Well I’m taking over Lev’s position as lead animator for Team 116 now that he has graduated. shudders
Anyways. I have been considering making the move on my main computer from Windows to Linux. Now, I have basic Linux background… meaning the following:
I have installed Red Hat before.
I know how to check my email using Ximian Evolution.
I have updated the graphics drivers for my Radeon 9700 Pro for Linux.
I’m familiar with the interface.
I have played Tux Racer.
I know, I know - I’m a Linux master…
But the fact is, when faced with the linux terminals… the things where you actually have to type… well I can change directories and do ‘make’ commands but thats about it.
I’m a Windows guy, which is sort of ironic because I cant stand Microsoft… but then… isn’t that all of us? I need to click and drag. To see my files. I don’t like typing to get stuff done, but I understand that thats the heart of Linux.
Anyways, I figure the best way to solve this is to wipe out Windows for the most part (still have it for Counter-Strike ) and use Linux as much as possible.
So I have two questions: What is the best way to actually become comfortable and actually knowledgeable with Linux. And secondly, what can I do with it animation-wise.
I understand that Maya runs on Linux - what about Max. And if not Max, you guys have been talking about Open-Source 3D apps a bit - are any of those for Linux that are any good?
DON’T WIPE OUT WINDOWS! When you have that three-page paper due and openoffice just isn’t working it’s a lifesaver.
Keep them both, dual boot and just experiment. If you break something then just reload, it’s not as bad as reloading windows. Read HOWTOs and ask questions.
Don’t fell like pointing out the stupid stuff, but you could always just use a separate crap computer for windows too (though dual booting I agree is the best way to go).
Well as I said, I’ll still have it for Counter-Strike.
I guess I wasn’t totally clear. What I am planning on doing is dual booting, like you said, using GRUB. At this point in time I can’t give up Windows 100%, but what I meant was to use Windows sparingly and rely mostly on Linux.
And also, from what I have heard, is that the latest version of OpenOffice is much more stable.
Yes, openoffice is a lot better… make sure you download 1.1 If it doesn’t work, just use kwrite, abiword or any of the numerous other word-processors around.
As for multi-media offerings, please read my long list of Open-Source applications in the other thread, all of these run under linux except one and are of very good quality.
If you know enough to deal with the graphics drivers then you’ll fall into things once you use it 24/7 soon enough. Just get more and more interested in how the system works and you’ll do fine.
Also, make sure you patch with apt-get often. UNIX-based machines are very powerful and will be exploited fast in the wild, patch often.
Also, I think using a normal file explorer (such as konqueror) to browse your filesystem is still a lifesaver. Being able to both type as well as to be able to go through things visually is very nice.
*Originally posted by Matt Krass *
**
…
DON’T WIPE OUT WINDOWS! When you have that three-page paper due and openoffice just isn’t working it’s a lifesaver.
…
**
It’s more like when MSWord 2000 isn’t working and you have a ten-page college entrance paper to be mailed in 5 hours, then use OpenOffice.
Even if you don’t want a source based system, making one is very very educational. Go to http://www.linuxfromscratch.org to build your own system from sources. If you can get a LFS system with one of the big desktop packages installed (KDE or GNOME), you’ll be very comfortable with compiling , installing, and configuring almost any FOSS software out there.
Yup, it’s a huge time waster. 2 weeks for your first system at the very least. But you’ll learn plenty. And you’ll like terminals too.
My recommendation is to go out a bookstore (Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and pickup a complete reference manual to the specific distro that you are using. There are many different types such as the “Bible” series or “The Complete Reference” series. I have always found those helpful and they contain a multitude of tutorials and references. They may seem like a pain to read but you only have to use them when you are stuck.
Online forums and FAQ sites such as linuxquestions.org are great help for those complex problems.
