Is it time for Linux for Peer to Peer Users?

[Power Penguin]

Now that everybody and their granny is getting sued by the RIAA, is it now time for Linux?

Linux afterall is free. Windows would have to be purchased from now on. And in 2005 the next version of Windows may have heavy DRM sotware bult in. Another reason not to bother.

With Linux you are able to do all the things Windows can now, and more. I tried the operating system the other day and found it to be easy to install, with some great applications.

The only thing I didn't like was the multitude of programs, it was a bit overwhealming to be faced with the choice of two browsers.
But for this price who cares?

[Sockfulloflove]

I don't see how Linux is safer than Windows, unless you have an illegal copy of Windows.

[Power Penguin]

Originally posted by Sockfulloflove
I don't see how Linux is safer than Windows, unless you have an illegal copy of Windows.

That was my point - illegal windows.

Soon it will be cheaper overall to run Linux. Even for the most rabid file sharer.

[BloodStraw]

Originally posted by Will Rae
The only thing I didn't like was the multitude of programs, it was a bit overwhealming to be faced with the choice of two browsers.
But for this price who cares?
You can choose witch packages to install in most distros... witch one did you try?

[Power Penguin]

Originally posted by BloodStraw
You can choose witch packages to install in most distros... witch one did you try?

I tried the Mandrake distribution.

[Theinfamousone]

refer to this thread here (http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13309&highlight=spread)

we were just talking about this. If the new version of Windows has DRM built into the OS, it will require a processor that will only work with Wndows, they are trying to make it impossible to use Linux, ie, not let you connect to the internet unless you use a DRM OS.

[BloodStraw]

Originally posted by Will Rae
I tried the Mandrake distribution.
If you want to choose what packages you want to install get Redhat ; P

[SUprEMeBeiNg]

KNOPPIX = :-D

[Theinfamousone]

Lindows 4.0

[isus]

no matter what the os, you are not any safer when you are on p2p. you can be using linux, windows, or even osx, it doesn't matter. if you share on p2p, you can be caught by using a client that accesses that network and shows what you share or who you are downloading from.

then a simple "netstat" or equivalent, and they have your ip. then they get it from your isp, and then they know who you are.

[Lucian]

Yes its time for Linux.

Linux is safer because if you get raided they wont be able to simply undelete all your shit, and look at all your files.

Also no need to worry about viruses, spyware, trojans, DRM, or any of that.

[Power Penguin]

I've heard Micosoft refer to linux as a cancer. This makes me laugh. A tumor is Micosoft with it's plans for global domination and total control of computing.

Thanks to the Swede for the tip.

[isamoor]

With Mandrake, may I suggest going out and finding the Penguin Liberation Front. (PLF for short) They run a nice repository of third party and questionable (P2P) apps for mandrake. They explain well how to add their source to your rpmdrake options.

From there, I might recommend GTK-gnutella and xMule for all your needs. Freenet is neat as well.

Best of luck with linux! I'm personally done with windows.

Later,

Isamoor

[Power Penguin]

Originally posted by isamoor
With Mandrake, may I suggest going out and finding the Penguin Liberation Front. (PLF for short) They run a nice repository of third party and questionable (P2P) apps for mandrake. They explain well how to add their source to your rpmdrake options.

From there, I might recommend GTK-gnutella and xMule for all your needs. Freenet is neat as well.

Best of luck with linux! I'm personally done with windows.

Later,

Isamoor

Thank you for all the intelligent responses. I will certainly use Linux exclusively in the future. For now I'm looking at dual booting this computer, until I get more technical help on the intricacies of installing my modem!

I really need free support over the phone.

Another thing I could use is a printed Mandrake or Linux manual for cheap.

[isamoor]

No no, I understand. I couldn't quite windows cold turkey. It took me close to a year to get to the point I could scrap windows.

As far as good Mandrake documentation, I don't know exactly what to tell you.

For your heavy duty needs, you can go to http://www.tldp.org , but those are detailed technical howtos.

I believe you can get on the official mandrake forums for free, you just can't post.

The other two heavy hitting forums for help are

http://www.linuxquestions.org

http://www.justlinux.com

It would do you good to do some reading there.

