Hi, I am thinking on switching to Ubuntu Linux. I have some questions. Is it a good os? How is it compared to XP? Will it run faster on my computer compared to 2000/XP? Anything else i should know before switching? Thanks. PS: I am an advanced computer user.

The first thing you will have to understand is that Linux is NOT Windows. The interface will seem a bit familiar, but there are differences. Linux uses a single file system hierarchy, so you will see no C:, or D: drive, just locations such as /mnt/windows or /media/windows (a few of the usual locations to which the Windows partition is mounted). In Linux, everything is treated like a file, so your mouse device has a location in the file system (often /dev/mouse or /dev/mice) as do any other devices that comprise your computer (the printer, your hard drive(s), your disk rives, any connected removable media (flash or floppy drives), etc. The computer I use here is a dual core AMD 64 bit powered system, so I may not be the best source of information where performance is concerned, but the speed of any Linux distribution depends to a large part on the speed of your GPU, your CPU, the amount of available system RAM, and which Desktop environment is being used. On my last system (an AMD 1800+ with 512MB RAM) Windows XP seemed a bit sluggish when compared to my distribution of choice Mandriva Linux, but that was with an earlier Mandriva release. I do not have Windows Vista, but that would probably be a more apples to apples comparison candidate to put up against current Linux distributions. I have not used Ubuntu here, but in my experience, if the computer is a vintage system, you will experience better performance using distributions targeted to such systems (Puppy Linux or Damn Small Linux come to mind). If your system is fast with abundant resources, then any major distribution will work well, and the decision maker will be a matter of personal taste. Ubuntu has an outstanding user community, and I am sure they will be more than happy to help in any way they can if you run into trouble. If (after using Ubuntu for a time) you want to try other distributions, may I suggest my personal favorite, Mandriva Linux as well as a few others which include Suse and Fedora (RedHat's Open Source distribution). There are many other outstanding distributions you may want to check out as well. You may be best served to set up a Virtual Machine program, then install Ubuntu in the VM. That way, you can test drive Linux and if it is not for you, your current OS is unaffected. Simply remove the VM, and then the VM program. Sun Microsystems provides Virtual Box free for personal use. I use it here to run WindowsXP under Mandriva Linux. Also, if you want to try out several distributions, a VM is a good way to get a feel for each one. With Virtual Box, you can download the iso image of a distribution's Live CD, and 'mount' it as if it were a disk in your optical drive (no need to waste time burning disks). I am not sure if this answers all your questions. Welcome to the Linux user's community. I hope you enjoy your investigation of this fine OS, Ernie Registered Linux User 247790

Ernie is a much more advanced Linux user than I am, but I've been experimenting pretty heavily with different versions (aka "distros") since M$ released Vista. Although Ubuntu has gotten a huge push, I don't feel it's the best choice. IMO, Mint Linux (which is based on Ubuntu) is more user friendly & seems to run faster, especially if you get the XFCE edition. What's nice about the majority of Linux distros is that you can run them directly from the CD without actually installing it to the HDD. That allows you to get a feel for it without messing with your current Windows installation. Once you hit on a distro you feel comfortable with, THEN you can wipe the HDD & actually install it. There are literally 100's of distros available so take your time & look them over. Linux Mint, The Ubuntu That Should Have Been? - Part 1 Linux Mint, The Ubuntu That Should Have Been? - Part 2 http://linuxmint.com/ SimplyMepis is another possibilty: http://www.mepis.org/ http://distrowatch.com/

I suggest that you install a virtual machine and try out various "distros". "Best Practices", Event viewer, host file, perfmon, antivirus, anti-spyware, Live CD's, backups, are in my top 10

I was planning to install on a VM. I'm maybe what you call heavy Virtual Machine user (meaning i use it for everything). I run OS's from Windows 3.1 to ReactOS to Windows 7 using either MS Virtual PC or VirtualBox. Ernie, I have a Mandriva disk that a friend gave me but I cant seem to install it.

Which release version is on the disk? Can you read the disk in Windows? What happens when you attempt to install Mandriva with it? Ernie Registered Linux User 247790

Don't know what version is on the disk because my friend didn't write it down, but it looks quite modern. I can view the disk in Windows and it has 3 folders: boot, isolinux & loopbacks. When i boot the cd in my virtual pc it give me a blue menu with 2 options: "Press <F1> for more options" & "Press <Enter> to start". When I press enter it takes me to a loading screen and it always freezes there. Maybe I don't have enough RAM (i have 450MB)?