Considering Linux

[Dyne]

So I decided to try out a Live CD version of Ubuntu Linux and I actually quite like it. Now, I've never seen anything wrong with Windows, but I have some questions about switching:

-Can I use Photoshop on Linux somehow? I have Photoshop 7, but is there a converter I can run? I'd sorely miss it, and GIMP isn't quite good enough.
-Likewise, is there a good Windows Messenger 7 build that can run on Linux? The all-in-one program was kind of lame.
-What about Media. I have a lot of music and I use Windows Media Player every night to listen to music. Is there a good linux alternative?
-I do a lot of programming. Is Java any good on Linux?
-How would I upload something to an FTP in linux.
-What about fonts. If I went to download from dafont.com, am I not able to? Or can linux use the windows fonts?

Also, is there things I can do on Windows but not Linux?

Thanks guys.

[Bond]

Use Fedora (http://fedora.redhat.com/). Best distro ever...

****, I take that back. It has been so long since I've used Fedora I have forgotten my password and can't log in. ****.

[Null]

lol, i always quite liked SuSE.


but at anyrate, they're free, so it never hurts to try. :P


and i believe i've gotten Photoshop to run in linux.... i dont exactly remember all i did, i think i ran it through wine. not really the best way to do it tho, its like a windows emulator, so its not the fastest thing. other then that, Gimp is pretty close to photoshop.

[Dyne]

lol, i always quite liked SuSE.


but at anyrate, they're free, so it never hurts to try. :P


and i believe i've gotten Photoshop to run in linux.... i dont exactly remember all i did, i think i ran it through wine. not really the best way to do it tho, its like a windows emulator, so its not the fastest thing. other then that, Gimp is pretty close to photoshop.


It is, but at first glance I can't figure out how to add borders, shadows, or anything like that.

[Bond]

If you do want to "switch" to Linux I would recommend using a dual boot (windows and linux). I'm pretty sure most distros already come with a preinstalled dual boot program these days.

[Dyne]

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that, but I'm only running on a laptop with 20 gigs of hard drive. I only have a gig or two free right now. I was thinking of formatting and reinstalling with Linux but I guess I could just free up some space and install it.

[Null]

its much better to have em both on, then if you need something off yoru windows drive, you can get it from linux instead of trying to copy it another way.

[gekko]

The amount of hassle PC users are willing to endure never ceases to amaze me.

[Ace195]

Endure ? they enjoy it.. :( Sad but true.

[Dyne]

The amount of hassle PC users are willing to endure never ceases to amaze me.

Well if it makes you feel any better, my next computer is going to be a Mac.

[Null]

The amount of hassle PC users are willing to endure never ceases to amaze me.


hehe. thats strange, cuz i have always wondered the same about mac users. :)

(except for the work computer ones, thoes make sense)

[MuGen]

I'm a PC user and a Mac User... I know the benefits of both worlds. But my iBook is a lot easier on my stress level when it comes down to it.

[gekko]

hehe. thats strange, cuz i have always wondered the same about mac users. :)

(except for the work computer ones, thoes make sense)

Hard to consider using a Mac to be a hassle with it's highly proclaimed ease-of-use. The only real hassle is the lack of Mac support in electronics stores. It's an 1 hour 45 min drive from where I'm at to the closest place that sells Mac software. From my house in MN, 40 minutes. Probably why I always tend to buy online. But once you have the software you want, you'll be set for months.

But still, I've had so many people come to me because their computers are filled with viruses and spyware, Windows keeps crashing, printer won't work, etc. Then you go to the more experienced PC users and everyone's running a million programs for pop-up blockers, adware removers, spyware removers, virus scans, firewalls. Then you're all getting pissed off, trying different Linux builds, when you don't know how to run Linux, and it's not a consumer-friendly OS.

You pay thousands of dollars on a computer, it should work. Even everyone I know who micro-manages Windows into working for a couple months without problem is still spending hours to ensure it works next time they turn it on.

How much of a hassle do us Mac users really endure?
Since I installed OS X 10.4 in April, I have installed 1 security update, 1 update for QuickTime.
How many anti-virus programs do I have? 0
How many spyware removers do I use? 0
How many firewalls do I use? 0
How many adware removers do I use? 0
How many driver updates have I installed? 0

Any Windows users want to offer a comparison?

[Dyne]

How many of my original questions were answered?

1.

This thread is about me switching to Linux. Now answer my questions, please, or make another thread.

thx

[Null]

you download an FTP program and upload the same way in Linux.

Java is fine on windows, far as i know it works the same on all 3 platforms.

