Linux Questions about Linux, esp Ubuntu

So I have been a windows user since after my commador days, and with all this BS windows is dishing out between spying and adware I may have to go linux, I have questions, and I'm hoping they can be answered

1. Can I play my windows games such as World of Warcraft in Linux or will I have to run VM wear?
2. Will Linux Ubuntu support Directx 10?
3. Does Ubuntu run faster than windows xp?
4. Can you share files from a linux box to windows boxes?

Thanks

 

1. Some games (such as WoW) will run on Linux - investigate Wine, and Cedega for more info.

2. NO! DirectX10 is Microsoft's and they won't let anyone else have it, EVER!

3. In some ways yes, in others no. YMMV.

4. Yes - investigate SMB

 

Let's "pimp my guide"

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/04/09/Linux_has_game/1
http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/06/05/build_your_own_server/1

And:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=117592

 

Awesome, I'm looking at ubuntu because of all the gui videos i see out there with this berly thing and it looks pretty sweet, yes, I'm a gui guy Is this a good version of linux? and should I go with the 64 bit or the normal version (c2d 1.8 and 2gig ram)

 

Not going to be too picky, Linux is just the kernel of the system... What you are referencing are distributions (distros).

About any distro can look and feel how you want, each with their subtile differences. For starters Ubuntu or SuSe, or even maybe Fedora are the ones to look at. They have great support, a huge community, and most of all very newbie friendly way of doing stuff. Certainly if you are a GUI person look into the Ubuntu flavors. Ubuntu, KUbuntu or XUbuntu. The Server guide will guide you through a (desktop) Xubuntu install.

Beryl is like Aero on Vista... So is Compiz Plenty of choice, after all, Linux is about choice.

And I'd go for the 64bit version, Linux has much better support compared to Windows (if it has 32bit support, most likely 64bit is there too).

 

i just upgraded my dsl to 3 mb from 768 kb so i could download all this new linux stuff, being its free to download Glider, expect me to bug you more on linux when I have everything and start playing

<3 Bit-Tech and its members

 

Don't forget you can get different window managers (Fluxbox, Metacity etc.) within a distro.

 

I'm downloading Ubuntu 64 amd and intel computers version, was a bit confused by that since when you go to click the download link it says version amd, but I assume its a formality.

 

Don't know about the Ubuntu versions, but you don't want the Itanium ones Probably amd64 will be the right one

 

Personally, I'd go for FreeBSD and work my way upwards

On a more honest note, if you want to settle into Linux more comfortably, SuSE offers more user-friendliness and packages than other distributions on one DVD so you can get started with ease... but fine-tuning what packages you want can take many hours when you go through each one. Jump straight into the 64-bit boat, it's all good to go on Linux. Beryl is lovely but still a bit buggy, but comparing it with Aero, I can ignore the bugs with ease

The only drawback is games and software options (including compatibility). If you use a specific software in Windows for a specific task, such as music production (e.g. Cubase), you will find that Linux does not offer software that can rival what you get in Windows, nor does it support the file formats as used by that specific software in Windows. Continuing the theme of drawbacks, I have to offer a different opinion to Glider (I won't jump onto support as we'll end up fighting it out into a stalemate ). I tend to find Wine running games rather horribly. Couple that with video card drivers still not up to scratch, especially with nVidia and you can find yourself with "KERNEL PANIC" when you start playing around with drivers a bit too much, which is always fun.

Linux is great in many ways but I personally find you can't just settle with one specific operating system. My best recommendation would be to dual-boot Linux and Windows. Windows for games and specific software(s), Linux for everything else.

 

For me one of the hardest things about switching is feeling like a complete noob - I think a lot of us here are used to being the ones whom others ask for help and when I first tried Linux that feeling of being a noob really sucked (let's just say I now have a little more sympathy when dealing with the Windows noobs around me). If you can get past that though... (just keep in mind how long it has taken you to become a power-user in Windows).

 

Well, I don't game that often, and if I do I'm easy to please... Therefore for me going 100% Linux is no big deal

 

The only big limitation for playing games on linux is Microsofts directx series. If all games were made with Opengl or similar, almost any game would be able to run under linux. Even tho Cedega is a dx9 emulator program, it costs money, and that is a limitation for some.

 

Cedega charge a subscription fee of £3/$5 per month which gives you voting rights on which games they add support for in the future.
If you just want WoW, it will run using WINE.

 

And they are evil, thieving bastards...

 

I'd advise avoiding Cedega and just going for wine unless there is a specific game you want to play that only works with Cedega, a most of the time wine is just as good, and sometimes even has better performance.

With regards to DX10 both Cedega and wine are working on it, I think it's pretty certain it will happen at some point, but not in the the short time. Maybe by the end of this year there will be a little support, but really I expect it will be over a year for there to be really decent support appearing.
Also, it is worth noting that some DX9 games simply don't work on linux. So if you are a big gamer it may be worth dual booting for a while (which is pretty straightforward). Thats what I do, and it's surprising how well Windows does if you do nothing other than play games.

Oh, and my personal preference would be Kubuntu over Ubuntu, the basic apps are just nicer (and KDE 4 is going to be awesome!)

Good luck

 

And will be able to replace the Windows Shell