Trying to convert someone to Linux...

[Roots]

My manager wants me to build a new PC for him, and I setup a decent system for him for under $500. He thought he was going to get WinXP for free from someone, but since you need to register it for WinXP to work I told him that probably wouldn't work, so now he's questioning it because he doesn't want to spend an extra $100-$200 on an OS. I want to tell him about Linux and try to set him up on it, but I've never built a system for Linux, and I don't have much experience with it so I don't want to set it up and have something not working.

This is what he wants to do with his computer: upload and manage pictures from his digital camera, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet. I know you can do all of that in Linux, but I'm afraid of buying some components for him and then not being able to find Linux drivers for him. What precautions should I take in buying hardware and checking for compatibilites with Linux? (probably going to install RedHat Version 7.something). Thanks

 

[pac1085]

Originally posted by: Roots
My manager wants me to build a new PC for him, and I setup a decent system for him for under $500. He thought he was going to get WinXP for free from someone, but since you need to register it for WinXP to work I told him that probably wouldn't work, so now he's questioning it because he doesn't want to spend an extra $100-$200 on an OS. I want to tell him about Linux and try to set him up on it, but I've never built a system for Linux, and I don't have much experience with it so I don't want to set it up and have something not working.

This is what he wants to do with his computer: upload and manage pictures from his digital camera, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet. I know you can do all of that in Linux, but I'm afraid of buying some components for him and then not being able to find Linux drivers for him. What precautions should I take in buying hardware and checking for compatibilites with Linux? (probably going to install RedHat Version 7.something). Thanks

Redhat 7.x is pretty old, go with 9.0.

 

[Soybomb]

Wow this screams bad idea to me on so many levels

1.) If you do this expect to be 24/7 on call tech support for the next few years.
2.) Do you really want to recommend or set someone up with an OS that you don't know much about?
3.) Does he want to learn Linux or even used it before, or is the price the only thing that matters to him?

Be sure he understand he's on his own for support if you do this. To me the price is right but every thing else is wrong for this setting.

If you do this redhat does post a hardware compatibility list on their site.

 

[BurnItDwn]

can't you pick up a copy of win2k for a lot less than that? IMO its a better OS than XP anyhow (that is only opinion though).

Linux is great, but I wouldn't build a system for somebedy using an OS I don't know much about.

 

[skyking]

What they said.....I built a few samba servers, which do not get mucked with much, for friends. The servers still come to visit for any single user stuff

 

[BmXStuD]

Dont put linux on somebody pc and you/him dont know jack about linux. Linux a very complicated os to learn and get setup. Oh ya when he wants to run some windows program on his nix pc and he needs help w/ wine and yep hes going to call you!

 

[tart666]

what they all said. On top of that, you can get a pre-made dell for $400 with xp home included and free shipping. Or, build a decent amd-based system for $400 + $100 xp home OEM (or pro license only).

 

[Doomer]

BAD IDEA

Linux is not for the newbe. Especially a newbe who doesn't know much about computers. You'll be shooting yourself in the foot. There are better ways for YOU to learn linux than using your manager as a test bed.

 

[pac1085]

This is what he wants to do with his computer: upload and manage pictures from his digital camera, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet.

If you are sure thats ALL he wants to do, then I dont really see many problems. (unless he enjoys viewing streaming media embedded in browser windows, quicktime, realmedia, etc...mplayer plugin for mozilla works OK, but it would probably be too complicated for him.) Just set up a simple desktop with a link to Mozilla and XMMS. As far as managing and uploading pictures from his camera, I'm not sure if redhat comes with supermount, but that would be nice for that, so he doesnt have to deal with mounting and unmounting the drive every time he switches flash cards.

 

[clicknext]

Like everyone else said, if he doesn't know how to use it, don't do it. Tell him to either buy WinXP or buy an older one like Win2k or 98SE if he's too financially limited.

 

[KeyserSoze]

Originally posted by: tart666
what they all said. On top of that, you can get a pre-made dell for $400 with xp home included and free shipping. Or, build a decent amd-based system for $400 + $100 xp home OEM (or pro license only).

This is what I would suggest right here.




KeyserSoze

 

[drag]

blah blah blah linux isn't for newbs, whatever...

We will just assume for a bit that your boss isn't a idiot and he doesn't mind playing around and experimenting with a computer a little bit. That's why PC's were invented in the first place, am I wrong? (If you haven't noticed is that windows realy isn't all that "easy to use" anyways if something goes wrong. If that was a issue I'd tell him to get a MAC)

Give him redhat, or better yet SuSE (I beleive they have a ftp install option.)

Hardware-wise, the two most important things to worry about are the sound card and video card. I'd say get him a Sound Blaster, and a NVIDIA card, personally.

Basicly here is what you do. Go and pick out componates. Important things to remember especially if you are looking at Motherboards that have most things integrated into themselves like ethernet/firewire/sound/video whatever is the name of the chipset. Individual motherboard manufactures are not such a biggy, it's the actual name of the chipset that's important. Plus the vid card and sound card for instance.

Buying hardware is always a bit of a risk, several times I have purchased hardware that actually has better drivers in Linux then Windows. I can think of two instances.. a cheapo audio board that refused to function correctly in quake3 (made every thing sound chipmonkish) in windows, worked and sounded better in Linux in conjunction with KDE's artsd sound server (abit with a little lag), and my ATI wonder value TV card, which refused to work along side my NVIDIA geforce2 gts drivers in XP. (I tried many different drivers, including betas and such, it work once, but if you shut it off you'd have to reboot inorder to watch tv again).

If you want goto Redhat's website and do a search for their hardware compatability lists, it'll show you what is supported by default, and give you clues to how to get unsupported hardware working. Since linux kernel is a linux kernel you can asume similar support woth other distro's too.

Maybe if you are lucky you can post here what you are thinking about using and maybe someone with similar hardware can help you out.

 

[drag]

Oh and BTW. If he isn't sure about using linux. Point out to him that it is FREE. IF he doesn't like it, or it's to much bother, guess what? He can go out a buy a version of XP or w2k and you'd be happy to install it for him.

 

[StuckMojo]

i think pretty much every distro has an ftp install option, including redhat