Hi i want to buy a linux computer but not sure which one to get

[digitial]

I want a Linux computer. Im taking a basic class in computing and the instructor keeps telling how great a linux is. he says that it doesnt freeze much, its faster, and also very light weight. I want one, but not sure which one to get and from what company. Does linux have a main site that they sell computers from? Also, can someone please list the pros and cons of having a linux machine? Is a lot of computer experience needed for it? Thanks!

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

Most anything should work unless it's so new that the drivers for it haven't made it into the latest kernels, yet.

You can check the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux.

Good luck with it whichever machine you should buy, or build.

[smolloy]

Distrowatch is a very good place to learn about different "distributions" of linux.

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

Linux isn't a company, nor is it a single operating system (like MS Windows), rather it's the kernel (the most important part) of several operating systems. There are literally hundreds of linux distributions out there, but distrowatch has a good link describing the major ones -- link

Typically you don't buy a computer with linux pre-installed as you would with Windows (although this is changing -- Dell, Acer, and Asus are all major manufacturers who are selling computers with Linux preinstalled), instead you make some space on your hard drive on which to install a distribution of linux you have downloaded or bought from somewhere. This is called partitioning, and, simply put, makes a single hard drive look like it consists of several hard drives. So you could have one which you partition into two primary partitions -- one to keep Windows on, and one for Linux.

Also, note that there are several good quality Linux distros that cost money, however, there are dozens of equally good distros that come for free -- perfectly legally!!

Everyone will have different recommendations for which distro you should try first, but it's really a matter of personal taste. Ubuntu is popular now, and is good for new users, but OpenSUSE, Fedora, Mint, etc. are all very good as well.

To start, I'd recommend downloading one that comes as a liveCD. This allows you to put the CD in your computer, and boot straight to a Linux desktop -- without touching your hard drive at all! It will run much more slowly than a fully installed OS, but it will give you a good idea as to how linux works.

OK, too much information for you! Apologies

Have fun, and welcome to the forums!

[digitial]

@ ozar and smolloy, thanks for the info guys! Do you guys mind sharing what type of system you have and where you got yours from? Im on a linux computer right now at my school but they have a special operating system made for just the institution because they are affiliated with the school, and i like it! I know most of the linux commands, i like it a lot better then windows so i want one badly.

[oz]

@ ozar and smolloy, thanks for the info guys! Do you guys mind sharing what type of system you have and where you got yours from?

I always build my own.

Edit: oh, if you man what distro I'm running, it's Arch.

[smolloy]

You can see the hardware I'm running at home in my signature. I use a distro called Debian Sid at home, but I wouldn't recommend this for new users! It's a little tricky, and doesn't help you as much as some other distros.

I also use Ubuntu on my laptop (a fantastic distro for new users, and very popular at the moment), and Fedora 9 on my desktop in work. (I like to use a mix of different distros!)

Ubuntu comes as a liveCD and might be a good place for you to start. You can find them here.

Have fun!

[digitial]

Thanks for all of the info guys!

[elija]

Thanks for all of the info guys!

You don't say where in the world you are but in the UK you could do a lot worse than these guys. All the PC's they sell have Linux by default, although you can have Windows or no operating system. Naturally that means you know they will be Linux compatible

Linky

[edit]Disclaimer: The only relationship I have with this company is that I buy from them![/edit]

[dhanrajp]

I bought PC world magazine a few months ago , and I came across the Opensuse 10.2 distro in the attached DVD. I installed it and found it very convenient for my desktop need. Superbly streamlined and lightweight. In the meanwhile i got a job as a Sys Admin, was trained in AIX and Redhat. So getting acquainted with new things using my Suse was a addon .

There is no such thing as a linux pc, get a free linux installable - DVD from PC world like Mandriva, Mandrake,Opensuse,Ubuntu -install and learn by yourself.

[smolloy]

There is no such thing as a linux pc, get a free linux installable

If you mean that it is not possible to buy a PC with Linux preinstalled, this is not true. As I said in my first post, there are several manufacturers that sell PCs with Linux preinstalled -- Dell, System76, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, ...