Questions Before I Begin My Journey Into Linux :)

[Guest]

Ok. First off, I'd like to say that I have never even SEEN linux, just heard about it (This may explain my stupidity). I am a comp. science freshman and figured it would be good to learn this now. My plan is to build a semi-cheap computer as I already have a bad ass bertha one. I plan on getting a Duron (700, 800, maybe the new 900), an Asus board (probably a7v as can't take advantage of a7v133 too much) , something like a 20GB Hard Drive, 256 PC133 Ram, no sound. Ok I think those should be alright to run Linux on, please tell me if I'm wrong. Two of my questions are, can i burn CD's in Linux? I have a Creative 12x10x32 CD-RW Blaster. Also, will my old voodoo3 2000 card work in Linux? I don't plan on buying a new card for it. If no, what card will? Also, I am not sure which distrubition to get. It seems to be a matter of preference. Although Redhat and Mandrake have been recommended to me as a beginner. And no I don't want to install a dual-boot, I want a new computer! Any input would be great, thanks in advance.

It's better to be pissed off than pissed on

 

[ejsmith2]

I only have limited experience with Linux, but it was good experience. You'll do ok with all of that and Redhat. More than likely, you'll be buying a $40 sb live down the road, but don't sweat it until your ready. Games are aren't as widespread with Linux, and you'll be able to make that decision in a snap. Mandrake is optimized for pentium, but i'm not sure about athlon. Since you are starting out, you might go one of two routes. Download the installation cd's, and take a trip to the local book shop to pick up one of the 'bibles' for Linux. Or you can get the OS from the computer store, and use the manuals that come with it. The 'bible' can range from an unabridged dictionary size (>3inches) to 1 inch. I went with the largest, which cost $45.

You'll probably have to use/know/worship UNIX as part of compsci, so Linux is a good place to start. It's a different world, even though people try to make references to ms-dos. The standard msft answer to comptuer problems is 'upgrade', whereas the Linux solution is 'configure'.

Dual booting is actually easy if you use a boot loader, which is what I did when I had Mandrake on my system. I used system commander, but 6.4gig goes quickly with 3 os, so I use win2k instead of Linux.

 

[machow]

After a few days of Linux, I don't seem to know any programs that are able to burn CDs. Just to tell you.

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This site is cool.

 

[Guest]

there is a program called 'cdrecord' that burns cd's.
check out <A HREF="http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO.html" target="_new">http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO.html</A> for more info.

Your voodoo is cool for linux, as 3dfx has good driver support (play GLQuake, for example)

When you install, make sure to select the development packages to get all the c/c++ libraries, make, gcc, etc....

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I have not yet begun to procrastinate.

 

[Guest]

I would reccomend getting a shrink-wrap distribution for your first install. It comes with manuals, and ussually 30+ days of installation support. Once you become a linux guru, you can download all your updates for free

As another poster mentioned, CD burning works fine on Linux. In fact, a friend of mine dual-boots W98se & RedHat 6.2. He often makes coasters under W98se due to underflow, but never under Linux.

A few other newbie tips:

1. You are very unlikely to find a new bug/problem/difficulty. Deja news or google will almost always find the answer for you!

2. Man pages are your friends.

3. Never ever ever work as root. Except when you need to. Log in as a normal user, and su to root as needed.

4. Patience is a virtue. The linux learning curve tends to be steep. But it reaches a much higher level of productivity/usefullness then those other OS. Don't be afraid of the command line.

5. Where to get software & updates.
- Your distribution website
- rpmfind.net (for rpm based distro...RedHat, Mandrake, other?)
- freshmeat.net
- is tucows still any good? Haven't been there in a while.

6. If you need a modem, be sure to get a hardware modem. Many modems today are software based winmodems not suported under Linux. When in doubt on a hardware question, check your distribution's hardware compatibility list, or linhardware.com

good luck


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

 

[Makaveli]

I had lots of problems with Linux and My Radeon CArd so don't put those to 2gether.
As for that comment about Mandrake for Pentiums
IT's optimized for both Athlon an pentiums!
Also from the reviews that I read Mandrake is better for new users than RedHat! Good luck with linux
I'm using WinME/Linux Mandrake 7.2 Dual boot
also that guy said no program in linux for burning cd's
that is incorrect it comes with burning software if u do the right installation!

