Philip,Interesting question. For me, the reason is that 'it isn't Microsoft'...that is the motivating factor for me to use linux.From a purely technincal standpoint, I think that linux offers replacement software for every chore you have in windows. Difference? Usually more of a pain to set up in linux than windows. Sometimes not, however.Also, in general, programs aren't as refined in linux as they are in windows. By refined I am not speaking of a lack of features, rather interfaces need some work, or other things of that nature.Linux's main strongpoint comes in with a true userbased system. This means that you can set very stringent permissions on who can read, write and access files, and there aren't ways around those permissions. Windows XP did a half way decent attempt at this user based Os, they just need to complete the job and not try and satisfy both the 'we need a user based os camp' and the 'I don't even know what a computer is, what is a user based os' camp ;)Bottom line, if you do it in windows you can do it in linux, except flight sim. If you aren't having problems with windows you aren't in any dire need to get linux. If you are interested in what linux has to offer you, visit http://www.knoppix.org/ for a version of linux you can boot up from your CD drive. Knoppix is a complete linux system; all of the programs are stored and run from the CD. Keep in mind that performance suffers because of the fact that you are using a CD drive. If you had a linux system installed on your hard disk read/write times would be comparable to windows.

There is a flight simulator that will work in native Linux: [a href=http://www.flightgear.org/]FlightGear[/a]. Haven't looked at it for a while, but it looks like it's coming along nicely.Rich---I think one of the greatest things about marriage is that as both husband and father, I can say anything I want to around the house. Of course, no one pays the least bit of attention.

Flightgear is also available in Win versions. Most of the coding is in XML from my observations.

Wish Austin Meyer would develop X Plane for Linux. Then it would be the true X sim!!!Eric

I contacted Ken by email and alerted him a few days ago but it should be working very shortly (month or so)I have been hard at work posted majority of my work information over at simFlight if you wish to take a gander drop by I will respond to questions here as well. But FS2002 is working but highly unstable my goal will to make FS2004 work 2002 is little importance to me at the moment. I will make FS2002 be stable and working no doubt in my mind its just low priority right now.Also if you wish to know this Austin Meyer wrote a email to me that stated a linux version of X-Plane was in the works but was low priority maybe by the end of the year but its very low priority. Hope this clears up alot of confusion :)

Hi Guys,nice to see some Linux fans around here :)I wouldn't expect too much running FS under Linux. It's barely running fluid under Win XP.My experience shows that even setting up native games under linux can be a pain in the butt. Not even talking about running Windows games using Wine. This can make your whole system instable and vulnerable because you have to play as root (or use suid executeables).My Windows XP box at home is only for playing (what else is Windows good for execept playing and catching viruses? :(). The "serious" work like internet surfing and e-mail is done on an old notebook running Linux.Alex

Ken, The reason it's proboly not working right is because directx support in wine is still a bit limited, atleast to my knowledge. The other factor could be that it's not loading the correct dlls for it to run. There are alot comments to wine that you have to configure yourself (iam sure you already know this). Iam sure that FS could run under wine but it would proboly be fairly limited. The other thing to consider before diving to deep is would other programs like AS2004 or RC3. I wanted to experment awhile back with running simcharts and widefs under wine. I might try that again.

Just interested in what flavours of Linux you guys are running. I cut my teeth on unix, well xenix before that, but haven't really looked at a unix system in a few years. Linus looks tempting.--qnh

I run Mandrake 10, but I use a custom compiled 2.6 kernel that has a patch for my SiS motherboard so I can use ATI drivers with full 3d accleration.

Check the thread at http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?...highlight=linuxGeorge

Hm, let my check. My PC is connected to a Widescreen Plasma TV which has a S-VGA input. I am not even using the TV out of the graphics adaptor which makes for an excellent picture.Alex

Real men use shovels, earth moving equipment, tractors and coal. J/K! :)

>Hi Guys,>>nice to see some Linux fans around here :)>>I wouldn't expect too much running FS under Linux. It's barely>running fluid under Win XP.>>My experience shows that even setting up native games under>linux can be a pain in the butt. Not even talking about>running Windows games using Wine. This can make your whole>system instable and vulnerable because you have to play as>root (or use suid executeables).>>My Windows XP box at home is only for playing (what else is>Windows good for execept playing and catching viruses? :(). >>The "serious" work like internet surfing and e-mail is done on>an old notebook running Linux.>>>AlexTo reply to this well you seem to be ill informed as I am the person creating this Custom CVS to run FS2002/2004 I would think that I know what I am talking about.Anyway there is no reason you should run as root. And as for game performance in linux well I guess you havent seen FS2002 running with full antialias and antistropic its slick as all hell. I detect no FPS slowdown ATM and its fluid. Linux tends to run things really nicely tho IMO better than windows considering that it uses the harddrive and the rest of the hardware to the limit. Take a CD drive for example copy files in linux vs windows and see the time difference etc.Guess thats good enough. NO I NEVER PLAY GAMES AS ROOT ITS NOT NEEDED. you create a games group that you have access too. Works great.

>Check the thread at>http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?...highlight=linux>>George>Thanks for the link mate I am not brave enough to post links yet as the last time I created a thread on this it got nuked :/>Ken, > The reason it's proboly not working right is because>directx support in wine is still a bit limited, atleast to my>knowledge. The other factor could be that it's not loading the>correct dlls for it to run. There are alot comments to wine>that you have to configure yourself (iam sure you already know>this). Iam sure that FS could run under wine but it would>proboly be fairly limited. The other thing to consider before>diving to deep is would other programs like AS2004 or RC3. I>wanted to experment awhile back with running simcharts and>widefs under wine. I might try that again. >>>DirectX support is being implemented for it by me I have kludged much of it with a huge hammer and other parts are being done in other ways. But it is working. It does run under Cedega as you will notice from the link above. Hope my project will help people :)NOTE: working with Cedega does not mean Transgaming is supporting it I am supporting it right now. I will continue to as well.Ken I cannot make any promises that it will work for you sorry ATI is horrible for linux and always has been. Sorry mate.

Yeah, getting the ATI drivers working on my computer required me to recompile a kernel using the latest source, because there was a bug in the AGP code of the kernel that comes with Mandrake 10 and my motherboard (SiS 648FX).THEN, in order to get the ATI drivers to compile, I had to go to the rage3d forums and find 2 patches to the source code. Now I could compile the ATI code.Once I did all that, I finally got it working.