Benefits of Linux

well, i was recommended(more like forced upon) the linux distribution known as Mint. Is there any benefits of this over windows 7 that are worth it?
I tried a liveCD but could not, for the love of god, figure out where anything was
that, and since i can't tell if it installs the same way as ubuntu or linux(or they're both the same, i got a bunch crap through google). I'd like to be able to utilize it without being confused half the time since most of the installations and such go through the Terminal; had trouble installing java so i could use jdownloader...

anyone mind filling me in on Mint OS? it worked pretty well, but i'd like to know a bit more since i am sorta lost...
probably should go over to the Mint forums to ask, which i will, but i'd like multiple opinions and advice.

 

If you're going onto Linux from Windows, I wouldn't recommend it.
Maybe making a small partition so you can mess about with it; unlike Mac/Windows you have to learn (not much) about it.

 

Linux is generally better used as a dev platform. Win7 tends to be better for ease of use and compatibility, especially with gaming. As far as I'm aware Mint is very similar to most distros of Linux - probably closest to Arch if I remember correctly.

 

guess not, most of what i need only works on windows T.T
dam, i like linux for the nice GUI and animations + low mem. usage... guess i could dual boot whenever i figure out how the hell to do that

 

If you can search right, Linux has all the software you need.
And its all free (obviously)

I just got Ubuntu 9.10 in the mail today, thinking of switching for good.. Or at least slap it on a partition.

 

not for itunes and my printer o_o
well, it probably does but i really don't know how to search for that information...

 

Dual booting is crazy easy if you install Linux AFTER Windows. See, Windows likes to rewrite the master boot record, which makes it so that your computer conveniently forgets that it ever had Linux installed. But if you first install Windows, and then Linux; Linux will automatically see that Windows is installed and create a boot menu entry for it - so that all you have to do is choose whether you want to log into Windows or Linux at boot.

Obviously it doesn't have iTunes, since Apple would never even consider releasing a version for Linux - since that would and could take away from their marketshare. However, there are plenty of iTunes replacements that work with almost all iPods and whatnot. The preinstalled Rhythmbox is one of them, other alternatives inlude Banshee, Amarok and Songbird.

As for your printer, most should work just fine, but there are some exceptions. Try finding something called "default printer" in your preferences somewhere (I'm not on Mint, so I don't know the exact menu structure). It should be in there.

 

Linux is more for programmers and developers. Not for the average gamer/pc user

 

What makes you say that? As for pc gamers, I can agree with that, since most new titles are only released for Windows and don't always work perfectly in wine. But not for the general PC user? I disagree. My girlfriend has been using Linux for about a year now, and she hasn't had any major problems.

 

But it may be too complicated for the 'aged' user. Who is switching from windows to linux

 

Old habits die hard, sure. For me it's the other way around. Whenever I have to do something in Windows, I get frustrated and angry at the limitations or the differences in how you go about doing things.

But anyway, I don't want to start an OS war. There have been plenty of those already. To each his own.

 

not really, but from windows to mac, yes. i understand the keys used and most of the commands on linux due to my jailbroken ipod, and they're not hard to remember. i was confused most of the time due to the fact that most search results on linux driver installations came up with terminal commands that i had no idea did what at time, didn't want to install the OS using a terminal and not sure if it had the drivers i needed.
their ipod touch is easier to understand than their computers, for me...

Does rhythmbox allow for apps and photos? some apps are pretty useful and there are some reference photos(i like doodling) i want to carry around with it.
songbird, oh no no no. it installed blank music on my ipod nano 3g and there were a ton of them...
i think i tried default printer, and i don't think i found my printer :\
reason why i want to reformat is because 52GB of HDD space won't last long with 2 OSes. I, um, probably might do something that drags down my HDD when i'm on windows... again(stupid game for not making a new directory in program files...) -.-"

soon as i figure out how to get these things up and running, i'm all set for a reformat. can live without photoshop since nowadays i only use it for editing out small bits and GIMP can also do that.

 

Heh, not a chance when it comes to apps. Apple would never allow any other player to access their store. With Rhythmbox (or one of the other media players) you can manage your music, and possibly videos and pictures. Ipods are notoriously hard to interface with, so that you're even able to do that is a small miracle.

That's odd. I also have an iPod Nano 3g (I think...), and I have never had any major problems with managing that using other media players than iTunes.

What printer is it? Is it turned on? Most printers work fine, since even if the device makers are too lazy to write Linux drivers, they are generally willing to release the technical specifications, which allows other people to write drivers for the devices. But there are a few brands that simply refuse to give out any information, making writing drivers a lot harder.

52gb is not a whole heck of a lot, no. I think that a full Ubuntu system takes up between 4-8gb of space.

 

mmm, all i can tell from looking at it is it has X5470 on the front and it was made by Lexmark. it's a scanner/printer/faxmachine.


compiz is so jiggly

 

I think you're shit out of luck with that one. Lexmark has legendarily poor Linux support (although I do recall them putting out a driver SDK a while back...) From what Google could tell me, your printer is pretty much a fancy looking paperweight unless you can hook it up to a windows machine and use it over the network.

That's usually the first thing I get rid of.

 

Using Linux Mint is not hard. You're not fucking with a terminal or anything, unless you choose to. It's essentially Ubuntu, first of all, and comes with GNOME as a desktop environment. Basically, it's even easier to navigate and use than Windows and Mac OS.

 

If you want lots of terminal fun, try Archlinux, Slackware, Gentoo and similar ones. Mint is a great one for people starting on Linux.

 

Always love me a good helping of mint and that new ubuntu 10.04 beta is looking sweet. I tend to just slap linux on a 2nd partition because well most of my stuff works on windows.
Linux Pros:
-Free (some you have to pay like red hat)
-Easy to install apps from a drop down menu that is categorized.
-Most Apps are free, there are some you have to pay for.
-Can be quite fun to experiment with.
-Is a programmers heaven. (but I still use windows for certain languages.)
Linux Cons:
-Hardware support is kinda meh. (Hardware company's are at fault here, but who can blame them.)
-Be ready to learn. (yea you don't have to, but to take full advantage you have to learn new stuff.)
-Way to many flavors in existence.
Other notes:
-Terminal is your best friend.
-Sounds is a pain to get to work. (my laptop fails at sound, but old desktop is alright.)
-Wireless printer never works for me.