Considering switching to Linux entirely...

[Pyroflea]

After a long period of time of running Windoze only, I asked myself why I was still using it. My excuse used to be that I gamed on PC quite a bit. However, recently I haven't touched my PC for gaming, and have exclusively been using PS3. Also, after looking at the AppDB on WineHQ, I've noticed that most of the games I would play on PC run on Linux just fine. I'm in dire need of a Windoze re-install, so I figured I might make the leap, and switch entirely over to Linux.

However, I'm having some issues picking a distribution (I can never seem to decide). I just want something sleep and simple, with some fun desktop effects, and useful programs. Ideally I'd LOVE to do a Gentoo install, but I do not feel my skills are adequate for such an endeavor.

I was looking at Mint and Mandriva, but I really just don't know what to go for anymore. I know this question gets asked a lot (and I'm sorry ), but does anybody have any suggestions for a distro? I mostly just browse forums, chat on IM, listen to music, but I also spend a fair amount of time in CAD and Photoshop.

Also, does 64-bit work well with Linux, or should I stick with 32-bit?

Thanks guys,


- Jesse

 

[Ijack]

From what you say I would go for 64-bit Mandriva. I have Gentoo, Fedora, and Mandriva installations and the Mandriva one seems (to me) to be the one that "just works" best. I've never had any problems with 64-bit (as opposed to 32-bit) Linuxes

 

[Pyroflea]

Alright, thanks for the input.

Also, what's the format that people are using these days for their hard drives? And which formats are readable by Linux? I forget

 

[Pyroflea]

Also, after checking the AppDB again, neither of the CAD programs I use run on Wine. Would I be able to just run a Virtual XP installation with these installed?

 

[audiovoodoo]

Yes, as long as it's not after 3D acceleration it should be quite usable.

 

[Pyroflea]

Excellent Thank you very much.

I'll download the image when I get home (definitely not at school right now ), and hopefully get the time to do everything this weekend

 

[skittle]

I would go for something debian based, like ubuntu or mint.

As for formatting the HDD, most installs default to ext3, some to ext4.

As for CAD, there are numerous native applications. Check out 'Blender'

 

[Pyroflea]

I would go for something debian based, like ubuntu or mint.

Why do you suggest this, if you don't mind me asking. Just curious

As for CAD, there are numerous native applications. Check out 'Blender'

Yeah, I've tried Blender. I remember not liking it, but I don't actually remember the program itself I'll check it out again. I just hate the learning curve involved for CAD programs.

 

[skittle]

debian its self has a long history (debian has been around forever) of being a really stable customizable distribution with a HUGE community backing it. Its strongest feature is its package management system, which IMO is much better than others.

And if you decide you dont like blender or other native CAD applications, then you can of course use VirtualBox+windows!

 

[linux_0]

http://www.blender.org/

http://www.k-3d.org/

http://fossfor.us/search/tag-frontpage/purpose/3-D%20content%20creation

All these are worth checking out for sure

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/

Crossover supports some apps better than WINE does, although you'll be so much better off with the free open source apps.

Good luck

 

[Pyroflea]

debian its self has a long history (debian has been around forever) of being a really stable customizable distribution with a HUGE community backing it. Its strongest feature is its package management system, which IMO is much better than others.

And if you decide you dont like blender or other native CAD applications, then you can of course use VirtualBox+windows!

Alright, makes sense. I like what Mandriva has to offer, but I feel that a Debian derivative would be better suited for me. I go through a lot of programs for various different things, so I need the best compatibility possible, which I know Ubuntu is renowned for. I figure if I don't like the OS, it's easy enough to download a new one I might just go with Mint for now for it's simplicity and due to the fact it's based off Debian.

http://www.blender.org/

http://www.k-3d.org/

http://fossfor.us/search/tag-frontpage/purpose/3-D%20content%20creation

All these are worth checking out for sure

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/

Crossover supports some apps better than WINE does, although you'll be so much better off with the free open source apps.

Good luck

I will definitely check all those things out, thanks a bunch for the suggestions! For now I think I'm just going to go with the VirtualBox method though, just so that I do have more main-stream programs that I already know how to use while I'm learning on something else

 

[randomizer]

I suggest checking the Alpha builds of the new Blender as well. The interface is less of a nightmare than the current stable release.

 

[Pyroflea]

I suggest checking the Alpha builds of the new Blender as well. The interface is less of a nightmare than the current stable release.

