Every couple years, since about 1998, I try Linux, I have tried Mandrake 8 & 10 RedHat 6 & 8 and now Ubuntu 6.10. I want very much to use Linux. I am not a comp. noob. I have been building computers for over 10 years, and I know more about them than anyone I know. I installed Ubuntu last night and have spent the last 5 hours on the 1st thing I tried, updating the Nvidia drivers. This is ridiculously hard. I could copy and paste pages of instruction on how to do this, but I wont fill this post with all that. A lot of the instructions are very cryptic if you don't know Linux real well, you end up having to look explanations for every explanation you find. Every time I figure out the next step in the instructions a new problem pops up and I have to search for what to about this new issue. WHY can't Linux just have a button to click on "Update driver"? and have the OS take care of all of it, or just click the downloaded file and have it take care of it. If Linux EVER wants to be a mainstream desktop alternative to M$ or Mac (don't get me wrong, I'm no M$ fan) it CAN NOT be this complicated. I guess I don't have a question, just venting a bit. I love the look feel of Linux and what Linux is all about but I am having basically the same probs I have had EVERY time I try Linux, Guess I'll try it again in a couple more years. Brad, Above us only Sky.

http://www.xandros.com/products/hom... They offer a 30 day trial, alternatively look at Freespire: http://www.freespre.org Both the above are more Windows like......

IMHO Xandros is a bit easier to use than Linspire. Xandros networks you simply select the updates you wish then select install updates and it does it. Linspire is rather more difficult but doable. I can`t speak for any other distros as these are the 2 i use. Although neither are free they would seem to me to be far far better value than Microsoft offerings. Having said that I probably will actually buy Vista when I have a system beefy enough to run it as i do rather like how pretty it is :) Linspire I believe min spec is something like a 1.4ghz system and Xandros is p2 450. I run Xandros on a p2 450 with 128mb ram and it runs a little slow but a lot lot faster than XP on a p2 450. Linspire I run using VMware on a p3 866 and it runs ok for me. I have been lucky as the systems I run these on happen to have native drivers for the hardware picked up during install. Woof Always proof-read carefully to see if you any words out.

Freespire is the Open Source version of Linspire, just has more up-to-date hardware support, this will be the basis of Linspire6

'WHY can't Linux just have a button to click on "Update driver"? and have the OS take care' for various (mostly legal, some political) reasons linux just cannot do that. if you're seriously thinking about changing to linux, check your hardware for compatibility and availability of drivers first to avoid ranting in frustration later :-) Today's subliminal thought is: 'Calm down ... it's only ones and zeros.' icq 10183575

You should have tried it in the 80's. You had to pay long distance charges to get on a BB to get a copy of BSD. Then start the build process. It took a few weeks to get it up to a command line if you did it all right. No online help, no or little books. But, you should stick with live cd's. They are almost fool proof. No install, no updates. Just download a new iso and burn it to a disk. You do know that VMware's VMplayer is free as well as Microsoft's VirtualPC's old and new VM as well as the server products. They are really a great way to use any new OS. I highly recommend that you try them for your next install. I have never found a linux man or "how to" anythign for a newbie. It is a source to look at after you know what you are doing.