I need a Linux OS

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I have a 500 mhz computer sitting in my bedroom gathering dust because whenever we use it its slow as hell. it running windows xp. Its still usable and it will run photoshop without any problem, but the system is just slow. So I want to say to hell with xp and install a new linux os on it. The only experience I have with linux (aside from server use) is when I installed mandrake on an old 133 mhz computer that was dying. I still have those mandrake disks, so I figure I could install that and then update it, but I remember hearing about some other linux os's that were much better and I can't remember their names. So does anyone have any recommendations for which linux OS I should install?

[BlitzZ 1,078]

Me and my brother use Ubuntu for each of our linux boxes, and I have no complaints.

[Torreyjs 64]

blitzz said what i was going to say

there is a Linux free thing called Ubuntu

i think the newest version is 6.2 perhaps?

anyways ive used it and its free of course (minus shiping charges for the discs) and some of my classmates love it to death

One guy in my Class triple boots his laptop with Windows Xp, windows Vista, and Ubuntu and he says hes never had problems with it

i highly recommend ubuntu if u want free good linux

[gokuDX7 2,871]

http://distrowatch.com/ shows the current top Distros (Ubuntu is at the top).

Since you said you use photoshop you should also check GIMP out. Its an almost exact copy of photoshop for Linux. So install that and you should be right at home.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

Since the computer I'll be putting this on is pretty weak, I looked on the ubuntu forums for minimum requirements and it looks like my best bet will be to go with xubuntu.. Does anyone know about it? is it just a stripped down version of ubuntu? or is it comparable? I think if I get that ubuntu no graphic installer, I should be able to install it, but I want to make sure the system will run at a decent speed once I get a new OS on it. \

[Wolflord 1,488]

Yay Linux!

Then you'll have to reboot your computer once every time you get laid (see. once every 10 years)

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I installed ubuntu yesterday and I thought its pretty damn good, but then I tried xubuntu to see if it was faster and I didn't see any noticable improvement (that and xubuntu was lacking quite a few features compared to ubuntu), so I switched back. Ubuntu already recognized my windows network and it looks like I can transfer files back and forth on my linux comp, but I don't know how to get my windows computers to recognize my linux box.. maybe I just need to set some folders for sharing on the linux one? and I'm wondering if a firewall came with this thing or not.. I have some exploring to do on it..

Yay Linux!

Then you'll have to reboot your computer once every time you get laid (see. once every 10 years)

Interesting coincidence... I actually rebooted 3 times last night.

[Torreyjs 64]

i think if you ever dual boot linux and microsoft linux has to be installed ifrst

my 209 operating systems teacher preaches that like mad

for some reason linux has to be on first then microsoft

i dont care to know the reason becasue i hate software but figured id throw that out

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I'm having a hell of a time trying to get my windows computers to access my linux box. I have no problem whatsoever with any of the computers seeing each other, but whenever I try to access a shared folder on the lunix computer it always pops up a password prompt for me and I don't know how to set that password or take it off. ;

btw, I wish they'd setup more auto install programs for linux like there is for windows. I'm going to try setting up mplayer later but the list of commands I have to put in/compile it seems like alot of work for just setting up a single program. I wish I could just double click a downloaded file and be done with it. That linspire OS might have something like that already.. I know mac's OS is pretty straight forward too. *has a headache with codes*

i think if you ever dual boot linux and microsoft linux has to be installed ifrst

my 209 operating systems teacher preaches that like mad

for some reason linux has to be on first then microsoft

i dont care to know the reason becasue i hate software but figured id throw that out

I did that once. I had windows 98 on a computer and then installed mandrake on it with dual boot.. within a couple days mandrake mysteriously no longer worked. I think windows had something to do with it.

[gokuDX7 2,871]

I'm having a hell of a time trying to get my windows computers to access my linux box. I have no problem whatsoever with any of the computers seeing each other, but whenever I try to access a shared folder on the lunix computer it always pops up a password prompt for me and I don't know how to set that password or take it off. ;

btw, I wish they'd setup more auto install programs for linux like there is for windows. I'm going to try setting up mplayer later but the list of commands I have to put in/compile it seems like alot of work for just setting up a single program. I wish I could just double click a downloaded file and be done with it. That linspire OS might have something like that already.. I know mac's OS is pretty straight forward too. *has a headache with codes*

I did that once. I had windows 98 on a computer and then installed mandrake on it with dual boot.. within a couple days mandrake mysteriously no longer worked. I think windows had something to do with it.

Yes Linspire and freespire have a database of programs that can esily be installed with there OS. However if you use it some programs cost money to install. Not much though. This is why linux isnt as widly used as windows yet. Some people just dont want to deal with all the typing and whatnot to install programs.

As for dual booting. No linux does not have to be installed first. You do however have to leave space on your HDD on whatever OS you install first. So say you have a 100 GB HDD and you want Linux and windows on it. You should make it so each OS will have the same amount of space, 50GB each. You dont have to leave them the same you could just leave linux 10GB.