Linux

[fido123]

I'm thinking of getting Linux as apparently its a good thing to master if you want your future career to be something in computers especially programming. For those of you who have used it I have a few questions:

1. Can you still use Windows if you have Linux?
2. How do you modify you Linux?
3. Will it mess around with anything in my computer at all?

If any of these could be answered I would greatly appreciate it.

[wickedawesomeful]

Re: Linux

Yes, you can use both at the same time, you just have to set up two different partitions on your hard drive. I'm not sure what you mean by "mess around with anything on your computer at all." Clarify?

[lord_carbo]

Re: Linux

Highly doubt it will mess with anything. And wicked is correct.

I'd recommend a noob distro. AFAIK, Ubuntu is really really easy to install and get working properly.

[fido123]

Re: Linux

So is there anyway to partition my hardrive without refomating? And how would I toggle between them?

[psp31]

Re: Linux

You could make a linux boot cd and set your computer for boot from cd on start up.

[itmorr]

Re: Linux

1. Can you still use Windows if you have Linux?

Yes. Make your compy a dual boot.

2. How do you modify you Linux?

Read the man pages. Also I recommend that when you first install, figure out what all the services are in your rc3.d. Then disable whatever you're not going to use.

3. Will it mess around with anything in my computer at all?

No. Make sure your linux distro has a rescue mode though. Also it's worth downloading and burning some livecds just in case. I recommend knowing how to partition, at the very least.

[tsugomaru]

Re: Linux

So is there anyway to partition my hardrive without refomating? And how would I toggle between them?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

You can make partitions whenever you want.

~Tsugomaru

[itmorr]

Re: Linux

So is there anyway to partition my hardrive without refomating? And how would I toggle between them?

It depends on your main partition's filesystem. Download a partimage livecd and see if you can resize your main partition to make room for a linux partition.

[fido123]

Re: Linux

You could make a linux boot cd and set your computer for boot from cd on start up.

I think I'm ganna try this...I helped my friend do this with his Xbox 360. I can save changes to my Linuix right? And this does let my use it only when I start from disc right? I don't want it to delete my windows.

[itmorr]

Re: Linux

Try Knoppix LiveCD that might be what you're after.

[Pyroshock]

Re: Linux

Ubuntu has a Live CD ISO that is really easy to use, and comes with a GUI partitioner that lets you resize your Windows partition, make the Ubuntu partition, etc. You don't have to format your disk.

[fido123]

Re: Linux

Free and downloadable?

[EricChiptune]

Re: Linux

Totally free and downloadable, you can request CD's from the Ubuntu site too, they'll send you 3 cd's or 10 cd's as far as I remember, I have Ubuntu on this laptop at the moment, it's a very basic distro, if you want to get deeper into things you want Debain or Gentoo.

You can dualboot your computer, you'll get GRUB with Ubuntu, that's a boot manager, generally you can partition a harddrive without formatting it, but errr it's not really like, ideal...

If you want to try a few different Distros out why don't you run a VM box with them on, mess around with them on that and see how they go, or just try the live cd's like you get with Ubuntu etc...

Personally i'd go for Ubuntu if it's your first time, it's really easy and they've kept it simple, but it's not really ideal if you want to go real deep into things.

Google is going to be key for you when you get it running and that.

Good luck with getting it on the go :]

[GuidoHunter]

Re: Linux



--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[hullmo717]

Re: Linux

By the way I don't really think that its at all necessary to run linux to go into a career in programming. I've lived with 4 CS majors and only one of them ran linux. The rest all ran Windows and they were able to program just as well.