Can I do with Linux what I can with XP?

I mean programming(Java and c++), web designing, surfing and other normal stuff.





I know Linux is not good for games, but it's Ok.

Can I do with Linux what I can with XP?
its the difference between what you can "do" and what you can "run".


With Windows you can RUN more things that you find or buy. There are more things that you can get to RUN on your computer and most of them will not RUN on Linux.





However with Linux there are far more things that you can DO. You can DO everything that you can do on windows but you will probably have to find a different program than the one you used in Windows.





It can be hard to figure out the diff but it sounds like you are more interested in doing things than in running more things.
Reply:I have not found anything yet that you can do in Windows, that you can't do under Linux. For programming, simply Google "programming [insert language] linux." For web surfing, Mozilla's Firefox is easily as good as (or better than) Internet Explorer, Mozilla Thunderbird replaces Outlook Express, and GAIM replaces your various Windows IM services.





As for games, the primary problem is that few commercial games are written to operate under Linux. However, many (if not most) can be run under Linux using Cedega or WINE. Installation isn't as easy as under Windows, and the games MAY suffer a little bit in graphics and/or performance, but in most cases, it's at least possible.
Reply:From a programming perspective (web programming) the only thing that's you really can't do very well on Linux is Flash animation creation.





There are plenty of substitute programs for all sorts of other software, but I haven't found a good (or even a bad) substitute for Flash (....yet. There are some people who are trying to work on something and rumors that Adobe might do something about it--it's made a player and Flex compiler so far, so maybe someday.)





If you don't need that and you don't care about games, jump into Linux! It's like taking the red pill--you'll never look back.
Reply:Absolutely!! And compilers and IDEs and debuggers all come free with the operating system.





Not to mention most of the app software you're ever likely to need is installed when you set it up or can be easily installed afterwards.





Hope that helps!!
Reply:Absolutely.





I've been using Linux as my only operating system for 3.5 years, with no problems whatsover.





If you're thinking about making the switch, I suggest Fedora, Debian, Knoppix, or Ubuntu to start out.





Once you get the hang of it, you might like the power of Gentoo, Arch Linux, Slack, Suse, or one of the other more advanced distributions.





Good luck!