Heya. I sense a W2K re-installation coming up. It's been a while since i reinstalled. The last thing that went to hell was the video. Half impossible to play any vido files etc and i've been reinstalling codecs, players etc without any succees. i get memory errors here and there (this is due to programs writing in forbidden zones, it's the built in Microsoft Programs doing this...) Anyways, LINUX, will probably be my next main system. Been looking more and more into it and it has a lot of programs that i run and since i hardly play games anymore I dont feel a need to run any Microsoft s--- anymore so i'm more or less gonna boycott microsoft if possible. Now, I need some advices and suggestions. I've already decided to run either Mandrake 9.0 (n00b version and all since it's been like 6 or 7 years since i ran something similair (Unix AIX server + X Term) but that wasn't for the same purpose as i'll do. OR, i'll choose Debian since it's more worked through and all that. Anyhow, I wonder a couple of things and let us pressume that i'll try Mandrake 9 first (i'll prolly try both systems) I've got a GeForce MX400 card with a TV output, how well will i be able to run cloned view (same thing on monitor shows on TV)? This is extrewmely essential as I use my Computer to watch Anime and Movies That is my main worry system wise, now programs that i need (feel free to gimme suggestiosn adn comments) A good DVD player, similair to Power DVD A good Media Player similair so Zoom player, Media player or BSPlayer How about videoxcodecs for Linux? I wanna play all common formats available (OGM + sub reading aswell) I need a neat MP3 player a la WinAmp Good FTP client a la Flash FXP DC ofcourse, iwill run DCTC A good Image viewer a la AcdSee ICQ? Internet Browser that is able to view everythign that IE is A good image editor a la PaintShop Pro or Photoshop Somethign similar to Office (Star Office?) I need a MP3 encoder a la music match aswell (input cd, out on CDDB and then rip) AND ofcourse a FIleManager similair to Windows Commander. Less important stuff J builder and C++ dev. tools are they easy to find? Is there a downlaod accel a la DAP available? Is ther somethign liek Cubase available (multi track recording with FX modules and stuff. I also wonder, what to use if one wants to rip DVD:s in linux? is ther somethign similair to thsoe DVD rip programms available from Windows? I dont thing setting up networking between windows and linux will be a hard thing. And If i need to run specific Windows programmes I always have the abillity to use the terminal client for Linux that connects to the Windows Terminal server i've got running. Anyhow, comments and suggestions are HIGHLYT appreciated. Thanks a bunch in advance. I really want to leave Windows and try something else. In the worst case i'll have a mini-version of W2K installed where i'll run CUbase and other applications that i don't use often.

Here are my 5 cents: DVD Player: I personally use ogle because it can play encrypted DVDs and has support for DVD menus (traditional movie rentals) http://www.dtek.chalmers.se/groups/dvd/ I also heard that VideoLAN client plays DVDs, but I've not seen it. Media Player: KDE has a media player that is OK. Xine is another media player very popular and that supports several formats (including VCD). It can also play DVDs (non-encripted). MP3 Player: You cannot get more "a la WimpAmp" than XMMS (I think stands for X MultiMedia System). It is basically a clone of wimpamp. It comes with most distributions. There are clones of ICQ, but I personally use GAIM, because it lets me set up ICQ, AOL and MSN all in one client (another program that can do the same thing is Kopete) Gaim comes with gnome. Internet Browser: Mozilla (I like the Firebird version). Opera (www.opera.com) is pretty good, and the look and feel is like IE. The only thing you can't do in Linux is play proprietary formats (like windows media video) and ShockWave (they had not make a linux version). Image Editor: The GIMP (comes with most distributions). Really good. Like Photoshop type of program. Office Software: OpenOffice.org is very good and compatible. HancomOffice is also good (less compatible with MS Office) but is much faster. This one is commercial though. I use both. Check it here: http://en.hancom.com/index.html There are some other less-feature-rich like AbiWord and Gnumeric which are pretty good too. Ripping CDs: I use ripperX. I has everything you asked for: http://ripperx.sourceforge.net/ You can rip to wav, mp3, ogg, etc depending of the encoder. You need to find/download mp3 encoder if you want to rip mp3s. File Manager: KDE has Konqueror, Gnome has Nautilus...there are some other file managers, like gentoo http://www.obsession.se/gentoo/ Here are my recomendations in looking for software: 1- Go to the Linux.org applications page and look for whatever you are looking for: http://www.linux.org/apps/index.html 2- Go to the web based Lindows software warehouse (you will not be able to download the programs, but you will have an idea what the program does so you can go to google and look for it): http://www.lindows.com/lindows_products_categories.php

Instead of jumping right away in a real Linux distribution, if I were you I'd try knoppix first : it is a bootable CD with Linux and most functions so you can see it and get used to it--> www.knoppix.org But I think you can copy that cd to your hd as well. And for the d/l manager, System commander should work. You can get it here http://65.77.159.100/cgi-bin/fosi.cgi?sc2k Good luck pal Good luck

