ae804

I don't understand what you mean by PC. As for "Best" Linux, Ubuntu is easiest to get started with (I have found). It's close enough to windows that you can get by with out using the terminal commands, but you still have the urge to figure out stuff for your self.
You don't need to buy a second hard drive, but it'll probably be easier to have XP installed first. Just make sure that you defrag your hdd before you install linux.
Just make sure that you d/l the 64b version of Linux and you'll be OK. The only thing I'd be worried about utilizing the video card. Everything else will be used to it's full potential.It's less resource intensive (depending on how you set it up). That video that I posted earlier was on a computer running an AMD 1800+, 512 Ram, and a NVIDIA geforce 4200 TIYou'd have to find the correct applications. Honestly, I'd go to the Ubuntu forums and ask that question. I'm sure that there's someone there that can tell you what programs to download (and you can install Ubuntu and test them out and worse comes to worse, you format the partition if you realize the apps aren't powerful enough)Not sure on this one. You'd have to find out the app once again.I've been playing around w/ it and hope to write up a how to in the near future... More than likely it'll be a work in progress.Where there's a will, there's a way. I know that some people have put Ubuntu on their PS3, so I'd assume you could network the two systems together (your comp and the PS3) and play video that way... There may even be a custom application that already does that.Not too sure what you mean by that last one, but it seems to me like many of your questions aren't just wondering about the OS, but more the applications in the OS. The only way to test out the applications is to install Linux.

--Oh, and some of your questions may be answered by Wine. If you have a very powerful video rendering tool in Windows, you could install it in Linux using Wine, a Windows emulation program. It's not guaranteed to work, but it's another possibility.

__________________
Q6600 @ 3.5GHz

Brian_GP1200R

I am listening, that point was more directed towards those who think that Linux is a great option for everyone / every computer. You and I are on the same page. And remember, I'm not anti Linux, just have never liked Linux desktops. I use Linux / Unix daily at work and @ home.

__________________
Desktop: E6600 @ 2700, P5B-Deluxe Wifi, 4gb ram, ATI x1950PRO 512mb, 2 x 250gig RAID 0, 1 x 250 gig non RAID, Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit

File Server / Utility: Athlon XP 2100+ 1 gig ram, TI4600, ubuntu

Web Server: OLD Sun Ultra 10, 333mhz Sparc, 256mb ram, Solaris 9

Firewall: OLD Compaq P3 450mhz, 192mb ram, Linux command line only

biatchi

I think you mean
http://www.pclinuxos.com/

It is very good i would personally reccomend it over *buntu

__________________

ErdincIntel

I'm using Linux for years. Actually first I started using it because I had to . For an image processing utility only available in Linux for my master degree study on astronomy. Linux is more complex, it's true but when you learn it, you can do much more than when using Windows. For example, with right software and hardware you can crack a WEP security wireless connection in 4 minutes . And if you know about programming, Linux is very flexible and efficient to work on. Another plus for Linux I think is it's open source. And you can trust it more and more secure about personal information. Every programmer can analyse every line of code it uses.

But after all, everyone's needs are different. Still Windows is more user-friendly I think. If you are a programmer and Linux is right for you, no reason to use Windows. But if you are a gamer like most computer users, Linux isn't good enough yet. Microsoft is still dominating trademark in OS's (end-user) and other firms writes drivers for it first. But Linux has never stopped evolving and came a long way about user-friendliness. Several years ago, such a topic could be nonsense. Now many laptop and desktop computer sellers, give Linux with their pack of products. And I believe It will go on evolving and may be more competitive with other OS's.

p.s: I use Windows XP and Fedora 8 on my computer.

__________________
cpu-z verified
Orthos 8 hour run
SuperPi 1M @3.9GHz 13.245 s
SuperPi 1M @3.6GHz 14.234 s (7/24)

RoddimusPrime

2 quick things....... I hear it is easier to install XP/Vista first and then Linux.... can anyone give me a link to a good sight as to how to dual boot with Windows and Linux?

And yeah, PC Linux OS or Ubuntu?

ErdincIntel

They have good instructions about it on main linux sites. And for beginning, an up-to-date and general linux distro is better. But never used distros you say.

__________________
cpu-z verified
Orthos 8 hour run
SuperPi 1M @3.9GHz 13.245 s
SuperPi 1M @3.6GHz 14.234 s (7/24)

RoddimusPrime

Are you saying not to use Ubuntu? I thought Ubuntu was supposed to be the ultimate in Linux friendly environment for someone diving in for the first time... am I wrong?

The Hundred Gunner

windows first, because windows thinks it's the only OS in the world, so if you have another OS on the HDD, it won't include it in the MBR. Linux will be aware of the windows OS and include it in its boot loader; this should be done by default in most graphical installers.

I haven't used PC Linux OS, but I hear it's supposed to be one of the "easier" distros. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you might have to get a 64-bit OS for 4GB to completely be read. Ubuntu has 64-bit ports, but I'm not sure about PCLinuxOS. And Mint also doesn't have a 64-bit version, and that was the one I would have recommended over Ubuntu.

I've also heard PC-BSD is supposed to be kinda easy. Though it isn't exactly Linux, I've read that BSD is supposed to be able to run Linux apps and more. This is 32-bit only, though. I have PC-BSD, but I never got around to installing it.

No, I think he's just saying that he hasn't used the ones you mentioned (PC Linux OS and Ubuntu.) On another note, if, by any chance, you find yourself having a hard time getting things like Compiz working in Ubuntu, you might also like to try Sabayon. Sabayon comes with lots of that stuff pre-installed and already configured for your computer by the time you boot into the Live CD. Its package manager, Portage, is supposed to be powerful.

__________________
"But you would be amazed by how many people think that the only reason to have a computer is to play games, and that playing games is all that anyone with a computer does." - dangerousHobo

"Linux is everywhere, it is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. " - mbp

"I have used a mac before. And they still don't have right click I mean come on." - aakar

Blah, blah, can't hear you

RoddimusPrime

I like the idea of Compiz... does it work fairly well? What is the big difference between it and Beryl?

Also, can you install Adobe reader/flash in Linux?

pow3rtr1p

I used Linux for 2 months, and it was OK, but I'm not going to use it again anytime soon. I can't upload homework to my school's intranet (a must) so word processing is a no-go. Also, no ATI support (still no x1950 drivers) no support for my mobo's SATA drivers, no gaming to speak of, not plug and play support for hardly anything, no printer drivers for my printer, and no sound card drivers... I won't use it until it has support for all of the hardware in my PC, and seeing as I have an over 1 year old video card, it looks like that won't be for a while...