I'd like to get started with Linux, anyone know about this?

[SpeedRacer 1]

So I bought a laptop that has Windows 7 installed on it.

But I would like to get Ubuntu Linux because I want to learn bioinformatics and they often use Linux.

Should I make a partition on my harddrive & install Ubuntu on it?

Someone also told me that I don't need to do that, that there is a way to install Linux within Windows.

And as a side note, I hear that computer viruses dont usually infect Linux OS, but I guess I wouldnt have that protection if I ran Linux within Windows?

anyway, I am just getting started learning about this, so if you know of a good book on the subject or if you have any advice about this stuff I would really appreciate it.

Speed Racer
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[theonlyski 3]

Quote

So I bought a laptop that has Windows 7 installed on it.

But I would like to get Ubuntu Linux because I want to learn bioinformatics and they often use Linux.

Should I make a partition on my harddrive & install Ubuntu on it?

Someone also told me that I don't need to do that, that there is a way to install Linux within Windows.

And as a side note, I hear that computer viruses dont usually infect Linux OS, but I guess I wouldnt have that protection if I ran Linux within Windows?

anyway, I am just getting started learning about this, so if you know of a good book on the subject or if you have any advice about this stuff I would really appreciate it.

Ubuntu is pretty easy to set up as a boot OS, if you're not attached to Windows (or want to become pretty good at Linux) then wipe it an install it on a clean hard drive. Problem with using a VMware image is, you eventually get tired of playing with it!

I just installed Ubuntu server on a NAS I built for my media server, it just sits there, cranking away without even a hiccup. That's what it's designed for!

Going from Windows to a CLI install of Linux would be a hell of a shock, but you can install the GUI and have the best of both worlds. It's a pretty popular OS and many of the bigger applications support it natively.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[richardw38 0]

download and install a virtualisation platform like vmware player. then you can create many virtual machines, and try out different Linux edititions, or any other OS you choose.

[spage 0]

Ubuntu is one of the most user-friendly distributions around, and a great way to get started with Linux. That said, I'd highly recommend a dual-boot setup if this is your first time using a Linux distribution (Unless, of course, this is a spare machine).

The Ubuntu installation will handle all of this for you, down to the partitioning and the boot menu. I have never had anything go wrong during this process, but would recommend a backup beforehand just in case.

If you just want to try it out before installing it, you can boot straight to the CD and run Ubuntu without any installation. It is very slow this way, but it gives you a minimalistic view of what your default desktop setup will be like.

[beeman 0]

The VM thing is good for trying and if you need to use the operating system for software but don't really like it, otherwise just dual boot.

If you're just getting into Linux, Ubuntu is a good start. I started with Mint and I'd recommend it (it's a child of Ubuntu). Both generally come with a user interface that's pretty straightforward to use for when you're not quite used to the terminal yet.

Depending on the distro, some will give you a disk image that will handle the partitioning for you (this is nice if you're just getting into it, because it's not quite as simple as just making another partition.).

If all you want to do is run software though, a VM is probably the better choice.

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.

[muff528 3]

I've just started playing with Ubuntu (12.04) on a spare laptop. Not doing anything productive yet ...just learning my way around the OS. Seems a bit slow but that may just be my machine. I will say that wireless drivers are not included in the release (at least for Broadcom) and that forced me to trudge my way through some command line stuff. There's plenty of help online so it wasn't too hard to figure out. It does help if you have a wired connection to start. For the OP, the release does include Firefox browser and Open Office.

[nigel99 143]

If you just want to play and learn don't wipe windows totally. Your productivity will dive and you'll get very frustrated (unless your a geek type and are happy to spend all your time screwing around).

The good thing about Linux is it will run on a machine that is incapable of supporting Windows, so if you've got an old laptop lying around, or pick one up off Craigslist.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[strop45 0]

You can also make linux boot from a USB drive see http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

[ChrisL 2]

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Should I make a partition on my harddrive & install Ubuntu on it?

If you do, use kubuntu.

I'm not a huge fan of KDE desktop, but gnome went right into the shitter with gnome3

Going directly from Windows to Gnome3 will surely cause you to decide to leave Linux alone.

FYI, I'm posting this from a Fedora desktop using gnome 2, but I run Kubuntu on another machine.

I used to vastly prefer gnome over KDE, but Gnome3 just ruined itself.

__

My mighty steed

[SpeedRacer 1]

OK, thanks everyone. I don't want to wipe windows, because I've got the complete office suite on there & soon I will be getting MySQL which I need for a website I'm starting. So I guess the way to go is put Ubuntu on a seperate partition.

Speed Racer
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[theonlyski 3]

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OK, thanks everyone. I don't want to wipe windows, because I've got the complete office suite on there & soon I will be getting MySQL which I need for a website I'm starting. So I guess the way to go is put Ubuntu on a seperate partition.

SQL runs great on Ubuntu, just FYI.

I'd take a *nux based server over a MS server for websites/databases any day of the week.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[opurt 0]

Quote

So I bought a laptop that has Windows 7 installed on it.

But I would like to get Ubuntu Linux because I want to learn bioinformatics and they often use Linux.

Should I make a partition on my harddrive & install Ubuntu on it?

Someone also told me that I don't need to do that, that there is a way to install Linux within Windows.

Quote

My recommendation would be to download the free VMware player:
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/faqs.html

Then download a prebuilt Linux virtual machine:
http://www.turnkeylinux.org/

Note: These are multi-gigabyte downloads, if I recall correctly.

Run the player on your Windows desktop, navigate to the Virtual Machine, open it and experiment away. It's just like a Linux box in essentially every way. Be patient, it requires a lot of computing power. I have a router, and it gets an IP address from that. I just ssh to it. NOTE: If you click in the VMware player window, your mouse will disappear and the console gets full control. To get your mouse pointer back, hold down the ctrl-alt keys simultaneously.

A great book on Linux is "Running Linux" by Dalheimer and Welsh (O'Reilly publishing).

Download Putty so you can ssh into your new Linux box:
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

There's typically no graphical interface in these virtual machines. However, Linux does offer a rich graphical desktop type interface. Red Hat usually comes with a good one. CentOS does too.

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[Zenister 0]

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anyway, I am just getting started learning about this, so if you know of a good book on the subject or if you have any advice about this stuff I would really appreciate it.

http://unixgeeks.org/security/newbie/unix/index.html

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[SpeedRacer 1]

OK, I now have Ubuntu Linux on a separate partition. Had some problems early on with the system freezing up when I logged in, but I just downloaded the ATI display drivers and so far so good.

Good bye, Windows (hopefully)!

Speed Racer
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[Coreece 189]

Congrats...have fun!

Edit:
but you'll be back...

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...