First of all, what is the computer used for? Is it just used strictly for accessing the Internet and E-mail? Does you dad use it for typing reports? Is it a gaming box? Does it share access to the inernet to the other PCs?
If it were just being used for Internet and E-mail, and even word processing, I would say go with Linux because Linux is WAY more stable online, much less succeptable to viruses, and quicker (no joke, it beat Win XP on my box for loading pages). If you get one of the new distributions like (my fav) RedHat 7.2 or Mandrake 8.0, it's got a really nice Desktop environment built in, with new versions of KDE and Gnome, and more than decent software.
I've got an old IBM with Mandrake 8.0 running on it, and it does great as a DSL server for the rest of my network, so if you wanted to have a dedicated internet server, I'd say go for Linux all the way!
However, if the comp is used mostly for gaming, I'd recommend against using Linux. Most games that run on Windows don't run on Linux, except for the games that most Linux distributions have built in, like Solitare, and some simple arcade games.
Plus, the #1 reason to run Linux: The penguin is a cute, but ferocious animal!
~B~ |
