Installing Linux as an alternate OS to use 3d modelers designed for it.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Recently, I came across quite a few 3d modelers that were Linux applications. But I had no way of trying them out due to the OS thing. Then I found an appy called Wubi which basically allows Linux to be installed/run under Windows. I also requested a CD a while back for a free Linux version called Ubuntu which arrived today! Woo hoo! I have a second HD as yet unused to try the thing out, and install as many Linux based modelers as I can find; Sourceforge is loaded with quite a few freeby's to kick the tires on so to speak. Well, here goes nuthin'. I post again as I get underway with it and report back any potentially useful info for everybody else to share...BNG

[Red Devil]

Might want to disconnect your Windows HD's before you try it.

[Raven]

Why? Ubuntu has never hurt my Windows hard drive, installs perfectly fine on the hard drive you choose, and with GRUB it dualboots fine too.

Ubuntu is well worth looking into. Or Kubuntu. I've got on better with Ubuntu to be honest though if you prefer KDE to GNOME then thats up to you. Its easy to use and it can look more aesthetically pleasing than any other OS if that floats your boat or is an important thing to you. Compiz Fusion heh heh.

Which modelling programs are we talking about here?

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Presently, no specific modelers in mind as up til now I generally just bypassed looking into the detail part at Source forge as Linux based programs were out my reach up to then. Sadly, I waxed the CD sent to me after it got stuck in one of my drives, after installing Ubuntu and dual booting into it without first removing the boot CD. I was so afraid that if I rebooted again then it might over write my XP install; I freaked out and try to use a paper clip to open the tray door while Ubuntu was still running. Anyways, the paper clip thingy came into contact with the disc surface and basically trashed it.

I'm DL'ing another version called Ubuntustudio, but on a dial up I expect to wait more then a week as the size is just over 800 megs (than God for resumable DL's). As I understand it, there are several applications that can safely install Linux under Windows without trashing your Windows install; Wubi, is one such appy and came with the original CD. However, I understand in order to maximize the performance of Ubuntu it really should have it's own dedicated partition; there's also another appy for that too after Ubuntu is installed under Windows...BNG 

[Red Devil]

Hmmm...

Downloading Ubuntu now.

[OvermindDL1]

www.vmware.com
Their server edition is free, no 3d accell of course (their home edition has 'alpha' 3d support, the only virtual computer that supports anything relating to 3d at all actually).

[Zero Angel]

In most cases its safe to use a partitioner such as Gparted (on the Ubuntu Live CD) to resize your NTFS partition and make way for an Ext3 (Linux) partition. There is also Windows Software that you can use to get an Ext3 partition to show up as a lettered drive (e.g. E: drive) and be fully read/writable in Windows. Not only that, but within linux, it is possible to symlink your Windows folders anywhere within your linux file system, so you can have any Windows folders accessible from your desktop or /home/$USERNAME folder as if they were physically there on the linux file system.

What I would recommend though is if you're weary of repartitioning your system, that you use a second HDD as your linux hard drive, and have that set as the bootup hard drive. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the latest *buntus will automatically detect your Windows install and add it to the boot menu.

Virtualization software such as VMware is useful if you dont want to have to reboot to select your environment, you can boot Windows from within Linux and vice-versa. There are free VM softwares you can get for Ubuntu from the Automatix util (and possibly from the 'add new programs' menu when the universe repository is enabled).

FYI: The only linux-native software which I've tried is Blender, and though its interface is too arcane for me, it looks powerful. I've gotten BZ2, BZ2ME, Photoshop 7 working flawlessly under kubuntu, and there is a nice compatability database available from appdb.winehq.org (I am the maintainer for the Battlezone 2 application)

[GSH]

I've gotten BZ2, BZ2ME, Photoshop 7 working flawlessly under kubuntu, and there is a nice compatability database available from appdb.winehq.org

Problem: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=5633 has a blatant falsehood:

Version 1.2 is the latest non-beta patch provided by Pandemic Studios

Bull****. 1.2's regarded as beta by Activision, the only people with the ability to make the call. The installer says so itself. Please don't misrepresent cold hard facts, regardless of what you feel about other issues.

-- GSH

[Zero Angel]

Well, I do the best i can. 

Semantics aside, give me a suitable declaration and I will change it. Help and ideas as opposed to strict criticism in the wording would be great since that tends to be preferable to walking on eggshells.

[Raven]

Don't freak out over it, if you are using a second hard drive Ubuntu won't touch your Windows HD unless you specifically tell it to. But yeah I'd be wary about messing with the Windows partition I never get on with them
Dial up? Ouch... Latest version on the Ubuntu website is 7.10 Feisty I think, thats the one I'm on anyway, around 685 megs or somthing. Theres DVD versions too but I think thats out of the question for you

[Zero Angel]

Nope the latest are *buntu 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon". I noticed that the upgrade process tends to botch things a little more, like certain features introduced with the latest *buntus not being implemented (ie: tracker desktop search, certain compiz fusion things) bu default during the upgrade process. A fresh install of Ubuntu tends to show off its latest features a bit more, and I have to say that compared to 7.04 Feisty the improvements are significant -- as I have tried installing Ubuntu Fiesty than upgrading to Gutsy when a customer of mine didnt want to drop an additional $100 on a new Windows CD (due to a lost product key). A pure Gutsy install is better.

[Raven]

Oh is it Gutsy? Whoops
Yeah I ran a fresh install on it, last time I upgraded things weren't perfect so I nuked it and started again. Didn't loose any files, just whacked them onto the Windows drive and dragged them back when I was done. Obviously lost all my settings and stuff though...
I didn't realize 7.10 had some compiz stuff in it like wobbly windows I just installed the full compiz fusion and I think its fantastic.

[OvermindDL1]

All your settings 'n stuff should be in dot files in your home directory.  Generally just copying out your home directory, and copying it back keeps everything perfect between installs (and reinstalling your apps from apt or what-not of course, but a good script can do that too automagically ).

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

So, what's the smallest Linux install version available for low end systems? I can always add more memory to help things run more efficiently, and I'd like to use something that can handle DVD production as well. Though, the primary function is still more less to work with some of the Linux based 3d modelers I came across.

My first real encounter with Linux came after purchasing my previous PC with an ill fated version called, Lindows. But MS didn't like the name and essentially killed it in it's tracks, and forced the company to change the name to something else. Anyways, I ended up buying XP Pro and installing that OS instead; I still have the Lindows CD laying around somewhere collecting dust. I like Linux because of it's open license nature and really feel that it has a lot of promise at some point in the future, and I understand that it has in some regards surpassed Windows in terms of OS stability.

[OvermindDL1]

DamnSmallLinux is the smallest Linux, generally useful in embedded systems.

And the name of that other one is now FreeSpire, and it is still very Windows looking in its default themes.  Does not really matter if you system is powerful or not, (K)Ubuntu is still good, as is really any others, *nix scales a heck of a lot better then Windows does.

and I understand that it has in some regards surpassed Windows in terms of OS stability.

When has it not been more stable?