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[Q] Dual boot Ubuntu and Android?

The dual-form nature of this item would fit a dual-boot scenario perfectly. Boot into Android when used as a tablet, boot into Ubuntu when docked. Just curious as to the possibility of this.
As far as I know, Ubuntu supports ARM architecture, so the Tegra 2 chip should work well with it. I'm not familiar with the touch screen driver support in Ubuntu, but I remember when I modded my old EeePC netbook with a touch screen, I was able to install third party touch screen drivers without any problem. Then again, even if the touchscreen won't work, when docked it has the mouse and keyboard anyway.
Are there any devs working on this, or know what the feasibility of such an endeavor would be?
Thanks!

Let me know when I can dual boot into Linux Mint.

I'm wondering if the webtop from atrix can be ported to work here.
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PGibbons999 said:
Let me know when I can dual boot into Linux Mint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux Mint is based off of Ubuntu, so if you can get one working, you can get the other. However, vanilla Ubuntu has three times the user base, so I feel that would be the best bet, considering the much larger community support.

Definitely should be a project someone works on

Should be very easy to boot ubuntu alongside android. Got a lot of spare ram on these systems.
This of course means running ubuntu with a vnc server, and connecting to localhost. Which is far from optimal. But it works atleast. That's what I plan to do when I get the tablet.
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet

nurre said:
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not unless we get an ARM SDK. There is nothing I would like more than to be able to develop for my tablet on my tablet, but right now it is not possible, even with Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 11.04 was just released with the new Unity interface standardized. I'm not sure how well the Tegra 2 can handle it, but there's also Unity 2D, which looks great.
And the touchscreen interface looks lovely:
http://unity.ubuntu.com/projects/utouch/
I'm getting excited, I really hope we can get this working!

nurre said:
Should be very easy to boot ubuntu alongside android. Got a lot of spare ram on these systems.
This of course means running ubuntu with a vnc server, and connecting to localhost. Which is far from optimal. But it works atleast. That's what I plan to do when I get the tablet.
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was already done on the Xoom I believe.

ZaelFaroe said:
Not unless we get an ARM SDK. There is nothing I would like more than to be able to develop for my tablet on my tablet, but right now it is not possible, even with Ubuntu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very good point :/, oh well. I can still do my normal development

nurre said:
A very good point :/, oh well. I can still do my normal development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand, Eclipse is actually built entirely on Java. Is anyone aware of a full java environment for ARM Linux?

The problem isn't eclipse being based on Java, the problem is the Android SDK plug-in (which specifies x86). It could be that you only need x86 for the emulator or for the USB drivers (I don't know), but it could also be something else where none of the plug-in will work on ARM. You could probably do development (write code), but you probably couldn't compile to apk or test at all. People on PPC Macs already have this issue. It appears that the source code for the SDK is publicly available so maybe we could get it working, but I think that might be more effort than it is worth at this point in time.
But this is getting off topic. We need Ubuntu (or other full linux distro) before the rest of this is even remotely possible.

They have Ubuntu working on some of the old Windows Mobile phones (check out the HTC Touch Pro 2 / Rhodium). Isn't that an ARM based CPU?

Yes, Ubuntu should have no problem working on ARM. The only questions on Ubuntu are the drivers and bootloader.

Getting linux up and running shouldn't be hard. It's done on most modern cell phones already. And the cut down versions are normally due to limitations in hardware.
The only part that sucks is the vnc localhost solution which is generally being deployed, it's not exactly optimal performance wise.

nurre said:
The only part that sucks is the vnc localhost solution which is generally being deployed, it's not exactly optimal performance wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to deal with this problem would probably to get X11 working with Android's graphics stack (mostly OpenGL) as a backend- sort of like Xephyr, or Wayland's embedding of X11 (basing the work on Wayland's work might be the easiest, since they already use OpenGL ES).
That should deliver near-native performance, with full hardware acceleration.
I'd think the best way to structure it would be to have an app you launch within Android that connects to the X11 server and just pushes the final image to the screen (akin to what Wayland does). That should make it reasonable practical to move between Android and Unity (/Gnome/KDE/etc) without too much weirdities.
---
For doing Android development on Android, until there's a native SDK, you could use X11's network transparency to be running Eclipse on a remote machine via SSH, using port forwarding to allow the remote machine to connect back over the tunnel for ADB. It's ugly, but it should work (assuming you have a network connection... and a working x11!).

