What is the best (free) Linux OS when migrating from Windows?

Question

I have an office PC that has Windows Me on it, and it sucks royally!

My boss won't foot for a new PC or OS, but I do have the freedom to load anything I want on it, at my own expense. Of course, being the cheapskate that I am, I would prefer an OS that is free.

I have read that Linux is a great Windows alternative (but really, how many alternatives are there?) but am intimidated. I am by no stretch of the imagination a PC guru. I have grown very comfortable with Windows' relative ease of use.

Some of the stuff I have come across about Linux really makes me apprehensive about installing it. I have heard on some cases having to make some sort of ISO file or debootstrap or partition. All of these may have well been written in Klingon. I understand none of it.

That is what is appealing about Windows, in that you download a file, click open the folder, click on an icon, and Wham Bam, Thank You Ma'am!, it's installed, up and running.

Answer 1

someone else just gave me this answer to a prety unrelated question. I only pass it on as it appears relevent. don't shoot the mesenger



Imagine an O/S so primative that it requires defragmentation!



Consider this an excellent time to recognize that

your operating system is defective. I recommend replacing

it with one of:



http://fedora.redhat.com

http://www.opensuse.org

http://www.debian.org

http://www.ubuntu.org

http://www.slackware.org

http://www.freebsd.org

http://www.opensolaris.org



Any of these will be more reliable, less susceptible to

viri, uses your hardware more efficiently, and they're

all free.

Answer 2

Ah, but you can go through the tortures of hell with Windoze too! Just like Linux, Windoze sometimes works, sometimes doesn't - but Windoze is dumbed down significantly to increase the likelihood of success (at the cost of options, customization, and other such things).



If all you are doing is office work - nothing fancy, no wireless, no special programs that you need for your work, Linux is a prime candidate for improving your computing life. OpenOffice is a prime part of the equation.



IF all you want to do is create documents (probably in Word format), spreadsheets, and maybe the occasional presentation file, and you use DSL for your internet, Linux is calling!!! Can you hear it?



Installation is easy - for me. It should be easy for you too, but sometimes sh* happens! Even with Windoze, not just Linux.



Anyway, I recommend you see if there is a Linux Users' Group in your town. Contact the local university's computer science department to see if they have an active LUG. If you can find one, you might be able to talk one of those kind souls into coming and installing Linux on your machine.



If you want to do it yourself, make sure that FIRST you back up any and all important / significant / recurrent use / commonly used / occasionally used / maybe someday you will use documents from your harddisk.



THEN, do an internet search in www.google.com with "yourcomputerbrand linux installation" to see what other people have done to install linux on your model of computer. That is probably the best way to choose which flavor to start with.



Do a bit of reading to see how to proceed, and assuming you can't find a friendly linux-geek, go do it to it (but carefully!!!).



Read, heed, proceed!

Answer 3

Mandriva, the loose version. it would supply you the selection of the Gnome or KDE own pc environment. in case you prefer the seem and sense of residing house windows choose KDE. while you're a gamer, you may desire to set it up for twin boot with residing house windows. maximum distributions will run as a LiveCD so which you factors them a try run in memory and not impact your residing house windows working device, then you definately can choose which one you could prefer to place in. Mint Linux is eaier to apply for a sparkling man or woman to Linux, different the documents have alreay been put in in it, which you will prefer to place in in Ubuntu itself. it truly is Ubuntu based, so which you will get the texture of Ubuntu and then will desire to prefer to apply Ubuntu as a replace. The suggestion approximately utilising Wubi is perhaps an exceedingly solid theory and the main secure.

Answer 4

Ubuntu hands downs!