Why Should I Use Linux??

[melodicmonster]

Hello,
I am interested in triple-booting Linux on my Intel Mac, but I'm not sure if it's right for me, or if it's even remotely necessary. My computer is mainly used for music production, but like anyone else, I enjoy gaming, multimedia, etc. I'm not exactly computer literate--I'm very familiar with both of my current OS's (OSX and XP--screw Vista!) and can do basic troubleshooting, but who can't? I'm quite interested in learning the innerworkings of an OS--the command-line interface, programming etc.--and I've got more than enough HDD space (500G) to set aside a partition for Linux, maybe 75-80G. Maybe what I would like to know is whether Linux would complement the other OS's well, or whether it's more of a replacement for OS's that I'm pretty happy with (well, OSX at least). In other words, why do you guys/gals use linux?

[techieMoe]

Hello,
I am interested in triple-booting Linux on my Intel Mac, but I'm not sure if it's right for me, or if it's even remotely necessary.

I'm not sure what you mean by "necessary." There is nothing you can do in Linux that you can't do in OS X. Could you elaborate on that? What do you want to accomplish with Linux?

I'm quite interested in learning the innerworkings of an OS--the command-line interface, programming etc.

You can learn much about the command-line interface and programming from within OS X proper. It has all the same development and command-line tools as Linux, FreeBSD and most UNIXes. Command-line skills you acquire working with OS X will translate closely (if not verbatim) to those other operating systems.

--and I've got more than enough HDD space (500G) to set aside a partition for Linux, maybe 75-80G. Maybe what I would like to know is whether Linux would complement the other OS's well, or whether it's more of a replacement for OS's that I'm pretty happy with (well, OSX at least). In other words, why do you guys/gals use linux?

This is just my opinion, but Linux is definitely not a replacement for OS X on an Intel Mac. I have a Macbook Pro and I run both on it (using a Parallels VM for Linux). Although Linux is very good, I still use OS X for pretty much everything I want to do.

Installing Linux on an Intel Mac isn't going to be easy, unless you go the VM route. You'll need to hack the Boot Camp tool to do it and install a tweaked bootloader (rEFIt). If you're not comfortable with either of these statements I'd recommend you try Linux out either with a LiveCD (which should boot on your Intel Mac just fine) or through a VM. Either way you won't run the risk of hosing your OS X install.

[melodicmonster]

There is nothing you can do in Linux that you can't do in OS X.

This pretty much answers my question about the necessity of Linux. I was never looking to replace OSX, just to complement it (it's why I will be installing Windows XP). I didn't realize OSX was capable of so much. I just made the switch to Macs a few months ago, and hadn't had the chance to fully explore OSX's features. Perhaps I'll just install a very small Linux partition so that I can experiment and learn the command-line interface without the possibility of harming my OSX partition.

[techieMoe]

This pretty much answers my question about the necessity of Linux. I was never looking to replace OSX, just to complement it (it's why I will be installing Windows XP). I didn't realize OSX was capable of so much. I just made the switch to Macs a few months ago, and hadn't had the chance to fully explore OSX's features. Perhaps I'll just install a very small Linux partition so that I can experiment and learn the command-line interface without the possibility of harming my OSX partition.

If you're just looking to learn about general command-line operations on UNIX-like systems (which includes OS X, Linux, UNIX, BSD and Solaris) you can do a search for BASH tutorials and try them out on your Mac with the Terminal program. It's found in Applications->Utilities on your harddrive. Just be careful if you delete anything or move stuff around.

If you just want to play around with things I'd recommend a LiveCD environment. There are quite a few to choose from. One of my favorite small ones (which is also pretty geeky, I should warn you) is Damn Small Linux.

[valemon]

My computer is mainly used for music production

Don't expect to see applications like cubase, nuendo or logic. I use dualboot due to this

[dalinux_n00bie]

I started using Linux because I couldn't afford a iMac and I was tired of Window$ sucking my money and time. Almost anything that you could want to do (except maybe playing the latest and greatest games) you can find a free program in Linux that does the equivalent. Like OpenOffice for editing spreadsheets, documents, and slidshow presentation, and the Gimp for PhotoShop like projects, K3B for Nero like projects, and so on.
That is why I use Linux, high quality FREE programs

[melodicmonster]

If you're just looking to learn about general command-line operations on UNIX-like systems (which includes OS X, Linux, UNIX, BSD and Solaris) you can do a search for BASH tutorials and try them out on your Mac with the Terminal program.

Thanks for the tip! I've used terminal a few times, for simple things like disabling/reactivating Dashboard, removing Alias arrows (I HATE those little buggers!), and I just recently used it to (gulp) resize my OSX partition and create and format partitions for Windows and (maybe) Linux. I'll definitely check out the BASH tutorials and play around with a few Live CD's (geeky is better ).

[ls354]

Chicks digg Linux

(Results may vary)

[smolloy]

Chicks digg Linux

(Results may vary)

When my wife realised we could set up a free website to let family back in N.Ireland (we live in California) see the prenatal scans of our baby, she really started to dig Linux!

[ls354]

Yes they do.