Initially thought this would be a huge reverse enginering job, but look and behold : http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/news/linux-tegra-released !

Did anyone actually tried to run any Linux distro on it?

Is there any dev working on the question ?
Having a Android/Ubuntu tablet with an actual removable keyboard good me a huge advantage in terms of productivity/entertainment share... !!

nordicfastware said:
Is there any dev working on the question ?
Having a Android/Ubuntu tablet with an actual removable keyboard good me a huge advantage in terms of productivity/entertainment share... !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for that

Why can't Android replace Desktop OSes?

Android x86 works fine on my notebook PC. And, I can do almost everything with it: Ranging from web surfing to programming.
But still, nobody cares about it. Why?
What's really the advantages of desktop OSes over Android? Why don't OEMs ship computers with Android as primary OS? Why don't people think Android when PC comes in mind?

I'll tell you why, Windows sells and people buy! Microsoft has the consumer market all tied up with the PC. Most consumers couldn't care less about programming, hacking, developing, etc... web surfing and Facebook and emailing? Yeah, that's what they want. Now, another question: why would people who purchase a PC want to pay additionally or inclusively to the price of a PC for Windows OS, when most distros of Linux are absolutely free? I'm running an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS/Win7 setup on my laptop. I'm getting closer and closer each day to wiping Win7 completely off, but have some reservations in doing so. Anyhow, my two cents worth...
Sent from my MB865 using xda's premium carrier pigeon service

Windows comes first for game developers. That is why I dual boot. if Linux got love from from game devs it would have a better chance at success. The other issue would be driver compatibility, although this has gotten a lot better.
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muddflap said:
Windows comes first for game developers. That is why I dual boot. if Linux got love from from game devs it would have a better chance at success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am talking about Android, not normal Linux. I think, Android does have nice games..

Well, when the time comes for a full fledged OS, Android is still lacking in apps for that. One step in the right direction will be to multiply the current variety of tablet apps.
Make more apps have tablet optimisation and then we can talk about desktop apps.
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Well, once I can root any Android from an Android, Sign me up. Meanwhile I gotta bow to the all mighty glass structure.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium

It wont happen for another 100 years.

I like my skateboard. But, I wouldn't go highway on it.
Same thing.

IceBean said:
I like my skateboard. But, I wouldn't go highway on it.
Same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What most people do: Facebook, Email, Chat, Casual Gaming
Do you think, Android isn't suitable for that?
It's not the same thing!

SachinShekhar said:
What most people do: Facebook, Email, Chat, Casual Gaming
Do you think, Android isn't suitable for that?
It's not the same thing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your answer is also a point against android as a viable desktop, by that I mean a desktop should be able to do more than just "what most people do".
That and you can't just download and install hardware drivers for android so it renders a lot of peripherals only useable with pc mac or linux.
Android can be a desktop if you don't tax your pc with more demanding tasks such as audio or video editing. Once you want to do anything more specific than gaming or browsing android does not yet offer the ability to.
I think it is viable but because it is not designed to be anything more than a mobile operating system it would struggle to be a desktop replacement.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2

mistermentality said:
Your answer is also a point against android as a viable desktop, by that I mean a desktop should be able to do more than just "what most people do".
That and you can't just download and install hardware drivers for android so it renders a lot of peripherals only useable with pc mac or linux.
Android can be a desktop if you don't tax your pc with more demanding tasks such as audio or video editing. Once you want to do anything more specific than gaming or browsing android does not yet offer the ability to.
I think it is viable but because it is not designed to be anything more than a mobile operating system it would struggle to be a desktop replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Initially, even Windows didn't have such high-end apps. After bringing Android to mainstream, those types of apps will appear on Android, for sure.

SachinShekhar said:
Initially, even Windows didn't have such high-end apps. After bringing Android to mainstream, those types of apps will appear on Android, for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as windows came out it was not long before the programs were available, android works differently to windows (for example in its use of user installable drivers) and is, unlike windows, not designed to be a desktop so the apps don't or perhaps cannot in some cases (such as adobe type video editing software) be made that will enable android to meet all pc desktop needs.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2

The future android versions may change depending on the team's direction though.
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Markuzy said:
The future android versions may change depending on the team's direction though.
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Click to collapse
That's true, I think ics was more desktop friendly than say gingerbread and I would love an android desktop
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2

Markuzy said:
The future android versions may change depending on the team's direction though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree..

