Switch from Windows to Linux

[Tarmael]

See I've never allowed my system to auto upgrade from one release to another.

I've always just format. A lot easier in my eyes. I hear lots of stories where the upgrade hasn't gone so well.

[kir?]

Greetings all, first post here, hoping for a good stay.

So i'm looking to switch to Linux, which i have before, but i was mostly put of the bad preformance in games, since i use my rig primarily for gaming.
I'm doing this partly because i'm getting tired of Windows & partly because i would like to have more control of my computer.

I've made a list of program i use daily and checked if they would run on Linux.

*Avast Antivirus - Check!
*Open Office - Check!
*Mozilla Firefox - Check!
*VLC Player - Check!
*Graphics Drivers - Check! (I use ATI cards for now... hopyfulle also later!)
*TeamSpeak - Check! (so my only problem is the overlay)

So the question is which Linux should i go for? People have said: Ubuntu, Fedore, Mandriva & so on, So which should i Take?
I know very little about Linux, so when you answer, explain it so we all can understand. And remember i need primarily as a gaming rig, so i know i need programs like Wine, i've checked Wine and it should handle the game i play, mostly...
But i also dont mind fiddling with it, so it dosen't have to be a fool proof Linux, i'm just looking for the one that gives me the most stable platform for a gaming rig.

Link: http://appdb.winehq.org/ i looked at this list.

*EVE - Check
*IL-2 Sturmovik
*Steam - Check
*StarCraft - Check

So the 2 games i currectly are playing that aren't on the list i'll have to work on is: Oblivion & Pangya.

So i hope you all can help me find a painless solution and switch.

Thanks in advance.

You should take ubuntu, it's simple, fast and complete. But remember! If you want to use linux and you come from windows you have to do a lot of practice and you must be patient. You will have to read a lot of documentation and you will have to learn that everything you are searching for is at 99% already on the net.
To use linux is simple, but to pass from windows to linux is not.

[Tarmael]

You should take ubuntu, it's simple, fast and complete. But remember! If you want to use linux and you come from windows you have to do a lot of practice and you must be patient. You will have to read a lot of documentation and you will have to learn that everything you are searching for is at 99% already on the net.
To use linux is simple, but to pass from windows to linux is not.

Yeah, I'll second this.

When I first switched from Windows to Linux I had no idea what I was doing.

This was back in the day of Dapper (and close to the release of Edgy)

I used Dapper for a little bit, it was fun. Then I used Edgy and kept breaking it. I didn't know about the support forums or anything so just switched back to Windows.

After Windows pissed me off again, I thought I'd bring out my old Edgy RC disc, but first I'd check the Ubuntu website.

I then downloaded Feisty, loved it, and eagerly waited the release of Gutsy. I've got my official 86 and 86_64 and my burnt RC1 of Gutsy that I am proud to own.

[talon95]

People switching should keep in mind that they likely have many years of experience with Windows. You can't make that up in a few hours/days if you have no experience with Linux.

I honestly was pleasantly surprised that I got Ubuntu up and running with various apps configured in a few hours. (I have used unix before though, AIX).

[indigo196]

I used Ubuntu for a while and then moved to Debian.

Personally I think your choice of distro should be determined on what you want out of the experience. If you want games you have three choices...

1. Dual boot with Windows XP/Vista
2. Run native Linux games (Wine/Cedega work, but you may as well just dual boot IMHO)
3. Run no games on your PC, take the money saved from not needing a killer graphics care and AV solution and buy a PS3 or XBOX 360 and game on an actual 'gaming' platform.

I want to 'learn' about what makes Linux tick so I am toying with Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Gentoo, openSUSE, Fedora Core, and Slackware. If you just want a 'cutting' edge distro that is fairly stable go Ubuntu or Mepis. If you want a stable distro I would go with Debian.

Though to be honest I have not found my home in Linux yet... so perhaps you should simply try a great number of Distros and see what you like about them.

Also, don't forget about the BSD family -- freeBDS, openBSD and pcBSD I believe are all out there.

Good luck on your quest.

[Compxpert]

I used fedora core 4 for a couple months but then moved onto Gentoo which I like a heck of a lot better. I've also used Ubuntu and have it installed on another computer so Ubuntu is good although in my opinion not as good as Gentoo. For starting out on Linux though I would suggest Ubuntu as it is easier. Though if you are looking for a challenge you could always dive right into Gentoo

[niniendowarrior]

My opinion:

Greetings all, first post here, hoping for a good stay.

So i'm looking to switch to Linux, which i have before, but i was mostly put of the bad preformance in games, since i use my rig primarily for gaming.
I'm doing this partly because i'm getting tired of Windows & partly because i would like to have more control of my computer.

Good to hear you want to try Linux. By the way, why not VF-1S? Skull leader is always better.

*Avast Antivirus - No need
*Open Office - Available
*Mozilla Firefox - Available
*VLC Player - Available (I think), even if there isn't there are alternatives.
*Graphics Drivers - Available... cross your fingers and hope you are satisfied with the outcome.
*TeamSpeak - I don't know about this one.

So the question is which Linux should i go for? People have said: Ubuntu, Fedore, Mandriva & so on, So which should i Take?
I know very little about Linux, so when you answer, explain it so we all can understand. And remember i need primarily as a gaming rig, so i know i need programs like Wine, i've checked Wine and it should handle the game i play, mostly...
But i also dont mind fiddling with it, so it dosen't have to be a fool proof Linux, i'm just looking for the one that gives me the most stable platform for a gaming rig.

As far as competent distribution, I vouch for Ubuntu. I used to hate the distribution to the bone, but it's shaping up really good. I think a lot of stuff has been streamlined in this distribution and I don't mean to knock on the other distributions. I think as of now, Ubuntu is a good choice and from a Windows shifting person's point of view, pick up Kubuntu which is a good start of transition, then when you are familiar, move to Ubuntu.

Link: http://appdb.winehq.org/ i looked at this list.

*EVE
*IL-2 Sturmovik
*Steam
*StarCraft

So the 2 games i currectly are playing that aren't on the list i'll have to work on is: Oblivion & Pangya.

*Sigh*, gaming rig on Linux. My advise to go about this is these simple steps.
1. Look for a Linux native port. That should be the first order of business. This offers the least amount of headache (while still offering some) but I never recommend emulation as a solution.

2. If you are willing to shell out money and absolutely wish to play games, games and more games, grab Cedega. They aren't too shabby with some games just not every title in the market. You can always go Wine. It's a good software and it does support some games too. If you want to cover your bases, get both.

So i hope you all can help me find a painless solution and switch.

Thanks in advance.

I hope I helped.

[Tarmael]

I can vouch VLC and TS are on Ubuntu.

[lakritz]

Yes, VLC is one of the most cross-platform media players in existence, and is definitely available for Ubuntu, Fedora etc.

About TeamSpeak, I have no personal experience with it, but I believe it uses an old sound system (OSS, haha, it really stands for Open Sound System though) so there might be problems with it and it's closed source so there isn't much to do about it.

And like others said; no need for anti virus.

I wouldn't either use Linux if all I wanted to do was to run Windows apps.

[Tarmael]

I would.

I prefer the safety of Linux and the feel.

Windows just seemed too picky for me.

I say that, but you must keep in mind, the only Windows apps I run are games, the rest is Open Source.