Wanna switch to linux but some questions...

[NikhilVerma]

Hi..

I want to to switch over to linux but I wanna make sure it's worth it...
So I wanna clear some doubts ... ahem... here it goes ...

* Can I play games like Doom III or NFSU2 on linux??
* Can I use popular softwares like Photoshop, Office, TV viewing software, ACD See etc on linux??
(I don't want any alternates coz most of them aren't up to the mark)
* I have heard that linux doesn't support DVD's??!!
* What file system does Linux need?
* I also use MSN Messenger powered by .net framework.. Will it work on Linux?
* Is Linux really virus proof??
* Will Linux support my Digital Camera ??? (Kodak CX6200)
* Can I safeguard a specific folder in Linux??

 

[sreevirus]

* Can I play games like Doom III or NFSU2 on linux??

yep, d3 has been made for linux, infact, the d3 demo for linux was there on this mnths digit dvd, dunno abt nfs tho

* Can I use popular softwares like Photoshop, Office, TV viewing software, ACD See etc on linux??

well, not directly, u cannot install them directly in linux...u may need emulators like wine. u can indeed run them in linux using crossover office (but its not free)

* I have heard that linux doesn't support DVD's??!!

u heard wrong...older linux distros may not support dvds, but nowadays most linux distros support DVD...(here, i can run dvds on suse 9.1)

* What file system does Linux need?

ext3

* I also use MSN Messenger powered by .net framework.. Will it work on Linux?

u can do that using GAIM

* Is Linux really virus proof??

oh yes...no doubt abt it...GNUrag has elaborated a lot on this before...according to him, no file can self execute automatically on linux once it is downloaded and u have to give it execute permission for that. besides, there arent many viruses written for linux

* Will Linux support my Digital Camera ??? (Kodak CX6200)

well, it might be able to...fc3 and suse 9.1 are known to support many digital cameras thru USB interface

* Can I safeguard a specific folder in Linux??

just make it read only...it will be secured

if i'm wrong anywhere, either GNUrag, tuxfan or firewall will correct me.

 

[it_waaznt_me]

One thing I would like to point is running W32 applications in Linux takes hell lotta resources .. And running memory hogs like Photoshop isnt advisable ..

You can try Gimp for image processing .. Its the best IMHO ..

 

[it_waaznt_me]

One more thing .. If you have internal modem, chances of it being supported are too slim .. I have two modems and none of them is supported ...

 

[sreevirus]

One more thing .. If you have internal modem, chances of it being supported are too slim .. I have two modems and none of them is supported ...

thats the main reason why i'm using windows more than linux i havent seen the net thru linux ever since i started to use it...i just wish someone writes working drivers for my internal HSF modem sometime.

 

[NikhilVerma]

Ok so the main problem for me will arise when I run most of the Windows apps on Linux...

And my other Windows partition won't recognise the linus partition...

Let GNURag share his views...

 

[Ricky]

Guys.. why you don't understand that linux is not windows ! lol

If you are using windows then you have to use software developed for windows !
So when you will or u are using linux then you have to use LINUX software , don't ask how to run photoshop for windows in LINUX , it is for windows ! lol

Although through emulation you can do all you want to do ! but again this means that you can't leave windows.. if that so then why wanna switch to windows.

There is almost alternative in LINUX for windows application but again few major ones are yet to be ported to LINUX properly but small one are infact better in LINUX .

Linux is just getting popular so you will see more and more useful and better softwar on LINUX platform. Infact in some cases linux have the best solution than windows .. Man I know that!

About modem.. again that has been discussed here as well as on LS so many time , it is b'coz the manufacturers of internal modem donot reveal hardware specs. which are required to write a device driver so support for internal modem is not good in LINUX !

Above all LINUX is always freindly to windows but WINDOws always tries to hinder it.
You can easily access win partition in LINUX but to access linux partition from windows you have to use third party software and also those are not reliable and useful


!!!!!!
One day in forum pruning my this hard typed post will easily deleted !

 

[go4inet]

but these days products developed for Windows are available for both Linux & Mac !

Most companie do maufacture for both ! And there are many releases from Macromedia in this issue Ricky !

All adobe products are available for MAC version. I hope you know tht. I guess they have for linux versions too.

Here is something i found for u guys :

Photoshop on Linux?

I have been a Photoshop user for many years. In fact, I used to work at Adobe Systems, where I used it everyday to test Imagesetter RIPs. I had several versions of the software to test -- just to be sure it worked. I decided to install the earliest version I had on hand first, and then upgrade to later versions incrementally.

I installed the 5.02 version of Photoshop first. Aha! This process found that there was an option missing in 'fstab' for mounting the CD. Then it offered to fix the problem. I selected the option to allow the fix to proceed. The system then told me what it was going to attempt the repair and showed me details before it was fixed. Next, I upgraded to version 6.0 of Photoshop. Again, still no problem. I was pleasantly surprised.

*www.desktoplinux.com/files/misc/cal-photoshop.jpg

I did some initial work on some old images I had saved on CD. I had manipulated these images to both enhance and restore them without any issue. I then scanned a picture taken in the late 1940's of my in-laws on their wedding day. The original print was badly scarred. It had been folded in two and was creased by time. It needed some work to repair. I had scanned it at a high resolution and saved it as a color image. Using Photoshop tools, the image was cleaned up and I saved it in native Photoshop file format (PSD). Before I printed it on an HP Photosmart 1115 printer, I converted the file from color to grayscale. This is how I normally use the product to do most of my work. Everything went as easily using CodeWeavers' CrossOver Office with Photoshop 6.0 as it had when I did the original restoration under MS Windows 98 and Photoshop 6.0. All features, formats, and output functions performed well.