I like the sounds of that

On another note, the Mint website has been down since I got home. Erg

 

[skittle]

mint is ubuntu based , it even uses ubuntu repositories.

 

[pelt0080]

I read most of the replies and I'm not sure if this has been said yet, if not it should be. Why not spend two weeks with the live cds of the distros you're considering and determine which one you find best for your needs? Another tid bit of hopeful information.... (knock on wood) it has been rumored that steam will be coming to linux soon! Also I'm sure some other's will add their input to this but if you're dealing with limited system resources (laptop) I would probably suggest a dual-boot config if you're going to run both windows and linux...

p.s. remember to install windows first

 

[Pyroflea]

I read most of the replies and I'm not sure if this has been said yet, if not it should be. Why not spend two weeks with the live cds of the distros you're considering and determine which one you find best for your needs? Another tid bit of hopeful information.... (knock on wood) it has been rumored that steam will be coming to linux soon! Also I'm sure some other's will add their input to this but if you're dealing with limited system resources (laptop) I would probably suggest a dual-boot config if you're going to run both windows and linux...

p.s. remember to install windows first

Yeah, I'd rather just narrow it down beforehand. I know whichever distro I choose I'll be happy with; I'm just trying to optimize my happiness

As for Steam, I've been hearing more and more pointing towards a Linux-native installer. Boy would that be nice.

I've got a fairly powerful PC, so I'm not too worried about resources.

Thanks for your input,


- Jesse

 

[randomizer]

Alternatively, for Ubuntu and derivatives up to 9.10 (not 10.04) you can use Wubi to install it in a single file on an NTFS partition, just run the installer on the Live CD in Windows. It will show up in Add/Remove programs so it's easy to get rid of, and it doesn't overwrite the Windows bootloader either. This means you avoid having to do partitioning (it's about as simple as things can get for an OS installation, you basically just need to enter a username and password) and you get the benefit of a much snappier test install than a Live CD can give you. Note that Wubi is sometimes a bit wacky, so it's not quite as stable as a proper installation to separate partitions, but it's never been an issue for me when I've used it.

 

[Pyroflea]

Awesome, that sounds quite interesting. I'll be sure to look into that as well.

 

[Pyroflea]

Got Mint downloaded. Hoping to install either Friday night or Saturday.

 

[Pyroflea]

Upon browsing the AppDB further, I've come to the conclusion that Mint does not handle foreign programs quite as well as Ubuntu does. Would I be better off just going with Ubuntu and having the compatibility, or would I be able to get most things operation with some work on Mint/Mandriva/Other?

 

[randomizer]

I'm not sure what you mean. Mint is Ubuntu with a different interface and some tweaks, software should work essentially the same on both.

 

[linux_0]

Here's a crazy idea, quadruple boot ubuntu 10.04 if it's good, mint, fedora and deb 5.04

Semper Fi

 

[Pyroflea]

I'm not sure what you mean. Mint is Ubuntu with a different interface and some tweaks, software should work essentially the same on both.

Hmm, that's strange. That person on the AppDB must just be an idiot then

Here's a crazy idea, quadruple boot ubuntu 10.04 if it's good, mint, fedora and deb 5.04

Semper Fi

That is a crazy idea alright :lol: I will most likely set up some form of multi-boot once I get settled. For now I'm just starting with one.

 

[Pyroflea]

Alright, I have a bit of a mess as far as storage goes here. I have 3 hard drives that I need to somehow incorporate into 2 systems

Disk0: 320gb - Essentially Full - Vista Install, some of my documents. - NTFS.
Disk1: 500gb - About Half Full - Various documents and files, can't lose these - NTFS.
Disk2: 640gb - Empty- Unformatted.

So basically I'd like to make my Linux install probably on the 640gb drive, and then transfer all the necessary files over from the 500gb. The 320gb I'll just throw in my other computer whenever it gets fixed.

The problem is, as far as I know Linux doesn't recognize NTFS? So how would I go about transferring said files? Is there any way to recognize this format, or would I need to format the other half of the drive as FAT32 or something, transfer the files over via Windoze, and then have Linux recognize that, etc.

Anyways I'm just rambling about nothing, so what'd be the easiest solution?

Thanks,


- Jesse

 

[Ijack]

Any modern Linux distro will have no problem reading an NTFS. They can also write to such a file system, although the very paranoid might warn you against doing so.