Filesystems, Disks and Memory

I really Hate the Monopoly Microsoft has over Software, but the fact remains it exists... so I wonder if there was a way to enable Programs Made for Windows and Mac to be Run in Unix as if it was in the Specified OS. Like a Compatibility Wizard. Or in a dual boot computer, for Unix to be able to see a Windows/mac partition table.

Be careful what you say - posts like this can easily become flames when derogatory comments about specific OSes are used, and that would be breaching our rules.

You can use software like WINE and CrossOver Office to run certain Windows apps under Linux. You can also read/write (FAT) and read (NTFS) partitions under Linux, although you won't be able to natively run the applications located thereon.

Cheers
ZB

I see... I didn't mean to be that way about it. I still use Windows even, I just don't like Microsoft Corporation. (Opinion, based on personal bad experiance, which is inclined to differ from one person to the next)

Where could I download the programs you mentioned?

No probs - just like to stop any problems before they might spark up!

Anyway, http://www.winehq.org/ is the place for all the info about WINE including downloads. CrossOver Office is a commercial product from CodeWeavers offering easy installation for a host of (Mostly MS Office) applications under Linux. http://www.codeweavers.com/ has the info....

Cheers
ZB

Thankkyou I have a few more questions though...

I have an SATA-150 300 GB Hard Drive, and in Windows I noticed that having "Large Drive Support" only went up as far as 120 GB, without Serivce Pack two. In Unix, would there be any trouble using Large hard Drives under Unix OS, and how far up can it go?

I normally keep that Drive as Secondary anyway, so if I made a dual OS system (one on each partition) what exactly would I need to be able to view an NTFS partition under Unix OS so I would be able to keep and use the data in both?

I use an AMD 64-bit 3700+ CPU. Are there any versions of the OS that is best suited for this? I know Windows is able to run 32-bit applications in 64-bit processors, but are there any known difficulties under Unix/Linux?

I read up on WINE which is used to make Windows Applications Work in Linux. I have one question on that much - if a Virus targets specific file types used in Windows, would it still be able to effect it in Linux? Or would WINE somehow handle it differently?

And what exactly is the Difference between Unix and Linux?

(I took A+ Certification, Network+ Certification, Windows 2000+ Certification, and built my own computer so I am computer savy, but I am fairly new too Unix/Linux so I have many questions)