 

[Pettytheft]

I can burn CD's with both OS with no problems. Mandrake 7.2 comes with several CD burning utilities. The only way I ever make coasters in Windows is by using Adaptec's software. However CloneCD and Nero are by far better than anything Linux has to offer right now.

TwoCows is very slow right now. Thier servers are always jammed.

Another very good websight is linuxnewbie.org, they always have a ton of easy to read howto's and things are broken down in Windows users terms(Man pages can be confusing at times).


Ohh yeah,stay persistant, you'll come around and it will definately pay off!


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Pettytheft on 04/03/01 01:37 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Pettytheft]

One more thing, try and get the latest and greatest kernal out, I think it has better support for the newer chipsets. I've ran in to several configuration problems in Linux with Via chipset. (Intel and Amd).

Good Luck

 

[Rop]

Well for a newbie i would have to recomend SuSE or Mandrake. Personally i like SuSE but Mandrake is my second choice and not by to far.

The best Cd Burning software out there for linux IMHO is Cd Roast. I have used it serveral times and with out a hicup.

You can find many usefull sites on the net on howto's etc and please remember that the BEST source for information on linux are the Howto's. A good stie for them is www.linuxdoc.org

Have fun and good luck

Rop

Why do I use LINUX ? Cause its the BEST OS
Why do I use Windows? Cause its the BEST Nintendo..

 

[ejsmith2]

Why do I use LINUX ? Cause its the BEST OS
Why do I use Windows? Cause its the BEST Nintendo..

Amen Brother!

 

[machow]

I guess more people would spend their time USING their operating systems than TWEAKING it, so, Windows still wins over Linux.

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This site is cool.

 

[Rop]

"I guess more people would spend their time USING their operating systems than TWEAKING it, so, Windows still wins over Linux."

Once you have downloaded all the patched and all the drivers to make your system work... and even then Windows is a very unstable operating system. Why would anyone want to use an OS that 30% of the time you use it is to be watching a nice blue screen of death?

Simply put Linux is on another category then widnows.. If you want an OS stick with Linux if you want a gamming platform you have choices... Playstation2 Game Boy Advance, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 or Windows though the later one is still more unstable then all the other platforms.

Linux is gives freedom windows can and will never provide. Plus it is rock stable and fast.

To sum it all up just read my Sig.

Rop



Why do I use LINUX ? Cause its the BEST OS
Why do I use Windows? Cause its the BEST Nintendo..

 

[Guest]

I too have been planning a separate Linux machine on a budget and the only thing my research has uncovered that might be worth adding to the above comments is the following: Linux sees to like memory - lots of RAM which you are planning for - but also lots of cache in the CPU. I got this clear impression from reading the rare kernel compile bencmarks on THG. So I have decided to go for an Athelon or a PIII as opposed to a Duron or Celeron. I too am a Linux newbie and stand to be corrrected on this point...I'm happy to go Duron too if there is no significant difference.

Lorenz

 

[Guest]

Well, I think people make Windows out to be crappier than it is. I think people in the computer community like to be part of an "elitist group" and using Linux sets them apart from the rest of the pack. I find most people that use Linux is just for this reason, just to be "cool." I want to learn it because I see it comes up a lot in classifieds for jobs which I will be applying for once I graduate. I never get a BSOD. Well, not NEVER, but rarely, and it's when I'm totally overloading the system and the computer has been running for a long time. For the average home PC user, Windows is the best they can get. Oh, and yea, post if the Duron won't be good enough for Linux. I can get a new 1.33 Ghz instead and throw my current 900 T-Bird in the linux machine.

It's better to be pissed off than pissed on

 

[Kelledin]

Whatever CPU is good enough depends on what you're doing. If you're just using Linux for basic fileserving (i.e. a web server that sits headless in a corner), an extremely old CPU like a PPro 200 or perhaps older does fine. This applies to NFS, SMB, FTP, HTTP, LDAP, etc.

If you're planning to do some gaming, whatever CPU is good enough for Windows gaming is probably good enough for Linux gaming as well. Same goes for DVD playback, DVD/MP3 encoding, etc. Beyond that, there's not much desktop usage that really requires much of a CPU anyways. I currently run an Athlon classic (Slot A) @800 MHz, and both Linux and Windows fly.

Currently the biggest hindrance to Linux gaming is 3D acceleration support. Support exists for most major 3D accelerators (and nVidia provides optimized Linux drivers), but a few performance features are missing from the basic API. So 3D games are a little slower than their Windows counterparts. And of course, Direct3D support is a no-go.

