Hello

[ColdWarBaby]

ozar suggested that it would be a good idea to drop in here to introduce myself.

Hello. I'm registered here as ColdWarBaby but the name is Richard.

I have a feeling that I'll be in a minority here since I'm not very much into the technology of computing. I'm just a humble end-use who enjoys blogging, surfing and creating computer graphic art and electronic music.
I'm not a programmer and I can't write code. I don't really even have much of a grip on HTML.
I'm just an old blue collar laborer who happens to enjoy computing and am well and truly sick of Microsoft. I would really like to dump windows and switch to LINUX but I'm really nervous about that move. It seems there are so many variations and options out there that I don't have a clue where to start. What I really want to do is simply migrate from windows xp to a LINUX OS that will allow me to continue running all the software I'm using now. I've been using these apps for years and I'm really comfortable with them and don't want to be starting over from scratch.
So, I guess I'm here to find out if there's a basic LINUX platform I can download and switch to that will run all the stuff I have running on windows.
FYI: I'm 62 and involuntarily retired. I'm actually not really unhappy about that though. Busted my ass as a laborer all my life. I'll be able to start getting social security pretty soon so I guess I'll get by.
So, I guess that's about it for now. I'm hopeful I'll be able to find what I need here and maybe learn something while I'm at it.

There is no way to Peace. Peace is the Way.

[oz]

If you should have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to post new threads with the details.

Hope you'll have fun with Linux!

[rokytnji]

I have a feeling that I'll be in a minority here since I'm not very much into the technology of computing.

Nope. just check out my profile. Howdy and welcome. Was nervous like you at the start. It didn't hurt for me to find some old equipment for cheap AMREL ROCKY II UNLIMITED RT 686 RUGGED NOTEBOOK POWER - eBay (item 310120575214 end time Mar-06-09 10:27:40 PST) and use them for Linux boxes to learn on. I'm a self taught blue collar kind of guy. And on that laptop Link I gave you. I run Ubuntu, Puppy Dingo, AntiX, NimbleX, and now Zenwalk on that exact laptop. So dive in and have some fun.

[elija]

Welcome to the forums.

Windows software doesn't run natively on Linux but there is a remarkable project called Wine which provides an emulator (please don't tell the Wine people I said that - Wine Is Not Emulation) to allow you to run some Windows software. People tend to have mixed results with it but they do have a database of applications.

A better alternative might be to find and try some Linux software that does the same job.

As for a distro. my personal recommendation would be LinuxMint but if you ask ten different people you will most likely get twelve different answers with the only real agreement being that the only way to find out is try a few. Most come with Live CD's which means you can give them a go without installing them to your hard drive. It can be slow but at least you can get an idea of how much you like it.

WineHQ - Run Windows applications on Linux, BSD and Mac OS X
The Linux Alternative Project - linuxalt.com
Main Page - Linux Mint

[ColdWarBaby]

Thanks rockytnji.
I may end up just grabbing the bull by the horns as you suggest.
I appreciate your feedback.

[ColdWarBaby]

Thank you elija.
You sound like someone I should talk to a bit. Should I take this to another part of the forums or just chat with you here in the lounge?
See, when I say Windows software I don't mean Microsoft. I'm talking about stuff like Bryce, Rhino, Poser and Corel Photo Paint.
When I took the Distro quiz here it told me I should try openSUSE so I'm thinking I'll just get a live CD and see what happens.