Linux

1) i want to switch myself from windows to linux OS. i have never used linux before. could u please guide me what distro i should install..

2) secondly i have to buy a new laptop. recommend me any good solid laptop for linux OS. coz i have heard u have to have problems with drivers when it comes to linux.

thanks!

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oops!
i m sorry.. i didn't know that.
with due respect.. u know my question.. help me with that..

This is a pretty broad question. We would need to know what you plan on doing with this OS. Is it simply for surfing and email? Do you want to do office type tasks (word processor, spreadsheets, etc)? Are there any "special" programs that you run in Windows that you will still need? Those are the details that make the answers easier.

Now, on the other hand, I haven't found any decent laptop that won't run Linux, so you could actually buy a used machine or the new ones in the $300 - $400 range and be ok. As for me, I would recommend Ubuntu as the distro to run as a first-timer. I've installed it several times for different people and have had zero problems with drivers. The learning curve wasn't very difficult either. This included web, email, Open Office and even wireless.

yeah i believe that's a pretty board question.. i want a change, so thats the only reason. i have been with computer field from last 10 years.. wat i had done in IT is only college level projects .. thats it.. different languages based on IT infrastructures. very limited knowledge no specilization.. nothing..
i have never done C or C++ language even, coz our instructures had this in their mind, like we have far better modern languages as compare to C. but i know C is the mother of all languages
recommend me books too. i would really appreciate that..
thanks

First off let me adjust your expectations a little. You need to keep in mind Linux Is Not Windows: You'll need to climb a learning curve and find new software to do things you were proficient at before since they're just not the same. As long as that's understood:

If you want a graphical system for day-to-day use, Ubuntu is good. It's a bit of a pig as far as Linux distros go but for a modern machine that's not a problem. It's very easy to install and user-friendly, and compatible with hardware that drives other distros batty. Its fancy autoconfigurators make it difficult to really play with its internals however; you won't learn much about traditional UNIX administration from it. It's still fine for learning shell scripting and the like, which you'd probably want to learn first anyway.

Once you're comfortable with the shell you've got your choice of lots of distros. Debian's fairly traditional, and Ubuntu's actually derived from it. Gentoo's challenging to install and configure but will teach you lots of things real fast, and is the distro to pick if you're interested in the C language since it compiles nearly everything from source.

As for better modern languages, I challenge them to find a modern language that's not written in C.

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yeah that's why i said.. i need a change.
but i do really appreciate, its a very comprehensive answer for me..
All hats for you..

i like the challege part though