Darren: It depends if you have anything that can resize your existing partition without breaking the windows on it. I know partition magic can do that, but you may not have that.
Steve: Yep, maybe I overreacted, it was the
One small problem as you have found Darren is that is can be an absoulute pig to install, which is one reason it has not become more popular as a domestic desktop environment.
That did it. Paul found it easy enough, and I suspect the real reason its less popular is that most folk don't even know there is the option.
I've been wondering about giving some flavour of Linux a whirl on an old laptop that's too slow to run XP so I've read this thread with interest, though I don't know much about it.
First question for the knowledgeable ones is why is Unix so inherently more secure than XP? I realise there may not be a short answer to this...
Second question, from memory the laptop is a Pentium 300 with 256Mb of RAM. Is there any point trying Linux or is it really too old and slow?
Finally I know there are a number of different flavours but Ubuntu seems to be the one to go for? I only want to do simple stuff like surf, use office type packages, and download digital photographs and do some basic manipulation to them when away from home.
Well, I tried to give a stab to the question why unix is more secure earlier in the thread.
Simply put:
1. Unix was designed to support multiple concurrent users without allowing them to interfere with each other, or have any damaging effect on the kernel of the operating system.
2. Over its life Unix has spent a lot of its life connected directly to the internet, vunerabilites have been found and fixed, and new versiosn don't come out every six month, it eveloves slowly.
3. People run huge important software on Unix, if it fails, its owners can loose millions, or kill people. So its traditionally always chosen the safe way to develop. And if a application fails, it can't bring down the entire OS (see 1).
4. Early Unix, and current Linux has its source available for any developer to look at, those thousands eyes, find and fix any potential problem before it can cause a problem in the wild.
5. Bacause Linux is developed by a huge number of enthusiastic (and often talented) developers, any problem is fixed quickly, and available, far before the traditional software company can have a meeting to decide whos fault the problem was in the first place, before even thinking about fixing the problem.
None of the above is true for MS Windows.
Simon, the laptop you mention should run linux, it won't be lightning quick but it will give you a idea. If its not being used for anything else its worth a play.
Anyway, you are always welcome to pop over if you need a hand.
Thanks Nick, good answer. It's kind of similar to the difference between walking in to a hi fi shop and spending a couple of grand on a new shiny box, or buying loads of bits for a fraction of the cost and making something so much better then?
Well, I think its more like going to your nearest supermarket and buying a socket set, made from cheese, that will strip the first time you use it. Or buying a set of snapon sockets.
But where that analogy falls down is the snapons are free and the supermarket set costs £60 for the simple set, but then you have to add another £100 for the ratchet, then another £80 for another set of sockets as the ones the ypu got first only fit supermarket nuts, that no one else uses. Oh, and another £50 for a lock and chain to stop the socket set running away over night. And finally, if you move house, you have to buy another set of sockets, as you are only allowed to use them in the one garage.
Well that's the first time I've seen the Windows OS product range and the Microsoft Windows EULA described like that
Don't get me started on the Microsoft Windows server convoluted licensing crap.
When I was IT coordinator at my previous school we had to include the Key Stage One Macs in our seat count for the Windows server licence even though they were on a totally separate network in a separete building fed by a Linux server.
This was because they could "potentially" be connected to the server in violation of our maximum seat number.
One of my last acts before leaving was to get the thing binned and replaced by a Linux rack running an earlier version of Ubuntu Server. Running SMB networking to allow the Windows machines to log into our student accounts it was brilliant. Fast and trouble free and the user experience for our Windows and Mac users was seamless.
The expression "Steve, is the server down or what?" became a thing of the past.
Has anyone ever experienced the blue function key becoming inverted? If I don't hold it on the u is a4 o a 5 etc. same fir the external usb keyboard. it did this on windows before the ubuto install it didn't imediately do it with ubuto but now it does. Have I inadvertently hit a key?...............................
I can see I'm going to learn a hell of a lot by the time I figure out how to make a usb printer work on linux. The manufacturers (HP) downloads are entirely microsoft. I suppose In have to download it for as early a version of windows and see if there is some sort of a file linux can make use of. My head hurts again. But if you need to know anything about flue positioning or earth bonding I'm your man.
The good news is the 1smeg of memory I ordered for the advent fits the ibm finkpad so I diverted it. Linux machines don't need more than 256 widgets.
if I convert the already fast ibm to linux it will probably carry out my commands before I hit the key.
linux is a sort of compression driver tractrix horn for puters. When you've experienced both you'llnow what I mean. On microbloated machines initial usefulness after turn on isabout 1/16th normal speed then it gets up to 1/4 normal speed after about 5 minutes. The golden time is lost the job you turnediton to do is over long before the millions of backgrounds bloaters have settled themselves in. Full speed is only ever achieved in the first fewdays after a fresh install of os.
It's just so un-nerving the way linux is imediately upto speed and never does get bloated. I justcan't get used to not being reminded by little speech bubbles about all my inadequacies and all the updating that is going on and how if i don't jolly well reboot then the pooter soon will. And we start the whole window for bloatware again.
1hr 40mins or so. When it is woring properly it is repeatedly checing cd and hard disk if not doing that for more than 1/2hr it's hanging start again. Mine hung a few times.