LINUX vs WINDOWS

Well, I’ve been hating windows for a while now. Pissing me off. It always crashes and does weird things. My dad is suggesting I switch to Linux… The only thing holding me back from Linux is mostly the compatibility with things.

The three programs that I use mostly (and I’m not sure if they work for Linux)

  1. Photoshop 5.5, which I know doesn’t work for Linux.
  2. Terragen. I’ll check if it works for linux or not.
  3. Blender (the 3d modeling program which I don’t use THAT often).

I know I can switch to Gimp as a subsitute for 5.5, but I have a question. Is it as powerful as 7? I’d switch to it if it was. Does it also have the same options?

I just like photoshop because a lot of people know how to use it and can help me with it.

How about linsire (used to be called lindows). How is that compared to windows?

(Can someone give me a description of Linux, like the pros and cons?)

Why ask about GIMP? It’s available for Windows too. Be sure to get 2.0, not 1.2.

In my opinion, the only reason to use Photoshop 5/6-ish over GIMP is that there are masses of tutorials. (I’m not so sure about later versions as they have masses of new features like drawing along a path which I’m not sure about.)

Also, if you are using Paths a lot more than, say, Filters, examine Sodipodi. This is also available for Windows; see the bottom two downloads here.

About Photoshop: Check this page on Frank’s Corner, but remember that WINE runs things slowly, WINE changes a lot and stuff breaks sometimes, and that it will usually be a pain to get large apps like Photoshop working under it.

Terragen is flaky under WINE. There are probably alternatives.

Don’t know about Blender.

Oo “wine” …

I’ve never heard of that before. Sounds pretty cool… I’ll ask my dad :happy: (he knows a lot about computers which is good).

Thanks for the help.

I don’t know what else to say right know though.

Pros of Linux:

  • Security
  • Almost everything is free. I find the simplest and shittiest programs on Windows wanting money. On Linux there are programs ranging from superb and wonderful to the simply nifty.
  • You have a simple menu with programs. Windows reaches its second column easily. There are conventions for where a program puts itself in the Gnome/KDE menu.
  • A reasonable amount of themes for both Gnome and KDE.
  • Masses of neat little games like KAtomic.
  • Works with my old TWAIN scanner, support for which was removed in Windows XP.
  • Install a program and keep running it at the same time. How nifty? (The new version of the program will be used when you next start it)
  • Leave your computer running forever. (Not always so great: Noise, power, etc)
  • Don’t get annoying wizards for everything (including installs) which have introduction screens, end screens, and inflexible screens in between.

I could go on for longer here.

Cons:

  • Somewhat slow, particularly Gnome. Faster stuff is usually available, though.
  • I hate the Hibernate feature of Windows XP, but in any case, it isn’t available in Linux.
  • There are a few nifty things in Windows: For example, the Scanner and Camera wizard. Plug in camera and you can easily sift through your pictures, rotating them if necessary, before it saves them to your computer all numbered.
    Here’s a nifty thing in Gnome, though: You can take a screenshot and save it to .png with… four clicks plus typing in the file name. (Actions -> Take Screenshot…). In Windows, you open Paint, resize canvas, paste in…

Absolutely do not use Linspire, because…

  • They’ve created a site which has masses of stupid comparisons, is outdated, and generally sucks while appearing to be independent. In the site, they suggest Linux is not free, compare old versions of Redhat etc, give each one subjective ratings, consider only the “default” installation (which doesn’t exist), purposefully twist the comparison table to their crap, etc, etc, etc.
  • They pass off external projects such as gaim as their own.
  • They make you PAY every month you want to download software. They BRAND this software. In most major distributions, you could type something similar to “emerge gaim” in the console and that would be it. That’s worth paying for?
  • I will kill you.

Basically, their business tactics are second only to Microsoft.

Perhaps you could detail your computer’s age, other people using the computer, what you use the computer for and how much, and how much you’re willing to learn?

Blender works also in Linux, hehehe I think the wright thing to say is that blender works also in windows. I know its very powerfull(I use Maya though), the interface might be a bit weird but people make amazing things with it, chek this out
contest.3dluvr.com/archive/c38/U004766.jpg (this guy won the first price in a contest) edit: I didnt make it :grin:
you can also use it for makeing games!

Wow you made that, that’s good!

Yeah well I’m using fedora and right now I’m finding a program like wine I cane use to make windows stuff work on it (especially my printer, which I hope will work).

Also, will my windows 98 mouse work with it?

Does anyone have any programs where my windows stuff will work on fedora?

:woah:

Crouching Lotus, um, about the mouse… yes.
About the printer… probably.
About your stuff… please be more specific?
About you… well, um, maybe you should use a really easy distribution like Linspire. Although it pains me to say it. How much do you know about computers? And your dad?

Crouching Lotus:
I didnt made it :grin: it was this guy: Endre Barath from
Hungary

Am I just being ignored? :sad:

My dad knows a lot about computesr :happy:

I’m just asking you some stuff that I don’t wanna find out for myself :happy:

partition the harddrive.

On one half you can run windows and the programs that won’t work on Linux and use the other half to run linux.