My advice is to just go out and read everything that you can. The more you know, the more you can work with the system.
if you really want to learn “Linux” then i suggest you ditch redhat and get something that’s not as “user-friendly”. i learned on slackware (www.slackware.com), but some people, much like when enterting a swimming pool, prefer to be eased into it rather than jumping right in…
other distros that are pretty stripped down but usable are gentoo and debian…
my second suggestion is to goto the stand in linux documentation which is the linux documentation project located at www.tldp.org or www.linuxdoc.org …they’ll have a reference for anything you can think of.
another suggestion is to consider wine or even better vmware (if you can afford it!). while wine is an EXCELLENT windows emulator, i must say i prefer vmware’s full use of native resources…if you want to game though i do recommend wineX. it’s a set of directx api’s for linux…
anyhow, if you have anymore questions you can pm or im me…or email me.
WINE is technically not an emulator but a compatability layer. As for distro choice, I don’t want to start a flamewar here, but RH or Mandrake might be perfect for the needs. You can learn by using just as well as the pains of install…
The one thing that is a must is you must keep your system up to date, no matter what distro… if it’s redhat, use apt-get.
*Originally posted by djcapelis *
**The one thing that is a must is you must keep your system up to date, no matter what distro… if it’s redhat, use apt-get. **
Apt is a Debian-based system. I believe RedHat uses Up2Date, or something like that…
Oh yeah in response to the last question, according to WineHQ they only have 3ds Max 4.2 running on the latest release of Wine. It might be possible to run the latest version but many times it’s extremely buggy and might not work at all. Your best bet is to stick to windows for 3ds Max until they have a stable Wine release.
I use Red Hat 8 for all of my video editing, photo editing, and 3d work (Maya 5, Shake 3, GIMP). My server runs Red Hat 8 also. I am very comfortable with Red Hat, though some time i will screw around with NetBSD for my server…
But nomatter what distro you choose your window manager will affect your opinion of linux. DO NOT use bloated WM like Gnome or KDE, use Blackbox, Hackedbox or Fluxbox.
As for a server- do not install a gui, it is a waste of time.
*Originally posted by FotoPlasma *
**Apt is a Debian-based system. I believe RedHat uses Up2Date, or something like that… **
Yes, as another poster said, apt is indeed ported to RPM. I use apt on Redhat exclusively… up2date can go to hell… The fedora project (which started as an apt-repository) was just integrated into RH. Expect to see serious apt action in the next consumer release.
As for window managers, I’ve been very happy with KDE, though I also have fluxbox (and have had blackbox) as well as windowmaker and a bunch of other lighter ones around. I personally don’t mind the eye candy and they run fast enough.
If you’re worried about desktop performence… use the 2.6.0 test releases of the kernel. It is absolutely amazing increase in performence for the GUI elements. (Pre-emption is really nice…) not to mention the inbuild ALSA support…
I have an old IBM 365XD. Since its february vacation, a few friend and myself have decided to have a little fun with it. I don’t use it for anything, the computer I use is this hp. I plan on just completely deleting the whole thing and switching (from windows 95) to Linux and opensource. I figured it would speed the machine up and it would probably be a good maneuver because IBM is converting to Linux right now anyways.
I would definitely recommend going for a not so userfriendly distribution, but not one that is extremely difficult for new users (gentoo, LFS). I find that slackware is just right: not difficult to install, but doesn’t do everything for you like mandrake does. Personally, I use Slack 9.1 on my main computer (kernel 2.6.0), Vector 4 on my server (2.4.22 i believe… gotta get around to updating that to at least 2.4.24…), and Fedora Core 2 on my laptop (2.6.2). Fedora is the first rpm based distro I have used, and so far it is pretty nice.
also, as … said, your choice of windowmanager will make a big impact on your opinion… but what you chose depends on your tastes; if you are used to normal explorer on windows, then i would use either kde or gnome because they are very similiar to explorer. if you already use bb4win or litestep, then you may be more comfortable using something like blackbox, enlightenment, or pekwm.
also, if you do dualboot, use windows as an absolute last resort. in fact, the way that i learned linux was by deleting windows. you see, i love my computer so much that i was forced to figure out how to get things working the way they should be… if i had windows installed, i probably would have just given up sometimes and gone back to using it. a few years using solely linux, i have never looked back on the switch.
) and use Linux as much as possible.
The fedora project (which started as an apt-repository) was just integrated into RH. Expect to see serious apt action in the next consumer release.