Newbie Here

[Mudjack]

Hi,
I am new to the idea of using Linux and want to get started and get rid of the Windows garbage if that's at all possible. I've heard a lot of good things about Linux and want to give it a try. I have read a good deal on Linux, but I still haven't been able to determine which version is going to work best for me.

I'd like to start up slowly and wean myself off of Windows eventually. Anyone got any suggestions where to start?

Thanks for your input and - nice to meet y'all!

Mudjack

[genesus]

Welcome to the forums. There is really a great community here that will help you with whatever issues you come across, wether you decide to completely wean from windows, or just switch back and forth between the two as your needs and wants dictate.

Read through the manuals and guides on this forum, they are extremely helpful, and do not be afraid to ask any questions.

For starters check out distrowatch.com, a great site with information on many MANY linux distros and bsd flavors.

For basic starters and experimentations, you can check out a live cd, knoppix or slax or elive, there are many. You will get a bootable cd, that will let you experiment with many options and linux software without having to wipe your windows drive. Or, you can install a distro alongside your current windows install and simply boot back and forth between the two.

Welcome

[fingal]

Hello - welcome to LFO. I hope you enjoy it here and that you have a great time discovering Linux. If I was starting from scratch I would probably try Mepis, though I've only used it as a live CD.

There's not much to add to genesus' good advice. It's going to take a little time to adjust to the *nix way of doing things, but I believe it's a better (more sustainable) form of computing ... and much more fun in the end.

[Cabhan]

Welcome to the forums!

Indeed, the best advice I can give you is to try out some LiveCDs. Ubuntu (a very popular new-user distro) comes as a LiveCD, but there are lots of LiveCDs out there: check out http://www.distrowatch.com for a list of distros.

Once you've tried a LiveCD and want to install Linux, you can dual-boot, which means you keep your Windows installation and just install Linux alongside it. This is great because if you mess something up or have Internet problems, you can boot into Windows and ask questions from there.

Linux is a lot different from Windows. When I first tried Linux, I despised it, but nowadays it's all I use! So give it some time, keep an open mind, and you'll have a great understanding of the OS.

[Mudjack]

Hey, Thanks to all for the great response to my post here! I have been browsing the forum and found it fascinating. Linux is very cool stuff.

I looked up the Ubuntu software recomended by Cabhan. This looks like the way to go for starters. The price is right, too. Only, I don't know which version is the best to get. I would assume the best thing to start with is the DVD version. It's more cost, but it's probably got the most stuff on it. I'll give that a shot.

Thanks again!

[Cabhan]

Just so you know, 99% of Linux distros are free. For instance, you can download Ubuntu at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/GetUb...currentrelease

You then burn the image onto your own CD/DVD, and can boot it. All for free!

There's also ShipIt, which will send you a CD for free. It seems that the newest release isn't free, but the (barely) older release is free. And you could update from that, if you want.

https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

[tomcat1965]

I would recommend installing automatix2 if you are going to go for one of the Ubuntu flavours as this will get your multimedia codecs,M$ fonts etc for you without you having to know what to look for. It will also install the Flash 9 beta and plugin for Firefox,you don't want to have Flash 7 it sucks!! (and wont sync sound and vid or even work on most sites now).
PCLinuxOS ,Mepis ,Freespire,Mandriva One 2007(check out the 3D desktop and wobbly windows!), all worth checking out by running a "Live CD" just remember live cd's run slowly and that changing distros is quick and painless (unlike windows)

[Mudjack]

Just so you know, 99% of Linux distros are free. For instance, you can download Ubuntu at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/GetUb...currentrelease

You then burn the image onto your own CD/DVD, and can boot it. All for free!

There's also ShipIt, which will send you a CD for free. It seems that the newest release isn't free, but the (barely) older release is free. And you could update from that, if you want.

https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

I tried doing this, but my computer won't complete the download for some reason. I can't tell why yet. Working on it. Thanks for the great tips.

[mahlerfan]

I tried doing this, but my computer won't complete the download for some reason. I can't tell why yet. Working on it. Thanks for the great tips.

In that case use the shipit link above and have them ship you a free cd.