTE]

This is truth. Also, don't make my mistakes:

1. Don't install it on a computer without an internet connection.

2. Don't ask anyone here for help.

Actually, feel free to ask for help. Just make sure you talk to them on a one-on-one basis, and that it's someone with experience.

If Izzy gets a new laptop in her job (say if she sticks with teaching) I'll have another go at getting Linuxifeid with the spare Geoff. God knows I tried to get Gentoo on my old desktop (now lives with my parents) - but with a good wind I reckon I'd try again.

I think I'd probably take the advice of a few people and do Ubuntu-type things, then maybe try Gentoo a couple of months down the line...

EDIT:

Everyone I asked for help here was brilliant about it: I'm mainly talking about Cool Matty and Shintock (who had the patience of Saints with me)

You can run any windows program in the command prompt too...

But you're required to type in the full pathname way more often than in Linux. And you have to worry about quotes and stuff because the command prompt doesn't support spaces in filenames even though the filesystem does.

Any time, buddy.

I've been toying around with installing Gentoo on my Mac, just for the hell of it.

I assume that you are talking about wine....


Wine is something that I've found to be incredibly useful, although it is still a bit buggy, so I prefer native linux apps over anyhing else.

However, I got Yoda Stories running under wine, and it works, but the text is so small you can barely read it and the game area has this seizure-inducing flicker.

I've also installed dosemu, a Dos Emulator. I've been trying to get doom to work under it, no success yet.

I've played around with a couple live CDs, and I really love using Linux, I just havn't got around to learning how to, and then setting up a dual boot. Maybe soon.

apt-get install wine

if that doesn't work, you could still install them on the winxp partition.

Don't try any further. There are so many great native doom-engines (I guess most if not all of them are based on the original engine) for Linux. The same thing goes for about any ID game.

I forgot to add, what I like about Linux is that although I am at the moment forced to use a graphics card that overheats when I try any graphical work I can still use the command prompt and surf the web, read e-mails and chat on IRC.

But the best thing about Linux is that I adapt Linux to my needs, not that I need to adapt to Linux.

I've only used 'Floppix', which fits on 2 floppy disks. So my linux knowledge is that of a young child.

I just wanted to point out that the whole "Running programs in the console" is totally possible in WinXP also.

Both BASH and the windows console use similar methods to find programs. They check a file (or in windows' case, a registry entry) for common folders to look for programs, and then run those. If you modify the windows registry entry (and there is a GUI option under system properties to do this!) and add the folders where your programs are stored, then you will find you can do the same thing in Windows.

BASH seems to work better for only 2 reasons: It already has many common paths set up, and programs that are installed tend to be located in those places, or at least have symlinks there to the programs. (For example, the /bin folder)

I do so enjoy the Gentoo package system though. I like it more than APT, if only because I can search for programs using the "esearch" tool, and I do not have to deal with source lists. APT's sources tend to be thin, so I find myself always adding extra sources to the list, which is a pain. (I don't think you can even install mplayer on APT without modifying the sources list!)

Windows allows you to run programs from the command prompt too, they just have to be in the PATH variable. I have the GNU Utilities installed on all the win32 boxes I administer, and the path to them is in the PATH variable. `ls` works like it would on any unix system.


..I can remember having a problem with recording audio when I first started. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why it was working one day and not the next. I went so far as to reinstall Linux - twice, and even that didnt "fix" the problem. The problem turned out to be, silly me, I forgot to turn up the iGain.



It isnt that bash does not support spaces in filenames, its that command-line arguments are whitespace delimited, so it treats the different parts of the path name as separate arguments. This can be avoided by escaping them with back slashes "\", or enclosing the entire path in quotes. Bash's tab auto-completion will automatically escape spaces with the backslash.

The cd command could be hacked to accept non-escaped file-names-with-spaces, but it would be just that, a hack.

Also one of the things I miss most on Windows is copy and paste through selecting the desired text and pressing the middle mouse button to paste it.

I think I'll get a intel Mac, and triple-boot Windows XP, Linux, and OS X. Talk about covering your ***