Let me correct myself.
I actually don't think Android is as low performing as a skateboard.
At best, I think it's more like a scooter. It gets a job done if it's about taking you to point A to B. And, that's pretty much it at this point.
A car, on the other hand, can do many more things. It is far more versatile. It stands against the weather. It can carry all your family members. It is far more powerful...etc.
Remember old days of laptops? In those days, people with a laptop also had to have desktops although same OS was being used. It was because laptops weren't just powerful enough to suit higher end tasks. The situation is similar in that regard.
For you, Android and supporting hardware and apps might be good enough to replace desktop. However, it isn't so for majority of people and that's the point. A desktop OS needs ability to support all types of usage scenarios, not to mention hardware.
Can current Android do it? No.

Android isn't a desktop OS. Its built for touch and feels pretty limited when being controlled via mouse/kb. Ubuntu would be a better choice since its a decent well established desktop OS, especially when the Ubuntu on Android project is out allowing android apps to run on Ubuntu and vice versa. I'd love to see the popularity of Android help Ubuntu.

IceBean said:
Let me correct myself.
I actually don't think Android is as low performing as a skateboard.
At best, I think it's more like a scooter. It gets a job done if it's about taking you to point A to B. And, that's pretty much it at this point.
A car, on the other hand, can do many more things. It is far more versatile. It stands against the weather. It can carry all your family members. It is far more powerful...etc.
Remember old days of laptops? In those days, people with a laptop also had to have desktops although same OS was being used. It was because laptops weren't just powerful enough to suit higher end tasks. The situation is similar in that regard.
For you, Android and supporting hardware and apps might be good enough to replace desktop. However, it isn't so for majority of people and that's the point. A desktop OS needs ability to support all types of usage scenarios, not to mention hardware.
Can current Android do it? No.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was talking about majority of people (not myself). That's why Google launched Chrome OS.
According to surveys, most of people do those things with Desktop PCs which is possible with Android devices.
Android is more powerful than Chrome OS. If Chrome OS can go to commercial Laptops, why can't Android?

spunker88 said:
Android isn't a desktop OS. Its built for touch and feels pretty limited when being controlled via mouse/kb. Ubuntu would be a better choice since its a decent well established desktop OS, especially when the Ubuntu on Android project is out allowing android apps to run on Ubuntu and vice versa. I'd love to see the popularity of Android help Ubuntu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do have point.
We can use mouse, but it feels pretty limited.
But, what if someone says, you'll become used to after using that continuously. You may not like dragging welcome screen of Windows 8 at this time, but you'll love it once its in your mainstream.

Its actually being worked by one Linux company .
Take off off an app based Linux,Android desktop will happen .
jje
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[Discussion] Future of Android

How do you think Android is going to get when Ubuntu, Tizen, or even Firefox OS appear?
I find Android really wasteful in resources, and any developer will confirm that Android can't get the max out of any hardware (due to Java VM)
Until now, Android didn't actually have any competitor, iOS is closed source, and Apple makes 1000$ devices, and phones with Android with the same specs (or better) are at no more than 800$ (correct me, I don't use $ in Romania)... The other competitor is still existent, Windows... it is really smooth, fast, looks cool, but it seems to be a marketing fail+not open source
Tizen and Firefox OS seem to be having only HTML5-based apps... which means it will be a rendering engine processing everything... just another kind of VM in my opinion they have the same smoothness Android has, from what I saw
However, Ubuntu seems to be a lot like the PC version, smooth, fast, user friendly, and will be able to run NATIVE (no VM) applications, which will make it a lot faster, even for lower end devices
Where do you think Android is going to go when they will be released? Yes, I am asking you and expressing my opinion, please Google before answering (yes, one cool thing about Android is the full Google integration)
Tizen - announced to be released this year
Ubuntu and Firefox OS - 2014