Lemme tell ya something dude ... with all the stuff you'll have to do to configure everything so that it works perfectly i have a nagging suspicion that you'll be reinstalling Win2K again within a few weeks. For starters ... XMMS in it's newest avatar doesn't support mp3 due to some infringement issues. For video Xanim is there but it takes a lot of perseverence to get it plugged in the right way. The newest distros have the best compat but if the OS doesn't work pefecctly outta the box then you've got a load of cryptic config files to edit. My advice is ... install Linux as a secondary OS for now and learn at your leisure how to get it to work according to your taste. when you're sure all the parts fit together then make it your main OS. Take it from me. even with redhat 8 i had to spend almost a week to get my system into shape. Linux is frigging great ... but only for nerds ... newbies ... unless you are the one with a very small wishlist please give it a second thought. however if you have well and truly decided to boycott MS then my most Profound prayers for your success are on their way.

If you go for Mandrake 9.1, it comes with mplayer which plays DVDs, MP3s etc and can use many codecs (eg WMA, RealMedia and Quicktime). Ogle is good too, but providing that you have the DeCSS libaries so can mplayer. That should cover your first 4 requirements. XMMS is indeed very similar to winamp, I think the MP3 support problem mentioned above is to do with Redhat not shipping with MP3 support (in favaour of OGG) rather than a limitation of xmms....works fine on my system playing MP3s! FTP - personally use the command line or gFTP. Both electric eyes and eye of gnome are similar to acdsee, although I tend to stick with my file browser for previewing files....you can zoom in and out and get previews of files like PDF, font files, images, sounds etc. I spend most of my time on the net using Galeon, which is a cut down version of mozilla. It can even handle some things that IE can't, such as transparent PNGs and blinking text. Gimp (which I use every day) is nearly as good as Photoshop. Star office = open office (which is the free version)...very good although for a spreadsheet I use gnumeric. MP3 ripping I do with grip. You can use any number of encoders with it; eg lame, bladeenc, FH etc File managers....midnight commander, konqueror, nautilus, xftree....there are loads to choose from, I've even used a 3 dimentional one with opengl support (can't remember what it was called though...twas a long time ago!=o) Dev tools (java, c++ etc) are often included on the install CDs together with the sources for all of the other applications. And if you do fancy playing windoze games in the future, I've managed to get GTA3, black and white, loads of quake3 based games as well as others working fine using winex. I have been using linux for a while now and have got to the stage where I no longer need windoze to accomplish anything that I can't do under linux - both at home and at work. It may take a little while to get to grips with, but then again I haven't got a clue how to use XP....as I haven't used windoze for ages!

OK I am an old Unix guy, live in Mexico (Veracruz) part of the time and fiddle around with the Futures market. Just built this machine-- Giga Byte 8KNXP Ultra MB, P4 3.0 GHz, 2 GB Ram, SCSI drive and 2 Silicon Graphix 1600 SW monitors on #9 Vid cards PCI to get the Hawkeye support for brightness and color balance on the monitors. Whe I first built the system installed an early copy of W2000 (I ran a beta of 2000, migrated from NT) saw the Hyperthreading P4 as 2 procs and benchmarked FAST(SiSoft Sandra). Read the Intel page on the socket 478 P4 where it recommended that you disenable hyperthreading in the BIOS EXCEPT under XP. Ordered XP Pro. Installed. machine runs fine. Read a week ago where MSFT is discontinuing NT support and a light went off DUH you have been participating in the software obselescence game....... Have played with LINUX before, Sorta sick and bored with Windoze and being told that every 18 months I have to buy a new software pkg......so question is I am undecided between Mandrake and Red Hat. Down here the internet is like the wild wild west port scanners 30-50 times per day easy- security is a bigger issue for me than it is when Im home in Birmingham. Other problem is the SGI monitors have to have Hawkeye to control brightness (software control only why could SGI not have installed a damn thumbwheel somewhere Jeez). The HCL's on both Mandrake and RHAT dont present from what I read any major problems on my platform. Opinions on which or both or neither is the better more supported system. Im fairly computer fluent although the last code I wrote was under F Fortran.... Opinions would be deeply appreciated. I plan to install on the machine as a dual boot and get comfortable with where everything is and then remove XP Pro. Suggestions please. Thanks for the forum here Carr McCormack III praco@mindspring.com

wo years ago I knew nothing about Linux,After using Mandrake 9.0 for several months and then upgrading to Mandrake 9.1,I have been trying to convert everyone.As some of the previous posts have said,anything that windoze can do can be done on Linux,you just need to be willing to learn how.After only a short time on Mandrake 9.1,i play DVD's, VCD's,WMA files and rip and burn CD's,surf the net and send and recieve mail.It can all be done if you are willing to have patience and learn it.But.... as a previous post stated,I would reccomend you load Linux on a second computer and expierment with it there first.Good Luck.