Linux OS

teammatt3's picture

He has: 2,102 posts

Joined: Sep 2003

I am in the process of building my computer. I am looking for an operating system I can use. XP Pro or Linux. I know all about XP but whats Linux all about? Can I run dreamweaver, photoshop etc? Is it easy to use? Does it come with software like a music player? What are the ups and downs for it?

Thanks a lot

Busy's picture

He has: 6,151 posts

Joined: May 2001

why not have the best of both worlds, install XP and then linux, dual boot ...

Abhishek Reddy's picture

He has: 3,348 posts

Joined: Jul 2001

Most desktop Linux distros come with music and media apps, as well as equivalent software for most common tasks performed in other environments, like office suites etc. Nothing really to worry about there.

Photoshop and Dreamweaver can be run with some WINE or CrossOver wizardry. I know people who use these programs everyday in that way. But imo, it's not really worth it. For me, a good code editor and The GIMP work fine.

mairving's picture

They have: 2,256 posts

Joined: Feb 2001

My advice would be to run XP on workstations and FreeBSD/Linux on servers. The Linux desktop is pretty good but it makes somethings particularly like Windows program compatibility too difficult.

Mark Irving
I have a mind like a steel trap; it is rusty and illegal in 47 states

He has: 5 posts

Joined: Mar 2004

Linux has XMMS, it's exactly like Winamp. You can use Gimp in place of Photoshop, if you want, on Linux. You can also do like Abhishek Reddy said. Or you can dual boot like Busy said. Maybe get a shell some place before making the switch to get use to some Linux commands. Here's a list of tutorials from my site if you're interested.

http://www.arson-network.com/index.php?class=tutorial&subargs=203 - Learn about a few popular Linux distros, their ups and downs

http://www.arson-network.com/index.php?class=tutorial&subargs=366 - Installing Linux/Dual Booting with Windows

http://www.arson-network.com/index.php?class=tutorial&subargs=217 - Linux Basics

Arson-Network.com
350+ computer related tutorials.

teammatt3's picture

He has: 2,102 posts

Joined: Sep 2003

Thanks for all the good info and the links

He has: 22 posts

Joined: Mar 2004

I personally run a dual boot system. Linux on one hard drive and windows xp on the other. Easy if you use something like XOSL (extended operating system loader) or i have heard of another one called LILO, only tried XOSL myself. Some versions of linux such as lindows include a boot manager so you dont need to install one.

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