I really don't know the answer.
I've never seen Tizen and FF OS so I can't tell.
I know iOS and Windows aren't open source so we can't "deal" with them.
Ubuntu isn't user friendly at all, in fact, all Linux is NOT user friendly, at least comparing to Windows.
Right now, I just enjoy the beauty of Android until some things blow it away.

votinh said:
I really don't know the answer.
I've never seen Tizen and FF OS so I can't tell.
I know iOS and Windows aren't open source so we can't "deal" with them.
Ubuntu isn't user friendly at all, in fact, all Linux is NOT user friendly, at least comparing to Windows.
Right now, I just enjoy the beauty of Android until some things blow it away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux is just the kernel Ubuntu is a distro, and Android can also be called a distro, but for mobile platform

Re: [Q] Future of Android
A good question with uncertain answer. We can't say about the future of android.
But what i can say is that a new device with new platform will take some time to get good market. Since android is the largest selling platform in the world it takes some time to survive the competition.

Android will be fine. Ubuntu didn't convince majority to leave their investment in Windows, and they'll have same problem moving people from android.

Allanitomwesh said:
Android will be fine. Ubuntu didn't convince majority to leave their investment in Windows, and they'll have same problem moving people from android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ubuntu can't convince me to switch because I can't give the PC to anyone, they say "wtf is that sh*t?"
And plus, it is a lot harder to get the drivers for my Optimus laptop... and gaming is slower in wine if more games had native clients for Linux

Re: [Q] Future of Android
Go with ubuntu you will never be mistaken........
I hate my X and love my Next.......... Conditions apply*

Google might expand the NDK API (native development kit) so you could make an entire app with it. Anyway i think most Games is written using it nowdays, since Java is so (too) slow.

The Google ecosystem is getting so large, i don't think that Ubuntu will have the resources to get anywhere near that.

Talking about Future of Android, I heard that WINE application which run in linux is being developed for android

Re: [Q] Future of Android
In future android will surely come up very much..
May be the andriod can interact by talking.
At that time we will ask mods to build our regional languages

Re: [Q] Future of Android
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
Sent from my HTC Explorer

Re: [Q] Future of Android
swaroopg551 said:
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
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Click to collapse
SIV's eyeScroll?
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swaroopg551 said:
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I hate solutions that try to "think" for me, and guess what I want to do. Even if they are right 70%, they are still wrong the other 30%...
And it feels like my phone (or a car, or whatever) is forcing me to do things I do not want to do. That a developer thinks he is smarter than me.
I get used to functionalities presented this way but they are still irritating.
I just imagined a number of times this eyeball movement sensor would be wrong... wrrrrr....

[Q] Ubuntu?

I heard ubuntu is officially being ported to phones, from factory. I was wondering if anyone might work on a port for the p500? Also, as a sidenote, i technically have a p509 but since i flashed the baseband and did something else it always says its a p500 in my settings. Is this an issue? When flashing roms does it matter if i pick p500 or p509 roms?

chrtylee said:
I heard ubuntu is officially being ported to phones, from factory. I was wondering if anyone might work on a port for the p500? Also, as a sidenote, i technically have a p509 but since i flashed the baseband and did something else it always says its a p500 in my settings. Is this an issue? When flashing roms does it matter if i pick p500 or p509 roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The p500 doesn't have enough juice to fully enjoy Ubuntu. Especially with unity.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

ok, and what do u think the cheapest phone that will be able to run it smoothly will be? preferably a tmobile or att&t as im with straight talk.

chrtylee said:
ok, and what do u think the cheapest phone that will be able to run it smoothly will be? preferably a tmobile or att&t as im with straight talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus 4 probably

chrtylee said:
ok, and what do u think the cheapest phone that will be able to run it smoothly will be? preferably a tmobile or att&t as im with straight talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ubuntu was introduced on Galaxy Nexus, witch is a dual core, so I think it will do on every dualcore with 1gb ram to run smooth mobile version of Ubuntu