As for distribution, I'd recommend SuSE at this point. Nice, friendly setup, and all the latest Linux bells and whistles.

Kelledin
<A HREF="http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg" target="_new">http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg</A>

 

[Guest]

>I guess more people would spend their time USING their
>operating systems than TWEAKING it, so, Windows still wins
>over Linux.

If I could make a polite suggestion...
I think it would be nice if we could keep this forum focused on Linux issues, news, help, etc. and not dilute the SNR to much with Windows vs. Linux debate. Not that we have to much signal here to begin with :-(

The CPU forum has become almost useless as a result of a few jerks screaming obscenities at each other. Lets not let that happen here. If you feal the need, visit comp.os.linux.advocacy.

My $0.02...




In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

 

[noko]

Pre-newbie, I have a via chipset kx133 motherboard and an Athlon 800 sitting in my closit begging to be used. First question is will linux work on it with little problems? Which version would be best? What graphics card would you recommend for linux? I have a cable modem to a Win2K machine, will I be able to network to the internet via the W2k machine? using ethernet?

 

[Kelledin]

I've currently got an Athlon 800 on a Via KX133 board right now. It runs Linux and Win2K just fine.

I'd recommend SuSE 7.1 as a distro, simply because it has a lot of the latest performance enhancements.

As for graphics card, I'd recommend nVidia cards.

You <i>should</i> be able to use the Win2K machine as a gateway to the Internet. I haven't tried this myself though; my paltry 56K connection is shared via a Linux box. If your cable modem is an external ethernet modem, you could also have the Linux box as your gateway; there's a HOWTO somewhere at <A HREF="http://www.linuxdoc.org/" target="_new">http://www.linuxdoc.org/</A> on how to set up a cable modem in Linux.

Kelledin
<A HREF="http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg" target="_new">http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg</A>

 

[Guest]

>I'd recommend SuSE 7.1 as a distro, simply because it has
>a lot of the latest performance enhancements.
>
>As for graphics card, I'd recommend nVidia cards.

My nVidia card is working great in my new setup. My only suggestion is that, as a newbie, make sure you get a brand-new up to date distro with XFree86 4.0.2 if you want to use an nVidia card.

They aren't supported prior to that version, and upgrading XFree86 is not the first task you want to take on as a newbie!

I haven't followed the distros to closely, but I don't think RedHat 7.0 has 4.0.2. I know the Mandrake 8.0 betas have it. Does SuSe?


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

 

[silverpig]

This forum is full of people who love to tweak. That's one of the main reasons why we build our own systems; to tweak them. I think the last thing you'll see in here is a bunch of people buying compaq/hp pcs with windows preinstalled. For some, once we've tweaked the hardware as far as it'll go, we start to want to tweak the software. Enter Linux.

Really love your peaches wanna shake your tree.

 

[Kelledin]

SuSE 7.1 has 4.0.1, I believe. This isn't such a problem though...I got a GeForce working just fine in 4.0.1 with nVidia's drivers, and the GF2/3 is supported under the same drivers. There's still some benefit in going to 4.0.2, but it's probably more than a beginner should take on.

Mandrake 7.2 comes with 4.0.1 as well, but you have to choose the advanced setup to get that choice.

Kelledin
<A HREF="http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg" target="_new">http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg</A>

 

[Guest]

Yes, GeForce (DDR, 256) is supported under 4.0.1
But the newer GeForce2 (GTS, Ultra, MX) isn't supported until 4.0.2

See these links:
http://www.xfree86.org/4.0.2/Status22.html#22
http://www.xfree86.org/4.0.1/Status21.html#21


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

 

[Kelledin]

Not with XFree86's embedded driver, no. nVidia's been putting out their own Linux driver, though, and it covered GeForce 2 support for 4.0.1. The last few revisions have covered the GeForce3 as well.

Kelledin
<A HREF="http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg" target="_new">http://kelledin.tripod.com/scovsms.jpg</A>

 

[Guest]

Interesting...
I didn't know that nVidias GeForce2 drivers worked with 4.0.1 I guess I should have realized that the XFree86 page would only reflect their own drivers.

The distro I installed is at 3.3.6, so I jumped straight to 4.0.3 anyway.


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

 

[noko]

Thanks for your reply. Looks like SuSE will be my start in Linux. Time to obtain a book.