Operating Systems

[tomgallagher]

Can anybody tell me what other kind of OS's are around beside MS and how do you load them and unload MS. (Windows 7)

[IRONHORSE]

Tom, there are many variants of Linux out there - I've been running Linux Mint on my desktop computer for awhile now, and I am very happy with it, and have no intention of ever going back to Windows.

I would wholeheartedly recommend that if you're going to look into running Linux, that you D/L a few different distros and try them on the live disc first - most flavors of Linux will do that - you can run them off a CD-ROM drive, making no changes to your hard drive. When you find a distro you like, I'd suggest dual booting it alongside Windows for awhile, so that if you run into something you want/need to do, and can't figure it out on Linux, you can just reboot your computer, go into Windows, and do what you need to do - until you get comfortable navigating in a Linux environment.

I'll be the first to admit that Linux isn't for everyone. There will be an adjustment period as you get used to the new OS, and you will spend some time in a state of frustration. For some people - those who are hard core gamers, those who do a lot of auto-cad type things Linux is not for you.

However, if you're someone who just surfs the net a bit, watches some YouTube videos, and wants to be able to Email, well... Linux excels at that, and best of all, Linux  and almost every program written to run in Linux, is 100% Free!

[pdxtodd]

I switched from Windoze to Linux a few  years ago.   Ubuntu has been my favorite Linux distro.   Three years ago I made the migration to Mac and haven't looked back.  It just works. 

[IRONHORSE]

I had hesitated to recommend Mac's OS, because I wasn't sure it'd run on a PC, but if I read the above post correctly, it will.

[CraftyGuy]

I had hesitated to recommend Mac's OS, because I wasn't sure it'd run on a PC, but if I read the above post correctly, it will.

From what I understand, you cannot load/run MAC OS (OS X) on a PC directly without some amount of voodoo involved.  That said, I have seen websites describing out to make a "Mac in a box" - if there is any interest I will try to relocate and post those links.

[tomgallagher]

Great info guys. Think I am going to give some version of Linux a try. Thanks a lot.

[IRONHORSE]

Ubuntu is the most popular distro of Linux. I use Linux Mint, which is an Ubuntu derivative, which has all the codecs and such that you can get only by manually loading them in Ubuntu, which will let you watch DVD's, YouTube videos, and such - and a generally more polished overall feel than Ubuntu - I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a shot.

Some others you may want to look at are: Ubuntu, Mandriva, and OpenSUSE.

Be aware that you will likely be using different programs for web browsing (Firefox - a FAR better browser than Internet Explorer, I've used it  place of MSIE for a long time!) Email (Thunderbird is my favorite,) and Documents, Spreadsheets, and such (Open Office is the most full-featured) than you are used to using in Windows.

Windows 7 is a 64 bit OS - and of the above, I know for sure that Linux Mint and Ubuntu can be had in 64 bit editions.

Another nice thing, should you choose Linux - You will have no further need of anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-ad-ware, or any need to defragment your hard drive - ever. About the only thing you may choose to do is to set up a firewall - but even that isn't all that necessary.

If you make the choice to go the Linux route, I will help all I can. I'm about to hit the road for the next 3 weeks (I'm a long-distance trucker, these days) But I just got a laptop (running Windows 7 - LOL!) so I can help whenever I hit a wi-fi hotspot.

[tomgallagher]

I loaded the 32 bit version of W7 and am having trouble with it. I am definitely going to look into the different variations of Linux. I'll let you know if I self destruct.