On Feb 5, 2008 10:11 AM, Daniel Burke <dedrizen at yahoo.com> wrote: > I am new to Linux Welcome! > I am hoping to learn some Linux as well I will second the mention of the various LiveCDs already mentioned. They are an excellent way to both test out your hardware and also experiment with different flavors of Linux so you can find what you like. > The budget for this, ..., is projected to be about $1,200.00 I know you know PCs, but have you considered getting a Dell? If you do, that opens to door to receiving a system pre-installed where you'll know everything works out of the gate. You can still experiment and learn, but you'll start with a known-good system. > What do I look for to make sure the hardware I choose is compatible with > Linux? As has already been mentioned, hardware support in Linux has come a long way (I've used Linux on servers for over 13 years now and on my desktop {exclusively, I'd add) for 10) and things have dramatically changed. Most stuff "just works." If it doesn't Google Is Your Friend and the forums of the various distributions typically offer a quick resolution. > To keep things simple for my wife, I was thinking of going with KDE. Is this > a good choice? Over my long history with Linux, I've used fvwm, fluxbox, GNOME, E17, KDE, xfce, ... For what you're talking about, I happen to think that KDE will be the most "compatible" for you and your spouse. Since you're getting new hardware, there's really no reason to go minimalist (bye bye fvwm, fluxbox, xfce and E17). If you and your spouse have previously used and like Macintoshes, I'd go with GNOME. If you're long time Windows users, go with KDE. With that said, I would also voice support for Kubuntu, the KDE version of Ubuntu. It's a nice, fully functional KDE. > Our children are still very young but it won't be long before they will want > to play on the computer. Any advice on setup that might make my life easier > with the kids accessing the PC over the next decade? I also have two young children, seven and three, and both of them are able to use my home system. The seven year old will go login to his desktop (Switching Users if Mom or Dad have stayed logged in) and bring up Firefox to check his Google Mail. He's also quite adept at playing the plethora of games available (and installed by me) on the system. The three year old is still getting his mouse skills down, but there are enough options for his little mind to engage with as well. > And thinking of children, is there any quick options to "lock" a Linux PC? > In Windows XP, I just have to press the Window+L on the keyboard when our > little two year old boy comes near to prevent him from using my account with > my access to do anything (logging off and shutting down in Windows takes too > long as little boys can be very quick). I very much empathize with this! Yes, there certainly is a way. Exactly how you do it will depend on which desktop environment you choose (KDE, GNOME, etc.). I have my system mapped so <ctrl-alt-l> does the instant locking. -- Brian D. Ropers-Huilman, , Director Systems Administration and Technical Operations Minnesota Supercomputing Institute <bropers at msi.umn.edu> 599 Walter Library +1 612-626-5948 (V) 117 Pleasant Street S.E. +1 612-624-8861 (F) University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus Minneapolis, MN 55455-0255 http://www.msi.umn.edu/