Wow I have just installed linux...

[Camaero]

For the first time I am trying out Linux. Ubuntu to be exact. A few things are a lot tougher, installing my ati card for one was a bit of a pain in the ass. I do like most everything else though.

What do you guys think, is it possible to just completely switch or do I still need an xp duel boot? I haven't tried playing any games yet so that is one untested area...

[JSLTIGER]

I use Linux on a very occasional basis, but my understanding is that many games have incompatibilities.

[bradclark1]

Check out Wine and see what games they list that you have.
http://appdb.winehq.org/

[DAB]

I use Linux as much as possible... Ubuntu just like yourself. Its a practical operating system which could be refinned a bit more - but then again look at the price tag.

Games though are impossible, and there are some people who send you files who seem to look at you as if your completely mad unless you use that priority piece of software only avaliable on Windows.

Keep the Duel boot, use Linux for the Internet and productivity - and keep windows there for when you need it.

[SUBMAN1]

You can get most games to play in Linux, but expect it to be a pain in the *ss. WINE will do a lot of them, but you may need to get Cedega. As far as everything else, install OpenOffice, and you should have no trouble ditching Windows. I run a combo of OS's at home, and Gentoo is actually my favorite - you can tweak it till you turn blue in the face and still find ways to make it go faster. There is also some pride in creating your own version of an OS as you can with Gentoo, taylored to your specific machine so much, that it won't even run on any other machine than the one you made it for - and this machine specific code will actually run faster because it lacks any bloat and its all compiled for your hardware.

My primary server at home is a Linux Gentoo install.

-S

PS. - WINE - http://www.winehq.org/ - Information on getting WIndows apps working under WINE - http://frankscorner.org/ - Seems Silent Hunter III works fine - http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?iVersionId=5618

PPS. Cedega will do pretty much any game out there and is an alternative to Wine, but it costs $$$ for a subscription - http://www.transgaming.com/

[Camaero]

Thanks for the tips and the links everybody. I think the main thing holding me back is my lack of knowledge on this new OS. Sometimes Linux frustrates the hell out of me and yet other times it just peaks out way further than XP. I guess I will use XP as a gaming platform and use Linux for everything else. XP is still so much easier for me to install games and other programs. I installed a game with WINE and now I can't figure out how to uninstall it for instance.

Later.

[The Avon Lady]

So where exactly is the "WOW" here? :hmm:

Slightly related, if you've got an old PC and time on your hands, read 15 Ways to Reinvent Your PC. Those projects should keep you busy.

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by The Avon Lady

So where exactly is the "WOW" here? :hmm:

It's not Microsoft.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Camaero

Thanks for the tips and the links everybody. I think the main thing holding me back is my lack of knowledge on this new OS. Sometimes Linux frustrates the hell out of me and yet other times it just peaks out way further than XP. I guess I will use XP as a gaming platform and use Linux for everything else. XP is still so much easier for me to install games and other programs. I installed a game with WINE and now I can't figure out how to uninstall it for instance.

Later.

/usr is a likely place to search. Or /opt - some games like to install there. /usr/local is another place to look.

-S

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by Camaero

For the first time I am trying out Linux. Ubuntu to be exact. A few things are a lot tougher, installing my ati card for one was a bit of a pain in the ass. I do like most everything else though.

What do you guys think, is it possible to just completely switch or do I still need an xp duel boot? I haven't tried playing any games yet so that is one untested area...

Ati drivers from linux have sucked so far, Nvidia has better suport in that area tbh. Nut yeah you should keep the dual boot.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

Ati drivers from linux have sucked so far, Nvidia has better suport in that area tbh. Nut yeah you should keep the dual boot.

Actually I diagree with that statement. I find better support with ATI lately - they have drivers for everything, even though a lot of them are proprietary. And I'm ticked at NVidia for not giving me my BIOS assisted RAID drivers for Linux - they make the chipset that my board runs under for the Southbridge. No one can figure out how to make the RAID drivers work either - like you can for Sil RAID or Intel RAID's. NVidia used to be great! Problem is - they suck big time now. I can easily find NVidia drivers for my older NForce boards, but not for newer boards. I hate NVidia in the Linux rhealm lately.

The guys on the Gentoo forum found a solution though - they took their ASUS boards back and purchased Linux compatible versions. Nice.

-S

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

Actually I diagree with that statement. I find better support with ATI lately - they have drivers for everything, even though a lot of them are proprietary. And I'm ticked at NVidia for not giving me my BIOS assisted RAID drivers for Linux - they make the chipset that my board runs under for the Southbridge. No one can figure out how to make the RAID drivers work either - like you can for Sil RAID or Intel RAID's. NVidia used to be great! Problem is - they suck big time now. I can easily find NVidia drivers for my older NForce boards, but not for newer boards. I hate NVidia in the Linux rhealm lately.

The guys on the Gentoo forum found a solution though - they took their ASUS boards back and purchased Linux compatible versions. Nice.

-S

Subman1 its true that ati drivers for chipset are better than nvidia's.
But for graphics card ati sux big time, and if you only want to use 3d accelerated graphics under linux/unix the only way is to get an nvidia card.
I've used ati cards for the past 6 years, and every single time i installed a version of linux i had non stopping problems with the graphics drivers.
Even matrox has better support than ati under linux.
Now i finally phased out ati and went with nvidia and the experience is so much smoother its not even funny.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Subman1 its true that ati drivers for chipset are better than nvidia's.
But for graphics card ati sux big time, and if you only want to use 3d accelerated graphics under linux/unix the only way is to get an nvidia card.
I've used ati cards for the past 6 years, and every single time i installed a version of linux i had non stopping problems with the graphics drivers.
Even matrox has better support than ati under linux.
Now i finally phased out ati and went with nvidia and the experience is so much smoother its not even funny.

Strange that you have been having issues. I have none of your described problems. Been running various ATI cards on Linux for years (And I have NVidia cards too that I have run, but haven't bought a new NVidia card in probably 3 to 4 years though). Yes, I use the proprietary driver versions, but they work find for me. No crashing, no nothing. 3D works perfectly.

THen again, I always run Gentoo which is specifically tailored / compiled to my systems instead of being open generic installs, so that might have something to do with it.

-S

[Letum]

I really wish Ubuntu had support for FAT32 and NTSF hard drive formats.