[baavgai]

Zuelajindi, on 12 March 2013 - 12:20 AM, said:

I might receive flame from Windows users, but I tried Linux a little while back and wasn't too sure. I was thinking about trying out Slackware. Your thoughts?

Switch, no. Try, sure. There are lots of ways to try Linux without throwing out the Windows box.

I have a laptop with Windows 7 and Linux dual boot. I need Windows for VPN into work, VS at home, Netflix, and games. If none of those things are needed, then I'm on the Linux side.

Alternately, I have a little headless Linux box with VNC setup. On a home network, with that old PC you don't know what to do with, this is an excellent choice. Set up a machine, get SSH on it, make sure it boots into Linux without anything plugged in, and stick it next the router and forget about it.

I usually plug external hard drives into the floating Linux boxen. I've been considering playing with a Rasberry Pi for this.

[no2pencil]

Slice's post is perfect.

Slackware is my preferred Linux distribution. But asking others if YOU should switch is like asking us if you should switch your favorite color from Black to Orange. An operating system is a preference, imo. If you can't suggest what you are doing & why you should switch, then you should not because you'll constantly post asking how to accomplish 'x' like you used to. Again, imo.

[Sergio Tapia]

modi123_1, on 12 March 2013 - 11:39 AM, said:

Quote

Another thing my USB network adapter is a Netgear WNA3100 and unfortunately I hear it is nearly impossible getting Linux to recognize it, correct me if I am wrong. I have used ndiswrapper but to no avail

Welcome to linux and being empowered to go write your own driver.

Thing is... do you want to waste your time doing such a thing?

[supersloth]

i very much enjoy being empowered to never write a driver.

[cfoley]

I'm surprised nobody has suggested live CDs. Find a bunch of distros you want to check out and burn all their live CDs. You can't install stuff but you will be able to get a feel for them and see if they support your hardware out of the box.

[Lemur]

People already beat me to the punch on Windoze. Seriously though, respect in all things, otherwise you sound like a half-brain dead radio host or Fox News employee. If you have to resort to name calling in any way you're really missing the point and not doing any type of critical analysis over a pretty large decision.

Now there are a few camps on this subject, and granted that you've put this in the lounge you're effectively fair game as troll bait.

Camp 1 - Linux/BSD forever, anything else and you're clueless.
Camp 2 - I prefer Linux when possible, but I like Windows for Gaming/Photoshop.
Camp 3 - I use both equally.
Camp 4 - I prefer Windows for ease of use, but I use Linux for some things.
Camp 5 - Why would I bother making things more complicated? Windows gets the job done.
Camp 6 - Derp derp mac derp

...now about that trollbait comment...

[BetaWar]

Making the switch to solely using a *nix based OS? No, I wouldn't say that is a great idea if you are questioning it in any way. I have 2 Linux machines at home (One running Ubuntu and the other running Arch), however I also have two other machines running Windows 7 and a Mac. I personally suggest you not get tied to any one OS (mostly due to paranoia and when one company ticks you off for the last time you have options). However, what I normally do (as in I even have my work machine set up this way) is to install VMware Player (or Workstation if you have some money) and run a ton of virtual machines on a Windows host (base machine). That way you can have whatever OS you want (except Mac, unless you start on Mac hardware or use hackintosh). I normally have a number of VMs on each machine I own (though I don't put them on my Linux machines, since those are for a specific purpose).

Basically, try things out before you decide to take any big steps.

[Curtis Rutland]

Regardless of your personal feelings of Linux vs Windows, the answer to this particular question has to be an emphatic "No". The OP wants to play games and has a NIC with with known compatibility issues. Under no circumstance should he "switch" to Linux if he has those two issues. Not to mention we don't know what kind of development he does. If it's .NET or building Windows C++ applications, it'd be pretty stupid to switch. And yes, there's WINE for gaming. If I have to choose between playing games on a native platform or having to monkey with a compatibility layer, I know which one I'm picking.

Try it, yes. Live CDs, virtualization (for free no less), yes. Stick it on a spare system, absolutely. Replace your the OS that adequately handles your needs with one that won't? Uh...let me think about that one.

And yeah, if this is your first foray, choose something other than Slackware. Unless you like diving in head first with no floaties.

[Lemur]

...am I the only one stunned at the formal nature this thread is taking in the Caffeine Lounge? Well, unless I'm the one getting trolled here.

[modi123_1]

shhhush.. don't spoil the moment.. just enjoy.

Spoiler

[Cheribasa]

Happy Pi day

[bingy]

Happy steak and a bj day

[GrooN]

I have been in your situation several times, considering whether I should switch, based on some weird idea that real developers use Linux (which is by the way no true at all, just a larger percentage of the users that does code). Anyway, I've tried Linux many times, and has been amazed by the terminal (and I am addicted to the scripts which you can write, every time you're not satisfied with something), but not being able to play my beloved games makes me switch back. My advice (which I am currently doing) is to use the powah of dual booting. It works for me; web development on Linux, gaming on windows.

Ps. it sucks thought, that I have to switch back to windows every time I have to use Photoshop (which sadly happens from time to time, can't get used to gimp). Besides that, I like this solution.

Hope you can use this somehow - good luck!

[IcyCode]

Like many posters before me have said, its a matter of opinion. You'll never know what you want if you don't try out your options first. Download a couple of different distros that work out-of-the-box(openSUSE, Fedora, Mint, Ubuntu are examples) and see how you like them. You don't have to go to the drastic measure of completely removing windows from your computer. Simply make a separate partition or a LiveCD. Most importantly, don't let one bad experience taint your image of Linux. There are literally thousands of distributions to choose from. You just need to find the right one.

[atraub]

To quote another member:

modi123_1, on 18 March 2013 - 02:06 PM, said:

Maybe my ol' rugged individualism is showing, but why does it seem no one can make a choice for their education? That they would prefer the whims of strangers, and chimpanzees, on the internet to make that call for them. Is it the safety of a future cop out.. you know when they fail they can shake their fist at their screen yelling "daaaaamn youuuuuu internet!"?

The real fun begins when people assume someone else can make an adequate decision without context. Context of the program they are in, context of the person themselves, weaknesses, etc... but over all the choice is more or less immaterial... becomes the OP will more than likely forget most of the material a semester later, and even more so after college with only a faint wisp of knowledge when s/he glances at her transcripts years down the road.

Just replace education with OS choice and transcripts with "inevitable failures"... or something like that

This post has been edited by atraub: 25 March 2013 - 10:25 PM