New to Linux, what do I need to get?

[MichaelRob]

I have a laptop that i bought that has Windows Vista and I don't like it at all. I've decided to get Linux but I am confused because I don't know where to get it and hear so many different names for Linux. Where do I start?

[b2bwild]

Welcome to forums..MichalRob
You have found your destiny!

Go Here
On Distrowatch you can see many distros and go to their download pages.
of many.....many linux distributions.

You should start with some basic and easy Distros like
Linux Mint
Fedora
Ubuntu
Mandriva
OpenSUSE
DreamLinux

have fun with linux

[MichaelRob]

I decided to look at eBay and see what I can find. I found a nice one on eBay called Linux XP. Here is the link:

Upgrade now to the best operating system! LINUX XP !!!! - eBay (item 320304394869 end time Nov-24-08 11:47:59 PST)

It is item # 320304394869

It sounds like a very nice one. What do all of you think?

[meton_magis]

well if you have a cd or dvd burner, you dont need to pay for these, you can download them for free. that distowatch b2bwild recomended is a good place to find any of the distros. I would suggest going with one of the ones he listed, as they have a large userbase, while some are even backed by buisinesses ( but are mostly community driven)

[b2bwild]

Im not impressed with it. its nothing like Micro$oft XP/Vista just fake.
Its modified KDE4.
Its just linux and it should be free.

if you talk about all those feature, those are already availabe in distos i mentioned.

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

I'd personally recommend any of the top 20 or distros at DistroWatch over Linux XP. Take a look at the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux.

Let us know should you have any questions.

[MichaelRob]

I like to buy a lot of my stuff on eBay but I emailed the guy selling Linux XP and asked if he could lower the price and he lowered it from $9.99 to $7.99 so it was a good deal. One reason I chose to go over him versus downloading is he offered to offer support after I buy it if I have any problems.

[jmadero]

Sorry to say but...you got ripped off...Linux is free almost all the time. He simply downloaded it and burned it for you. As for support, you have the forums right here with hundreds if not thousands of people who frequently read and help out. I guess $10 isn't bad but none the less you'll probably not stick with that distro for long (because it's not a main distro, thus has less support and possibly less stable than other distros) and then you're going to have to download one yourself.

I HIGHLY recommend Ubuntu. I have tried about 10 distros and each has it's niche, Ubuntu is great for new Linux users, very user friendly, lots of support online. You might want to download it and try the live distro (you don't install anything, just runs off of the cd). My mom uses it and she hates computers but loves Ubuntu. Most things are plug and play, installing most software is a matter of three mouse clicks.

[b2bwild]

You have failed your destiny!
LOL

The Linux distributions survive and provide support as per their large user base.
I bet that guy cant provide you better support than here.

[techieMoe]

I like to buy a lot of my stuff on eBay but I emailed the guy selling Linux XP and asked if he could lower the price and he lowered it from $9.99 to $7.99 so it was a good deal. One reason I chose to go over him versus downloading is he offered to offer support after I buy it if I have any problems.

I understand your mindset since you probably come from the Windows world where you get what you pay for, and free products usually mean no support and sub-par quality.

However, Linux XP is a very, very poor distribution. It's certainly not worth paying money for. Trust me, I've tried my fair share of Linux versions. Listen to what the other folks on the forum are saying to you: the best Linux distributions (like things in life) are free.

As for support, we are a several thousand large community here for the specific purpose of offering help to those who need it. If you need help with one of the myriad free distros out there, please by all means start a thread and we'll get you going.

Any of the top 10 distributions on DistroWatch would make a much better introduction to Linux than Linux XP. They're all more stable, more current, and most importantly free of charge.