done with windows...but need help

[brendan6]

I am very close to giving up with windows completely due to so many bugs, crashes and generally poor performance...but, i want to know if linux is a good choice for me. I have used SuSE before and liked it but i had alot of trouble. Particularly, i play alot of video games, is it possible to play windows based games on linux? Also, is it possible to install other windows based programs on linux machines? Thanks for any info.

[smolloy]

There is a program called "wine" that allows you to install windows software on a linux box, but it is known to have trouble with a lot of software. My recommendation would be to set up a dual boot machine, so you can flip back and forth between windows and linux. That way you can see if linux works for you without trashing your windows installation.

[Amano]

Yeah, you and me have exactly the same concerns (games). LOL. I setup a dual-boot system; that way, if there is a game or program that can't be installed on Linux, I just go back to Windows.

[brendan6]

I've tried the whole dual boot thing before but found it more of an annoyance than anything because i dont see the point in restarting my computer just to check my emails/surf web/chat on msn. I did notice you used the word "If". Does this mean it's possible to install some games on linux? If so, how and is there a performance drop/increase?

[gogalthorp]

I've tried the whole dual boot thing before but found it more of an annoyance than anything because i dont see the point in restarting my computer just to check my emails/surf web/chat on msn. I did notice you used the word "If". Does this mean it's possible to install some games on linux? If so, how and is there a performance drop/increase?

Running Windows as a virtual machine with VMware Server. I don't run high end games so I don't know how well they would work. But it is totaly cool to see Windows booting in a Suse window

Note
1) need plenty of memory. It might run in 512 but if you want it smooth go to 2gig.

2) put the virtual machine files on a partition with some room the default is root and unless you adjusted things on installation of Linux it will not have enough space for a confortable sized virtual machine.

[brendan6]

hmm...only emulation options eh. I can't see that giving good performance but i shall give it a try. thanks!

P.S. My rig is:

Asus M2N32-SLi Deluxe Skt. AM2
AMD x2 4600 + Skt. AM2 AM2
2048 mb (1024 x 2) OCZ Spec Ops DDR2 pc6400 @ 800 MHz
XFX GeForce 7900 GTX EE 512 Mb
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Samsung 160 GB SATA-II HDD

[Wifi_is_evil]

You would be surprised how fast VMware really is- especially on a computer like yours! I think, if you don't have TOO many background programs running, your Windows game would run at a speed you'd expect (you may experience lag OCCASIONALLY on a very power crunching game, but I doubt it would be a problem. Seriously.)

Anyway, Cedega would be better for what you are after. You have to pay for it, though- so sorry if you already bought VMware! Sure, it hasn't got full compatibility, but the games that are on the Silver, Gold or Platinum list are definately playable, and it would probably perform faster than Windows due to Linux's better design.

As for programs, yeah, stick with Wine. Just remember, Wine/Cedega IS NOT AN EMULATOR xDD. (that means when it DOES run, it'll run faster than Windows!!).

[gogalthorp]

hmm...only emulation options eh. I can't see that giving good performance but i shall give it a try. thanks!

P.S. My rig is:

Asus M2N32-SLi Deluxe Skt. AM2
AMD x2 4600 + Skt. AM2 AM2
2048 mb (1024 x 2) OCZ Spec Ops DDR2 pc6400 @ 800 MHz
XFX GeForce 7900 GTX EE 512 Mb
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Samsung 160 GB SATA-II HDD

VMware is not emulation it is a virtual machine. Totally different. The OS's share the processor. I can't tell the difference in speed from when I had XP installed direct on the metal.

[glussier]

As for programs, yeah, stick with Wine. Just remember, Wine/Cedega IS NOT AN EMULATOR xDD. (that means when it DOES run, it'll run faster than Windows!!).

This is totally false, programs which are run under wine are usually slower than in windows.

[jsatt]

This is totally false, programs which are run under wine are usually slower than in windows.

This is not always the case. Depending on the application i've noticed that they run faster. I use Dreamweaver in wine from time to time and have noticed that it loads much faster and runs smoother without all that windows overhead running in the background. This isn't the case for every application. but my experience is IF it runs at all it usually has a slight performance boost.