FitAmp said:
The p500 doesn't have enough juice to fully enjoy Ubuntu. Especially with unity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Said that about JB. Runs just fine.
Ubuntu and "unity" are basically a launcher and some apps running over a dalvikless CM10.1. There are loads of knockoff launchers on Play to play with and the phone has not problem running them. The "unity" here has little to do with the unity desktop on a desktop. That is based on Gnome-3 while the phone Ubuntu is running QML, QT4. 17 meg library--can compile apps and play with this stuff right now. (Check on kde-apps.org)
Ubuntu will have natively compiled apps instead of the Dalvik-Java mess. If correctly compiled for our hardware, they should run better. Want to try a sample? Install the Vire launcher and see. There is life without Java after all.
However, they will certainly not even think of supplying us with an image. Our heroic young (or older) devs will have to roll their own for us. What I would like to see is a version that has Dalvik. There are (will be for quite a time) just a handful of basic apps for Ubuntu phones and there are just too many useful Android apps to simply abandon. Do not expect to simply run apt-get and use the rich app repository available for Ubuntu/Debian Linux.
However, have a big-enough sdcard (>3 gig to spare, I mean dedicate)? Debian with an Xfce desktop can be installed and used along with Android. Vnc-ing a real desktop. There is an XDA forum for this! Better get swap back into our kernels first!

Canonical only provides images for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. There are other images from XDA (you can see them in Ubuntu Touch's wiki). There Samsung Galaxy S too.
Anyway, I won't hope. If we haven't Firefox OS which is much more lightful, we won't see Ubuntu.

Dovidhalevi said:
Said that about JB. Runs just fine.
Ubuntu and "unity" are basically a launcher and some apps running over a dalvikless CM10.1. There are loads of knockoff launchers on Play to play with and the phone has not problem running them. The "unity" here has little to do with the unity desktop on a desktop. That is based on Gnome-3 while the phone Ubuntu is running QML, QT4. 17 meg library--can compile apps and play with this stuff right now. (Check on kde-apps.org)
Ubuntu will have natively compiled apps instead of the Dalvik-Java mess. If correctly compiled for our hardware, they should run better. Want to try a sample? Install the Vire launcher and see. There is life without Java after all.
However, they will certainly not even think of supplying us with an image. Our heroic young (or older) devs will have to roll their own for us. What I would like to see is a version that has Dalvik. There are (will be for quite a time) just a handful of basic apps for Ubuntu phones and there are just too many useful Android apps to simply abandon. Do not expect to simply run apt-get and use the rich app repository available for Ubuntu/Debian Linux.
However, have a big-enough sdcard (>3 gig to spare, I mean dedicate)? Debian with an Xfce desktop can be installed and used along with Android. Vnc-ing a real desktop. There is an XDA forum for this! Better get swap back into our kernels first!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not talking about Ubuntu touch -___- (it might run Ubuntu touch someday unofficially)
I'm talking about Ubuntu desktop.
I have run Ubuntu touch on my nexus 7 and i do enjoy it. It will be quite good once it moves away from being a chroot over cm.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

FitAmp said:
I was not talking about Ubuntu touch -___- (it might run Ubuntu touch someday unofficially)
I'm talking about Ubuntu desktop.
I have run Ubuntu touch on my nexus 7 and i do enjoy it. It will be quite good once it moves away from being a chroot over cm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to a linux over android thread, there is no (ready-made) Ubuntu image for Armv6. One can, however install Debian. A full gnome3 (Unity is based on that) or KDE dektop would be to heavy so comes with XFCE or such. Desktop is run using VNC.
Need at least 3gig available on the sdcard to get started.
Best have an Android ROM with swap enabled in the kernel.

Guys, could someone please tell me how ubuntu is going to be different from android in function? I mean in actual use? I'm a newbie......

aswinp007 said:
Guys, could someone please tell me how ubuntu is going to be different from android in function? I mean in actual use? I'm a newbie......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read here http://www.ubuntu.com/phone
some interesting thoughts http://www.c-integration.com/blog/s...sons-why-ubuntu-phone-will-never-beat-android
I think that on a tablet, Ubuntu will make sens, but on a phone I am not so sure, maybe on Note2
---------- Post added at 07:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 AM ----------
http://www.c-integration.com/blog/showpost.php/75-5-reasons-why-ubuntu-phone-can-blow-away-android
to grow up takes time, cheers to UBUNTU, maybe the next step in mobile experience, but in a few years

Thanks bro. That was enlightening
Sent from my LG-P500 using xda app-developers app

