Dear Sir/Madam:
Good day! I am an avid gamer and I plan to migrate to Linux. The Windows upgrade is too steep and the product requires me to upgrade my computer hardware as well. I am sad that I have to pay expensive licenses and hardware for Windows XP only to get an operating system that is technically inferior and buggy compared to the rock-solid performance and cost savings of Linux. I have been looking at the other Linux distros and based on my research: Linux Mandrake 8.1 is the solution for me. Is it? To begin with, I have several questions: 1. Will Mandrake 8.1 run on my system? AMD-K6-2-500 64MB RAM SIS 530 on-board AGP 2x 8MB video RAM ES-SOLO on-board sound card Does Mandrake support the drivers for my devices? Does it have a generic driver if in case the manufacturers for my devices are nowhere to be found and have ceased support? 2. Is Mandrake 8.1 vulnerable to viruses such as CIH or BIOS-infecting viruses? Are there any antivirus software for Mandrake? 3. Will Mandrake 8.1 run on a 486DX2 33mhz with 16MB RAM? One of Linux' strengths is running on old computer systems. Will Mandrake give a new lease of usable life to my old system? 4. I plan to use some legacy Windows programs (Office, Quicken, etc.) on Mandrake. What Windows emulator would you recommend for Mandrake? Will WINE work for me? How about Win4Lin? I also wish to play my Windows games with Linux until such time when Linux ports for these games have been released. 5. Is there a virtual-cd program for Mandrake? Some games require me to have the cd on the drive while playing. In Windows, I use a virtual-cd program to create a virtual cd that resides on my hard drive. This lets me run games without reshuffling the cds on my drive. Any programs on Mandrake similar to this? 6. Can I run servers for Unreal Tournament, Quake III, Half-Life, and Counter-Strike simultaneously with Mandrake, while at the same time acting as a file-and-print sharing computer on the network? Will it crash or live up to the legend of Linux as a crash-proof server OS? 7. I live in the Philippines. How can I purchase Mandrake 8.1 Powerpack from my area? Do you have a reseller in my country or do I have to order directly from you? Can I be a dealer for Linux Mandrake in my area? 8. I plan to use my Mandrake system as a point of sharing internet access for the other computers in my home network. Is it possible to do this with Mandrake? These are the questions I have for now. I plan to buy Mandrake 8.1 at the end of November. Thank you very much for the time spent on my inquiries. It is time for Microsoft to join the dinosaurs of old computing. Long live Linux and the Open-source movement!!! Regards, Mike
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