HELP: Linux distro needed

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-05-12 06:25pm

I'm a moderately skilled user with lots of Windows experience. I need a Linux distro that can run Windows software without too much bitching, given that I have a crapload of it and I don't want to go without my favorite games (I admit it, I'm a gaming bitch).

Help plz?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-05-12 06:26pm

Any distro running Wine will run most windows programs, unless its some bizzare nonstandard program.

Now, getting wine to install is another issue..

btw: WineHQ.com

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-05-12 06:49pm

Windows gaming in Linux can be a crapshot, I don't even attempt it most of the time.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-05-12 06:50pm

Better solution: Dual boot.

Pu-239 · Post by **Pu-239** » 2003-05-12 10:39pm

WineX is better for gaming, since it suppors copy protected games and DX8. You have to pay for it though, unless you want to pull it from CVS and compile it yourself, without the proprietary copy protection code.

Currently downloading Debian. LFS takes too long to set up, and my rpm database is extremely quirky.

Lots of nice free 3d games for linux though like Vega Strike and Flightgear.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-05-13 01:30am

I think for the moment I'm going to DL and try out DragonLinux because it's small, it doesn't require a messy commitment like re-partitioning your hard drives, and again, it's small and I don't have to spend days downloading it over 56K.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-05-13 01:38am

Iceberg wrote:I'm a moderately skilled user with lots of Windows experience. I need a Linux distro that can run Windows software without too much bitching, given that I have a crapload of it and I don't want to go without my favorite games (I admit it, I'm a gaming bitch).

Help plz?

The best bet for Windows gaming is dual-boot. Unless you're emulating something that was slow as molasses to begin with (C64) you're going to find that running most Windows/DOS emulation on Linux is going to be fairly disappointing, not to mention rather painful.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2003-05-13 01:57am

You can run Mandrake inside of windows as its own application (sort of...)

It does work.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-05-13 02:36am

Mandrake 9 works pretty well. They fixed the setup wizard; it looks like a regular installer now, and behaves pretty well. Just make sure you install the WINE packages if you want to run Windows apps, and download the winesetuptk application later to configure WINE.

Plus, if you're a Windows lover, Mandrake made a default theme (for both KDE and Gnome) called Galaxy that looks similar to the Windows XP Luna theme.

Although, as others mentioned, dual-booting might be a better choice. In my experience, WINE works best with older programs (Forte Agent comes to mind) although I have gotten it to work with Unreal Tournament with moderate success. But don't expect it to run Grand Theft Auto 3 flawlessly.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2003-05-13 02:44am

The Mandrake setup wizard even seems easier than the one in Winblowz...

Pu-239 · Post by **Pu-239** » 2003-05-13 04:43pm

WineX is better for gaming, since it suppors copy protected games and DX8. You have to pay for it though, unless you want to pull it from CVS and compile it yourself, without the proprietary copy protection code.

Currently downloading Debian. LFS takes too long to set up, and my rpm database is extremely quirky.

Lots of nice free 3d games for linux though like Vega Strike and Flightgear.

WineX subscription is supposedly cheap though. Too bad development will slow to a crawl due to the LGPL facists.

Wine:
www.winehq.org
WineX:
www.transgaming.com

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-05-13 05:46pm

Pu, did you have to post that twice?

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

HELP: Linux distro needed

HELP: Linux distro needed

Re: HELP: Linux distro needed