Tin foil hats and cans of Raid anybody?

A few words for those who never had used Linux before.

Linux is a operating system very different to Windows.

Windows is monolithic and Linux modular.
This is the reason why there are so many Linux distros.
Each distro has a different flavor, this means they are composed by different modules (pieces of software).


In Linux security is priority #1, so install something, if you are a newbie, is tricky and sometimes a pain in the neck.

About the hardware:

Because Linux is Open Source, the vendors resist to liberate the source code of their drivers.
To install a piece of software with closed code is not an option --> nobody knows what has been programmed there. :stare:
And because of this, sometimes is a pain to get hardware to work.
Obviously always there is a way to get them work.

To be specific:
Only Nvidia has Linux drivers, and the releases are frequent. :up:
For ATI, Linux does not care.

Printers:
Choose Hewlett Packard or Epson (but not the cheaper models)

Wireless:
Linux will not recognize your PCI card, you must configure it manually with an emulator called ndiswrapper and two files that you must copy from your Windows driver.
For experienced users only, sorry. :88)

Wired:
No problems at all. And if you own a wired router, better.

RAID hard drives:
The last release of SUSE with kernel 2.6 has troubles with them at the installation.
But with Ubuntu everything is smooth.

It's important to remember that A) There are more nations than just USA, UK, EU, etc.. B) Those other nations manufacture all of the electronics that we use. C) Most of them will probably not conform to something that destroys their own internal ability to utilise those electronics.

So we're pretty safe from any sweeping changes microsoft wants to force on anyone. Think you're going to get chinese motherboard manufacturers to force hardware license checking into their designs? Maybe for American hardware only, no one else is going to comply though.

All somewhat true. The lack of ATI drivers however used to be true. NVidia doesn't release many driver revs and neither does ATI for Linux. I have both manufacturers running on Gentoo and not perfectly happy with either, but satisfied would be closer to the point. Upon closer examination however, do you really need all these driver revs? I have yet to have an error in game on anything from UT to Doom 3 resulting from driver screwups.

For those interesting in a FAQ on ATI, here it is - http://www.ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html

Why is everyone complaining about ATI on this subject? Simple, the drivers remain proprietary. Why you ask? Simple, to make them opensource would reveal to NVidia certain ways the ATI cards operate. I understand both camps on this one - The OpenSource guys want to be able to program for ATI to make it great on the Linux platform. ATI however wants to guard its secrets from NVidia (And I'm sure likewise).

Anyway - Linux drivers can be downloaded to Gentoo via emerge or you can pick them up here via a browser - https://support.ati.com/ics/support/...e&folderID=300

Notice - those drivers are of 5/24/06 (2 days old as of this post!) - very recent. So to tell me that ATI doesn't have recent driver revs is a bit of a misnomer.

-S

:o :o :o

All partially correct. The problem comes with the USA. The US typically can dictate what does or does not happen because you really don't want to lose your trade agreements with them over something many leaders would probably consider petty.

What was the last numbers? The US manufactures 1/3rd of all Gross World Product and consumes 2/3rds of it right off the bat? That may be getting old since I think China is enchroaching on those numbers, but the consuming side however may have actually increased! Basically, make your product to US standards unless you plan on producing for a niche market. The moral of the story is, you probably have no choice since the EU seems to follow suite.

-S

You gonna buy ATI yet? :P

I use to have Linux Mandrake 9 as a dual boot with winxp, using KDE interface. I like linux but it aint gamer friendly. :-?

No way!!!
Only Nvidia is Open Source friendly. :yep:

So is ATI. NVidia still keeps their drivers locked up just as much as ATI, so how is that any different?

-S

Check the Nvidia forum for Linux.

That is really "Costumer Service". :P

I detect you are a ATI lover :-j , but you have to agree with me that most of the community is on the Nvidia side.

No, you're not safe. Having that hardware in your system shouldn't cause problems, as it can be turned on or off by the user (at least in current versions). So every computer could have the hardware, and the US might make it illegal to connect to any network without it on, and no ISP would allow you to connect until you activated it. Software would also be made to require it, and websites would refuse connections from computers where it's turned off.