There's good intro docs online for Slackware and Debian, but those aren't quite the same as Mandrake.

As for your modem, I'd go to the above forums and search around for what's been said before.

Mandrake is a good newbie distro, probably the best. Don't think that Mandrake's quirks apply to all other distros too though. In making thing all so easy, Mandrake tends to introduce many annoying bugs. It is a great way to learn though.

Maybe keep up on news and the like on these sites would give you a hand:

http://www.distrowatch.com

http://www.linuxorbit.com

Best of luck and all!

Later,

Isamoor

P.S. Here's the official Mandrake forum. I don't necessarily recommend it, you have to pay to get answers.

http://www.mandrakeclub.com/

[Power Penguin]

You are a hyperlinker of immesurable stature.

If I was a king I would make you a knight.

If you were sugar I would sprinkle you on my cornflakes.

[isamoor]

Well, I think those are swell compliments.

I did leave off a couple very needed links. I sorta did it on purpose since these are pretty much the most flamed sites I ever frequent, but I suppose there is still valuable data at them on occasion. I'm sure you know slashdot, but things start making sense there once you use linux for a while. Osnews is a permenent Windows vs Apple vs Linux flame site. It does have good stuff on it though.

http://slashdot.org

http://www.osnews.com


And after thinking hard about what docs to refer you to on mandrake, I think I'll just say don't mess with editing too much by hand on mandrake. It's probably best to just use mandrake to test out all the included apps that come with it. Of course you can give the different windows managers a run through easily too. If you can't configure something by a gui, it's probably gonna be slightly more difficult on Mandrake than it should be, so I'd just say skip it. Just go through Mandrake and click everything you can and you should make it along just fine.

Later,

Isamoor

P.S. Rpmdrake is a very useful app on mandrake for installing extra apps to test out. It's built on top of the "urpmi" command that is pretty much the best command on mandrake. It installs packages from all mediums and tries to handle all dependencies. Pretty impressive when you see it in action. Other distros of course have similar commands.

[Lucian]

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5060075.html

look at that

[isamoor]

All I can say is that guy has money to burn. Lindows is nice and all, but geez. I'd sure as hell retire if I ever had $650 million.

Now if you could only get Lindows preloaded on PCs actually in WalMart stores and others you'd be cookin'.

Later,

Isamoor

[dverma75]

Originally posted by Will Rae
I've heard Micosoft refer to linux as a cancer. This makes me laugh. A tumor is Micosoft with it's plans for global domination and total control of computing.

Thanks to the Swede for the tip.

I dont think so:

here is a nice linux distro that u can add to your list

http://www.mslinux.org/ :)

[jonnymnemonic]

I've got no beef with Linux, or any operating system, really. If Windows+Intel+AMD go to some form of hardware-based DRM, the OS won't matter much, you'll have to hack the hardware itself regardless.

But in any case, I don't pick an OS based on how much I can avoid paying other people for stuff they produce, I use an OS based on how well it enables me to make money, and Windows, as of now, does the best job of that. If in the future Linux serves me better in that area, then I will certainly move right over.

As for no viruses or sploits for Linux, that's not true. There are viruses and exploits for any and all operating systems. In some ways, the open source concept can make exploits easier to get into prodection code, since the 'code overseer' may not be the one who wrote the code that's going in (and thus, may have less understanding of what is going on IN that code).

For now, Windows is fine with me. My copy of Windows is legal and will remain that way. But if MS starts telling me what MP3 files I can or can't download or listen to, or anything else along that line, then I'll certainly vote with my pocketbook and move to something else. I'm sure many will do the same, and MS knows that, so they must realize it is in their best financial interest NOT to become too Big Brothery. If they forget that, then they will figure it out pretty damn quickly. And I'm the kind of consumer they really don't want to lose - I buy a fair bit of software, have a legal OS, and spend probably around $200/month just on hardware (taking into account the quality and frequency of the systems I purchase).

That said, if Windows becomes too intrusive, Linux is the OS to which I would move --bBut not with any illusions that it's virus-free or exploit-free. The reason there are so few sploits and viruses for Macs and all *nix systems isn't that they're impregnable, it's because there are FAR MORE Windows systems and if you're going to spend time developing sploits and viruses, obviously you want the maximum reach for your time investment. That's it, that's the only reason.

