Looking for a new OS...

[Fyrie]

Linux is going to be a journey. Linux requires a lot more of the user than windows or OS X does, so you will probably want to start with the most noobie friendly distro which, IMHO, is Mandrake. You may also want to consider doing a windows/linux dual boot for a few months.

 

[Ristamar]

Here on earth, the only non-Microsoft platforms with any kind of reasonable gaming support are... the PlayStation 2 and the Game Boy Advance.

But if you prefer PC-style games, that doesn't help much. You're going to have to suck it up and live with an Evil Microsoft Operating System, or deal with a very limited selection and a lot of waiting for what you do get.

I concur. Love it or hate it, if you want to do a lot of high-end PC gaming, you have to go with an MS operating system.

On the plus side, XP is a hell of a lot nicer than MS' previous efforts. I'm using XP Pro at home, and so far I have no major gripes.

Also, I give a thumbs up to the MicroPro recommendation. Good prices, good service. I purchased an Athlon 2600+/A7N8X Deluxe mobo combo from them about a month ago, and they assembled, tested, and shipped it for less than what most other vendors were charging for a non-assembled/tested combo.

 

[Hollywood]

Try Dr.DOS God that was a great disk operating system!

As far as hardware with Linux, some of the more current hardware has solid drivers, but not everything does if you had oddball hardware. And drivers won't get updated as fast because MS has the huge install base, and the Linux distros don't have enough money to entice most of the second tier hardware vendors to spend the money to create drivers.

Games you have Quake3 and often many of the games based off it but not all, Doom 3 will be on Linux as Carmack is a fan, UT does LInux, UT2003 does it too I *believe*, NWN does it. Then there are a variety of older games such as the ones mentioned that have made it to Linux via Loki Games, which is now defunct (of which one of the guys works for Epic now).

As far as tools, anything done in Java will work of course. Otherwise, if it doesn't advertise Linux compatibility it probably won't offer it.. and if is an executable that launches InstallShield bets are usually pretty good it won't work.

Anyways, good luck.... using Linux is like building your own kit car as your only mode of transportation. Some people love to do it, most wouldn't dare and others don't mind doing it on the side (later I fall into).

 

[RyanL]

Why, oh, why did Be Incorporated have to die?!?

I ditched Windows and used BeOS exclusively for about a year before they went bankrupt. That's something I was never able to achieve with Linux.

Any other Be fans hanging around here?

-Ryan

 

[Ristamar]

Why, oh, why did Be Incorporated have to die?!?

I ditched Windows and used BeOS exclusively for about a year before they went bankrupt. That's something I was never able to achieve with Linux.

Any other Be fans hanging around here?

-Ryan

A friend of mine who used BeOS seemed pretty satisfied with it. He was using it as a side OS, though, not as a Windows substitute.

I also recall seeing BeOS logos on the packaging of certain versions of the original Baldur's Gate (which was actually the first time I had heard of it).