Trying out Linux operating system

[odbo]

If you want to try linux for the first time best start with Ubuntu it's the easiest migration for Windows users. If you have a slow laptop try Puppy Linux or Linux Mint or Debian. You can move onto Arch, Fedora or whatever that fits you after a few months.

[Jackal]

Ubuntu seems like it's pretty good. I hadn't heard about Linux Mint before. Puppy Linux also looks like an interesting distribution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_Linux

What's stopping me from switching to Linux is hardware and software compatibility issues. I don't want to have to do complicated things to get printers, digital cameras, and games which were designed for Windows to work with Linux. I just don't want the additional hassle now.

[globetrotter]

I have tried Ubuntu, PCLinux OS, Mint, SUSE, Puppy, Sabayon, etc.

The fact is that Linux consumes too much time. I spent one year.

One.Entire.Year.

Working with various flavors and the response of everyone, and will be the same from LO as well, is that I should just keep trying another and another and another until I find one that works.

Linux fanboys simply don't value the time of others and do not understand that Wxxx is on hundred's of millions of boxes for a reason.

It works and the downtime I experience with Windows, virus', malware and all of the security issues of Windows combined pale in comparison to the amount of time I wasted trying to get Linux to work on my various machines. Once I simply apt-get'ed a recommended upgrade of core packages and eliminated all functionality but a bash shell. I simply do not have the time to mess around with something that does that.

It's on servers. Of course. Servers are run by the top 1% technically adept users of PC services worldwide.

My websites are all on Linux and my home PC will stay a Wxx box for a long time. Many distros make great rescue discs and can direct access HD's for data and virus deletion, but as a day to day OS my power usage blows them all up in a week.

Linux, a total waste of time.

Secure, sure.

So is a block of wood. It's very secure from a PC point of view.

[momopi]

Ubuntu seems like it's pretty good. I hadn't heard about Linux Mint before. Puppy Linux also looks like an interesting distribution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_Linux

What's stopping me from switching to Linux is hardware and software compatibility issues. I don't want to have to do complicated things to get printers, digital cameras, and games which were designed for Windows to work with Linux. I just don't want the additional hassle now.

I installed Puppy Linux on public-access computers at my doctor's office. When patients get bored they can go surf the web. So far so good, even after several years they still work and no virus issues.

The employees at the office use MS Windows desktops and I've had to rebuild them several times. ;p

[Winston]

globetrotter,
Why does Linux waste so much time? Aren't they user friendly?

LinuxOnly,
I heard Linux is not user friendly. Is that true? How is it more difficult to use than windows? The videos you show make it look the same like windows?

What's the difficulty? What's the pro and con of Linux?

I had to change my web hosting space to Linux in order to run this forum, so perhaps using Linux on my computer will load this forum faster? lol