advice..... distro, progs

[ke6960]

hey general newbie questions


ive read the other posts where people are asking which one should i use
and a couple people said depends.... so....

ive got a 2002 dell dimension 4400 w/intell p4 1.7ghz, 768mb ram, 112gb hd, nvidia geforce2 mx400, soundblaster live, lexmark z82 all in one printer, scepter flat pannel moniter, and a couple other things that may not work like a haupage wintv tvtuner card.

i want it as a secondary/backup os to win xp (or if i really like it the opposite) for basic things like browsing, music, a few games,

do any distros work better/worse with this type of config

and with whatever distro are there other progs i should get for security??? or just others that are good to have installed


i read OpenPrinting database - Printer: Lexmark Z82 and they say 2 different things about the printer



ill keep reading around the forums but please respond anyway

[techieMoe]

ive got a 2002 dell dimension 4400 w/intell p4 1.7ghz, 768mb ram, 112gb hd, nvidia geforce2 mx400, soundblaster live, lexmark z82 all in one printer, scepter flat pannel moniter, and a couple other things that may not work like a haupage wintv tvtuner card.

Not sure about the TV card, but the rest of your hardware is reasonable enough. You should be able to use just about any Linux distribution.

i want it as a secondary/backup os to win xp (or if i really like it the opposite) for basic things like browsing, music, a few games,

do any distros work better/worse with this type of config

Not really. All Linux distributions contain the same basic programs and abilities. The main difference between all of them is style. Some look different, some handle installs differently, some are tailored for a particular group of people (see religious distros).

and with whatever distro are there other progs i should get for security??? or just others that are good to have installed

Linux is generally much less at risk for things like viruses, adware, etc. I would recommend a good firewall and strong passwords (especially for your root user), but antivirus programs aren't strictly necessary at this point. They can be useful if you want your Linux box to act as a filter for Windows PCs on your network though.

ill keep reading around the forums but please respond anyway

I'd recommend starting here:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...ead-first.html

[ke6960]

well ive had problems with windows, i seam to be targeted (i have road runner cable) more often by just random port sniffers etc (firewall says its blocked 2777 attempts sence install which was in july when i upgraded it) than i did when i had my comp at my parents house (they have frontier dsl) so i definatly want a decent firewall just incase (read.... paranoid)

some people have told me that a phisical firewall (another comp etc) is somehow better than a software one.... but i dont have that $ right now....


do you recomend any (possibly free) firewalls or do most distros package one with the os???

[techieMoe]

do you recomend any (possibly free) firewalls or do most distros package one with the os???

Most distributions come with a firewall, but which one really depends. You should be able to install the same firewall on any Linux distribution, so I wouldn't let that factor into your choice about which Linux you want.

As for any particular firewall, I can't really say. I've usually just used the default. I'm sure some others on the forum will have better suggestions.

Don't worry about price, either. 99% of all the software available for Linux is free of charge. If you're particularly worried about security of your system, there are specialized Linux distributions designed for that purpose.

[ke6960]

ok kool thanx i think im gonna try kubuntu..... and see how it goes.... if i have problems ill ask more questions.....

[ke6960]

ok so for my tv tuner card... hauppauge says

Hauppauge Computer Works: Support

"
The support for WinTV PCI Tuner cards is not installed by default, when using a Red Hat 6.1 distribution. The following two steps are required for the WinTV to function properly.

1. Loading the Modules
2. Installing kwintv and xawtv

Drivers for Hauppauge cards are now included in the kernel (version 2.2 and newer).

1) Load the Modules

In order to probe the system for the required modules you must:

* Be logged in as ROOT
* Type the following into the command prompt of the console
o /sbin/modprobe tuner.o(then hit enter)
o /sbin/modprobe bttv.o(then hit enter)
o modprobe i2c.o(then hit enter)

Note: Currently you must manually probe for modules, before running a TV application, each time you boot the machine.

2) To Install kwintv and xawtv w/ RedHatv6.1Deluxe:

1. Insert the Power Tools CD-ROM into the CD drive. Gnome RPM will open, enter the "ROOT" password if prompted.
2. Next you will see a File Manager type window, click the install button. At this point you will be shown a tree view list of all the packages on the CD. Expand the "Applications" section , then expand multimedia. In the list of "multimedia" applications you should check xawtv and kwintv. These are two different applications you can use to watch TV on your PC.
3. Finally click the install button. Make sure that the all dependencies are met for the kwintv and xawtv packages.

Note: You must make sure X-Windows is running in 16-bit color mode.


Linux: Linux Operating System—SUSE Linux Enterprise

With SuSE Linux 6.3 the only thing you need to do is install the WinTV PCI card into the computer and SuSE version 6.3 will allow you to watch TV on the PC. SuSE 6.3 Comes with kwintv as well as video4linux.

Note: You must make sure X-Windows is running in 16-bit color mode.
"

so i need kwintv and xawtv or video4linux.... what are the similar things in kubuntu??? just the video player they package or should i get a different prog....... or should i not worry so much