Linux users

[Charles]

I just watched a documentary called "Revolution OS" and although I had heard about Linux never became interested until now.

I tried following some of the links for newbies on Linux but most of the info I found were for people already using Linux.

A couple of questions for you Linux users.

1. Can you mention advantages, disadvantages of using Linux as an OS?

2. Can you read and write documents from a Windows applications on a Linux machine and vice-versa?

3. As a user, is Linux like Windows or DOS?


Thanks.

[bailey]

1. the one biggie is it is inmume to virous
2. yes with samba, I think
3. close to both but yet entirly differant.

try it, I think you will like it

down load the free iso's of red hat 9.0 and install it on a system and read the doc files

[Charles]

Is this version good for newbies?

Update: Not an option on 56k. Where can I get a CD-ROM?

[DrZaius]

1. Advanatages. Linux is freely available and so are all upgrades and patches. There are also many distributions to choose from so you have more variety. Included with many are hundreds of applications that are, again, free. Finally, Linux is a great development platform if you are programming/developing. Disadvanatages. Even in its current state, Linux still does have a bigger learning curve than Windows. Not all hardware is supported, and installing new hardware may be complicated. Support is minimal for many applications.
2. Any files can be read as long as the appropriate program is used. For example, OpenOffice for Linux can read MS Office files. If you are asking if the files can be seen on a network, then as bailey mentioned, it can with Samba running.
3. For the most part, you'll use it like Windows. But there will be times when you'll have to open up the terminal window and use some commands.

For beginners I always recommend Red Hat or Mandrake since they are the easiest to install and are the most user friendly. If you want to give Linux a "test drive" you can also check out Knoppix which lets you run Linux from a CD without messing up your hard drive. Hope this helps.

[Charles]

Is this a good option for Knoppix?

http://opendoorsoftware.com/cgi/http...p=SoftwareOnCD

[DrZaius]

Originally posted by Charles Is this a good option for Knoppix? http://opendoorsoftware.com/cgi/http...p=SoftwareOnCD

Looks good to me. Though, if you have broadband and a CD-Writer (or access to either), you can download any distro free from LinuxISO.

[Charles]

Thanks for the link.