I want to switch my laptop over to just linux because I'm sick of windows lagging. but I don't know of its a practical switch. what is the most easy to use linux? thanks
With its KDE and GNOME desktops, Linux is probably the most practical of all operating systems. It may not support Microsoft's proprietary applications and formats, but it will do far more than Windows will; and it will do it free. Unix, in its various forms, is not yet practical for any but systems & network administrators. However, even Sun's Unix has adopted the GNOME desktop. Apple-like Desktops So, the question is whether KDE or GNOME is easy to use; and the answer is, they were designed to be. You'll find them very similar to the Apple interface. (Many other desktops are available, for specific uses, but these OOUI desktops dominate in popularity.) Try Linux on a CD The easiest way of first using Linux is to log into a website, click 'Download an ISO disc image', burn this to CD, the boot from it. There are many LiveCD distributions. Mint is popular (Berry Linux looks cute), and Puppy Linux appears locally popular. (The Wikipedia compares Linux distributions.) Installing Linux To benfit from the speed of Linux, you need to install it properly on a hard disk. When a dumpster laptop with Windows XP came my way, My 6-year old granddaughter and I immediately logged into Debian, at http://www.debian.org/ clicked 'Getting Debian', and chose to get a small image appropriate for the older processor & other resources using 'Jigdo' (bittorrent, or any download manager will do). This we wrote to CD and booted. It asked some simple questions and proceeded to wipe our Windows by partitioning, formatting, & installing a complete GNU/Linux distribution with GNOME desktop. The menus Desktop > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager offered me 20-30,000 free applications to install or uninstall with the press of a button. Modifying your Desktop After becoming familiar with the desktop, I adjusted it to my liking, using the Desktop > Preferences menu. Debian differs from other distributions in having a common (class of) license, GPL, that gives you the source code and freedom to modify and distribute the applications. However, it also offers archives to choose from that provide Adobe's 'FlashPlayer', for example, which you can also install from the Adobe site. Adobe won't yet write a version of ShockWave for it. Other Distributions Among the first commercial distributions of (the free) Linux was by Red Hat, so older, commercial versions of software that offer a Linux version, offer it in '.rpm' package format. These are easily converted to .deb; but there is a specific, free, hat, 'Fedora', that is the free evolution of Red Hat. The Wikipedia or Distribution Watch will likely describe the old, popular distributions. The Distribution for You Laptops had Windows adjusted to support little proprietary devices: look for a laptop section, if you have one. There are also websites devoted to 'Linux on Laptops'. Although Debian is the largest and most flexible of distributions, others are pre-adjusted for specific users. Go to 'Distribution Watch' and browse. http://distrowatch.com/ In particular, after 'Type Distribution Name', click 'Go' and move to the bottom of the page. There you can find obscure distributions for any purpose by completing the filters. Dual Booting Windows expected to look in a particular place on your hard disk when pulling in the rest of the OS by its bootstraps. Linux doesn't. To install both on your hard disk, read how in your Linux distribution's web documentation. You will, no doubt, be told to partition your disk and install Windows using Microsoft's applications, then format an empty partition with a Linux format & install Linux there. Debian Linux can read & write files on a partition formatted for most any OS. Or, you can run Linux from a CD or USB Flash Drive. Many large applications have clones of their OS ready to copy to either of these. Its Name You won't be disappointed. The concept of Linux as it appears today was started by Richard Stallman's free GNU project (GNU is Not Unix), when AT&T started leasing Unix for extraordinary prices. Minix 1.0, for students, inspired Linux, which was combined with GNU to create: GNU/Linux. Variety of Uses My granddaughter loves the Debian action and clever educational games. Because it impressed me so, I recently bought an old Apple tower to run GNU/BSD Unix, when that is mature. Until then, it boots Debian GNU/Linux for the PowerPC processor (with AltVec vector processor). This serves a both a scientific workstation and as a proxy server for our home LAN. It filters our internet traffic, and stores print caches & IMAP mailboxes on it. It even answers the fax & phone, filtering SPAM. This takes much weight off the laptops when used at home.
You're welcome. You'll want to be sure that those tasks you currently perform and want to perform can be easily done under GNU/Linux. Here are two links that may help you. The first is the User Guide to Fedora, stopped at the section on how to make a LiveCD using Windows. Below are the applications that come with the desktops, and the end describes the archive you can draw from. Its website needs JavaScript. User Guide to Fedora 12 Here are a list of some 'stable' applications in Debian's archive for its current version. You can also draw from those in beta-test, being prepared for the next release. This might give you an idea of the breadth of GNU/Linux at the moment. Debian releases its versions when ready (as opposed to every six months), and names each after a character in the film 'Toy Story'. You can see why professionals like Debian. Applications by Kind for the Current Debian Distribution You may have noticed that GNU/Linux is particularly rich in multimedia applications. Good luck! PS. The desktops, windows, icons, and other screens are much prettier than protrayed in either their documentation or the Wikipedia.
