Most recent Linux vs. Windows 7?

Jake

2011-03-09 05:25:12 UTC

Yes, you can easily dual boot between Linux and Windows 7. The wubi installer automatically makes its own partition for Linux, and if Windows crashes it will save your life. When thinking about Linux you must think about which OS you're comparing to Windows 7. Ubuntu 10.10, the newest version of Ubuntu, which to my knowledge is the only Linux OS with a netbook version, is incredibly fast but takes a lot of getting used to, and the version has countless glitches. Ubuntu 10.04 is probably the best choice. For a desktop, you can also get Linux Mint which is very similar to Ubuntu but with a different theme.

Linux will NEVER get a virus. It will never shut down on you, either. The interface on any desktop edition is very similar to that of Windows, so there's not much new stuff to learn. Linux also has a wide variety of software and a software store, and by "store" I should mean "installer" because everything is free. There's also emulators which will make certain Windows applications work on Linux such as Call of Duty Black Ops or Photoshop CS4. The speed of it, though, technically depends on your machine and also how much you've infected your Windows 7 partition. Even still there's not too noticeable a difference. It'd be a real difference if you were running Windows XP or Vista, but not Windows 7. Windows 7 is also very automated and Linux is very manual. The best way to describe this is connecting to wi-fi. Every Windows 7 machine comes with pre-installed drivers for wireless and comes with configuration, with Linux you have to install your drivers for it to work. The only really automated thing about Linux is installing fonts and how many things come pre-installed (such as Firefox or a torrent client). It's not really more intelligent than Windows, it's just a slightly different experience, more so with a netbook edition, and even so eventually won't feel much different. The only huge difference is that everything is free, even screen recorders and video editors. It's also very organized, and is a good thing to have should Windows ever crash. But it makes for many limitations if you're thinking about a permanent switch.

anonymous

2011-03-10 02:50:22 UTC

Un-biased, run them dual boot in a computer. The grub boot loader will give you the option of which operating system you want to boot into. Don't use a LiveCD to make a comparison between the two operating systems, Linux will lag running from a LiveCD.

If you have a Full Windows Install, don't compare a Lite version of Linux with it. That would be bias.

anonymous

2011-03-09 05:15:59 UTC

yea, install linux to a pendrive using unetbootin and boot from it, it will be slow because it's on the pendrive, but will let you experiment for the first couple times

then if you want you can "Dual boot" win7 and the linux os you choose.

dual booting makes "grub" your boot up menu and gives you an option of windows or linux

eventually you'll be ready to toss out windows.

The benefits might not be apparent the first couple times, but eventually windows pisses off everyone till they stick with linux full time.

there's even something called "Easybcd" which can easily remove linux if you choose, although that sounds like insanity.

Hunt

2011-03-09 06:17:07 UTC

Linux is faster because it's a smaller operating system with less bloated code than Windows.

Linux has many "distro's" for the desktop, some so small like DamSmallLinux or Puppy that they run entirely in RAM. Regular versions of the Debian/Ubuntu family can run well on a 1Ghz Atom processor with 512k of RAM, plus Linux doesn't need anti-malware software running in the background all the time like Windows does (and now OS X too).

Linux has a small market share, thus not a whole lot of commercial software choices because not a lot of PC vendors pre-install Linux (System76 does). So using Linux means using a lot of great free software, more than Windows I believe. Which by the way a lot is on Windows and OS X as well. Firefox, LibreOffice, VLC and Clam anti-virus family (ClamWin, ClamXav) to name a few.

Most distros of Linux and it's software today is entirely GUI (Graphical User Interface) oriented, so most won't have to touch a command line.

Windows of course needs anti-malware running, it has a larger market share, thus lots of commercial software and some good free software choices. It comes pre-installed on just about every new PC. But because of it having to cater to everyone, it's code is rather bloated.

With Linux one can mess around with various desktops to suit their mood or needs. It's safer to use online and at hostile sites than Windows. It's a lot of fun.

The best way to mess around with Linux is on a older PC, not your main machine, until you come up to speed and understand everything. Later you might choose to partition your Windows 7 boot drive so you can boot directly into Windows 7 or Linux.

If you have a powerful dual core machine with 4GB of RAM, you can run virtual machine software like the free VirtualBox to run Linux in a window on Windows. Gives you total control and if a Linux experiment fails (like switching to another desktop) you can revert to a earlier saved version or pop quickly back into Windows to seek help. Of course you don't learn about bootloaders this way naturally.

Most beginners start out with Ubuntu, then perhaps want to try different Gnome desktops like Linux Mint, or MacBuntu, or the one that looks like XP even.

Linux Mint (a different desktop version of Ubuntu) is the most easiest to use, most newbie friendly as everything (including Flash) is taken care of. I would advise installing this over Ubuntu.

Linux Mint has a cd and a dvd version, 32 bit and 64 bit versions for your processor type, you can download the ISO and use the free ImgBurn on Windows to burn it to cd/dvd.

Then you enter your BIO's on your spare computer and set the cd as the first boot device, boot from the cd and install it onto the hard drive (will erase what's there if you wish or partition). You need a wired internet connection on at all times to fetch the full version, updates and drivers for wireless etc.

When you reboot your running Linux. :)

Check out some of these cool looking sites

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/macbuntu.html

http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_julia_whatsnew.php

http://distrowatch.com/

http://www.linuxquestions.org/

anonymous

2011-03-09 05:23:44 UTC

yea, install linux to a pendrive and internet & linux cd using unetbootin and boot from it. befor installing created the hard disk part than install linux .if get extra information than join me

Linux Mint 11

2011-03-09 15:05:46 UTC

Overall a Linux based platform can perform most of the tasks equally as well as a Windows based platform using the likes of Ubuntu and its derivative distros. However Linux does have its limitations with some applications and in particular gaming. For example alongside Linux Mint I retain a partition with XP on to run specific applications

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm

If you intend to run a number of Windows applications I suggest Dual Booting by installing Linux inside Windows

Installing Ubuntu as a dual-boot with Windows without partitioning

http://psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi

Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

You download the ISO. image of Ubuntu 10.10 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Ubuntu 10.10 can also be run straight from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive

Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition (Windows installer standalone Download) no LiveCD needed

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/windows-installer

Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) User Guide

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Maverick

I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 LTS and Linux Mint 10 Main Edition which are built upon Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and Ubuntu 10.10 they are easy to install and easy to use plus they come with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled

Linux Mint has a similar installer called mint4win (mint4win works the same as the Ubuntu Windows installer so the instructions outlined above are almost identical)

You keep Windows as it is, mint4win only adds an extra option to boot into Linux Mint. mint4win does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application.

mint4win keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.

Boot in to windows insert the Linux Mint LiveCD and you will offered the option of installing inside windows which is where the mint4win installer comes in, you will be asked how many gigabytes you wish to allocate to Linux Mint (I recommend 8gb) then you set a password for your installation then click install and thats it.

Once Linux Mint is fully installed upon starting your PC you will be given a choice of which operating system you want to use Windows or Linux Mint

Linux Mint 9 LTS Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52

Linux Mint 10 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67

Linux Mint 9 LTS User Guide

http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php

Linux Mint 10 User Guide

http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia.php

Linux Mint 9 LTS and Linux Mint 10 as with Ubuntu 10.10 can also be run straight from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive

LUg.