Finally trying Linux,.......HELP!!!!

[digitalfreedom64]

Hey, I finally decided to give linux a try and I'm in a little over my head. I have Mepis. I kinda understand it but I've got a few questions.
1. How do you add and remove programs?
2. How do I find out which parts of my hardware don't have drivers installed yet?
3. This thing is kinda slugish about loading web pages, why is that?
4. How easy is it to install drivers?

I guess that's all for now. Any other knowledge any of you have of this OS is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys

EDIT:
I've been fooling around with it for a little while. I actually undertand more than I though I would. I think I like windows better though. It's much easier to use. Trying to do anything in linux is just to time consuming.

[digitalfreedom64]

Well, I came I saw I hated it. I'm sticking with Windows.

[elocal]

Sorry for your sour experience with Linux.

I am comming to look into Windows as a drug, once you get hooked on it, withdrawal is very painful. Once you are drug free you feel much better.

I will always think this: The main problem with people not acceptiong OSS/Linux is that they are used to Windows. If you put somebody that has never used a computer in front of one of the easy-to-use linux distributions(Fedora, Mandrake, etc), they will learn just the same as if you were to put that person into a Windows environment. It is all about what you are used to. If you are used to driving a automatic transmision car, and I tell you to drive a shift("stick"?) one, its going to be difficult wouldn't it?

Regards.

[mairving]

Wow, first posted at 12:26, decided that it wasn't for you at 1:41. Seems like it would take a bit longer than an hour to evaluate.

A little advice for anyone else wanting to try Linux.
1.) Try to figure out what you want first. Do you just want to tell your friends that you know Linux? Have you heard that Linux is the greatest thing around and have to have it? Do you want to try to run a web server, email server, etc?
2.) Your first foray would probably be best with one of the major distros like Fedora or Mandrake. Much better driver support generally and more people that can help you.
3.) An old hard drive in a new computer or an older computer is the best way to install. This way you don't have to worry about changing your partition.
4.) Learn the commands at the command line. The GUI looks pretty and all but sometimes it really gets in the way of doing things correctly.
5.) Don't expect that it is going to replace your Windows desktop right away. It may never actually and it is a fallacy to think that things will work as well as Windows and that your apps will work. Driver support is pretty good on most things with the more popular distros. Some newer Video cards aren't very well supported.
6.) Linux is only an operating system. It is not a religion, a way of life or something that will tremendously improve your quality of life. Neither is Windows by the way.

[digitalfreedom64]

I've been messing with it for a couple of days. I may have waited a bit too long to ask for help. At times i'm not the most patient in the world and by the time i posted i was already getting fed up. I've tried a couple of other distros before this, i've just come to the conclusion that it's not right for me. I guess it's just kinda hard to give windows up.

[Ind-PC_student]

Have you tried dual booting, a second 40GB HDD is not that expensive and It lasts longer In Linux then in windows.

I think for me Linux is An absolute pleasure:
+ Does not crash or Hang as often as windows that is very rare in linux by the way
+ There is more software budled in linux then windows
+ The office applications are much cheaper then the ms counterpart and are more reliable
+ Support for my Onboard sound is marvelous soudmax AC'97
+ Graphics Card intel 845GL 3D is better suported on my linux distro then windows
+ Better and more selection of screen savers and best of all the 3D ones look so nice
+ and most of all YAST is very good for people who dont know how to use bash very well (like me who only used some minor commands)
+ And if you are stuck there are some web sites that will help you

what is not there to like about linux?
IT MAY NOT BE FOR YOU BUT FOR ME IS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE

My specs ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
eMachines 170
CPU 1.70Ghz 400mhz FSB Celeron 128k L2 cache
Motherboard Trigem Imperial 845GL
Sound Card Avance sound max AC'97 (onboard)
Graphics card Intel 845 Extreme Graphics
Optical Samsung SM332B DVD/CDRW
Memory 640MB DDR SDRAM
HDDS WDC 40GB and HDS 40GB
Modem Connexant softk 56 (M)

[digitalfreedom64]

Well, myself after I've tried it, I see no reason for me to switch. I've been using WinXP since it was release. Have never had it crash. It very rarely hangs up. The way people talk about linux it's supposed to be so much better than windows. If it is I don't see it and windows is actually easier and less time consuming to use. As far as internet goes, linux actually had a driver to run my LAN so the good news is that I actually got it to work on this system. The only problem was that I felt like I was back on dial up, my internet connection was tremendously slower than it was with windows.

[elocal]

The use of Linux, in my opinion, is not about providing your desktop needs. Linux, running many OSS software over it, its about a cause, about open source.

OSS desktop apps are pretty good, but in my opinion they are not yet in the level of integration as Windows. Is this separation, the different choices, that puts fear on the users.

In windows everything is integrated within its point and click interface, transparent to the user. In linux everything is more loose, many times it is necessary to work within the hood of your system, and you got many options to choose.

Initiatives like freedesktop.org are bringing up the level of integration tough, in the future I see Linux running even more together with X (in desktop systems) and the envionments(WM/DE) that run over X being much more compatible and overlapping with each other, giving that transparent feelign to the user. It is all going to happen, but currently its in development.

I am very satisfied with the current level of performance, stability, and developing integration within OSS/Linux.

Crashoverride, well maybe you did not like what you tried, I would try another distribution. If you got too mad and just returned back to Windows, that is good too, Linux is not a requirement in life, as mairving said, it is not going to tremendously improove your quality of life and it is not a religion (as neither would Windows).

What I mean is that people have choice, they also have tastes, that one should do whatever one likes, and not whatever another person likes.

Cheers

[digitalfreedom64]

Yeah, I guess I'm just a windows person. I was just really curious about linux. It just doesn't seem to fit me too well.

[Ind-PC_student]

I would like to know what processor have you got crash override

My one is a celeron 1.70Ghz

[digitalfreedom64]

Check my sig

[Ind-PC_student]

dou you think my problems with hang ups will be solved if i change to a better CPU
If so which one should I choose for my next project?

[digitalfreedom64]

what all do you have in your system now. And what type of situation are you talking about upgrading your cpu for running linux or windows?

[Ind-PC_student]

because of the two operating systems windows hangs more often maybe is my cpu that cant take the windows multitasking, i often have more then three difrerent programs running. :confused:

[digitalfreedom64]

Well I did a searh for your motherboard and it only supports 400mhz fsb. So the best you can do is get a P4 with a 400mhz bus. You'll have 512k cache as opposed to the 128k you have with your current cpu which will help to some extent. The only other limiting factor I can see right now is your power supply, so think you could give some info on it?

[Ind-PC_student]

micro atx but I am thinking about changing my mobo for something that is better supported then my is now :cool:

[digitalfreedom64]

Oh ok ,Didn't know what they put in Emachines. Haven't had a prebuilt in 3 years and am not going back. So if need be there shouldn't be any problems replacing the PSU with a better one. If you want to multi task, P4s are the best for that. I'm probly gonna try to get another intel build.. I like my Atlon xp build i have now, but it just doesn't seen to multitask as well for some reason.

[Ind-PC_student]

Oh ok ,Didn't know what they put in Emachines. Haven't had a prebuilt in 3 years and am not going back. So if need be there shouldn't be any problems replacing the PSU with a better one. If you want to multi task, P4s are the best for that. I'm probly gonna try to get another intel build.. I like my Atlon xp build i have now, but it just doesn't seen to multitask as well for some reason.
Question is what about those AMD 64 processors how are they at multitasking?

[digitalfreedom64]

I don't really know how good they are, all I ever hear about around here is how good they are for gaming. I guess I really should check into it since i'm considering making a build out of one in the next few months.