Linux: what does it do?

[frylock]

I noticed that a lot of people say Windows ME is unstable and stuff, and ever since I got rid of thee virus on it, my computer has been shutting down repeatedly. I have noticed that there are some other operating systems, XP, Linux, etc. and was thinking is it hard to switch operating systems, just wondering.

[Lady Vulpix]

I use Linux, but I think "what does it do" is a bit too broad a question. Could you ask anything more specific?

[frylock]

1) About how hard is it to switch to from windows ME

2)if it is a download, or disk.

3)Can you download any program on it. Like when it says "Download for Mac/ Download for windows" what would you do.

4) Will switching over delete all of your older stuff, because I am switching since I've been having problems with it ME since I got rid of a virus.

just things like that. I would like to get it working before August 20th so would it take that long or longer. Thanks, Frylock

[Lady Vulpix]

1) It depends on the distribution. I've never used Windows ME, but you can get distros that are quite similar to Windows, others that are completely different and just about anything in between.
2) You can get it either way.
3) There's no OS on which you can download ANY program. Some programs will work on several OSs, and some only in one or two. There are some made specific for Linux, but most of them (at least the ones I know) are oriented to programming. So, basically, it depends on which programs you want. Some have a Linux version and some don't.
4) You'd need to change your filesystem and repartition your hard disk, so yes (there are ways to make partitions with a chance of keeping your data, but none of them is 100% safe). You should make backups of all your important documents and files you would like to keep before changing your OS.

[frylock]

I guess I'm just really looking for a new OS, Windows ME is basically shot on my othercmoputer, and I'm just looking for a fully functional OS that can do Image manipulation, internet, and possibly games. Does anyone know any good/better OS firsthand? ever since I got rid of a virus it keeps on freezing, and I am forced to just do an improper shutdown. I told my friend about my problem and he said that I should study up on linux, since Morgan Webb said it is really good. I don't neccesarily want linux, but I do need a new OS, any suggestions would be really cool.


EDIT: I am going to be using Ubuntu so if anyone knows any extra information that would be cool.

[Lady Vulpix]

I think http://www.linuxforums.org/ can be quite useful to get you started. It helped me a lot when I installed my Debian.

And http://www.linuxhowtos.org/ can also be useful.

Also, make sure you know how to use the APT repository. It's a great way to install programs and packages in general, ensuring they won't mess up anything else in your system. But for those programs that are NOT in the repository, you can find a lot of them on http://sourceforge.net/.

[frylock]

I'm at a serious dillemma. I can't download the program directly onto my other computer, and the other computer keeps freezing before I can finish downloading it. The onl way to get around this problem would be to burn the program onto a disk, then give it to my other computer. Which would be great if the program wasn't 2 megabites over the maximium disk capacity... I am going to have to wait until I can find 800 megabite disks before I can transfer over.

[Chris]

Which would be great if the program wasn't 2 megabites over the maximium disk capacity... I am going to have to wait until I can find 800 megabite disks before I can transfer over.

You're able to fit Ubuntu 6.06 on a 700MB CD. Don't burn the ISO to disc, use your CD-writing software to copy the image contained in the ISO to disc.

[youdontknowme]

Or, if you're patient enough, you can order pressed CD's for free.
From my experience, they usually take 1-2 months to deliver, but I always order them at the release of the next version. Since 6.06 has been released a month or two ago, orders might have calmed a bit.

Or you can always ask a friend to do it for you. :p

Edit:
Also, when you say games, what kind of games? Like, you can't play Windows games on Linux (unless you use Cedega, but you have to pay for that. You can also try to get it running with Wine, but the chances to get it to work is pretty slim...)
If you wanna play games on Linux, you should go for Unreal Tournament or Doom since they're native to Linux.
Also, if you have an ATi video card, you might run into some trouble.

If you have any Ubuntu questions, head over to http://ubuntuforums.org
There's also an Ubuntu IRC channel at irc://irc.freenode.net/ubuntu
As for image editing, Linux has a free image editor called the GIMP. imo, it's a bit more confusing to use as compared to Photoshop but it gets the job done. There's also something called GIMPShop, which basically changes your menu to look more like Photoshop's.

[frylock]

I gave up and downloaded an IsoBuster file and extracted the files. I'll keep you updated.