Fun Stuff > CLIKC
The PT410X thread: Linux/BSD and Open Source Software for users and beginners!
ankhtahr:
Even Steam won't help with all these DirectX based games. OpenGL games are relatively easy to port, but DirectX isn't. The co-founder of id software even said that it's probably easier and better for the game developers to start working on making wine work better, than on porting the games to Linux directly.
Carl-E:
I feel like I did in High School (which was in the 70's) and hung out at the university's computer lab. I have only a vague idea what you're all talking about, but know that I really want to do it myself, and have no idea how to start.
So... I have a Toshiba Satellite, AMD V410 processor, 2.3 GHz, with 4 Gig Ram. I partitioned a hard drive once on an older laptop in an attempt to make a dual boot machine, but that was years ago and I never got to the point of installing the other boot...
Any advice on where to start?
Or should I leave well enough alone?
ankhtahr:
My recommendation for starting would be downloading Linux Mint 14 with Mate Desktop from here. Burn the ISO image onto a DVD (using Nero, CDBurnerXP, or whatever CD Burning suite you use. The Windows tool can't do that afaik.), leave it in the drive, and reboot. Depending on the configuration of your Notebook it should boot from it, or ignore it. If it ignores it, you should look for something like "Boot Menu" or something comparable during the POST messages (these white on black messages which are displayed before Windows starts booting). In this menu you should be able to select your CD drive as boot device. If there is no boot device selection menu at all, you need to enter your Notebook's BIOS setup screen (usually invoked with "DEL" or "F2", and look for something like "Boot device Priority". Move the CD drive to the top of the boot devices and reboot. Most BIOSes display a little help on which keys to use for changing properties.
Then Linux Mint should start booting. You can try it, without changing anything in your current system. Everything should work, but it's rather slow, as everything needs to be loaded directly from the DVD.
If you want to install it, you just need to start the Installer which you can find on the Desktop in the Live environment. The installer is pretty much self explanatory. You need at least two partitions to run Linux. One contains the main file system (the so called "root directory", which is denoted as "/"), the other to be used as "swap". The swap partition, which serves as virtual RAM, should be a bit bigger than your RAM, as this partition is where your RAM is being saved to if you put your system into hibernate.
Well, and a friend of mine had some trouble with the Installer once, as it complained about "unmounting" the partitions before changing them. If you happen to get such a message, open the file manager, and press the small eject buttons next to the partitions in the panel on the left side. Then it should work.
Good luck, and have fun!
cesium133:
--- Quote from: ankhtahr on 23 Mar 2013, 11:23 --- Burn the ISO image onto a DVD (using Nero, CDBurnerXP, or whatever CD Burning suite you use. The Windows tool can't do that afaik.),
--- End quote ---
It depends on what version of Windows he has. XP doesn't burn ISO images, 7 does. I don't remember whether Vista does or not.
snalin:
The easiest thing is to do the same, but boot/install from an USB drive (if you have a big enough usd pin - depending on your distro size, 1 or 2 gigs should often be more than enough). Don't have to do the DVD-burning hassle. My newest computer doesn't even have a DVD drive, and since I got it changed to that a couple of months ago, I have never missed it.
On using Linux for the first time; I'd not go straight out and install it, but run it from an USB/DVD - you usually get a working version with Firefox installed, so you can play around with it without having to commit a re-partitioning of the hard-drive. If you decide to go for it, depending on what you are using it for, you'll want to get lightly to moderately familiar with the workings of the command line. With many distros (Ubuntu amongst others), you'll have any open source (and maybe free, depending on setting) program available for instant download from a command line install command - no more having to bother going online and finding an install file :D. It's generally easier to install stuff either through the bash command line or though an download/install manager than the way you are used to from other OSes (double-clicking the .exe, following instructions).
There's some things you should be aware of from the get-go. First of all, you can choose what graphical user interface (like Mate Desktop mentioned above) you want - try a couple before you decide. Secondarily, if there's any Windows software that you must have, use Wine ("Wine Is Not an Emulator" might be the best looping acronym ever).
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