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Linux vs Windows (win blows!!)

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by savagehacker

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Hi, i am trying to learn how to programme and everything - and study for A+. I currently have windows xp - and to b honest i am getting fed up with the constant bugs. Im not a complete newbie at re building my pc but i didnt want to mess it up trying to install linux and realising then that i have a winmodem!!
How do i know if i have a winmodem?
(man that sounds like a stupid q!)#
I was just wondering what the change over to linux is like from windows?
Ive heard its a lot better and runs faster - also easier if your learning to programme??

HELP!

thankz

Savage Hacker!

4 replies

by mikenac

I can't help you with the Winmodem bit, but I can tell you a little about switching to Linux and learning to program.

Where Windows is like a Ford Taurus, Linux is like the batmobile. It has many features, but it also has many buttons and levers that shouldn't be fiddled with unless you know exactly what you are doing. It is my opinion that Linux is not quite ready for "the desktop". While there is now a decent "office" program (OpenOffice ,StarOffice), it still pales in comparison to Microsoft Office.

As for programming, Linux is great! However, you should be ready to program in C, PHP, or Perl. Also, your selection of fancy IDE's is somewhat limited (no Visual Studio). Also, the majority of software users (not counting Server apps)are using Windows, so developing on Linux may not be the best bet for you at first.

by jay eckles

I disagree with a couple of your points:

>>While there is now a decent "office" program (OpenOffice ,StarOffice), it still pales in comparison to Microsoft Office<<

I've used StarOffice and think it's an outstanding productivity suite. I don't think it pales in comparison to MS Office, unless maybe you're talking about the version for Mac OS X.

>>As for programming, Linux is great! However, you should be ready to program in C, PHP, or Perl. <<

Or Java or C++ or Python or Ruby or Smalltalk or Lisp or ... well, let's just say the list goes on.

>>Also, your selection of fancy IDE's is somewhat limited (no Visual Studio).<<

You're limited to what's available on Linux, but there are a fair number of IDEs worth looking at: Eclipse and NetBeans are just the first two that come to mind. I wouldn't even think of not having Visual Studio on Linux as a limitation; obviously the target platform for Visual Studio is Windows, so how much sense does it make for that IDE to be on any other platform? If you want to do Windows development, stick to a Windows platform. Nothing wrong with choosing the right platform for the right job, even if it is Windows ;-).

>>Also, the majority of software users (not counting Server apps) are using Windows, so developing on Linux may not be the best bet for you at first. <<

Unfortunately it's true that there are more Windows users than any other system, but Linux is probably THE best platform for learning to program. Starting with the good old Unix command line - vi, gcc, etc. - provides a very strong foundation for moving into other areas of programming, be it web programming, GUI (i.e. Windows, Mac, X) programming, or staying in the realm of Unix. Starting with visual tools on a GUI centric platform will leave you struggling when you move on to other platforms or are trying to figure out what's happening at the core of your applications.

by jay eckles

If you haven't seen it already, you need to check out the Linux Hardware Compatibility How-to:
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/

There's also the possibility that if you do have a Winmodem, you might be able to use it under Linux. See Linmodems.org and the Linmodem How-to at http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Linmodem-HOWTO.html.

Worst case scenario is that you need to buy a new modem to make it work under Linux (this happened to me once). Just make sure you buy one of the hardware modems listed as compatible with Linux, or if you're feeling lucky, buy one of the Winmodems known to have a working Linux driver.

As far as determining what type of modem you have, I can think of two suggestions. Number one, look at the modem entry in the device manager under System control panel. Number two, if number one fails, open the case and look for identifying marks on the modem itself.

Good luck

Jay

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