If some other country didn't like the system, it simply would allow keeping it off.

Oh, and you worry about Microsoft? Correct, but you don't see the whole picture.

Have a look at the list of companies that are working to reduce your freedom:
https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/about/members/

All this centralised server business reminds me of Aquinas from Deus Ex, a huge mainframe designed to monitor all information on the internet under the pretense of catching 'terrorists' and giving the end user more bandwith.

Someone will make a crack or info disruptor at some point. Knowing Microsoft, it will pretty easy to do. Also, if need be I will never connect to the internet, until I have backed up sensitive files and deleted the originals. By sensitive files, I mean anything that could be used to send targeted advertisements to me or anything quasi-legal (burners etc.).

In the end, this will boil down to wasted money and increased suspicion of corporations. I recommend everyone play Deus Ex sometime; bear in mind it was made BEFORE 9/11.
This is not good. :down: :down: :down: :down: :down:

Really worrisome. But I take note of their names. :|\

I was an NVidia lover but went ATI after the quality on ATI surpassed NVidia such as texture quality, etc. I also went ATI for the loudness factor at one point, but they have fixed that in the last year and a half or so. THough they swap back and forth lately, ATI still has the crown performance wise. I wasn't too happy with the original stock cooler on this x1900 XTX however, but I fixed that with an Accelero X2 and now I can't hear the board at all.

I'll tell you the truth though, this time around I almost went NVidia (Due to the single slot design) and it really only came down to frame rates between the two boards. The ATI x1900 XTX has only slightly better frame rates to the 7900 GTX, but what really sticks out like a sore thumb is the minimum frame rates and the 7900 GTX will drop into the mid teens in Oblivion vs 25 to 26 FPS for the x1900 XTX in the same exact spot - ie. The ATI will provide a better overall experience.

So the score is, I have owned or still own 5 Nvidia boards, and 3 ATI so I guess you can say I support both companies. I just happen to be on the ATI side of the camp lately for the last 2 boards.

-S

PS. From a support perspective, I really can't say that NVidia is better since ATI is also helping out the DRI project a bit. Its a toss up. In the end, NVidia probably has a little better support due to nothing else than that they have been helping Open Source a little longer and it seems that they are apt to help out quicker if need be. They have better channels for support as well. So the coin toss goes to NVidia. What it boils down to though is that you can get drivers from either company and I really haven't had need to ask anyone for help on that end.

All you type for Gentoo for the latest ATI drivers is 'emerge ati-drivers' - doesn't get anymore simple than that!

I have also "long since" moved to Linux. I favor Suse at the moment, but other than specifically hating Mandrake, I've little predilection.

I do have a Windows computer for single-player gaming and other assorted tasks, and I might very well be buying a Nintendo Wii for some online multiplayer.

Living without Microsoft: A guide for Windows users.
 

Living without Microsoft: A guide for Windows users.

From--> http://www.livingwithoutmicrosoft.or...windows-users/

"So, just how does one live without Microsoft? The Redmond giant’s software seems to have such a level of ubiquity that such an aim might appear impossible. Only, it isn’t. It’s actually rather easy – especially if you have a broadband internet connection and an a willingness to try.
This guide is written with personal use of computers in mind. Much of the following advice is good for businesses too – but the arguments are different. We’ll list every thing you might want to do on your Windows PC, and show you how you can do it without touching MS software.
The other great thing about non-MS software is that it is often not only cheaper than Microsoft’s, but is actually free. You can assume that all the products listed here can be obtained for nothing by downloading them from the web, perfectly legally – unless otherwise mentioned."

Web Browsing
This is the first thing to switch. Not only is the current incarnation of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer very dated in terms of features, it’s also dangerous- in the sense that it has a lot of security holes, and is more vulnerable to viruses and malicious software than other browsers . The main alternative is the Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox, a lightweight browser which is both more secure and easy to use than IE. Other options include Opera, Netscape, and other Mozilla browsers Seamonkey and Mozilla itself. It’s best to avoid the likes of Avant, which is basically IE in disguise.
Some people complain that they can’t use certain websites with Firefox, such as internet banking and some e-commerce sites. To address that problem you can download a plug-in for Firefox that allows you to open sites the same way that IE does.

