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[MagicAimee]

Hello there humans!
My human has recently updated her computer with a new windows system after a  computer crash at great expense then I find she could have got Linux for free which according to other humans is a far superior system. I am here to learn!
Magic Aimee

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

I find she could have got Linux for free which according to other humans is a far superior system

You'll be hard pushed to find many people here that are going to argue with that

But as with most things it's a matter of perspective and expectations.... what do you use your PC for ?

"Linux is not Windows" .. if you are expecting it to run your Windows applications, in general it won't, but there are nearly always free Linux alternatives:

Here's a link to a list of some of the more common alternatives:
Linux Alternatives to Windows Software (http://linux.co.uk/2010/06/linux-alternatives-to-windows-software/)

*Some* Windows applications will run in WINE (think of it as a windows emulator... though it isn't), but not all... and if you are a Windows gamer, you really want Windows... though again *some* can be made to work in WINE.

That said, there is nothing stopping you from setting up a "Dual Boot" system, that will ask you if you want to boot into Windows or Linux when you turn your PC on... so you can boot to Windows for your Windows games, or Linux for everything else
(Dual boot is slightly harder to set up though)

You can easily take Linux for a "test drive" without making any changes to your hard drive, by booting to a Linux LiveCD (http://linux.co.uk/index.php/pages/livecd/), or creating a LiveUSB (http://linux.co.uk/index.php/pages/usb-key/) and booting from that... then you can decide for yourself if Linux is for you without affecting your system at all.... both LiveCD's and LiveUSB's will boot to a working Linux desktop without making any changes to your WIndows setup, though only a LiveUSB is going to allow you to save changes such as install new software, save docs, etc.
(Obviously running Linux from a CD or USB stick won't be as quick as running it from a hard drive)

But if you are after a MUCH more secure system that will do everything Windows will do (except run Windows applications), are sick of Viruses and Malware, enjoy a sense of community, want to learn something new, and all of this (generally) for free... Linux is for you

You'll find answers to most of your questions on our parent site Linux.co.uk (http://linux.co.uk/) but we'll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have

[EDIT]

Erm... Meow ??