Thread: Linux Anyone?

Hey, any linux users here? I'm kinda stoked. I finally got my wireless card working with fedora. Now I can completely disavow Windows

Yeah, I use Linux at uni (as I mainly program in an extremely inefficient language called Matlab and windows just uses too much resources). I actually prefer it to windows although you might have a pretty bad time getting some programs to work properly on Linux. Im gonna get another PC and set it up at home as a linux only but I'm gonna put kubuntu on it rather than fedora.

I use Debian linux. Matlab eh? Max are you an engineer?

Mark.

Originally Posted by max_incognito

Yeah, I use Linux at uni (as I mainly program in an extremely inefficient language called Matlab and windows just uses too much resources). I actually prefer it to windows although you might have a pretty bad time getting some programs to work properly on Linux. Im gonna get another PC and set it up at home as a linux only but I'm gonna put kubuntu on it rather than fedora.

I'm a mathematician, I use it [Matlab] mainly for neural networks and simulations applying chaos theory to real world data (like heart beats). I use Matlab as basically it gets complicated enough without having to think how to program it all in C++ too.

The setup we have at uni is debian, its pretty decent.

I used to use Matlab for signal processing, and communication systems during my undergraduate days... For solving general mathematic solutions to engineering problems I used Mathematica. Man, I miss those days!

Mark.

Originally Posted by max_incognito

I'm a mathematician, I use it [Matlab] mainly for neural networks and simulations applying chaos theory to real world data (like heart beats). I use Matlab as basically it gets complicated enough without having to think how to program it all in C++ too.

The setup we have at uni is debian, its pretty decent.

Are you an engineer then? I use mathematica occasionally, especially as it has a proper parallel processing capability rather than using the Matlab hack. I do generally prefer Matlab though, it makes the neural network implementation extremely simple

FUD - That is totally cool! I had a rough time getting my wireless up, took me about three days.

I have not used Red Hat, does it automate the installation of programs like Debian?

If I am not mistaken it uses a Gnome desktop, is this correct?

Mark.

Originally Posted by FUD

Hey, any linux users here? I'm kinda stoked. I finally got my wireless card working with fedora. Now I can completely disavow Windows

Originally Posted by mslovacek

FUD - That is totally cool! I had a rough time getting my wireless up, took me about three days.

I have not used Red Hat, does it automate the installation of programs like Debian?

If I am not mistaken it uses a Gnome desktop, is this correct?

Mark.

red hat rocks in some areas, sucks in others. you can customise installation and then automate updates if you want. I do a "complete" install then use yum for updates and additional software. A lot of wireless cards are supported by standard and those that aren't usually are supported by ndiswrapper, but I've been trying to get the gnome internet configuration wizard to recognize my WPC54G so I don't have to run a script everytime I want to use wireless. I've been thinking of adding a debian install on the multi-boot just to compare. The thing I like about redhat is that it isn't always cutting edge in as much as they allow some of the riskier projects to be tried out by others before testing it in their config

FUD,

Just curious, the linux post started me to wonder. What is your profession? What made you pick linux over winblows?

Mark.

Originally Posted by mslovacek

FUD,

Just curious, the linux post started me to wonder. What is your profession? What made you pick linux over winblows?

Mark.

A profession? Ha!

I'm professionally unemployed due to outsourcing .

Seriously, I do whatever it takes to pay the bills. I have 2 college degrees and 4 semester hours away from a third. I'll probably finish that one this summer. Though my "profession" is Computer Services and repair (networking, hardware, scripting, and even programming if I have enough time for the job). I've been trying to run my own business for a bit now.

Why I chose Linux:
I started in computers when Dos was the craze and I had to program everything in. there were no premade portable programs on the market. When Linux came out it sounded like an affordable alternative to the "power machines" (unix systems). The more I read about Linux, the more I realized that Microsoft was just reading linux code and modifying most of it just enough to legally claim they weren't sponging and selling and then calling it their own stuff. Unix has had 64 bit hardware/software systems for YEARS now. Windows is touting this as if it's a major new technology.

The Major decision maker for me was when I heard the story of a major insurance company in Akron, OH that had remodelled in the early 90s. Long story short, they were going through buyouts, changing owners, etc. During the confusion a room got boxed in and all its contents. 3 years later they were tracing cable so they could put their water/electric/phone/computer network systems on paper for record. they traced a line into this room everyone had forgotten about. Their LINUX EMAIL server had been running in that room without error and without flaw. It came back up after power outages, it ran steady, it never crashed.

Now consider this, every major application You typically get for windows at a high cost, you can get in almost all linux distributions absolutely free.
***warning. shameless plugging***
Are you a graphics designer? Love Photoshop? Hate the price? Linux has GIMP! does more, and it's free, standard in the linux install. Don't want to lose Your Instant messenger? GAIM is similar to trillian but in linux, it supports several major instant messengers including AIM, Yahoo, ICQ. Love your Microsoft office for some strange reason? OpenOffice.org Software Suite in Linux! It overpowers Microsoft office EASILY. and it's FREE! Need a SQL server/client system that rivals Microsoft and other expensive database systems? Linux MySql! Yep! it's FREE. Or maybe you just want to play games and browse the web? Linux has ports of MOST major games, including quake, doom, Duke nukem, and all the other popular games.

DVD Player/authoring? CD player/ripper? sound editing? Major programming software? pdf authoring? multiple graphics editors? picture management programs? Email? Web Browsers? MP3 Players/editors? All this and much much more absolutely FREE in LINUX

Want to run an OLD windows program (that won't run under windows xp?) WINE runs MANY windows programs, both new and old. The beauty of it? you DON'T have to have Windows installed on your machine to run the program! you can configure wine to remember which version of windows each program has to be "run" in.

These are just a very few reasons to become involved with linux. Is it perfect? no. It's made by humans after all. As much as I hate to admit it, I still don't see any machine rivalling the pre-intel Macs for graphics, animated/still/movies. You still have to be somewhat technically inclined, or have a technogeek friend for some of the linux stuff.

If, however, you're satisfied with programs that come standard with windows or standardised for windows at an extra cost, like a web browser, email office suite software, networking, instant messaging, etc. Then WHY pay for windows software when you can get everything in linux in a nice friendly graphical user interface that gives you similarities to your windoze comforts while giving really nice additions.

I have some friends here who are blind. They have to pay over $1500. for a windows screen reader and they each want their own computer. Every major upgrade requires them to come up with major cash. Most windows systems milk people right and left of their cash for their needs. "Speakup" in linux is absolutely free. I'm writing to a blind technical guru in New York who has come up with a customized version of Fedora Linux that works wonderfully with Speakup. He's working to find software speach synthesizers working on Speakup so my friends won't have to buy a hardware speach synthesizer. If we are able to get something going, you know how much it will cost my friends? zero.

If I can buy $200 to $300 worth of hardware and add linux and then have a computer that would cost over $1500 just for the tower in windows. I'd rather save my money. Linux isn't perfect. But I've learned that with a little patience I can have a much more stable system Than windows. Thus I've switched to Linux and I'm in the process of learning it.

My neighbor is 90 years old this month. when he was 83 I built his first pc. a few weeks ago he upgraded it himself. Now he's talking about switching to linux and learning linux.

Go figure .

Sorry for the lengthy post.

P.S. I'm I Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and I'm switching to Linux