Email
Like Internet Explorer, every Windows user gets a copy of Outlook Express to read their emails. We suggest you avoid using Outlook — for security reasons. Instead, switch to another Mozilla Open Source program - Thunderbird. Similarly to Firefox, Thunderbird is small and lightweight as well as very user friendly. Other alternatives include Eudora, Mozilla Mail, Seamonkey Mail and The Bat! which you have to pay for.
Alternatively, why not go for a web based email, like Google’s Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Fastmail. Your ISP might also offer a web based interface to your email inbox.

Word Processing
After web browsing and email, the next application you are likely to want is a word processor. OpenOffice.org is a complete office suite, which offers a word processor that can both open and save MS Word files, as well as offering most features a home user is likely to ever need. Another option, and again a free one, is the stand alone application AbiWord.
Or you could try going online for your word processing too, with one of Writely, ajaxWriter or Zoho Writer. These are word-processing programs that you use though your web browser, and offer reasonable functionality if you have a broadband connection.

Instant Messaging
IM is a great way of staying in contact with your friends and family. Often the choice of software you use is dominated by what your contacts use. So how can you get out of using MSN Messenger? Easy. With Gaim or Trillian, you can not only chat with your MSN based buddies, but also with people on any of the other networks too. All in one application.
There is a web alternative here as well – Meebo.

Photo Handling and Editing
Microsoft isn’t as famous for this as other companies, like Adobe for example, and these applications traditionally have high price tags. Explorer does have a built in image viewer that allows you to edit photos in small ways. But you don’t have to spend mega-bucks to have a fully featured graphics editor. One to start with is Google’s Picasa, a free download that makes it easy to organise and print your photos, meaning you never have to touch the ‘My Pictures’ folder ever again. You can also crop, rotate and remove red-eye from photos, amongst other effects.
For a more involved approach to photo and graphic editing, an Open Source program called The Gimp offers a range off features comparable with programs such as Photoshop do. What’s most astonishing is that The Gimp is free of charge, too.

Media Players
Why use Microsoft’s mediocre Media Player to play your CDs and MP3s when Apple’s free ITunes is available? Quicktime, installed along with ITunes is also a good player of video files. Realplayer can also play videos, music, and DVDs, as well as online content.

Anti-Spyware
Microsoft was pretty proud of itself when it released its anti-spyware package for free. Others got there first, though, and so Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware are two packages it really would be a good idea to download and keep up-to-date. Even with a reasonably secure browser like Firefox, the odd gremlin can still sneak through, so it’s a good idea to keep on top of it.

Spreadsheets
Now and again, you might need to create a spreadsheet. Why shell out for Microsoft’s Excel when you can use OpenOffice.org’s Calc spreadsheet? Or go online and use Irows, ajaxXLS or Zoho Sheet?

Presentations
Powerpoint is almost synonymous with presentations these days. But it doesn’t have to be that way – OpenOffice.org’s Impress can do most of what Powerpoint can do, and is free. It can also read PowerPoint files and do some things that the Microsoft program can’t — like export presentations as Flash movies.

System Tools
It’s also possible to replace some of Windows’ functions with non-Microsoft alternatives. For example, you can replace the file search tool with a full desktop search, such as that offered by Copernic or Google. Notepad is a pretty handy little text editor, and many of the replacements on offer are bloated and slow in comparison. The same can’t be said of Metapad, which adds some much needed features, like a toolbar and a removal of the file size limit, while retaining the speed of the original. Lastly, the Windows file manager, Explorer, can be replaced with Xplorer 2 Lite - which offers dual panes, making the copying and moving of files far easier, and tabbed browsing of directories.

