Questions Linux Distro, Operating Systems and Gaming

[fishking]

Hi everyone,

Just a couple (lol) of questions on Linux , i am thinking of using it instead of Windows Vista (which i haven't tried yet).

What is the best Linux Distro to be had? I'm looking for reliability, compatability with Hardware (graphics cards Nvidia and so on), stability and of course how good is it with games?

The next thing i'm confused about is what Beryl and other things like it is? What is Beryl and how can i install it with a linux Distro?

Does anyone know where i can get the latest version of the linux distro (specs etc) that i mentioned at the top and can i get something like Ubuntu and Beryl together in one easy installation package?

Can i run DX10 games such as Crysis, Lost Planet etc on Linux? If not what DX9 games are there that run smoothly?

Where can i get a live CD from, for the Distro specs i mentioned above?

Is installling 2 OS systems on one PC possible and can i select the OS i want at Startup?

Whats the differnce between a Distro (Ubuntu etc) and an actual desktop (GNOME, KDE) ?

What is Beryl?

Can i make Windows Programs compatible with Linux such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop etc?

Finally is Linux more stable than Windows Vista?

Thanks in advance for people answering

[Freston]

Hi Rammstein Welcome to the forums!

Start here



Many of the questions you ask are typical for people who want to start with Linux, and you are very right to ask them. You'll find loads of info in the above link to answer your questions. I recommend Linux != Windows to start with.


Just wanted to add that running 2 OS's on a single machine is called dual-booting. It's very common and in fact quite easy to set up in most cases. And yes, you'll get a menu at startup that let's you select which OS to boot. You can change their order and how long it takes for the default OS to boot when no input is given.

[darrinallen]

When I started with linux, I bought the mandrake distribution. Then I played around with SUSE.


Now that I have experience I have been sticking with Redhat.

Many of my really experienced systems admin friends really like slackware

[techieMoe]

What is the best Linux Distro to be had? I'm looking for reliability, compatability with Hardware (graphics cards Nvidia and so on), stability and of course how good is it with games?

See the thread suggested by Freston for answers to this. The short version is that no one can tell you which distribution is best because everyone has different ideas of what "best" means. You just have to try a few out for yourself and see what grabs you.

The next thing i'm confused about is what Beryl and other things like it is? What is Beryl and how can i install it with a linux Distro?

Some newer distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora) come with Beryl installed already. It's a 3D desktop effects program that lets you do things like rotate between desktops using a spinning cube or make your windows fade in or out or act like they're made of gelatin. Just eye candy.

Does anyone know where i can get the latest version of the linux distro (specs etc) that i mentioned at the top and can i get something like Ubuntu and Beryl together in one easy installation package?

Yes, Ubuntu's latest version comes with Beryl. You can get the latest version from Ubuntu's website or from DistroWatch.com.

Can i run DX10 games such as Crysis, Lost Planet etc on Linux? If not what DX9 games are there that run smoothly?

No, you cannot run any version of DirectX or Microsoft Windows games in Linux. See the link provided by Freston called "Linux is Not Microsoft Windows."

Is installling 2 OS systems on one PC possible and can i select the OS i want at Startup?

Absolutely. It's called a dual-boot. It lets you run Microsoft Windows or Linux at startup. Most newer Linux distributions will help you set this up.

Whats the differnce between a Distro (Ubuntu etc) and an actual desktop (GNOME, KDE) ?

A Linux distribution consists of 2 basic parts: the kernel (brain), and the software you run on top of it. Some of that software provides you with a graphical interface (KDE and GNOME). This is an imperfect analogy, but think of it like you would a car. The kernel (engine) lets you operate the interface (steering wheel, pedals).

KDE and GNOME are just like two different dashboard assemblies. They look slightly different but they operate the same engine. The distribution is the collection of kernel and applications. In other words, it's the whole car.

Can i make Windows Programs compatible with Linux such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop etc?

No, you cannot. However you may be able to run that software using a piece of middleware called WINE. It's not perfect, but WINE will basically act as a translator between your Linux OS and the EXE files you're trying to run.

If you absolutely must run these programs I very strongly recommend you set up a dual-boot system and run them in MS Windows. Your performance and stability will always be better running software in its native environment.

Finally is Linux more stable than Windows Vista?

Questions like this are very hard to answer. Linux does not have any viruses available for it yet, and new Linux versions come out much more frequently than new versions of MS Windows. When bugs are found there is a greater chance that Linux developers will respond and fix them quicker than in the Microsoft world.

Does this make Linux more stable? That's up to your judgment. Is it cheaper? That one I can answer with an unequivocal "YES!"

[Manchunian]

Hi,

Nice to see this forum's attitude towards newbies. I've basically just 'moved' here from another one, because I felt that it wasn't newbie-friendly enough. We need to answer questions as individually as we can if we are to attract more people into the world of Linux. Good work LF!

I can't really add much more than what TechieMoe has just told you, but I have a slightly different perspective on some issues. First of all, regarding software compatibility. Windows programmes are made to run on Windows – that's the problem! However, some WILL run satisfactorily in Linux if you have WINE installed, which most distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian...) do by default. Word, Excel and Powerpoint work well, albeit a little slower than under Windows (but I don't know how the 2007 versions run – should you want to use these memory-hungry animals, that is).

Other programmes will also work, especially if they don't run directly off a CD. But WINE has its limits – there are lots of things you can't do with it. There is an alternative, though: Crossover, which is written by the same team that brought us WINE. With this, I can run CD-ROMS and other things that WINE just can't cope with. It comes with a small price-tag, but in my opinion it's well worth buying. Besides, you can try it for 30 days free of charge to test it before laying out around $30 for the full license.

As for games, well we answer this question all the time and unfortunately the answer is always the same: the games world in Linux is problematic. A lot of them will run with CEDEGA, which you pay a monthly subscription for, but although it's getting better and better, it will break it's teeth on a lot of new games. BUT, all is not lost: as more ane more people use Linux the software companies will have to wake up one day.

Besides, Linux provides a great potential environment: as it isn't anywhere near as CPU-thirsty as Windows, it has more resources at its disposal to do interesting things. In the meantime, don't forget that there ARE games in Linux, and some of them are very good. Glest, for example, is excellent; so too is Vegastrike, if you're into that sort of thing.

As a general rule, for most of the Windows applications there is an open-source equivalent in Linux. Some of these programmes are of exceptional quality, and some even compete very seriously with the ridiculously expensive Windows payware. The Gimp is very nearly as powerful as Photoshop; Openoffice does a fantastic job of replacing Office (and can open as well as save in Office format), Scribus is a very nice equivalent to publisher and don't forget Firefox, Thuderbird....

Finally, I want to talk about the stability issue. There is no doubt that Linux is more stable than Windows – unless you do something stupid with it. Not only are updates more frequent, but the very structure of Linux makes it difficult for viruses to do any real damage. To be able to install any programme, or do any change to the structure of your computer, you need to enter a distinct password.

Also, the modular nature of Unix-type systems means that any damage that IS done, is contained. Viruses do exist for Linux, sure, just like they do for Mac, but they are few and far between and most people don't even bother having an anti-virus (a debatable issue this). However, stability does depend on you. If you prefer living on the edge, there are some distributions that are made to cater for you.

For example, some people prefer Sidux to Debian because it's more up-to-date. But Debian is highly stable as everything in it is tested thoroughly before release. This means that Debian is probably more stable than Sidux. What I'm trying to say is that the distribution you choose can influence the stability of your machine to a degree, but most of the mainstream distributions are very close in this regard.

I think that's all! Good luck.