XP Alternative?
- Thread starter Captain_Crunch
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take a prog like Partition Magic (can be acquired through dc++) and make one of your ntfs of fat partitions smaller. On the taken out space (now it belongs to no partition) you can install linux, or if you have any partition that you can sacriface altogether for linux, you'll be able to delete it and overwrite with a linux file system from Mandrake installation screen. duno how it is done in Redhat though.
Ok, I will try this once I am ready to install Mandrake. Thanks.
They appear not to be broken form here, no ftp access from here though so I can't try to dl. To keep XP on it aswell you have to make it dualbootable, no idea how though since I never done it.
I got it to start downloading but it was doing it at 1KB/s, Avatars location is running at a good download speed, 21KB/s.
Thanks for the help.
XP isnt too bad but i reckon it doesnt make full use of system resources, I think ill notice an improvement in performance with Linux.
Ok, I will try this once I am ready to install Mandrake. Thanks.
They appear not to be broken form here, no ftp access from here though so I can't try to dl. To keep XP on it aswell you have to make it dualbootable, no idea how though since I never done it.
I got it to start downloading but it was doing it at 1KB/s, Avatars location is running at a good download speed, 21KB/s.
Thanks for the help.
XP isnt too bad but i reckon it doesnt make full use of system resources, I think ill notice an improvement in performance with Linux.
Personally I think all these "Commercial" transitions are based upon Microsoft pressurising for Software patents globally, namely if all hell breaks lose and MS can sue all those that have operating systems that look similar (Although MS's Desktop reminds me of something that was called Workbench) then those Distro groups are going to need some form of monetary backing to stand their ground, and "commercialising" might be the only way.
(In fact I think the MS complaint was about the OS's being "free")
(In fact I think the MS complaint was about the OS's being "free")
Before you installed Mandrake, Captain_Crunch, I would have recommended that you check out Knoppix. It's a "live" distribution of linux. A "live" version of linux is like most other distributions (like Redhat, Mandrake, etc) with, mostly, the same programs except it doesn't need to be installed onto the hard drive. You just pop the cd into you drive, reboot the computer and Knoppix boots up into your RAM without actually modifing the hard-drive. You don't need to fool around with partition magic or boot-loaders and to go back to windows XP, you just shutdown Knoppix, take out the CD and reboot the computer.
But on the other hand, Mandrake is a very good distribution with a gentle learning curve. Two sites I'd recommend for any beginner: The Linux Cookbook , a must read, and RPMseek, a search engine for RPMs for Mandrake.
But on the other hand, Mandrake is a very good distribution with a gentle learning curve. Two sites I'd recommend for any beginner: The Linux Cookbook , a must read, and RPMseek, a search engine for RPMs for Mandrake.
Liked Mandrake and all the shells. Very sleek. I like the control too. It just seemed a pain finding drivers for things like my internal DSL modem (BestData) and WinTV card.
XP has been pretty stable for me. Only crashes during DVD burning + other apps at same time.
XP has been pretty stable for me. Only crashes during DVD burning + other apps at same time.
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If you want the most out of linux, you'll need to learn it. -And if you want to learn linux...then I wouldn't recommend going with mandrake.
Don't get me wrong, its an excellent OS, (I try them all). But 'Slackware' is superior, and with a wm like KDE, you'll be able to get over the learning curve in no time.
The package management system is superior to URPMI- what mandrake uses- and you can even add certain utilities like slapt-get or swaret to make it easier.
Don't get me wrong, its an excellent OS, (I try them all). But 'Slackware' is superior, and with a wm like KDE, you'll be able to get over the learning curve in no time.
The package management system is superior to URPMI- what mandrake uses- and you can even add certain utilities like slapt-get or swaret to make it easier.
I'll just stick with the BSD range, okay it's not really a beginners system, but I like shaving all the bloated GUI stuff off and just run a barebones commandline.
Debian's another I used in the past, although some people find it impossible to install.
www.freebsd.org
www.openbsd.org
www.debian.org
Debian's another I used in the past, although some people find it impossible to install.
www.freebsd.org
www.openbsd.org
www.debian.org
Ive just downloaded all 3 Isos for Mandrake v.10 and Partition magic.
Thanks for all the reading you guys have posted.
Thanks for all the reading you guys have posted.
So is mandrake the best to start out with?
It depends on what you want.
Mandrake, like XandrOS or lindows is for people who just want a non-windows desktop for reading emails, listening to music, or typing. If thats what you want, then yes, mandrake is #1.
If you want to 'make computing fun' like it used to be, Mandrake will not allow you to do that. It acts like a safety pen... leaving you in a nice soft, safe environment. Superior to windows, but not up to snuff with what you *can* have.
You can still install all of the applications you want, but you're missing out on a whole bunch of features. (Her majesty: the command line.)
I started out with Mandrake, and wiped it off of my hard drive a month later in favour of slackware. What I ended up with a lot more power... losing the ease of use that came with mandrake.
So like I said, it all depends on what you want. If you change your mind, slackware, bsd, debian (for masochists only) or GENTOO is but a few clicks away. Since you already downloaded the ISO's, I say stick with mandrake for now.
One more thing...if you like mandrake, join the club. Its only a few bucks, you get access to tonnes of great things (including support), and it'll help the developers.
Here are some fun links:
www.distrowatch.com
www.kde-look.org
www.linuxquestions.org
http://slashdot.org
Mandrake, like XandrOS or lindows is for people who just want a non-windows desktop for reading emails, listening to music, or typing. If thats what you want, then yes, mandrake is #1.
If you want to 'make computing fun' like it used to be, Mandrake will not allow you to do that. It acts like a safety pen... leaving you in a nice soft, safe environment. Superior to windows, but not up to snuff with what you *can* have.
You can still install all of the applications you want, but you're missing out on a whole bunch of features. (Her majesty: the command line.)
I started out with Mandrake, and wiped it off of my hard drive a month later in favour of slackware. What I ended up with a lot more power... losing the ease of use that came with mandrake.
So like I said, it all depends on what you want. If you change your mind, slackware, bsd, debian (for masochists only) or GENTOO is but a few clicks away. Since you already downloaded the ISO's, I say stick with mandrake for now.
One more thing...if you like mandrake, join the club. Its only a few bucks, you get access to tonnes of great things (including support), and it'll help the developers.
Here are some fun links:
www.distrowatch.com
www.kde-look.org
www.linuxquestions.org
http://slashdot.org
You still have access to the command line in Mandrake. I don't see how Mandrake will not make computing " fun" or that it's not up to snuff with any other distribution just because it's easier to install. Frankly, other than a few icons, the installation process and things like the Mandrake control center, there's not much differance between different distros.
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