Here they go again. :nope::nope::nope:

From: ---> http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/bfcase

Broadcast Flag Court Challenge

Status

Oral argument was held Feb. 22, 2005. The Court issued an order March 15 asking for more argument on the standing questions. Our side’s brief was filed March 29. The MPAA and FCC filed briefs on April 8. On May 6th the Court decided in our favor, the FCC’s Broadcast Flag Order has been vacated.
Summary

Here is some background on the case.
On January 30, 2004 Public Knowledge filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging a decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require consumer electronics and computer manufacturers to read and obey a “broadcast flag” signal embedded in new digital television signals. Public Knowledge filed the lawsuit on behalf of itself, the American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries, Medical Library Association, Special Libraries Association, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The flag’s proponents portray it as a narrow mandate that will only prohibit illegal distribution of digital television content, but in fact it will do much more:

1. the flag will impose significant strictures and constraints on the design of consumer-electronics and computer products — limitations that will diminish interoperability between new products and old ones, and that even pose interoperability problems among new devices; and
2. the flag will limit what users can do with broadcast television content to a significantly greater degree than they are limited now.

Analysis

We made two core legal arguments in the case.

1. In the absence of an express mandate from Congress, the FCC does not have the power under the Communications Act to adopt the flag scheme. The Communications Act of 1934 and its amendments govern what the FCC can and cannot regulate, and nothing in that Act permits the FCC to a) impose broad product design mandates on consumer electronics devices and computers and b) adopt what is, for all intents and purposes, copyright policy.
2. That even if the FCC has the power to adopt the flag scheme, its actions in doing so are “arbitrary and capricious,” and therefore illegal. We will argue first that the FCC ignored the lack of evidence in the record of the broadcast flag rulemaking that there is a problem with the “indiscriminate distribution” of digital TV programming in ways that harm content companies and second argue that even if such evidence existed, that the flag will not fix the problem in any event.

We believed the Commission’s actions in this matter were extremely vulnerable to this court challenge. Steptoe and Johnson, a top-tier Washington, DC law firm with expertise in FCC matters generally and the broadcast flag matter specifically, agreed to litigate the case on behalf of Public Knowledge and the other parties seeking to challenge the FCC decision.
Outcome

The U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit on May 6, in a 3-0 ruling, threw out the Federal Communications Commission’s order establishing the so-called “broadcast flag.” The decision came in a case brought by Public Knowledge, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries, Medical Library association and Special Libraries Association. The decision can be found here: http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/b...n-20050506.pdf
Now, the issue will move to Capitol Hill. Content companies are asking members of Congress to give the FCC the authority to order the broadcast flag scheme that the court order said the Commission did not have. There are no specific proposals yet, but broadcast flag-related provisions could be attached to any number of bills, perhaps related to the Digital Television (DTV) transition, indecency, or something else.
In the opinion, the court agreed with our argument that the FCC exceeded its authority in creating this broadcast flag scheme. Judge Harry T. Edwards, writing for the court, said: “In the seven decades of its existence, the FCC has never before asserted such sweeping authority. Indeed, in the past, the FCC has informed Congress that it lacked any such authority. In our view, nothing has changed to give the FCC the authority it now claims.”
We couldn’t have done it without our co-plaintiffs, Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries, Medical Library Association and the Special Libraries Association.

Me personally I started my pc life with Win 3.0 and ended up with win XP Pro.
I could never find a retailer who would sell me "Linux" read a lot about it but alas it's not what I got. so I got to do with what I got.
With Windows OS I have to instal a Av prog,Firewall,anti spyware progs, etc.
Are you guy's tellin me that "Linnux is that good and you don't need this kind of stuff on your pc? if so why is it that everyone has not got Linnux? and are you all free from being hacked getting viruses etc.
It's a operating system I never had so I can't comment on but am sure it's got it weaknesses like all OS systems.

That is the point. "Retailer = $$$" and "Linux = Free (Gratis).

You can download for free the installation CDs and DVDs from a lot of mirrors without to pay a penny. :yep:

About if Linux is good or not ... I invite you to "Google it" with searches such as
-- Windows vs Linux
-- Linux security
-- server share market
-- government operating system
-- And of course, take a look to what the NSA thinks about Linux, --> www.nsa.gov/selinux/ :|\\

Well, if you had followed my invitation to take a look, I am sure that your affirmation had been answered. :|\\