Linux software,programs and peripheral compatibility questions

CarlC

CarlC

New Member
Hey all
I`m wanting to get a laptop for college, and well i`m on a budget of £250 max, and i want one that`ll last.And i`ve seen a few about, but the problem is they`re running XP and well XP is on it`s way out/Microsoft stopping updates, and well Vista lappys are too expensive, and so i thought about putting linux on it.
But i have a few questions, how do you know if a game or program will run on linux? cause on the requirements it doesn`t mention linux.How good is linux at running the most popular programs? and what`s it like when connecting peripherals like a printer or scanner or smartphone etc? and can you get the drivers for linux?
And also if the code for linux if freely available, won`t that mean hackers and suck like will be able to run viruses and keyloggers and such into the code?

Cheers

CarlC
 
Last edited:
CarlC said:
Hey all
I`m wanting to get a laptop for college
Click to expand...
Stick with Windows ;)
Windows is compatible with all the programs you will need at college, whereas Linux may not be

Linux is free for private usage, but hackers don't hack it because Windows is more popular (ie refer above line)
 
Let's break this down into a few pieces.
a) Almost all Linix distributions are fee. There are a couple "pay for" versions but don't bother with them until you are familiar with Linux and decide to support a particular distos development. Take a look here http://distrowatch.com/

b) Try a Linux LiveCD. It runs from your optical drive and ram, it will not modify your hard drive. It will let you test your hardware for compatibility and you can look at the the different desktops to see what you like. Stick with either a KDE or Gnome version.

c) Windows software won't install on Linux just like it won't run on a Mac unless you use an emulator like Wine or Crossover. Crossover is quite cheap really and will let you install all kinds (but not all) Windows software. Check here to see if your Windows software will run in Crossover. http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/

d) Don't blame you for wanting to dump 8 year old XP. Support for it will continue until 2014 though.
Though XP is now in what’s dubbed the “extended support phase”, Microsoft will continue to offer advice for the system through its Support and Knowledge Base sites. It will also continue to issue security updates, both through the Patch Tuesday update and emergency patches where necessary. These security updates will be available until at least 4 August 2014.
Click to expand...
 
A)Nice name got called it in school
B)Nice avatar
&
C)you`ve answered another one of my queries that i thought of a few hours ago,couldn`t remember when the updates stopped.

I`ve tried linux before and it seems pretty sweet but it`s the compatibilty problems, i mean i don`t want to have to keep wondering/and hoping wether a program will run or not, i want to know that it`ll defo run on it.

Thanks for ya help btw.:D
 
Another option is that there are multiple LInux programs that you can use in place of the Windows software. OpenOffice can read / write and save MS office .doc, .xls, and .ppt files. K3B is the best burning program on any platform and so on.

As I said, check the Crossover site to see if a specific program will run on Linux for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top