I've never used linux(expect once and it was a old version) so i have a few questions.
A) What is the newest version
1) is it really free
2) how hard is it to learn
3) drivers i have graphic card 9500gt can i get my driver?.
4) programs all my programs are windows, only 1 of them is linux. Can i run them perfectly fine or wont run at all?
5) what about directX10 games
6) Is linux got a future
7) Virus ?
8) Can i use emulation to test linux using vista
as new as you want.. 5000 flavours.. debian sid will never be current, only future.. How "new" do you want? fista is already old compared to the stable release debian I run.
1: yes
2: start over.. brain required
3: what is a 9500gt? .. My ati and nvidia cards work fine
4: forget everything you think you know.. different OS.. different applications.. all free and usually as good if not better.
5: games.. cedega or wine but dx10.. forget it.. DX10 is a con trick
6: it runs 90% of the internet and 30% of desktop machines. Usage is expanding since fista
7: what is a virus? I collect drive by malware for a laugh. http://my.afterdawn.com/varnull/show_image.cfm/20623/full As I'm not one of the retards who runs anything to do with windows.. like wine.. it can't harm my machines.
8: you can if fista will allow it.. better to wipe fista. Linux has better hardware support.
But google would have told you all of that anyway.
A. "Linux" refers to the kernel. The different offerings somewhere like www.distrowatch.com take the kernel and combine it with all the other free software, then once you're installed you'll have everything updated for you pretty much. The different groups are releasing new versions every 6 months typically. I'd suggest getting Ubuntu 8.10 (the 8 is for 2008, .10 is for October, 10th month)
1. Yes. Some places offer paid support, but if you're prepared to learn, it is not necessary.
2. Forget everything you know about Windows and just immerse yourself in it. Be adventurous, chances are you'll destroy your installation a few times, but all good experience. It is only as hard to learn as you make it.
3. I am pretty sure. ATI and nVidia just about have same day support these days, though you may need to manually install a newer driver.
4. You'll want to spend some time searching for equivalents, you should find something for most of what you want to do.
7. File permissions are strictly enforced, so malicious code can't do too much to a Linux box. All the different distros and compilations of code effectively give Linux a bigger gene pool, so it is harder for anything to spread too. The virus scanners you will find for Linux are typically to be used on an email server, scanning for Windows viruses in attachments it processes.
8. You could try to install through VMWare etc. Even better, get a live CD, boot it up and have a play around inside a real Linux environment. You probably won't have accellerated graphics, but will at least get a feel for what it is like, and it won't touch your hard drive.
