Here is some questions about it(linux)
Is Linux really worth it?
How much does it cost?
Is it a pain in the neck to install?
How is it different?
I read JCH321’s post, and I have Windows ME problems to. For instance whenever I click on an empty, blender CRASHES! It drives me nutz. (see?) :o 
thanx,
marxniffen[/quote]
Linux is for true geeks, people that like to seriously tweak the OS. I would agree that ME is a POS. I must say though I love XP. I’ve had nothing (including Blender) crash on me. I’ve run it now for 100 days no shut down and under all types of strain, nothing not a blip. no crashy. If you’re looking I think you might want to go with xp. But you should to a clean install if you do!
HTH
Cypher
Is Linux really worth it?
If you want a stable OS with a lot of free software available, you’re tired of fighting with windows, you’re tired of MicroSoft and it’s software policys.
How much does it cost?
You can download most of the major distibutions for free (600MB+), if you have a high bandwidth connection. Or you can get a copy of a distribution from www.cheapbytes.com or other source for as little as $10.00, or you can buy the full distribution from the store for $50.00-120.00, or buy a book with a distribution on CD for $50.00-75.00.
Is it a pain in the neck to install?
It used to be! All of the major distributions have installers, bootable CD’s, they support almost (almost) all of the current hardware combinations (intel, mac, dec alpha, sun…)
How is it different?
It’s a Unix clone, it uses a X windows system (it’s a program you can start and stop without stopping the OS), you can use it from the command line or with a windows system, you can configure it for how you want, it not how Bill wants you to have it. There is a learning curve to get through to become proficient with it (you can set it up to boot to a window manager and it’s very much like windows (with out the crashes) to use. If you get a full distribution (all of the CD’s) you get thousands of programs with it. It’s not perfect, it’s not the very best workstation OS, but it is better than Winblows.
YES
Linux is Free, you can buy a distribution for around $100 or so. What
you pay is printed manuals and some assistance in installing it.
The OS itself is free.
You can also find most distribution on CD accompanying a Computer journal, at the standard price of the journal alone.
YOu can download the distribution for free from their sites but, well, getting two iso images over the internet… that’s a PAIN!
For distro I have RedHat now, and I used Mandrake sometimes on some other computers. I grow up with Slackware, and tried debian at least once.
For the newbie I would say Mandrake, second choice RedHat.
From RedHat 6.2 onwards and Mandrake 7.0 onwards it is a breeze.
It anyway assumes some competences from the user, you should know what hardware you have because it may asks. Normally it detects, but it may ask…
From the first impression on a modern Linux? Not much.
Similar Desktop, Similar way of work.
After the first 5 minutes you realize it is completely different, and
start moaning.
You realize that it is an extremely stratified system where different people make different pieces of software and then glue them together. This is powerfull, this is free, this is marvellous, but this needs to apply.
If you followed the threads on Blender interface is a bit like that. You have to master and is not friendly at the beginning, and you have to ask for shortcuts or things which can be done only va keys and you don’t have the manual or don’t even know where to search, but once you have mastered…
Try it on a spare partition on your HD…
Ah yes, it is FASTER
Stefano
First of all, Linux is free. In fact, it’s not only free, it’s open source! You can download it off of the internet if you are willing to wait through a very long download (or if you have a lot of bandwidth).
However, Linux is not for everyone. It is not designed to be easy to use. It is designed to be stable and efficient. As any experienced software developer knows, ease-of-use and speed tend to be inversely proportional. The main reason for that is because ease-of-use is almost always directly related to the user doing less, and the software doing more. And if the software has to do more, then it will be slower.
Anyway, to sum it up, if you are looking for an easy-to-install and easy-to-use OS, Linux is probably not what you are looking for. However, if you are willing to take the time to learn how Linux works, and if you are looking for speed, then Linux is probably a very good idea.
For a first time Linux user I would strongly recomend a storebought ($30.00 usd) Linux Mandrake 8.2 distro. The book alone is worth it. It’s by far the easiest ro learn. The Mandrake site has TONS of useful tutes. Is it worth it? I re-booted this machine 6 months ago only because I did a (painless) upgrade from 7,2 Smart Update on Mandrake is very dood. Other than that I think it’s been about a year since I turned this machine off. The CPU fan is starting to squeel so I may have to shut it down for that…in a couple of months. Can we say stable.
After a brief learning curve, resistance will be futile.
Regards
Daniel
Check out http://www.linuxapps.com to get a good idea of the sheer volume of great programs out there. I love having a M$ free office.
When I bought my new comp, I split my hard drive into 2 equal partitions. When I start up I can choose between Red Hat and Windows 2000. Now. I’m completely new to Linux, but Windows drives me crazy because it freezes every now and then. I’m trying to learn Linux, but I never have time.
But what I DO know, is so far it has been a bit faster, more customizable.
I gotta run,
Jorx