Trust me I tried Ubuntu on my nexus 4 and was not impressed by their work. Really hard to navigate. And also no apps. Difficult multitasking and so on. It looks all clean and cool on the video but in reality it is over confusing
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Dovidhalevi said:
According to a linux over android thread, there is no (ready-made) Ubuntu image for Armv6. One can, however install Debian. A full gnome3 (Unity is based on that) or KDE dektop would be to heavy so comes with XFCE or such. Desktop is run using VNC.
Need at least 3gig available on the sdcard to get started.
Best have an Android ROM with swap enabled in the kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the space, but I don't know if swap is enabled in the kernel. Can I get a how-to to run Debian with XFCE please? It'll be fun

2014 PC Recommendations due to XP support ending

Greetings XDA'ers.
The support end date for XP is fast approaching. And like many, I've procrastinated my decision, hoping that some magical solution will appear.
Current setup, 2009 Compaq mini 110 1100dx netboox maxed to 2gbs ram running xp
2005 Dell Dimension E310 desktop also maxed to 2gbs ram running xp
Now I just discovered best buy has a deal where you get $75 off any laptop and a $25 gift card when trading in a xp laptop. I purchased my nebook for $179 from them on black friday 2009, so getting $100 for it without having to sell it on ebay seems like a decent deal. They do have a few chromebooks that are $199 but I'd rather not go the chromebook route if at all possible.
I have seen a few deals where you get a desktop pc running windows 7 for $80 shipped. That's about how much I would spend on a windows 7 license anyway. I mean truth be told I never anticipated either of these machines lasting this long. Their processors are pretty outdated but run day to day tasks just fine.
So give me your honest opinions! I've got them running service pack 3 and security essentials and norton security suite is installed. Should I just backup my data and take a chance? That way I could get a far better deal this november?
Btw both machines can run any version of windows, I ran the compatibility checker.
Thanks in advance,
Best,
jf
PS didnt I read somewhere that you can buy a super cheap copy of windows 7 without support for $50???

Don't get a Chromebook!!!! I suggest you buying a freeDOS laptop. The price depends on hardware.
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Windows 7 Home premium would be more than enough but be careful and verify that your PC hardware is compatible with System. check for hardware drivers before upgrading.

Otherwise, choose a Windows/Linux version which responds at your system requirements.
Sent from my GT-P3110 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thank you for the prompt replies!
What are your opinions on Ubuntu?
My brother suggested I try this free or low cost os. You can make a bootable DVD to test it out?
Both computers check out fine for win 7 hardware compatibility.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Well, it's about time!
You know, Windows 8 and 7 aren't that different. If you come from XP, you can directly go to W8. W8 license isn't that expensive too.
In terms of performance, I don't know what's better. My computer is a gaming computer so I don't see any difference.

jfriend33 said:
What are your opinions on Ubuntu?
My brother suggested I try this free or low cost os. You can make a bootable DVD to test it out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't have to use some windows specific applications Ubuntu is a great choice, and it is faster on low end devices than windows.
As far as I know you can boot the normal installation CD and click "Live CD" or similar, than you can test it without erasing your HDD.

Sharpenergames said:
If you don't have to use some windows specific applications Ubuntu is a great choice, and it is faster on low end devices than windows.
As far as I know you can boot the normal installation CD and click "Live CD" or similar, than you can test it without erasing your HDD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two points for your consideration:
1. A WinXP user may prefer Mint (based on Ubuntu) as a replacement linux OS.
2. You can always run vbox with network support disabled to the XP virtual machine.
This way you can access MSWin apps in the familiar fashion. No internet means low security risk.
You still have to worry about USB and disc, of course.
Files and directories on the "host" (linux, in this example) can be read from the XP VM.
Mouse can copy/paste to from either OS feely.
Do a search and see. It's fun and only a bit of work.
April 8! Ooo...

Sideness said:
Well, it's about time!
You know, Windows 8 and 7 aren't that different. If you come from XP, you can directly go to W8. W8 license isn't that expensive too.
In terms of performance, I don't know what's better. My computer is a gaming computer so I don't see any difference.
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Where are these cheap W8 licenses? I'm looking to upgrade but would rather not spend $199 on it.

I think a win7 for $50~60 is ok for me.

Sorry everyone, but there is already a thread for computer hardware discussions. Can I please ask you to move your discussion to this thread.
Thanks!