is linux free and where do i get.

[gentry_joey]

From what people say it sounds like a good os. But i heard its free. I went to linux.com and they selling it for $114. Where do i get it and whats good about it.

You can download the ISO images from here http://www.linuxiso.org/
Then burn the ISOs into CDs to have your free linux OS.

There is a lot to choose from, so make your search for the version that suits you.

[John Prophet]

There are many versions of "linux"...usually, as wes said earlier, you download the images which are called "iso's" and you burn the iso's onto a cd to install them.

Here is another site with lots of linux stuff and downloads.

www.distrowatch.com

JP

[gentry_joey]

is linux good.

[Mate88]

Hell Yes!
I currently use Mandrake 9.1 and its been awesome! I just love Linux, im currently angry at MS since their mentality is werid IMO. But if you are unsure and you dont know a lot about computers and you dont like techie stuff then maybe Linux isnt for you, since in my experience Linux has been hard to manage. But of course after a while you get used to it but it takes time and you MUST be patient. And you need to eliminate your MS mentality, its not Windows anymore. If you have doubts or questions just ask me or others, Linux Community is willing to help "noobs"

Regards

[gentry_joey]

Ok well im really smart with pc's. But i would like to know. Will there be any drawback when i wanna play games or anything. How do i get the software i use now to be able to work with linux.

Many popular Win32 software titles can operate via WINE, an interactive reat-time API conversion application. WINE converts Win32 calls into native Linux calls.

Several versions of WINE exist. If you are into gaming, then Transgaming's version would be your best bet, though binary versions require a small fee unless you want to compile the program from CVS source code.

My thoughts? Dual-boot an entry-level Linux install alongside Windows. I recommend examining distributions like Mandrake. Linux can be as a complicated or simple as you want. I often install Mandrake for others without ever altering a single setting beyond the standard installation interface, and the vast majority are satisfied with the default KDE interface and application options.

[Redwolf]

Okay, here's the skimmy. Linux is a UNIX-based operating system, meaning it has very little in common with Windows. Including the fact it won't natively run Windows binaries. So no games...well, see below. L:inux has many, many programs for it however. There are also ports for some games (avaliable at www.icculus.org , and a UT patch for Linux avaliable at www.lokigames.com ). UT2003 and U2 I believe come with Linux installers on the disks. Now, if you REALLY want to play games under Linux, you can get WineX. It's $15 (or you can get it free, although it will be unstable and a big pain in the arse), and emulates DirectX (translation: Windows games in Linux, horray!). It is far from perfect however, althoguh it improves every day.

You don't HAVE to use Linux to play games under however. Unlike Windows, Linux has 2 default bootloaders that are quite powerful (LILO and GRUB). I highly suggest dual-booting, especially if you play alot of Windows games.

There are many equivalency charts as well. I suggest looking here to see what programs you may need under linux:

http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthr...threadid=17302

Oh, and if you play Americas Army or Enemy Territory, then they are avaliable for linux too! Cheers!

[Mate88]

many,
linux is IMO not for games, if you like to play games or you are a game fanatic then you should stick with Windows since Linux is very uncomplicated to try to make games work. Although there is an option called Wine, which is a program that lets you use and play games that Linux does not support, although this is very confusing to a newbie in Linux. But since Linux is growing like a teenager (lol) many games are now available for Linux, I remember one: Unreal Tournament 2003 is available for Linux, this is awesome that the market is spending bucks in the Linux World! Keep it up! But personally I just like Linux for its security and simplicity in a way that its amazing (although some parts are not simple, IMO) Well, my opinion is if you dont play games, get Linux, if you do, stick with Windows for now.

Regards

[Redwolf]

Or dual boot.