[lug] new install

[Paul E Condon]

First: Don't just install Linux and delete Windows in one swell foop!

Consider getting a Linux 'live disk' i.e. a CD that will boot to Linux
without touching your hard disk. This will test whether your computer
is easily capable of handling Linux in the following way: If it boots
Linux, you can reasonably expect that the automatic installation
process of anyone of a number of Linux distributions will work on your
hardware. If it doesn't ...

Next play with this, trying the programs that you will want to use and
seeing if the response is quick enough to satisfy you.

Then look into a 'dual boot' installation and into which of several
fine distributions of Linux you prefer to try first.

I prefer Debian because it is the first distribution on which I
started getting useful answers to my questions in emails to the
user community. I haven't really looked at other distributions since.

About 'cold turkey': It's good to make a commitment to Linux, but
simply dropping Windows may to a bad idea. Microsoft puts a lot of
effort into 'capturing' its customers. You may discover that you have
problems figuring out how to do something under Linux that you have
come to take for granted under Windows. 

On Mon, Mar 05, 2007 at 11:25:27AM -0800, Bob Singleton wrote: 
> I need help and advice.  
> I want to make the leap from windows to Linux. I'm a little bit leary because I don't have an internal CD drive or floppy etc. I do have an external CD/DVD drive. Should I anticipate a problem when my old operating system is being deleted - will my computer be able to see the external drive?  Also, someone recomend the best Linux system to install, Red Hat, or what? I'm coming into this cold turkey.  
> 
> 
> I have an IBM Thinkpad X30 
> processor is pentium III with 1.06 MHz 
> Memory is 128 MB 
> Storage is 20 GB 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------- 
> Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection.  
> Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.  
> _______________________________________________ 
> Web Page: http://lug.boulder.co.us 
> Mailing List: http://lists.lug.boulder.co.us/mailman/listinfo/lug 
> Join us on IRC: lug.boulder.co.us port=6667 channel=#colug

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon at mesanetworks.net