Anyone else out there using Linux? I know it's for geeks, but it's cheap and it doesn't involve enriching the wealthiest man on the planet.

If so, any handy hints in general would be appreciated.

I haven't messed with it in about 4 years so I'm sure there have been lots of improvements since then, but I remember the experience being very time consuming. learning how to use it and getting to the point where I could actually do something productive seemed to take months. Plus, the applications for linux were just not as good as their windows counterparts.

If money and anti-microsoft politics are your only reasons for using linux, I would suggest the easier and more satisfying route of stealing microsoft software.

i use it at work and i'll second what martel said. if you're a hardcore geek, you might enjoy the big learning curve... but otherwise yeah, steal a copy of windows or buy a mac.

Too late, already bought it! Spent a mere 30 quid on Suse Linux, only to find out my modem needs drivers to be compiled. Which is something I know nothing about. And the helpline should be renamed the 'I'mnotgoingtohelpline'.

The chess game is good. It has penguins. And also I'm a bit stubborn, so I'll probably stick with it.

I couldn't possibly steal Microsoft products and deprive those little computer men their livelyhoods!

Speaking of stealing from Microsoft, I just got a CDR with the entire Macromedia MX suite for PC all nicely cracked. I need Quark for PC, anyone got it & care to swap?

Guy: I used to use Linux not too long ago. It's a great OS, but as Chris said, linux apps are less productive. However, if you like the linux archetecture, the new MacOS is very heavily Unix based, and also allows shell functions. Don't throw linux out though. RedHat and Mandrake are of course the simplest, but you should look at the Gentoo distro as well: www.gentoo.org I'm all Windows now though for three simple reasons: Star Wars Galaxies.

Finally! I'm online! I was literally in the process of saving all the stuff I'd saved in Linux, and installing Windows when I got online! Yee!