Fonts im not sure on

theres many media players in Linux, XMMS is a lot like Winamp.



and of course there are some things you can do in windows and not in linux, just like you cant do em in macs. altho many things made for windows can be gotten to work in linux, even if its not perfect.

at the start you get the same hasles you do when using a mac, you find software and programs you want to download but they're windows only, you want to play the new games but they're windows only, maybe if lucky a linux/mac versions come out later on.

when you get used to it, same as anything its fine. But poor pc users the ones gekko mentioend with all the viruses spyware and bugs, usually end up having the same problems on all platforms, you need to know what your doing for anything to work right.


Which is also why its best to at least at the start have a duel boot with windows/linux, its easier to learn linux when you can go back to windows when you need something.

[gekko]

Major games tend to have a linux binary, or whatever they call it.

Other programs, tend to be a search to find the one you want. Stop reading here Dyne: Macs also don't have the same software as Windows, but Apple tends to cover a lot of them with their own, and major software usually has a Mac version. Not sure how many exist for Linux, but to my knowledge Adobe does not support Linux.

FTP is a built in function to Unix, if I remember right. If you can't find one with a GUI you like.

[Xantar]

I hear there's a very good Windows emulator for Linux. Now, I use a Mac and although I can stumble my way around a Unix or Linuk machine, it's not my primary choice. Therefore, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. Also, the Windows emulator might only emulate pre-XP which would be a big disadvantage. In any case, though, give it a try. I know a few people who have tried it, and they say the performance and emulation is nearly perfect.

[gekko]

You referring to WINE? Haven't used it, but someone mentioned it earlier in the thread.

[bobcat]

i have windows xpp and have had no problems at all with it.

I'm quite happy with it. Running very smoothly it is.

[Seven7]

So I decided to try out a Live CD version of Ubuntu Linux and I actually quite like it. Now, I've never seen anything wrong with Windows, but I have some questions about switching:

1-Can I use Photoshop on Linux somehow? I have Photoshop 7, but is there a converter I can run? I'd sorely miss it, and GIMP isn't quite good enough.
2-Likewise, is there a good Windows Messenger 7 build that can run on Linux? The all-in-one program was kind of lame.
3-What about Media. I have a lot of music and I use Windows Media Player every night to listen to music. Is there a good linux alternative?
4-I do a lot of programming. Is Java any good on Linux?
5-How would I upload something to an FTP in linux.
6-What about fonts. If I went to download from dafont.com, am I not able to? Or can linux use the windows fonts?

Also, is there things I can do on Windows but not Linux?

Thanks guys.

1) Wine perhaps will work, but it may be slow, so if your dual booting and want to do a lot of work in PS7, do it in Windows. Use FAT32. Linux systems can read several different file systems, whereas M$ OSs can only read their own. Do not use NTFS, because it mounts as read only on Linux

2) Gaim?

3) If one was using SuSE 9.3/9.2/9.1 I would suggest getting the media players from say http://packman.links2linux.org/ as the SuSE supplied ones is disabled if you want say play DVD movies.

There is Mplayer (http://www.mplayerhq.hu/), xine-ui, gxine, kaffeine or totem. I prefer xine-ui, kaffeine and Mplayer, though Mplayer does not have that great controls compared to the Xine frontends, it can easier to install than xine.

5)There is command line and a small number of gui FTP options. There are a few ok gui FTP clients like gFTP. I often try the Nightly FileZilla3 (http://filezilla-project.org/nightly.php) builds for Linux, though there is some ways to go.

6) fonts are pretty easy to setup in Linux and you can get "MS True Type core fonts" (msttcorefonts) if you want.

Major games tend to have a linux binary, or whatever they call it.

Not sure how many exist for Linux, but to my knowledge Adobe does not support Linux.

FTP is a built in function to Unix, if I remember right. If you can't find one with a GUI you like.

Yeah there are a few like Doom3 and others, but the headache I have is getting Ati drivers (Ati 9800 Pro) to work right so I have 3D, I tried the new Ati installer and it did not get 3D working with the route of install I took earler today.

There are tons of software for Linux, just how availabe they can be depends on things like how you prefer to install them depending on the distro your using, like RPM's for example, or dependacies. There is a Adobe Reader 7.0 (http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/linux.html#Acrobat) for Linux that is rather easy to install. While there is Macromedia Flash Player, there is no shockwave.


If you need help with plugins on Linux with Mozilla or Firefox, http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/linux.html


Right now I am using Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050630 Firefox/1.0+ ID:2005063005 on SuSE 9.3 Pro and GNOME 2.10, Xfce 4.2.2 (http://www.xfce.org/)

The complete version of SuSE 9.3 Pro is now available for download as either DVD or 5 CD's .. http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=02749#0

I was going to try Fedora Core 4 when it came out, but decided not to as there were issues with installer and MBR possible problems if one dual boots.


Oh you use a laptop right? that can be a issue as it can be harder to support everything, especially wireless, though distros like SuSE has fair bit of support for wireless.