Looking for a new OS...

[Winterthorn]

Gotta love all these new options here!

Okay, to the main question: I am in the process to upgrading my hardware, unfortunately most of the big chain PC stores in North America will only sell you a PC with Microsoft XP, which I do not like at all. (I'm in Canada, Ottawa to be precise.) M$ has a virtual monopoly on retail OS sales on home PCs here. So I am looking at getting a Linux machine. (Future Shop, for example, is contractually obliged to sell brand name PCs with M$ products--they won't sell me an empty machine! I asked them! And I couldn't find anything Linux-wise at Dell.ca either...) The trouble with Linux is I don't know what games it supports, nor what software it includes that may be really helpful for me as a DM. For managing some of my D&D issues, I currently use MS Excel and MS Word. While I am content with these programs, I want a safer more stable OS environment. With M$ XP (which I want to steer clear of) everywhere, and Microsoft's style of doing business (I do not trust M$ anymore, nor will I discuss why), I have decided to turn my back on M$ and look at Linux...

Since my fluency in Linux is feeble, it is most practical for me to procure a complete distrubution. Assembling OS components from various sites, though an intriguing idea, is simply not within my ability. Thus, I am willing to pay a modest price for a decent product. I have been looking at SuSE, Redhat, and Mandrake for starters...

I would like you folks to tell me if there are Linux distrubutions that have good programs that match the spreadsheet and word processing features I am used to. And whether the above 3 Linux distributions, or any others, permit me to continue to enjoy games like Civ III, Alpha Centauri, for example, or run some of the RPG tools we have here at ENWorld, or to play online games such as EverQue$t (LOL)... By changing my OS away from M$ XP, what are the options and possibilities? (I've already started some research on my own, but I thought I'd ask here so as to benefit from everyone's wise council , and thus save myself a little time and frustration! I hope?)

Btw: I would like to avoid discussions about Microsoft -- you know what I mean -- let's just stick to what possibities, considerations, problems and kewl stuff I should pay attention to regarding Linux.

Thanks ahead for your help

-W.

PS: Some of you may suggest I look at MAC. Unfortunately, my budget's too tight or I would consider it.

 

[gariig]

From a gaming perspective Linux is well... not the greatest. You will only find a small handful of games out for *nix, I think there is Quake3. You can run some in Wine(Windows Emulator) but I'm not sure how well it works. Linux/Unix is really used for productivity software and for programming. If you look at Dell servers you can find *nix ones. For a home PC I suggest doing 2000/XP.

Sorry to tell you that.

Gariig

 

[Aeolius]

Go with Mac OS X, which is based on UNIX.

 

[Nifft]

I personally love Linux, but I'm more of a programmer looking for a stable environment than an adolescent looking for a Nintendo64 replacement.

Here's a vendor that I like: ASL

There are other good Linux vendors, but I don't know them off the top of my head. Many people choose to build their own PCs for use with Linux. It's a bit cheaper, you get a longer warranty on each part, and you know exactly what parts are in your system.

Good luck, and may the penguin be with you!

-- Nifft

 

[Nifft]

Okay, for games: you can find some for Linux. I do play Alpha Centauri (Alien Crossfire) on my Linux laptop. I used to play Quake 2 & 3 on a desktop Linux machine. Linux is not for you if you're interested in playing hundreds of off-the-shelf games.

For set up: ASL did a decent job setting up a working configuration. They included & set up OpenOffice (word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.), the Gimp (Photoshop replacement), and a decent graphical file manager. (Note that when I say "decent", it's in comparison to an unrealized ideal. "Decent" from me is qualified praise, but it is indeed praise.)

Linux.org is a good place to get started.

Personally, I use Red Hat for historical reasons. That's what ASL offers with their machines, too. (Get version 9.0, it's the prettiest yet.) Debian and SuSE are very good, too.

Feel free to PM me if you want more help.

-- Nifft

 

[Winterthorn]

Go with Mac OS X, which is based on UNIX.

Yeah, I knew that. I've taken a few interest courses in UNIX recently... Again, Mac is too expensive for me right now, or I would consider it.

-W.

