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I have installed win98 and winxp on my computer. I am interested in installing Linux also. Should I do that? If yes, which version is the best and least bothersome??
2. I was told that Linux is less likely the virus attacks. Is this true??-
You should have installed Linux a long time ago!!! If you want to keep your Windows 98 & XP, then better make sure you have an empty partition before you install Linux. Fedora Core 1, Mandrake, or SUSE are three of the easiest distros to install! You can use either GRUB or LILO to boot all three OSes (98, XP, and Linux)... If you want to compare those three distros, head over to http://www.distrowatch.com do your comparison there!
taurus
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Linux is fun. I think its virus resistance might be partially related to less target users for the hackers.
The following caveats are based on my analysis of about 1,000,000 postings, in various forums, relating to problems installing linux:
1. If you do not have an unused partition, better you should buy a 2nd disk drive than repartition.
The chances for disaster or great problems with re-partitioning appear to be about 99.9%.2. When you install linux, do NOT select any boot loader option which overwrites your 1st hard drive MBR. You can set up to boot from diskettte into linux and, much later, muck up the MBR. The chances for disaster or great problems with initially setting up for multibooting appear to be in excess of 99.9%
2a. Always create a boot/recovery diskette when you are installing linux. Equally, if not more, important make sure you have a Windoze rescue diskette
I always boot from diskette - for over 5 years. This has SMA countless times.
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"Linux is fun. I think its virus resistance might be partially related to less target users for the hackers."
Mostly its because GNU/Linux systems are "unix-like" systems, where programs do not just "assume" root access to the filesystem.
There are 10 kinds of people, those who count in binary and those who don't.
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"When you install linux, do NOT select any boot loader option which overwrites your 1st hard drive MBR..."
I completely disagree. I always use the MBR on the first hd and have never had problems. Plus its a lot fast than booting via floppy. I suggest using GRUB over LILO for many reasons which I will not go over because it is just my personal preferance.
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Should I install Linux?
If your existing OS's are doing all you want
them to do, Linux will not do any kind of
magic for you. It is simply another OS. The
learning curve can be steep depending on
what you intend to do with it. It can be
exasperating when things simply do not work,
and you are a new Linux user.
If you are looking for something different
than what you have been using, Linux is well
worth a look.
If you are simply curious, you may be better
served to get one of the 'live' CD
distributions, such as Knoppix, Mandrake
Move, PC Linux etc. These can be booted from
the CD, and require no installation, so your
existing OS's and data are not placed at
risk.
If this option had been available in 1998
when I first installed a Linux distribution
on my computer, I could have learned to use
the OS before committing. Then again, by
setting up a dual boot, as I got more and
more comfortable in Linux, I found myself
starting the other OS less and less. I have
no regrets for installing Linux, and the
learning experience has been a continuing
one, but one which I would not trade for
anything.
The decision to install Linux has to be
yours. If you do not try Linux, you will be
missing a great experience, because as
aggravating as it can be when something does
not work, the rewards are equally as great
when you get that something to work. If you
do choose to install Linux rather than to
use a live CD, be sure to back up ALL your
data you do not wish to lose - just in
case :). One thing I would suggest is that
if you have your Windows OS's on one
existing HD, get a second HD to put Linux
on, and when you install the new HD, make it
the first HD, and your existing HD the
second HD. This way, when you install Linux,
you can safely put the boot loader [lilo or
grub] on the MBR. Then if you decide to not
use Linux, and wish to remove it from your
computer, it is as easy as removing the
'new' HD, and making the 'old' HD the first
HD again. Windows will never know the
difference :)
Ernie [ewilcox@buckeye-express.com]
ICQ 41060744
Registered Linux User 247790
Contributing author to Uptime
http://www.steidler.net/uptime
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I used Knoppix because I wanted to know how Linux was, and I liked it...and now I'm planning to install Linux...do like me... :)
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I agree completely with El-Trucha and the rest...try Knoppix FIRST. Don't dive in head first into something you may or may not be happy with. In fact, i am STILL using knoppix (botting into it a bit at a time, fiddling around, then going back into WinXP to work.) So far, what I have seen is promising (and fun), but some of the problems I hace run into are confounding as well (as others have mentioned.)
My advice -- try one of the live CD versions first. THEN, if you like it and think it's something you might want to try out full-time, THEN buy or download a full version.
-Mick
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 making linux as proxy
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Running away from XP
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