Thinkpads Forum

Hello to all the Linux experts.

I am thinking of installing a linux OS on my T41p as dual boot with windows. I have been mostly windows user and do not have much experience with linux.

I hear that linux is much more user friendly nowadays so I would like to try it out.

So here are the questions.

1. Which linux flavor would you recommend for a novice user that would give least amount of problems while installing? Also it must be able to support East Asian languages.

2. Is there a software installer?

3. Also I will need an office application. Which one would you recommend that is most compartible with MS office files.

4. They must be freeware.

Thanks

JK

daeojkim wrote:<snip>
2. Is there a software installer?
<snip>

In the distros I have used (Red Hat, SuSE and Gentoo), that is one of the key drawbacks of Linux. SuSE Yast and Gentoo Portage go part of the distance, but they are really update tools. I really miss "Setup" in Linux, especially for drivers and such like. BTW, I am not an expert, so I snipped that out. ... JD Hurst

Xandros will handle the partitioning of your NTFS very easily and it's software installer(Xandros Networks) makes software installation as easy as it can be. It comes with Open Office already installed.
Download the free version here http://www.xandros.com/about/downloads.html
If you like it and want more features there are pay versions available.
Version 4 is rumored to be released in early 2006.

jdhurst and carbon_unit,

Thanks for the quick reply. I have used redhat in desktops a little bit and it seemed pretty good to use. I hear that nowadays linux support for laptops are pretty good so I was thinking of using it to play around and get used to.

I will try to download the Xandros and see how it works out.

Thanks.

JK

I have been using Xandros on one destop and on my t30, it really is nice, I had red hat 9 about a year ago on a toshiba satellite dual boot with xp really never got into it much. I have to say Xandros is much nicer.

One thing to consider: Dual booting can mess up your master tables. Consider Partition Magic if you are going to dual boot. Also, since you are new, and your wants may change, consider VMware. I use this, and in my opinion, it is better than dual boot because you can run both operating systems simultaneously. You can also network them internally to share files and Internet connection. ... JD Hurst

jdhurst,

So I can just install the Vmware player and have a virtual machine running the linux? And then if I do not like it I can just uninstall the entire linux without affecting the windows right?

JK.

Generally correct. I think you need the real VMware to create the machine (the player won't do that). But absolutely, if you don't like the machine, you just delete it, and make another one. Have two distros on the same box if you wish. And if you have enough memory, run all three.

It gets better. Either copy a machine or use snapshots and then if you make structural changes (networking) while you are learning, just delete the changed machine or revert the snapshot and start again.

If you have a working machine, you are supposed to be able to make a real machine out of it, but I have not done that.

I don't wish to overstate the outcomes for you. I have been using VMware since Version 1 and have some experience. You won't learn everything I have said in one night. But generally, it is easy to install VMware and easy to build an initial guest machine.
... JD Hurst

anything based on Debian (ubuntu, kubuntu, xandros, linspire, mepis) is going to have a unified package manager. I personally recommend Ubuntu, but if you don't want to spend half a day tweaking, go with Xandros.

daeojkim wrote: 2. Is there a software installer?
3. Also I will need an office application. Which one would you recommend that is most compartible with MS office files.
4. They must be freeware.

What do you mean by Software Installer? like windows for Drivers and Utilities? Then = no go
If you mean a system for managing an updating ALL Software you have installed on your System, then there is something in allmost every Distribution. For Gentoo there is emerge, SuSE, Redhat use RPM and all Debian derivatives use APT. And all of them have beneath the CLI tools also an additional GUI.

For Office: OpenOffice.org it is free software and got Import and Export-Filters for MS Office.

I am also considering installing Linux onto my T41p. I had attempted to install Mandriva Linux 2006 with the dual-boot option for Windows XP but my master boot partition became ruined. Nothing could solve my problem until I completely uninstalled and reinstalled Windows XP. I guess the problem was that the boot partition wasn't within the first 1024 sectors?? I have NO CLUE how to work around this issue.

I am a complete newbie to Linux, though I have good experience with Windows and DOS. I would like to install a dual-boot system which will boot both Windows XP and possibly Ubuntu Linux. I noticed there's a video for it on Google but I haven't seen it yet.

Anyone got any ideas or help for someone who doesn't want to lose their Thinkpad again to a destroyed MBR?