How good is Linux - Ubuntu should i change from XP?

i know my way around XP but don't know much about Linux or Ubuntu they may be the same OS i don't know?

Can anyone help me.What are the benefits of these/this OS do they run windows programes?

Are they easy to use ?

Please i need help on thisHow good is Linux - Ubuntu should i change from XP?
Ubuntu is a flavor of linux.



If you can use Windows, you can use Ubuntu. VERY user friendly!How good is Linux - Ubuntu should i change from XP?
Linux is something that takes a while to learn.



I think that Ubuntu is the best one for first timer's. There are alot of things that are different though, like the filesystem and file extensions.



Some Windows programs have Linux versions but are usually a little different.



I say stay with XP if you can.
thats not a very nice thing to say about my mother.
It really all depends on how much work you are willing to do. If you are lazy (such as myself most of the time...) and aren't willing to do a little digging, no, stick to XP. Buf if you are willing to take the step, linux is a great operating system. Ubuntu is linux distrobution, meaning, it runs off the linux core. Mandriva, red hat, kubuntu - these are all distributions of linux. I personally use ubuntu and find it to be perfect for what I need it to do. There are ways to get it to run windows programs, but they are complicated and usually don't work well. If you use ubuntu, you are provided with a lot of free software and the ability to download much more for free. (I am unable to testify for other OS's because ubuntu is all I have used)
Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux.

There are many Linux Distributions, such as Ubuntu (I'm using Ubuntu 8.04 right now), Mandriva, Back|Track, Gentoo, Slackware, Fedora, Red Hat, Yellow Dog, etc etc.



I'd say it's best to start out with Ubuntu.

It's not easy switching OS, Linux is based on Unix, and it uses command lines that you won't see in Windows. Of course, with these command lines the user has more power and flexibility over their computer. Such as downloading need applications quickly (sudo apt-get install pie)

(sudo is like running in administrator, apt-get is the package manager command, install is obvious, pie would be any application that can be found in the Ubuntu repository).

These commands are entered in a shell or terminal (similar to a command prompt). No, it's not all command lines (except in Slackware), there's graphical interfaces just like Windows, even more powerful than Windows in some cases (the 3D desktop cube for Linux is one of my favorites). You can download the Ubuntu Live CD and run it without installing it, then if you like it, you can install it after (you won't get the full power of Linux until you install it, of course).

The benefits that I have experienced after switching from 7 years of Windows to Linux would be: Faster Internet speeds, more stability, no BSOD, no viruses (because nobody really makes Linux viruses), and much more.

To run windows applications, I used Wine and Crossover, sort of like Windows Emulators to run applications that require Windows.

Ubuntu is very easy to use, after a few days of using it for the first time, I adjusted pretty well and was able to become comfortable with command lines, the interface, and found a lot of new useful applications to aid me in programming and design.

Every computer and HDD in my house has a partition with Linux on it.



http://www.ubuntu.com/
yes, im running it and i love it