Last, I installed my copy of Photoshop 7.0. I decided it was now time to remove the older versions of Photoshop and cleanly install the full version of 7.0. This process, like before, went forward with no problems. Within minutes I was able to start working on restoring the same photos following the same process I had used to fix them earlier.

Most of the questions here are solved @ *www.desktoplinux.com/ and move under the articles section to find some stuffs like one i posted above.

P.S : Always follow my words " Google is ur best pal" Google them b4 you make posts.

Regards,
Vinay

 

[go4inet]

And I thought this link cud be also use for you

:: *www.desktoplinux.com/cgi-bin/board/UltraBoard.pl?Action=ShowBoard&Board=migration ::

The above link is for Migration from Windows XP to Linux. And you can see ppl post just like wht u posted here.

Regards,
Vinay

 

[mail2and]

welll if u want to use MSN on linux, i wud suggest you use aMSn. that supports hindi fonts and even dispays hindi on the contact list. Also it has all features of Msn plus. So i guess it rocks.

 

[BONZI]

guys.. why you don't understand that linux is not windows ! lol

Yeah you're right ricky.

I would suggest you that dont give up windows. Try to use linux along with linux. You will certainly take some time to get used to it. I think I'm getting better speed (while using internet) than windows.

Now your problems



1) Doom 3 has linux version so go get it. NFS UG can be played using wine emulator. About UG2 I will tell you soon.

* Can I use popular softwares like Photoshop, Office, TV viewing software, ACD See etc on linux??

Forget it. You are doing only half by opting Linux. Try alternatives.

* What file system does Linux need?

I suggest ext3. You can also use reiser ext2 etc.

* Is Linux really virus proof??

No guarentee. It would be better to say there are not many virus(worms) attacking linux. Virus have tough life inside linux. But in future ,cant say.

Will Linux support my Digital Camera ??? (Kodak CX6200)

Kodak EasyShare CX7530 works with gphoto2. It recognize camera as USB PTP Class Camera.

 

[flashweb]

I don't think it will be easy for you to completely switch to Linux at this time. I also facing similar problem, my work demand me to stick on to windows.

So the beast solution is to install Linux as secondary os, you may use software like VMWare to install Linux inside Windows. You can completely siwtch to Linux once you are confident that you can leave with out Windows.

There are replacement for Windows programs available in Linux, but these are not exactly same, so you it take time to find which linux program you can use as an alternative.

For example i use Edit Plus on windows, the nearest alternative i can find on linux is Quanta. Still expect to miss many functions supported in windows.

It all depends on what you want to do. For some, it is easy to switch to linux (eg: if u do php, perl scripting).

 

[go4inet]

welll if u want to use MSN on linux, i wud suggest you use aMSn. that supports hindi fonts and even dispays hindi on the contact list. Also it has all features of Msn plus. So i guess it rocks.

This is available free on SourceForge !

 

[go4inet]

CrossOver Office Linux 4.0

CrossOver Office - Our flagship Linux desktop productivity tool. Allows you to run many popular office productivity software applications, such as Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Project and Visio, graphics applications like Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, and Adobe Photoshop, and many more. Not only that, but CrossOver Office also allows you to use many Windows Web browser plugins, such as QuickTime and Shockwave, directly on your Linux browser. No Windows Operating System license required; CrossOver is a complete replacement for your Windows OS as far as your applications are concerned.

We offer two versions of CrossOver Office: Professional and Standard. The Standard version provides home users and Linux enthusiasts with all of the great features that CrossOver has always been noted for, at an affordable price point. Professional builds on the functionality of Standard, by adding enhanced deployability features, as well as the ability to run CrossOver in shared mode from a single machine. Professional also comes with a longer support period, and a higher support level, making it a more robust Windows-to-Linux migration tool.

*www.codeweavers.com/site/products/

Might help u ...................

 

[klinux]

try explore2fs to view ur linux partitions from windows . at the moment it works only for ext2 and 3 i think . still havent worked out a way to view reiserfs .

*uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/explore2fs.htm

 

[NikhilVerma]

Thanks Guys for your replies...
But I have decided to not Install Linux for like another 2 years...

After it has gained enough popularity so that most of the software makers release Linux versions too.. Coz emulation is very slow ...
Then I will install it...

I simply had too many expectations from it.. most of them were unfulfilled...

 

[Ricky]

I suggest you have to have DUAL BOOT pal !

 

[busyanuj]

Nikhil, you don't have to give it up.

You can definitely install Linux as a dual-boot along with your current installation of Windows.
Try Knoppix, it is a very good distro for people new to linux.

..... and if you feel you're not happy with it, you can remove it anytime.

 

[klinux]

think of it this way . u have a dream car in mind , say "merc-mclaren slr" but it still hasnt come to india , koz of several reasons , so just get into a merc and practise on it till u get ur dream car man . put up linux just for the heck of it and start fiddling around with ur free time . u didnt start using windows koz of some specific reason right . start linux the same way and u will go like " wow , i didnt know i could do this in linux " after a couple of days, weeks . enjoy

 

[sreevirus]

Thanks Guys for your replies...
But I have decided to not Install Linux for like another 2 years...

After it has gained enough popularity so that most of the software makers release Linux versions too.. Coz emulation is very slow ...
Then I will install it...

I simply had too many expectations from it.. most of them were unfulfilled...

u dont have to completely switch over
why dont u install linux as dual boot along with windows as i do? it wont affect windows in any way.
thus u will be able to learn linux for the next two years until u decide what next to do.
and also, there r many softwares on linux that u can use as alternatives to popular s/w on windows.

cmon yaar, linux doesnt meet many(i mean too many) of my requirements but i'm just using it to learn.