 

[Tsyr]

I've used Linux... In fact, I use it, present tense, with a dual boot.

I would personaly suggest, if you are going to do linux, to try it out first and see if you like it.

Try getting Knoppix, or Morphix. They are .iso files you can burn to a CD, then you stick it in the drive and reboot... No need for a hard drive reformat, or anything. They will give you a feel for linux, and what it can do. If you like what you see, move on to Topologi Linux... It's a distro with a windows installer, that installs to a folder on your desktop. Good way to try out the thing in more depth (Such as actualy installing stuff and making changes ), without actualy commiting yourself to it.

Then, and only then, would I personaly suggest moving on to a real distro. I would personaly suggest Mandrake 9.1 if you are new... The installer is very slick, very similar to the windows one. Walks you through it, graphical, has good auto-hardware detection, etc.

But I would like to second some others thoughts... Linux is not for everyone. It doesn't have much in the way of games native for it... Quake... Um... Quake... There are others, but not alot. WINE can run some things, but not all. Despite what some Linux nuts would tell you, Linux is *not* ready for everyone to switch to it, nor is it as versitile for home use as windows, nor is the best reason to switch to Linux because you are fed up with MS. MS may have problems, but their OS is still, frankly, the better choice for most people.

I have linux. I know linux. I can use linux (Admittedly, after a fashion, and I have to get help now and then). I still run windows for most things. There is a very good reason for that.

 

[Winterthorn]

I personally love Linux, but I'm more of a programmer looking for a stable environment than an adolescent looking for a Nintendo64 replacement.

Here's a vendor that I like: ASL

There are other good Linux vendors, but I don't know them off the top of my head. Many people choose to build their own PCs for use with Linux. It's a bit cheaper, you get a longer warranty on each part, and you know exactly what parts are in your system.

Good luck, and may the penguin be with you!

-- Nifft

I am particularliy intrigued with Linux since it is beginning to stand on it's own two--er--multiple feet in the recent year vs M$. A friend of mine showed his GUI's on a Mandrake distribution and I was really impressed. I also really like the potential power over one's hardware and software that Linux hands to a user! Very nice. A tasty experience too! LOL

So X-Fire works on your Linux box, hey that's good to here Although, truly, my needs are not only for gaming--there are some serious computing projects I wish to persue as well, one of which is desktop publishing. And indeed, I don't have many PC games, just a certain few I like. Also, what about programs that help a DM with RPG gaming? Will, for example, PCGen work on a Linux box? Are there Linux programs that can be of use to DMs?

Thanks for the info so far. keep it coming folks!

-W.

 

[Emiricol]

I am particularliy intrigued with Linux since it is beginning to stand on it's own two--er--multiple feet in the recent year vs M$. A friend of mine showed his GUI's on a Mandrake distribution and I was really impressed. I also really like the potential power over one's hardware and software that Linux hands to a user! Very nice. A tasty experience too! LOL

So X-Fire works on your Linux box, hey that's good to here Although, truly, my needs are not only for gaming--there are some serious computing projects I wish to persue as well, one of which is desktop publishing. And indeed, I don't have many PC games, just a certain few I like. Also, what about programs that help a DM with RPG gaming? Will, for example, PCGen work on a Linux box? Are there Linux programs that can be of use to DMs?

Thanks for the info so far. keep it coming folks!

-W.

PC Gen will work on linux. As for DTP, there is nothing solid that I am aware of (my info may well be outdated though).

I live in Linux, but my box is set up for dual boot so I can use programs like HPBuilder and Fractal Mapper. And the occasional game Games are getting more linux friendly, though - check out http://www.linuxgames.com/ for one community that reports on such matters.

 

[Nifft]

Also, what about programs that help a DM with RPG gaming? Will, for example, PCGen work on a Linux box? Are there Linux programs that can be of use to DMs?

PC-Gen is Java, and works great.

OpenRPG is Python, and it also works great.

Anything that's based off a spreadsheet will probably work in StarOffice -- I haven't found any that don't work yet.

eTools won't work on Linux. I know, hold back the tears.

What other tools are out there that you're interested in? If they're commercial, ask the vendor, too.

-- Nifft