Linux question

My Win7 RC on my laptop has started giving me expiration warnings. Since I just use it for web browsing and email, I was thinking of trying out Linux for the umpteenth time. Previously I have had problems with video driver support and wireless card support, and I ultimately had a better experience in Windows. But this time it would mean going back to XP or spending $100 on another Win7 license.

I have three questions.

1. Does Linux support intel "pro wireless" out of the box? I'm pretty sure it's thte 3945 model.
2. Does Linux support the G945 graphics out of the box?
3. Which distro would be my best choice? I want something fast and well-suited for browsing, but with a good support community.

I would go with Ubuntu. I highly doubt you will have any problems with graphics or wifi, but you can test things out before you install.

Bass said:

I would go with Ubuntu. I highly doubt you will have any problems with graphics or wifi, but you can test things out before you install.

Ditto Bass.

FWIW, I've run Ubuntu on various hardware with no issues. Once you are familiar with the administrative tools and UI, I think you'll like it.

I got an email from MS saying that when it expired, the RC would shut itself down every so often without saving your work.

Which asshat thought dumping folks' stuff at random intervals was a good way to go?

Ray7 said:

I got an email from MS saying that when it expired, the RC would shut itself down every so often without saving your work.

 

Which asshat thought dumping folks' stuff at random intervals was a good way to go?

 

What part of expired don't you understand.

Hey, I have no problem with expiring, but shutting down and losing work?

Is that really necessary? Just run through the normal shutdown routine every fifteen minutes or so. Save the files and blast 'em with messages on startup.

They're actually starting to get the press on their side again; would be nice if they didn't do stuff like this to screw it up.

Ray7 said:

Hey, I have no problem with expiring, but shutting down and losing work?

 

Is that really necessary? Just run through the normal shutdown routine every fifteen minutes or so. Save the files and blast 'em with messages on startup.

 

They're actually starting to get the press on their side again; would be nice if they didn't do stuff like this to screw it up.

 

 

 

 

That's how it always worked in the past. You will get enough warnings after login that the version you are using is expired and will be rebooting (BSOD) every 2 hours. That time window you get is to take a backup of your files and upgrade your system, not to start something new.

Ray7 said:

Hey, I have no problem with expiring, but shutting down and losing work?

 

Is that really necessary? Just run through the normal shutdown routine every fifteen minutes or so. Save the files and blast 'em with messages on startup.

 

They're actually starting to get the press on their side again; would be nice if they didn't do stuff like this to screw it up.

 

 

 

 

Why you're surprised about this, I don't know.  It's not like it was some secret that this was going to happen--  they made it quite clear that the RC expires in March and will begin rebooting every 2 hours after that point

Personally I prefer Fedora over Ubuntu for many reasons [1] but if you are interested in Ubuntu Linux Mint may be worth to check too.

[1] Fedora: Overview

Erisan said:

Personally I prefer Fedora over Ubuntu for many reasons [1] but if you are interested in Ubuntu Linux Mint may be worth to check too.

 

[1] Fedora: Overview

I've never used Fedora for quite some time. I'll have to take a look at again one of these days. When is the next version out?

Erisan said:

Personally I prefer Fedora over Ubuntu for many reasons [1] but if you are interested in Ubuntu Linux Mint may be worth to check too.

 

[1] Fedora: Overview

If you're starting out with Linux, Fedora is not for you.  Fedora tries to be on the bleeding edge of tech; while cool if you know what you're doing, their releases aren't always stable and can require some fiddling to get everything working like you expect.

For a beginner who wants everything working out of the box, Ubuntu's the only way to go.  You should be fine using Intel Pro Wireless (Intel's wireless chipsets are probably the best-supported chipsets out there on Linux) and GMA945 should also be fine (Intel has committed to provide good support for all their graphics chipsets under Linux, with the notable exception of GMA500).

This post written from a Fedora 12 install, which is about to get nuked for Ubuntu 9.10 (again).

(Personally, my favorite *nix right now is OSX, but (understandably) you can't run that on your generic PC)

CannotResolveSymbol said:

Erisan said:

*snip*

If you're starting out with Linux, Fedora is not for you.  Fedora tries to be on the bleeding edge of tech; while cool if you know what you're doing, their releases aren't always stable and can require some fiddling to get everything working like you expect.

 

For a beginner who wants everything working out of the box, Ubuntu's the only way to go.  You should be fine using Intel Pro Wireless (Intel's wireless chipsets are probably the best-supported chipsets out there on Linux) and GMA945 should also be fine (Intel has committed to provide good support for all their graphics chipsets under Linux, with the notable exception of GMA500).

 

This post written from a Fedora 12 install, which is about to get nuked for Ubuntu 9.10 (again).

 

(Personally, my favorite *nix right now is OSX, but (understandably) you can't run that on your generic PC)

(Personally, my favorite *nix right now is OSX, but (understandably) you can't run that on your generic PC)

Well, hmm, I can't really say that.

Bass said:

CannotResolveSymbol said:

*snip*

(Personally, my favorite *nix right now is OSX, but (understandably) you can't run that on your generic PC)

Well, hmm, I can't really say that.

*can't while remaining within constraints set by the EULA.

(I really want to see this EULA tested in court...  unfortunately, no one with the money and guts to fight Apple has any reason to try it.)

Well, I must admit that Ubuntu 9.10 installed with zero problems and is running very well. Much different than the last  5 times I've tried using Linux (over the past 7-8 years I've tried Mandrake, Redhat, Debian, Kubuntu, and Suse).

Bass said:

Erisan said:

*snip*

I've never used Fedora for quite some time. I'll have to take a look at again one of these days. When is the next version out?

The release day is set to 2010-05-11 but Fedora has no as strict release days as for example Ubuntu has. The release days has been pushed by week or two many times in earlier releases.

CannotResolveSymbol said:

Erisan said:

*snip*

If you're starting out with Linux, Fedora is not for you.  Fedora tries to be on the bleeding edge of tech; while cool if you know what you're doing, their releases aren't always stable and can require some fiddling to get everything working like you expect.

 

For a beginner who wants everything working out of the box, Ubuntu's the only way to go.  You should be fine using Intel Pro Wireless (Intel's wireless chipsets are probably the best-supported chipsets out there on Linux) and GMA945 should also be fine (Intel has committed to provide good support for all their graphics chipsets under Linux, with the notable exception of GMA500).

 

This post written from a Fedora 12 install, which is about to get nuked for Ubuntu 9.10 (again).

 

(Personally, my favorite *nix right now is OSX, but (understandably) you can't run that on your generic PC)

I agree that Fedora isn't probably for new users... and not always to experienced users either. One problem is the "bleeding edge" nature of Fedora which is a problem if a user wants to use proprietary drivers. For example AMD/ATI drivers doesn't yet support the version of X that Fedora is using.

There are some points why Fedora is more easier for new users than many other distributions including Ubuntu. For example PackageKit: PackageKit installs codec, fonts, firmware, software, etc. automatically if needed, newer kernel gives better support for hardwares, etc.

One reason why I see the Fedora as a most important distribution is the amount work they contribute code. Most distributions doesn't write a new code at all but concentrate patch their packages (which is of course OK).

... but if Ubuntu does the work for you, stick with it

So after 12 hours my favorite feature by far is the "Software Center". The whole online repository concept is great. I wish Microsoft had something like this. Everything is installed from one place; everything is updated from one place.

spivonious said:

So after 12 hours my favorite feature by far is the "Software Center". The whole online repository concept is great. I wish Microsoft had something like this. Everything is installed from one place; everything is updated from one place.

The package management was always one of my favorite things about Linux.