Windows/Linux

[akanicknick]

okay, i am just opening my eyes to the possibilities of the internet and access to other systems on it. i have a fairly new computer with windows on it. i have heard a lot about linux and that if you want to be able to do anything you will have to get it. but, i cannot find anything that deals with this. where can i buy linux? what is the difference between linux and windows? and why is only linux good?

[linuxcomando]

Well i would first like to welcome you to the real world and second tell you about some places to get linux. If you have acces to dsl or faster you can actually download it and burn it to a cd for free um...if you want all the extra software and stuff you can go to worst buy or comp usa ive even seen it at cosco and wallmart. Or you can always order it online since you are fairly new to linux i would recomend that you start with suse or mandrake or Redhat linux they are the more newbie friendly so to speak.And if worst come to worse i could even mail you a couple copys.

[stflook]

First off, if you are interested in trying Linux, don't do it on your main box. (Man, I've said that so many times, it's getting really redundant.) Get a junker box to try it on.

Both Linux and Windows have their advantages and disadvantages:

Linux: First off, Linux is freeware. Microsoft charges prices that are through the roof. Linux is much more stable than Windows as well, mostly due to the fact that it's open-source, so anybody who knows C can edit the kernel, and fix or tweak the OS. However, Linux isn't very common, so there isn't much software out there for it. You also have to watch your back with hardware. Most hardware doesn't have Linux drivers available, so not all hardware will be compatible. For example, when I switched to SuSE Linux on this machine, I lost my digital camera, my webcam, and my scanner. However, I felt this was a small price to pay for the stability I gained. Also, Linux generally isn't nearly as user-friendly as Windows, but is in many ways more functional. As opposed to Windows' DOS platform, Linux uses a UNIX platform. This can make things harder, as in Linux, much is done in the terminal, and UNIX isn't nearly as easy as DOS. Linux is also far more secure than Windows as long as you configure it right.

Windows: Windows is far more common than Linux, and most people don't know the existence of operating systems other than Windows. The computer world has shaped itself around Windows. You would have a very hard time finding software or hardware that's not compatible with Windows. Windows is definitely the better choice in OS for 99% of the users out there. You should really know what you're doing before you attempt to switch over to Linux. Windows has built itself up over time to be user-friendly to the point of idiot-proof. The problem with this is that it has reduced all users to even bigger idiots. It's got the snowball effect going on something terrible. In its efforts for the ultimate in user-friendliness, it has loaded itself down with tons of bullshit that you don't need, probably never will, and will never even know about. The only thing most of those bells and whistles do is hog your resources. It is also less secure than an open bank vault, and it's quite difficult to lock down, due to the vastness of possibilities in which to crack it. It's also very vulnerable to viruses, seeing that viruses for other operating systems are very rare.


In general, Windows is geared more for the basic user, while Linux tends to be geared for the advanced user, and for reliability.

You sound like you would be far better on Windows than you would on Linux. I think you would be totally lost on Linux. It's not for the meek.

[Tedob1]

once again i agree with stflook. windows is best for total newbies. If you go with linux you can through everthing you know out the window(no pun intended)

You can learn to hack just fine on a widows system although i would suggest 2k. Losts of free helpful apps have been written for windows, like SamSpade which gives you whois, dig and finger commands and tuts on how to use them. There's winterrigator, lots of packet sniffers...i mean tons-o-****. more than enough to get 5 to 7 in no time. There's free c/c++ compilers. although i don't know of a free c scripting engine, it can run scripts in vb and jscript. perl is available free for windows and lets not forget java.
In fact windows has a tool you can really get your ass in in a sling with, that linux dosn't...Frontpage. don't ever make a web page with it, but its great for changing other peoples pages.
ftp and telnet clients come with windows, you get server too in 2k, although the telnet client sucks in 2k, the one in 9x is better(i used vb and wrote my own) you can move it over from someones 9x box or get a better on like puttytel (also free)
You can stay busy learning for a log time with windows and latter on you can invest in a good box for linux, if your so inclined.


don't get me wrong linux is THE system for hacking, but you can still do a pretty good job from windows. you wont not need another box for the other members of your household and the poor overworked fbi will only have to carry one box away. :-)

[protocool]

there is much bigger differences when you are
using windows and when you are using linux.
linux by the way is more on programming. you
could only how this operating system works if
you could understand computer programming
such as c/c++, perl, etc.
however, you can easily understand using windows
because it is made to be easy to understand. get the
concept.

linux is downlodable and a free software, that's why
many in the 'hacking' grounds really appreciate and
this operating system a lot. i recommend you use
redhat (the newer version) because of the easy installation
using 'disk druid'.

http://www.aalmata.cjb.net/

and click the links and the linux support!

[dcongram]

Installing Windows = 60 minutes (approx depending on version) and when you are finished
another 30 minutes to add some 'usable' programs (MS Office)

Installing 'Mandrake 8.1' = 30 minutes. When finished: nearly every conceivable program was
installed (Office, CD Burn, PDS Software.....et al)

With the advent of 'RPM' installation of a new program is a breeze.

Internet speed increased on my system by 30 percent over Windows.

You can be up and running Linux.....then learn the nitty-gritty later.

My 2 Cents worth

[Focmaester]

I wouldn´t start using Linux yet, most people are eager to learn Linux but keep forgetting the gap between Linux and M$ is huge.
Yes ppl. there is a diffrence between clickety click and *nix.
Learn the basics, like dhcp/networking etc.
All OS are not the same but do have similarities. Eventually all use tcp/ip, dhcp/protocols etc.

[nietzsche]

You can learn to hack just fine on a widows system although i would suggest 2k.

Ummm ... if we take "hack" to mean kluge and/or take stuff apart to figure out how it works, then I'm not sure this is a great idea. NT makes it awkward to hack around in the kernel, as (among other things) they've masked the parallel port address. So you can't do bit-manipulation on the parallel port. Which takes away from low-level driver stuff.

Now - seeing as how 2K followed NT's track, I'd imagine that the same holds true for 2K, though I've not used it as a robotics platform yet.

Anyway - just something to keep in the back of your mind if you're looking at doing low-level code on windows. 95/98 is what we used for our VC++ (not our paradigm choice, BTW) robot control via the parallel port.

~N~

[gold eagle]

Well I agree with stflook. But do expand your horizons later should you choose to try out unix and try some other flavors as well.

good luck

[EvIl eLf]

You can down load linux for free at www.linux.org i would download redhat the iso image at www.redhat.com