building a computer

[CaptainMikey]

I am about to build a computer, I was researching and found a opsys called linux, ive heard of it in the past. But what is linux, and if you have any opinions of it?


ALso, egghead.com got bought by amazon and is a pain in the rear to use now. Thank you amazon.com

[KenNFD1219]

I've been playing with Linux on and off for a year or so. Most releases are free to download and use. Linux is not like Windows and has a steep learning curve. The positive side is a secure system and a great community of users who like to help other learn about Linux.

Here is a site that has Linux news and releases (called distros):
http://www.distrowatch.com

Some of the more popular flavors of Linux are Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, MEPIS, and PCLinuxOS. I've used about 10 different versions and like Mepis the best-clean design and easy to use (IMO).

Another site with a somewhat easy to use version of Linux with access to many programs:
http://www.linspire.com/

Have you tried a Live CD yet? This is a version of Linux that boots from your CD. It allows you to try out the operating system but does not change anything on your PC.

[bkmcse]

Check out newegg.com for hardware. They have great prices. Linux is great if you are a more advanced user. It is still limited in what programs will run on it. I do love OpenOffice. It has similar programs to Microsoft Office and it is free. Adding hardware like printers and cameras are a little more difficult with Linux. I still can't get the wireless card in my laptop to work with it. The best part is most of it is free and you don't need the fastest hardware in the world to run it.

[nmfire]

When I build PC's, I get all the hardware and cases from newegg.com. I can build twice the PC for half the cost of a retail computer.

[KEEPBACK200FEET]

You could always build a dual operating system PC, and just specify which OS you want to run at startup. That way you could have XP or Vista (whichever your prefer) and Linux. We configured several computers back in my A+ Net Essentials class and they actually worked pretty well.

[perrypower05]

Linux will offer you more features, and is more customizable, however, I would recommend Windows, it is used by 95% of the world..

[DeputyMarshal]

Linux will offer you more features, and is more customizable, however, I would recommend Windows, it is used by 95% of the world..

I have to agree with that one.

Linux is a great OS but I'm not sure I'd advise building your first computer and trying a new OS on it at the same time.

Assuming you have an old computer lying around somewhere, that's the place to try Linux. One of Linux's virtues is that it requires a lot less horsepower to run than Windows so you can install it on older computers that would gag on a modern Win32 installation.

[BFDNJFF]

I get all my computer parts from TigerDirect.com.

[KenNFD1219]

I just scraped a PC that had a removable HD. It ran one of four different operating systems (XP and three flavors of Linux), all I had to do was power down, slide in a new drive caddy, and re-boot. It also had a built in HD so I could share data between the different OS.

I've had many great deals with TigerDirect over the past 10 years or so.