Considering taking the plunge, but I have some questions

[locutus1]

I'm here because I'll soon be upgrading my hardware including RAM and XP Pro only supports 4GB. I'll actually end up with only 3GB from the 2x2GB kit. Since I'll have to reinstall the OS anyway, it makes sense to move to a new OS now. My options are X64, Vista64, or Linux. I read the sticky for new users and I still have some questions.

I currently use Firefox for browsing and Thunderbird for email. I know I can use them in Linux too, but will I be able to keep all my current bookmarks and emails?

From the post about 32-bit or 64-bit, I see that not all 32-bit software runs on 64-bit Linux. So some of my games, especially my older games, will probably not run on 64-bit Linux? I need support for more than 4GB, though (for new and future games), so re-compiling 32-bit Linux so it will support 64GB sounds like a good idea. I clicked on the link that is supposed to give instructions and got an error. I searched on the web for instructions but everything I found was very technical. I could not find step-by-step instructions for Linux beginners. Is there a performance hit for doing this?

I did some more reading and I'm still not clear on how well my current software will run on 32-bit Linux. I've noticed there are many emulators for Linux. So some things will run fine on their own (like Firefox), and for everything else I'll need an emulator? I have 2 8-year old games. I'm guessing they would need an emulator. Which would most people say is the most reliable emulator?

Thanks.

[dxqcanada]

Firefox and Thunderbird profiles can be migrated from Windows to Linux.
Example

What Linux distribution are you using ?

If you are refering to running Windows games ... then you need wine.
Wine Game compatibility list

[locutus1]

Firefox and Thunderbird profiles can be migrated from Windows to Linux.
Example

What Linux distribution are you using ?

If you are refering to running Windows games ... then you need wine.
Wine Game compatibility list

So far I'm not using any distribution because there's so much to read and absorb. I thought MS was bad by having 5 versions of Vista. I guess I'm leaning towards Ubuntu because it seems like nearly half Linux users use it. I saw a graph somewhere and it was 47% use Ubuntu. 2nd place was about 25%, I think, but I forget which version.

Of course, if you're going to tell me that Ubuntu is not so good when it comes to gaming, then I am open to suggestions.

Thanks for the info on Wine. I looked up 4 games 5 - 8 years old and they're all listed. So there's one emulator called Wine and any game on the list is playable in Linux or is there a different emulator for each category on that list?

[dxqcanada]

Wine is a Windows compatibility layer ... meaning it has a layer that will permit many Windows application to run within the Linux environment.
The list is broken down into category's for easier viewing.
Many Windows apps will work.

I do not have too much opinion concerning which Linux distribution would be optimal for gaming (as I have kept my Windows XP workstation solely for that purpose).
The best Linux will also depend on what else you want to do ...

I use Gentoo ... but it's not for everyone.

[jayd512]

As far as gaming purposes, you might be better off keeping a Windows partition on your PC as WINE doesn't run all games or MS apps. And a few of the programs that you may want to run could suffer on performance. It's my advise to try to run with WINE, but still be prepared to use the native platform.

With the 64-bit distros, be aware that some of them are still a little buggy, and you might wanna try a few different flavors before you actually settle on one you want to use as a primary workstation.

[locutus1]

I do not have too much opinion concerning which Linux distribution would be optimal for gaming (as I have kept my Windows XP workstation solely for that purpose).
The best Linux will also depend on what else you want to do ...

I use Gentoo ... but it's not for everyone.

Well my reason for being here is because my system is 3 years old. It doesn't meet the minimum requirements for some games, one of which is 1.5 years old. So I've decided to upgrade the main components including RAM. I then discovered I'm only going to get 3GB out of the 2x2GB kit I plan on buying because XP32 has a 4GB limit. I thought it made sense to move to another OS. XP X64 and Vista cost money.

What version of XP do you use for gaming - 32 or 64? 32 has the 4MB limit and many people say 64 has very poor driver support.