Hi I am new to the forum, I need some advice, I run a small business that's heavily dependent on the internet and I use my Laptop constantly, I am frustrated by the hanging and the slowness of the various to respond, I generally do a few different things at a time on my computer,while waiting for another program or file to respond, I have tried many fixes without success, would a Linux operating system help with the problems I am experiencing, and if so will I be able to use my windows software like MS office. Thank you
cope 0 Newbie Poster
abhi.navale 0 Light Poster
Yes U can completely switch to linux. To know how it wll solve ur problems visit linux.com or linux.org or wiki for linux or any other linux website.
Since u r newbie and u want this linux for u r business, try to get paid linux distro such as red had(redhad.com), xandros(xandros.com), mandriva(mandriva.com) etc. Their cost is not a big deal when compared with performance and user satisfaction.
Ubuntu (ubuntu.com) which is 100% free open source linux, also provides paid support.
By visiting their respective web site u can contact them and get more info on how they can help u.
Why I am suggesting u paid linux becuase if u encountered any problem u can easily get support from them.
Though u can also get full support on 100% free linux distro. But then u have to do all searching thing. You can get detail information on various issues of linux on - tldp.org (The Linux Documentation Project) where possible all linux related document is stored in on central location for users convinience.
You can get complete list and comparison of all Linux distributions here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions
or
www.distrowatch.com
My personal experience with linux is very good. I am using Ubuntu linux. And for last 2 years I am free from crashing, hanging, reinstalling, formatting, VIRUSes etc. etc. etc.
Nowadays Linux have very large range of application software, hardware support, technology support etc. including, but not limited to education, research, business, government, space, science, entertainemt, commerce, agriculture etc.
You can also run Microsoft products (e.g. M.S. Office) on Linux using a software called WINE. Refer to their site winehq.org to make sure which microsoft software they do support.
Now I just switch on my laptop and work on it.
Kaminofushicho 0 Newbie Poster
You're asking a few separate questions that require more information to answer.
1.) The trouble you're experiencing with your laptop may be because of hardware issues, or it maybe that you are trying to do more than your hardware allows. (How old is the laptop, what brand and model is it?) Have you had your harddrive diagnosed for a potential crash? Most newer consumer laptops have a feature in the BIOS that will let you check the harddrive. You'll hit F2 or F5 when it first boots to enter setup. Their should be some sort of tools or utilities option, which should have an option for a harddrive self-test. Run that. Replacing a failing harddrive may solve all of your problems.
It may also be overheating, though you didn't mention many of the common symptoms that indicate an imminent failure due to overheating. Make sure their isn't an accumulation of dust bunnies in the on the underside and edges of your notebook. Also, if the bottom is extremely hot to the touch, you have a problem.
How much RAM does your system have. Upgrading RAM to your system's max could be an easy fix to some of your problems.
When was the last time you backed up your data and reinstalled Windows? Windows slows down over time. A clean install every once in a while is a good idea.
2.) Can you Linux run your business. The New York Stock Exchange seems to think so: . So does Google: http://lwn.net/Articles/357658/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google#Platform
The question isn't can Linux run your business. The question is whether or not Linux is right for you and your business. There is a pretty decent initial learning curve. The filesystem is completely different from Windows. (You will initially be concerned with where files get saved at.)
There are several distributions of Linux that make things easier for new comers.
Ubuntu is the most popular. http://www.ubuntu.com/ I have had several non-computer people use it, and they have adapted to it quite well. Web browsing is simple. Ubuntu and many other Linux distributions use Firefox as their web-browser. It works pretty much the same as it does in Windows.
Ubuntu uses OpenOffice as it's native office suite: http://www.openoffice.org/ It can open MS Word documents without problems. Things can get a little finicky with Excel spreadsheets. It's Present program is a streamlined version of PowerPoint. I haven't really used many of the other programs, so I can't speak to how they compare. It is free (as in no cost) software, as well as being opensource. I've used it for years, and I've never felt the need to switch back to MSOffice. (Why pay licensing fees every year when this gets the job done just as well?) You can use OpenOffice in Windows (I did this for a year and a half before I switched to Linux.)
Linux tends to use memory more efficiently than Windows. I run dual boot systems; because there are some applications that Linux doesn't have an equivalent to, and some web interfaces that don't work in Linux. (And my spouse prefers Windows.) Linux runs faster and smoother on my hardware than Windows does.
A major questions is, what applications and web interfaces do your clients use? If they need something that only works in Windows, you're stuck with Microsoft. If you are producing software or doing web development, you're safe to switch. (Heck, the Internet basically runs on Linux at this point.)
You're best bet is to download a distribution of Linux and install it on a test machine. Use this for a month or so, and evaluate it. Have your employees try it out. If it works, see about switching over. If not, you don't lose anything. I recommend Ubuntu as a first distribution. It's developers have focused on making it accessible to newcomers, it has a broad base of support, and it is well documented.
Switching to Ubuntu from Windows:
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/switching/index.html
Ubuntu Community Documentation:
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/index.html
Get Ubuntu:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
abhi.navale 0 Light Poster
You're asking a few separate questions that require more information to answer.
1.) The trouble you're experiencing with your laptop may be because of hardware issues, or it maybe that you are trying to do more than your hardware allows. (How old is the laptop, what brand and model is it?) Have you had your harddrive diagnosed for a potential crash? Most newer consumer laptops have a feature in the BIOS that will let you check the harddrive. You'll hit F2 or F5 when it first boots to enter setup. Their should be some sort of tools or utilities option, which should have an option for a harddrive self-test. Run that. Replacing a failing harddrive may solve all of your problems.
It may also be overheating, though you didn't mention many of the common symptoms that indicate an imminent failure due to overheating. Make sure their isn't an accumulation of dust bunnies in the on the underside and edges of your notebook. Also, if the bottom is extremely hot to the touch, you have a problem.
How much RAM does your system have. Upgrading RAM to your system's max could be an easy fix to some of your problems.
When was the last time you backed up your data and reinstalled Windows? Windows slows down over time. A clean install every once in a while is a good idea.
I agree with you.
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