Why should I dual boot?

ok, i've been trying to configure a dual boot, with Linux and Windows, and i've had problems.

the question is, do i really need to do this?

my computer at school uses Linux, so that's what i use during the day (mostly programming in R, and using some Linux-specific packages). of course, i also need to do work on the evenings and weekends, which is when i would use my laptop... i can access my school computer using ssh (and get the files with WinSCP), soooo, do i really need linux on my laptop?

are there other programs i can use to access my Linux computer from my Windows laptop?

 

you can use cygwin to access a unix/linux station from a windows box.

 

dual boot should not be difficult to set up. there is also R for windows (i love R. my univ's stat program uses it intensively).

 

its up to you to decide if you want to dual boot or not.....

 

what's "R"??

 

At the most basic level, you run the OS that supports the apps you need and want- games, mathcad, what have you.

However, you might not like that OS (the state I find myself in) and so you want to do as much as you can in a preferred OS. That then requires that I dual boot so I can do the few items on the OS I don't like because I can't do them on the OS I do like.

 

R is a programming language for statistics. It's based off of S (which presumably stands for statistics), and I guess it's called R because it's one of the two directly adjacent letters.

It comes with a GUI and all for a command line, and visualization windows for the graphs and what-not produced. I'm not spectacular in it, but I have a vague idea of how it works and what it's supposed to do in the hands of someone familiar with it.

I, of course, recommend Wikipedia for a more in-depth look at R.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_(programming_language)

You could even follow the link at Wikipedia to the download -- it's free, being GPL and all.

But that's a tangent from the thread title >.<.

 

Make a dual boot and keep Win in your machine just in case someone may ask you "Hey, can I borrow your machine for an International trip?"

Just for some entertainment reason: P2P TV, Gaming, and ... current video chat.

 

Heck, I love having Linux on my machine just for that reason. People don't want to borrow my machine because they don't know how anything that isn't Windows works And I have full multimedia support, so I have the best of both worlds.

 

Same. My Windows install is locked down so they CAN'T mess it up. And Linux is there all ready to go. But for some reason no one asks to use it...

 

I actully have friends that refuse to use my computer if it's in Linux. I'll have it sitting there, and they'll want to get on the net or something to check email, see it's in Linux, and just sit it down and complain. It's not even that different. You click the Firefox button, type in a web address, and press Enter. That is how it still works in Windows, right?

 

Seems that's why Linux is even much secure than Wins.

 

Nope, you can always run just Linux

But if you install Windows first, I don't see how dual booting is a problem.

R is perhaps the best statistics program made, and ironically free. It easily beats out SPSS and Minitab, which can cost a bundle.

 

I'm not sure whether you're saying you want to do stuff with the files on your laptop, or use your laptop to connect to your school computer and do stuff there.

Anyways... you might look into VNC -- it's a remote desktop type protocol (though slower than RDP) with programs that run on everything. Putty is a Windows program you can use to SSH into places. (I use putty to make an SSH tunnel that I use to connect to my linux computer with TightVNC.) You might look into some kind of virtualization too, and run Linux in a VM on your laptop, if that's more convenient for you than dual booting.

If you want *nix programs on your laptop in Windows, you could look into Cygwin. Never tried it myself, so I don't really know what it's about... Perhaps you could find Windows ports of the Linux programs you use.

I've never had a lot of trouble with dual booting, myself. Maybe you just had bad luck the first try?

 

If my school was friendly to Linux, I would drop Windows in a second. Unfortunately, as I said in another thread, they're addicted to Microsoft like crack.

 

Yeah, well you are forced to use Windows or Mac OS on the campus computers, I agree. But on your notebook, you should still be able to get into the campus network without issue. That's why I don't need Windows on my notebook.

 

Yeah, isnt DHCP all u need to get net connection on a laptop ?

 

I agree, I SHOULD be able to connect. But I have seen very few people who have gotten their Linux boxes to connect here at the university, even with well supported hardware (such as my Intel card) and Atheros chips. Most people don't even try any more. I think the problem is that they use a proprietary connection application that is set up both on the user and the router ends, and unless you are using that app, you have issues. They have a workaround for Mac, but I've tried following that and modifying it and still no luck.

But beyond that, the Windows dependency goes further since I'm an engineer. We're required to use AutoCAD and Solid Edge, which are both Windows-only programs. We could use PRO/E instead, which I hear does work on Linux, but there's not really a good CAD program for Linux.

 

This is exactly my case. After I connect to the network, all I need to do is simply login with my userid and password for internet access.

Odd. What is actually preventing the connection? Even if you need to login after you connect to the network, I don't see why it would be any different under Linux v. Windows.

I guess you should complain if you can't do anything about it.

 

Can anyone help me?? My son is graduating high school and going off to college in Sept - accepted as a computer science major. I want to buy him a new laptop for graduation. Many current students at the college he will be attending recommend a dual boot (Linux & Windows) system. I have also heard however that Vista doesn't "play nice" with Linux.

I have two questions:

1) Can I buy a laptap already configured as a dual boot? (If not, my son's extremely computer literate so he can probably configure it himself. Just seems like it'd be nice if it came that way)

2) What specific component recommendations does anyone have? I want to get him a good but reasonably priced machine (+/- $1500). For some reason he is opposed to Dell and loves I Buy Power.

Thanks so much!

 

I'd consider getting a machine similar to mine, the HGL30 link in my signature. It can be configured to be in your price range, and I know that everything except the webcam plays very nicely with Linux.

 

You probably won't find many places that will sell you a notebook with dual-boot options. Here is a place that will sell them to you, but they're a little expensive. I would recommend going with a mainstream notebook to be honest, preferably one with an Nvidia graphics card and you'll probably want Intel Centrino technology to ensure the best compatibility with Linux and Windows. After that, you should be fine, though keep in mind that special things like webcams and fingerprint readers don't have a great track record of Linux compatibility. But if he'll be using Windows too, at least he'll be able to make use of them there.

 

Thanks for the replies -

Gautam, by "mainstream" do you mean "name brand" or primarily mainstream components? I looked at the site that built Pitabred's recommended machine which is powernotebooks.com - it appears they custom build. I have not heard of the site before however. Thanks for the link to the dual boot site. I read your reply to mean we'd be better off configuring the notebook ourselves after purchase?

 

I mean mainstream components mostly. Mainstream brands such as Dell and Lenovo tend to work better than lesser known brands such as Everest and the like, but that's mainly because they use more mainstream components. But even brands like HP and Dell have issues sometimes, especially with wireless unless you get the Intel card. HP's AMD machines and Dell's own wireless cards tend to be based on chips made by a company called Broadcom, which has terrible wireless support in Linux. This is why I recommended you get a Centrino notebook; this will ensure you get a compatible card, whereas otherwise you'll have to some searching around to find out if a particular laptop or wireless card is supported by the manufacturer.

You don't necessarily need to configure it yourself after purchase (which I assume you mean putting parts in after purchase). However, by the same token, don't expect to just walk into your local Best Buy or Circuit City and buy a laptop and have it work correctly. You'll probably have to do some searching around first.