THG On Migrating To Linux

inphinity writes "The fine folks over at Tom's Hardware have posted an interesting guide titled Migrating from Windows to Linux. In the first of what will hopefully be several parts, they describe what steps to take to back up critical data and move to open-source apps. All in all, a fairly in-depth and comprehensive step-by-step guide. As a nice touch, they've even included a downloadable checklist for confused people."

Comments

interesting..

[mandalayx]

We recommend Red Hat Fedora, Mandrake Linux or SUSE for the first time switchers.

I was recommended Debian. (First linux install). Why is Red Hat/Mandrake better?

Hope I'm not opening up a can of worms here...

Re:interesting..

[DeathPenguin]

Because their installers are more newbie friendly.

Re:interesting..

[TheDigitalRaven]

Debian's good for people who already have some clue about Linux, or indeed experience with *nix-alike OSen. Mandrake and SUSE (I have no experience with RH/Fedora) are both better suited for the first time user migrating from Windows. Less command-prompt stuff to begin with, a default installer which detects their hardware and doesn't ask questions that even a Windows "power-user" considers arcane, and a reasonable set of defaults for someone wanting to learn Linux with the minimum of culture-shock.

Re:interesting..

[b12arr0]

If you're wanting a good debian based distro, there is Xandros. The installer asks you about 4 questions to do a full install.

Re:interesting..

[smoking2000]

My first experience with Linux was with Debian aswell (when Woody was still Testing).

Because of the lack of GUI tools for every configuration I needed to make, I had to do it myself.
Through this course I learned a whole lot more about the internal workings of Debian and Linux distros in general.

So in my opinion, if you're not scared to try and learn something new, Debian is not that bad a choice.

Another nice side-effect was that I never felt more in controle over my PC then ever before.
Like Mentor said: "[...] Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it's because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn't like me... [...]"

Re:interesting..

[Anonymous Coward]

Because of the lack of GUI tools for every configuration I needed to make, I had to do it myself.
Through this course I learned a whole lot more about the internal workings of Debian and Linux distros in general.


But that is the whole point. Most folks don't want or need to learn about the internal workings of their OS. They want to send email to the grandkids, print the pictures from their digital camera, browse the web, write letters etc.

Telling these folks that if they want to use Linux they have to become power users is equivalent to telling them to stay on Windows 98.

Even I am of two minds. I've been using Linux since 93. I love to play with it. I've done the whole build-a-system-without-a-distro thing, so I'm fairly comfortable with the OS.

When I sit down in front of it to do my day job however, I want it to just work. So, for my day job I use a specially tricked out (by the company I work for) RedHat 9 distro. Sure, I could have built it better myself, and even now I could spend some time and make it better. But ... I've got work to do.

I think Linux as a hobby is great. The point made by the article is that Linux as a tool is important, and it different from Linux as a hobby.

Re:interesting..

[Richy_T]

If it makes a mistake, it's because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn't like me

Hey, that's a great slogan for open source software

"Windows doesn't like you!"

It's good because everytime windows craps up again, it will be a reinforcement of the implanted idea.

Rich

Re:interesting..

[robertsloan2]

As a relatively new Linux user coming from "intermediate" Windows usage, I have to agree with the Red Hat and Mandrake advocates. I may install Debian on another computer later on, but despite its advantages -- the main one I know about is that it updates itself automatically and grabs all the prerequisites for any software you install -- it seems to involve knowing all the commands with their special spelling before you can look up the command for what you want to do.

I usually operate from the Gnome graphical interface and have trouble memorizing commands I don't use every day. So far I've been able to troubleshoot a couple of problems with help from friends, and the last time I solved it on my own by exploring menus and submenus.

Linux Missionaries are right about one thing though: it runs better than Windows. It crashes less, and while it may just be a difference in attitude, I feel more empowered to experiment with Linux. Changes I made in Linux were more reversible than in any version of Windows that I ever used, and that helped a lot when I was trying to get this laptop networked with a Windows system in collaboration with the Windows guy who didn't know Linux and his friend the Linux guru who didn't know anything about my hardware.

The other great advantage is that despite antivirus software, my Windows buddy has been hit once with a virus and maybe twice, but my laptop is safe. That would have made more trouble worthwhile, but at this point my Red Hat 9 system is stable and I'm happy with it.

Since some more advanced Linux geeks all said that Dell was the friendliest hardware to Linux, the next level for me is to get a Dell when I upgrade and dual-boot it, trying Debian but keeping the graphical interface.

Question about Debian and its automatic upgrades: since I am likely to go on using laptops, would Debian eventually evolve to the point hardware won't support it if I just keep running a stable system, or would it respond more by installing only the refinements to the version compatible with that generation of hardware?

My Debian-using friend uses a p133 with relatively little RAM and manages to work from home on it, but it can't run at decent speed in graphical interface. What exactly happens when old hardware and current generation Linux come together?

Robert and Ari >^..^

Re:interesting..

[Flashbck]

I have to agree completely. I've been using Linux on and off for about 6 years now. I started off by purchasing a copy of Red Hat v5.2. At the time Red Hat was perfect for me. I had no idea what "dude just read the man page" meant or even how to untar an archive. I've only started using Gentoo for about 3 months now and I feel as if my knowledge of Linux has grown exponentially. This is mainly attributed to the fact that I've never had to compile a kernel before and I've never had a distro that didn't install a ftp client by default.
That seemed a little scary at first, but I was over-joyed when I ran top after my first boot and saw how little mem was in use (around 30Mb I think)

If you really want to get your hands dirty and figure out whats _really_ going on under the hood, I would use Gentoo because you really have to learn everything. There is no choice!

Disclaimer to all Linux beginners: If you have never used Linux before and aren't willing to spend hours of research time to get a seemingly simple thing to work, I would suggest using Red Hat Fedora or Mandrake. But if you've used those and want to take the next step, I say dive in all the way and give Gentoo a try.

theOpenCD

[Smallpond]

Let me be the first of many to mention TheOpenCD. First switch to OSS under Windows. Once you're used to the apps, its easier to make the leap to a full Linux desktop.

I have dual-boot RH9/Win at work now and have not booted the Windows OS in 2 months. Most of what I need is:

Gnome
Evolution
OpenOffice

Re:theOpenCD

[cK-Gunslinger]

I'll second this comment. I've slowly migrated to almost 100% OSS apps on WinXP. OO.org, Firefox, Gimp, gVIm, etc. The only thing I'd miss is Outlook Express. *ducks* I just like the way it handles newsgroups. No other email/NG reader I've ever tries even comes close.

Re:theOpenCD

[Sevn]

No other email/NG reader I've ever tries even comes close.

Try "Pan" for news. It only does news, but it looks a lot like evolution. It's pretty badass.

nice stuff

[Is_907]

my compliments to the chef... er, writers! the guys at tom's have put together a good article there. to the previous reply: Mdk, RH, and Fedora are all considerably more "user-friendly" distributions. many of my friends dove in with Slackware or Debian and are extremely well versed in Linux now but for most people i still recommend RH or Mdk (i haven't tried Fedora yet)

Not much meat....

[hot_Karls_bad_cavern]

A somewhat helpful article, but not too much meat and i hate clicking through so many pages during one article.

i still maintain the best way to learn is to sit and watch a linux-savy friend do a few installs, ask questions, take notes, and keep them near when you try it for the first time. Sorry, but that's the best way ;)

Confusion?

[OwlWhacker]

they've even included a downloadable checklist for confused people.

What if the confused people are too confused to understand how to download it?

Re:Confusion?

[Anonymous Coward]

They have a downloadable checklist for that too.

Livecd?

[Killjoy_NL]

Isn't it better to try a livecd first? There are enough out there at the moment.

If you don't like it, then it's easier to switch back if you want to.

That's how I'm gonna try it anyway.

THG on Windows - Linux migration?

[Dark Lord Seth]

... that's all fine but does it have bar graphs? Whenever I read anything at THG, my attention span flips over to "Goldfish" mode and I NEED the bar graphs! Nrrrgh! *twitch*

Mass Migration Feared

[amigoro]

Microsoft Corp. announced today that it feared the Tom's Hardware Guide (THG) article on switching to Linux will prompt a mass migration of Windows users to Linux. The clearly and simply written article, even thought to be understandable to US President George W. Bush promises a the users who take the plunge a life without crashes, viruses and headaches.

"This is a serious problem. We expect at least 80% of all windows users to move to Linux", said Steve Balmer, the CEO of Microsoft, at a hastily convened press conference. "This will be the beginning of the end of Windows"

When asked how Microsoft plans to respond to the situation, Mr Balmber replied: "We have our methods".

Meanwhile, Darl McBride, the C.E.O. of SCO today announced that the copyright tp the choosing a Linux distribution algorith belonged to them, and they would sue THG and any other users who followed THG advice over IP violation issues.

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This is a really great article.

[El Cubano]

I was very impressed with the way that they explain the differences between distros. I.e., same kernel/under the hood with different apps on top.

Although I am a diehard Debian user, I totally agree with the recommendation for RH, SUSE, or Mandrake. Personally, if I am helping the person migrate and doing the Linux install for them, I usually do Debian stable with GNOME or KDE backport, depending on the user's preferences. However, if they intend on doing it themselves I recommend RH, Mandrake or a Knopppix hard drive install.

I am also impressed with the way in which they specify which apps work best for certain things. I.e., Evolution for email, OOo for office productivity. There wasn't any "you need to choose from one of these 50 email clients and one of these 5 office suites."

Kudos to THG for a well thought out and well written article. Hopefully the rest of the articles in the series are as well written.

Tom's really knows how to write a page turner

[Anonymous Coward]

By putting so little on each individual page.

Re:Almost forgot...

[MoonBuggy]

You're still thinking in terms of 'old linux'. There is no need to learn anything to install Mandrake - it does it automagically (although if you want to configure you can). Many normal Windows users who just use web+email don't want to spend time watching people use Linux and learning the system, yet they are the perfect market since they wouldn't miss any of the features on Windows that geeks like myself do miss (namely Flash MX, Photoshop and games). Let them install with no knowledge and learn to use at their own pace, don't force them to learn first thus convincing them to stick with what they know (Windows) because it's good enough and less effort.

Re:hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

nero is soooo yesterday. it's become a bloated piece of "ship it with every oem drive in existance", and add new trinket features and glitz but don't fix any of the bugs.

nero was once good, 3 years ago, when they were still hungry.

now it's rubbish.

k3b.

that's your nero under linux. burn cd data, cd audio, dvd data.

9 Steps Windows-to-Linux roadmap (IBM)

[Erik_]

IBM also published in yesterday's Red Book newsletter, a 9 steps program to learn how to migrate from Windows to Linux.
Windows-to-Linux Roadmap

Definitely Mandrake

[Krik Johnson]

Mandrake 10.0 is the distribution I'd recommend to anyone! It is still community, hence a bit buggy, but the official version will be out in May and will be ready for general use.

I have tried many distros, including SuSE, Fedora, Severn, Slackware, Knoppix, Debian, Ark, Lindows, Phat, Dragon, LFS, G/CX and yes even FreeBSD which isn't even a "Linux", but out of all of those i chose Mandrake.

Why? Because it works. My mouse, keyboard, desktop, cdrw, dvd-rw, printer, scanner, digital camera, sound, tv card, alien beacon, toothbrush and nuclear reactor all work with Mandrake linux. Tell that to XP, who BSOD'd on me when I plugged in my digital camera!

Software is installed with ease, Hardware is configured with point and click! If you wanted the ultimate distro for both begginners AND experts (I have used linux for nearly three years) then get Mandrake!

Still, there are major problems.

[don_carnage]

This is my "switch" story: I just got a Dell Latitude C600 laptop. "Hey," I said to myself, "...why don't I try to install Linux on it?" So, I grabbed some RH 8.0 CD's that I had and set out to installing. The CD booted fine, I chose the standard workstation installation and off I went. When I got to the monitor / video card, I accepted the defaults and soon I was finished.

Upon reboot, the screen flashed several times at the text login prompt and finally, a teal box with garbled characters appeared in the middle of the screen. Now, being an avid /. reader, I knew that this was a problem with my X configuration. So, I hit enter to get out of the garbled box, logged on as root and edited my XF86Config file with some suggestions from a forum that I found after searching Google. I typed "startx" and boom...I was in!

So far, you would have lost the average user at the login prompt. I admit, installing on a laptop isn't always easy, but you shouldn't have to edit config files to change the "r128" to "vesa". [Relax, I'm venting here.]

The second problem I had was with the Proxim Orinoco Wireless card. No network. Card not detected. Not even a selection to add it under "Network Devices". This time, the "how-to" that I found didn't help. Nothing that I could do could make the card work. And to top it off, Proxim doesn't provide Linux drivers.

So I went with XP. One disc and everything worked.

My point is not that Windows is better than Linux, because believe me, I would rather have gone with Linux on my laptop. However, until it's easy to install (you know, just go through the prompts and most everything works), you're not going to get anyone to switch.

K3b

[CandyMan]

I don't know in Gnome-land, but KDE has K3b, which gives Nero, in my humble opinion, a run for its money.

Real life anecdote: two weeks ago I went to my friend Lorenzo's with a Knoppix disc, booted it and showed him. He liked it and wanted to keep it, but it was my only copy and I had deleted the ISO from my own hard drive. No problem. Mount his HD read/write, fire K3b, select the HD for temp storage of the iso, and rip/burn in under 30 minutes. Flawless.

The operating system was running from the same CD we were copying, mind you. No hassle.

...and the best part with K3B...

[DrYak]

unlike all Windows based (*) burner software, but like all good linux software : They don't try to reinvent the wheel. K3B is just a simple (but really wonderful) newbie-friendly interface, that use the power of kickass application like cdparanoia, cdrecord, ... so you have all the niceties this program implements. The only thing I miss : - to be able to force a data compare for every imaginable step (like DiscJuggler does on Windows) - multiple session (no ! not mutlisession CDs, but multiple K3B running on several diffrent burners) - support for non standart formats (.NRG, .CDI, ...) the net is full of small tools that can do xyz->CUEBIN conversion. to bad K3B doesn't support them automatically in it's interface.