Another go at Linux
At Paul Salvador’s suggestion, and after a little bit of net research, I decided to have another go at Linux, this time with the PCLinuxOS distro. It’s easy to download, and easy to burn onto a CD, and the Live CD thing is great for getting the feel of a distro quickly. For those non-Linux geeks out there, Live CD is just a bootable CD that will run the OS immediately without going through the drama of a real installation.
I’m not a Linux afficionado, but of the few distros that I’ve used, PCLinuxOS was easy to use and friendly. Still, I have to admit defeat. It must be the computer I’m using to install Linux. I keep trying to install Linux on some out of the way corner of my computer without interrupting any real work, and I just can’t make it happen. The first problem is that Linux doesn’t work with NTFS partitions, which creates a practical problem with file sharing and drive partitioning.
Other than that, there were 3 big hurdles that prevented me from completing my installation of PCLinuxOS. The first was that the installation wouldn’t provide a driver for my network card. The second was that it wouldn’t provide a driver for my video card, and the third was that it recognized my external USB drive while running fron the Live CD, but wouldn’t recognize it on reboot after the installation.
So is my hardware just “exotic”? Well, its not a gaming or multimedia box if that’s what it takes to be exotic. Typical CAD box. Boxx desktop, AMD 64 Athlon X2 4800+, Quadro FX3450, nVidia nForce chipset, 3GB RAM, etc.
The other possibility is that I’m just a Linux idiot. Last time I tried this with Ubuntu, I had downloaded a Linux nVidia video driver, but couldn’t get it installed. Also had a problem with the network card, if I remember.
Why am I messing with Linux? Curiosity. And why not? Most distros are free, and that’s saying something in a day when the latest Microsoft offering – Vista Ultimate – runs for $400. It would nice to have an alternative, and at some point things are going to break. Linux is more frequently seen as an option when purchasing new computers these days. Its just a matter of time before the stars align and there is an alternative OS and a killer CAD system to run on it. Currently, I see Linux as a bigger disaster than Vista. No one wants to hear this, but Linux is going to require a big player to make an investment and get a “Matt Proof” installation. Windows seems so bloated because it has to have drivers for everything on the planet. Mac doesn’t have to do that because they are so proprietary with their hardware. We complain about bloatware, but we don’t seem to complain when we buy some crazy off-brand periferal, and plug it in and it just works!
So, Linux is still a great thing for general office or internet/email/home computing possibly, as long as you have a geek handy to install it and hunt down your drivers for you, and don’t have a lot of exotic hardware. I still don’t think its ready for primetime, cuz believe it or not, there are people dummer than me out there. I can at least get Vista to install properly (still only missing my audio driver).
Anyway, either I’m an optimist or just a slow learner. I know I’ll be back to try it again.