Linux is not Windows, nor is it Windows compatible. It's a completely different OS, and it doesn't even try to be like Windows. In fact, it's based on the Unix design, which is vastly different. What I'm getting at is that the benefit of Linux is not that it can run Windows software better than Windows, because it can't. In fact, Linux only runs Linux software, just as Windows only runs Windows software. Of course, there is a Linux program called
Cedega which specializes in allowing many Windows games to run flawlessly in Linux. It looks like GTA-SA does
work with Cedega, although how well I can't say, since I've never tried it myself. Check their
game database to see if the Windows programs you're interested in running will work well enough to bother with.
I must say though, to me if I can play a Windows games in Linux it's just gravy. I use my OS very heavily; I couldn't even switch back to Windows if I wanted to (which I don't, and I wouldn't). I use Linux because it's secure, stable, free (as in libre as well as in gratis), and I find it a much more productive work environment than Windows. I like it because since part of my job is working on PCs, I don't want to have to work on my own system constantly as insult to injury. Linux just works.
Of course it is always better to run programs which are natively written for the OS you're running. On that note, there are hundreds of games for Linux, both commercial and free, and more are written every day. Many popular games such as Doom3, UT2k4, and Enemy Territory have native Linux versions, which run wonderfully. In fact, I've noticed that ET consistently gets much higher framerates in Linux than its Windows counterpart. But the vast majority of PC games are written for Windows, not Linux, so if gaming is the sole function of your PC Linux will let you down. Conversely, if gaming is not your primary endevour and you want a stable, powerful, secure, multi-tasking, multi-user system which is a big change from Windows, you'll love Linux.
-AT
