Hi Dale, Special applications: You usually have the option of having both Linux and Windows on your hard drive, and you choose which one to run when you boot up the computer. This will mean you can run Linux for many things, and still play your games, too. If your hard drive is full, you would have to add a 2nd hard drive or a 2nd computer to make that work. Backups: As anyone doing an installation will tell you in more detail, you will need to backup the things you care about before trying to install Linux on your computer. Everyone knows to back up their email, if it is on the computer (gmail probably won't be), plus any office files, photos, and videos. What many people forget is the "Favorites" from your browser. And of course we should all back up all these things regularly anyway. Rob >________________________________ > From: John C Nash <nashjc [ at ] uottawa [ dot ] ca> >To: Charles MacDonald <cmacd [ at ] zeusprune [ dot ] ca> >Cc: Dale Bennett <easydoesit45 [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com>; "linux [ at ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca" <linux [ at ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca> >Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 9:18:59 AM >Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] help switching over to Linux > >Charles raises a good question. If you use any special applications, especially games or >things like that, then it is more difficult to switch to Linux. > >If you are doing "ordinary" things: > - email > - web > - simple office documents, including Word and Excel from other people as long as > the files do not use the latest and fanciest features > >or if you are doing anything with programming, > >then Linux is great. > >There is a further consideration: Linux offers a big variety of user-interfaces. That is >one of its intentions. Some "look" like Windows e.g., KDE. Others are lean and mean -- I >like Crunch-Bang Linux (abbreviated !#), which is very fast and lightweight. It runs >nicely on a very old machine with only 2GB of hard drive. There is also Ubuntu/Unity and >Linux Mint. All very good for what they do, but different in appearance (the chassis and >engine are the same). > >I can provide disks for the distros mentioned, but installation should be discussed first. > >JN > > > >On 07/15/2012 06:01 PM, Charles MacDonald wrote: >> On 12-07-15 02:10 PM, Dale Bennett wrote: >> >>> i read that i might be able to get a dvd mailed to me with the Linux >>> operating system on it so i can then put it on my computer. >>> >>> i would burn my own but i can not afford to buy the writable dvds. plus its >>> way over my head how to load the OS to my computer just from online with >>> out a dvd. >> >> What sort of Computer are you using now? Are you using any "special" >> software as Linux uses different application programs >> > >_______________________________________________ >Linux mailing list >Linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca >http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux > > >