Linux help....

[The_Pikeman]

Right in work we will be now installing and testing a Linux machine to get to know it and I know some people like it here. It has been years sice I've even touched a machine with a penguin inside so I need some help. Anyway questions

1) I always thought Linux was free, is this correct? What about SUSE and Red Hat, this is for personal use not enterprise.

2)What is the best version?

3)How is the driver support these days?

4)Is there any good ghost software out there? I.E. Norton or Acronis clones

5)What about Office type software?

6)Any other software recomendations?

Anything else you think can help feel free to add.
Cheers
-How.

[geogob]

1) I always thought Linux was free, is this correct? What about SUSE and Red Hat, this is for personal use not enterprise.

Basically, yes it's free. The kernel is open source and most programs for it are too. But some companies sell their distribution. They don't really sell linux, but they sell the time they took to package a distribution, make documentation and sell support services.

2)What is the best version?
To my current knowledge, the best overall distribution is Ubuntu. They even ship you the CDs for free IIRC!!!

Ubuntu is a distribution based on Debian, another distribution. For servers and professionnal applications where you need to know what you get, Debian is the best choice. It's not very user/noob friendly. Basically, I strongly suggest Ubuntu.

3)How is the driver support these days?
Pretty good. Not perfect, but good. It really depends on the companies. Some support linux well, other not. Usually stuff found in servers is very well supported. Where you could encounter some problems are with advanced feature of some graphic/sound cards, wireless network cards, etc. But usually, with a recent distribution/kernel you should be pretty much up to date. If by bad luck this is not the case, you're really in for it though.

4)Is there any good ghost software out there? I.E. Norton or Acronis clones

There are some utilities that are standard in unix distributions. They are very basic though. With little research, I'm sure you will find more evolved stuff... like programs that boot from a CD and can get images from a server using a multicast sessions. Just look around a bit.

5)What about Office type software?
Open office. I would say it's compatible at 95% with MS Office, but also uses it's one, open, file type. It's free and has pretty much all the office tools.

But other tools might be better to do specific stuff like graphics, presentation and such.

6)Any other software recomendations?
If you get a good distribution, usually you have pretty much everything you need. Maybe add the latest open office and there you go.

[Olethros]

DistroWatch (http://distrowatch.com) has pretty good info about the different linux distros available with pros and cons clearly listed for each one.

I'm planning on installing linux on my recently revived secondary computer myself, and I'll most likely go for Kubuntu (Ubuntu with KDE desktop rather than GNOME) as it seems to suit my needs best. Although SuSe might also be worth looking into. (Keep in mind that the last distro I had running was Mandrake 7.1 or thereabouts, so my advice doesn't necessarily apply these days...)

[The_Pikeman]

Yea I think when I get some free time (I.E. after sorting out my server and the 4 other PCs I need to get fixed by friday) I will also do a install on my rig and have a play in my free time. Its one of the worst things about my new is that I'm not getting back till about 7:30 and as there are people in bed and asleep at 10 it does not leave me much free time. I now have a Live CD for utumbu and will be giving it a try in work, as well as the latest DVD for mandrake. If it was not hammering down this morning I'd take my laptop in but I aint risking my baby for work. I'll let you know how I gwt on.
-How.

[mat69]

If you are willing to use your printer with Linux search here (http://www.linuxprinting.org/) if your printer is supported. Some supported printers are not mentioned yet, but most are.

[The_Pikeman]

I've just used that Ubumtu or however you spell it in work, and I must say I'm impressed. If I was on a tight budget and in Uni (our main targes) I'd be beating a road to Linux's door. Open office seemed more than good enough and seemed to support more lanuages than MS Office.

If only the programs I NEED worked on it I'd put Linux on my server in a flash. Mind you it would be a pain transfering all my drives on the server (4HDDs totaling 540GB) over to FAT32 as they are in NTFS at the moment. I've been told that setting up printer sharing over a network is a pain too.
-How.

[geogob]

aweeee FAT32. dont use that if you don't have to... use ext2 or something with journaling. Anything unix/linux based. FAT32 sucks ass.

[Freon]

Linux can read NTFS if that's what you are worried about. You could install the system on a Linux partition (ReiserFS for the win ;)) and keep your NTFS drives.

Ubuntu isn't really made for servers AFAIK. For a polyvalent distribution, I'd suggest Mandriva. It's even more user/noob friendly than Ubuntu.

[mat69]

The point is that Mandriava, or Mandrake as it has been named before, is not free.
Personally I'd suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu, that way you can get a fast overview of what is up to date. If you wanna try Linux on older computers try Vector Linux (there is a free version too).

Yet Linux is still not desktop ready imho, wait another two years and it should be ready (Anachronox: Hit me!). ;)

[The_Pikeman]

Like I said if it could read AND write to NTFS and I could run the program I want (even via Wine) I would have it on my server. I think if you could get games companys to start making Linux comaptable products I think you'd be suprised how fast you'd get major use. I found the install of Ubuntu to be easier than XP and found all the drivers when XP failed. Open Office works fine and is free and will do most of what you need. It just seems I messed up some how and funked something so now I need to fix it.......... somehow. Add applications now does nothing.
-How.

[mat69]

It is possible to read and write to NTFS (there are some drivers somewhere) allthough on your own risk!
Some game companies are supporting Linux but overall it is not as fast as Win XP so why should I use Linux if the games start to stutter (not sure if that is a matter of bad hardware drivers or of a general higher cpu usage by "Linux")?
For your problem you should visit http://www.ubuntuforums.org/

[ragingsamster]

To refamiliarize yourself without altering your current system I'd suggest a live-cd based distro like Knoppix http://www.knoppix.org/

[geogob]

very good suggestion.