But I actually prefer that the maker of my OS has their bottom line at stake in producing a product that I want to use. Ye Olde Bottom Lyne provides a lot of incentive in this world of ours.

[isamoor]

I'll agree with most of what you say, but not all. Windows is still a good operating system. Without it, we wouldn't have the desktop pc's that we have today. They have gone a little too far in a few respects. The index.dat files are a perfect example of why I gave up on Microsoft. I want a OS I can trust.

The Bottom Line arguement does not exactly hold. Microsoft is trying to code an OS for you the consumer. Linux coders (kernel hackers) are coding the os for themselves. It could be said that the linux coders know their target audience a bit better than others. At the same time, you would need to be of similar interest and needs to appreciate the linux final product.

And the security arguement could swing either way, but I'd trust open source. True, there are no linux viruses (I don't count the few out there that require root access to do anything). But I think that has a lot to do with market share. Linux is pulling some server market share though, and I haven't heard of any problems there. Open source is so much easier to review than closed source, and anyone can fix an error that they find. Windows owners have to wait for Microsoft to get around to it.

Think about this, what do most hackers (bad kind, script kitties) use as an OS? I'd say a good many run linux just for nmap and the better TCP/IP stack if nothing else. Do you think they'd leave vulnerabilities in their os? That's pretty far fetched though, not really a good point.

Microsoft does have a centralized distribution of patches with Windows Update. Linux users have to depend on their distros or do it by hand. SysAdmins have learned not to trust Windows Patches though, so that sorta defeats the purpose of Windows Update in the first place.

And I do hate to burst your guys bubble on DRM. When DRM comes, Linus and the other kernel developers plan on coding support into the kernel right along with all other new technology. The catch is of course that no-one says you have to compile in that support when you make the kernel. :)

My $.02

Later,

Isamoor

P.S. If you don't know about the index.dat file, go over to this site and read about Microsoft's hidden files.

http://www.fuckmicrosoft.com

[BloodStraw]

Will Rae: I know a way to choose witch packages to install in mandrake, in the install you will see installation options with where you can check "multimedia computer" "game station" etc.
Down there there should be a box called "choose individual packages" (or something like that), check it and click next and you will can choose what to install or not to :) hope this helps!

[isamoor]

Yea, you can do that in mandrake. I did it my first time through. Personally, I'm gonna recommend against it, especially for the newbie.

Instead, just pick the catagories that you want and go with the choices it gives.

I'm not saying don't try out all the apps, I just think RPMDrake (urpmi) is a better enviroment to go browsing through all the available apps and read about their detailed description. You get to rpmdrake through the mandrake control panel after you boot into a desktop on mandrake. You can even go online and check out a packages homepage before you install it this way. I think it offers a more comfortable setting to try out packages.

Mandrake is pretty bad about only testing the packages in the default install groups thoroughly. Some of the apps you have to select individually are probably just compiled automatically by the server farms at mandrake without testing. Openoffice on the ppc didn't even have a working ui (It wasn't installed by default in the install process).

Do go and install all these apps and test them though. There is a huge wealth of cool things out there.

Later,

Isamoor

[NDGAARONDI]

Originally posted by Theinfamousone
refer to this thread here (http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13309&highlight=spread)

we were just talking about this. If the new version of Windows has DRM built into the OS, it will require a processor that will only work with Wndows, they are trying to make it impossible to use Linux, ie, not let you connect to the internet unless you use a DRM OS.

Isn't that illegal?

[.::BeatFactory::.]

In my opinion, the command "apt-get" is about as damn good to Linux as Windows Update is to Windows.

If you know how to use it, it serves you well.

[isamoor]

Any package manager (apt-get, yum, urpmi, pkg_add) is better than windows update. With these you can choose where to get your packages from, you're not dependant on one closed server.

Also, you can use these to install actual apps, unlike windows update. I mean, just look at http://www.apt-get.org , that's a pretty impressive list.

Later,

Isamoor

[Power Penguin]

I have to conclude that IT is not time for Linux, having failed to get Kazaa Lite working on Linux.