Linux: Not Just for Geeks Any More
Mar 23 '04
The Bottom Line If your Windows PC is driving you insane, consider Linux. It's easy enough for family use now and might be the right choice for you.
A couple of months ago, I wiped Windows XP Home Edition off my personal computer, and installed a Linux distribution called Fedora. It's not the first time I have installed Linux; I've been playing with it off and on since 1994. However, this time it's for good. I've had it with Windows and I'm not looking back.
In the interest of full disclosure, my husband's computer still has Windows installed. So, if I ever absolutely have to run a piece of Windows software that isn't supported on Linux, I can use his machine. So far, I have only had to use his machine to run TaxCut. Other than that, I have been just fine with my Linux.
I'm not a Microsoft hater. I have no specific gripe about a company becoming dominant and setting a standard. It's not a philosophical issue with me in the least. I migrated to Linux because it offers me more.
At this point, some of you are wondering why you should care that I switched to Linux. Fair enough. My point in typing out this little essay is not that I switched. It's that you may want to switch too once you know you have an option.
I Switched Because I Have a Generous Heart
Before Fedora, I was running Windows XP Home for almost two years. It worked fine for me. It was stable, easy to use and didn't crash too darn often. The problem was that my husband's computer was running Windows ME, and it wasn't working fine. Windows ME was chewing up hard drives and spitting them out on a fairly regular basis. My husband lost data, and I lost my big spare hard drive when I had to give it to him when ME ate his.
Windows XP doesn't, at least in my experience, eat hard drives. Therefore, the obvious solution was to upgrade his computer to XP. Unfortunately, I am no longer allowed to throw money at our household computers until I get a job that pays more than slave wages. Add to that the fact that Microsoft thinks I should pay for two copies of Windows XP, and not simply upgrade hubby's computer with my copy.
There's no way in hell I was putting Windows ME on my computer, I couldn't afford another copy of Windows XP, and buying another hard drive if ME ate the current one wasn't an option either. So, I made a generous gesture and put Linux on my computer to free up the XP license for his.
Not All Linux Distributions are Created Equal
I wanted to install Redhat Linux because I remembered it as an easy distribution to install and use. But, Redhat recently announced that it is discontinuing the free version of it's product and is going to a corporate subscription scheme. Redhat didn't leave home users like me totally out in the cold though. They teamed up with another group of developers and created a distribution called Fedora. Fedora is based off of the old Redhat and is still worked on by Redhat employees. But, it cannot be purchased in stores, and you can't buy official support from Redhat for it.
If you want Fedora, you will have to download it or pay a third party for a set of installation CDs. (You can get them on Ebay for under $5) If you need support for it, you'll have to use free community support forums and email lists, or you'll have to pay a third party to help you.
In the past couple of months, I have tinkered with three other distributions - Suse, Debian, and Gentoo.
Debian used to be my favorite version of Linux. Seven years ago, it was the easiest to install quickly and use on my work computer. Compared to other versions, it was the leanest and meanest. The problem is, it hasn't changed very much in the past seven years. Now, it's outdated and a pain to install and configure.
Suse didn't like my Linksys router. Neither did Gentoo. It wasn't worth the aggravation for me to fight with it when Fedora worked with no issues.
If you are a home user and not interested in getting into the guts of your computer, Fedora is a good choice. It's easy to install and use, and it makes transitioning from Windows painless.
Why Linux
I have at least three versions of Windows available to install. So, why Linux? Windows 95 is out because it's too outdated to be useful. Windows 98 SE is a viable option, but Microsoft won't provide free security patches forever. Windows ME should never have been released and should never be considered as an option. Windows XP costs more than I'm willing to spend right now.
That said, I'd beg, borrow and steal to get another copy of XP for hubby's machine if Linux wasn't right for me. My computer is too important for me to settle for something that doesn't work. So, what does Linux offer?
1. Stability. I turn it on and it doesn't crash. Like XP, I can leave it running for days at a time without rebooting. If a program gets out of hand, I shut down the program and it doesn't kill my entire system.
2. Compatibility with software I use at work. Let's face it. Almost everybody uses Microsoft Office at work. If I can't edit Word files at home, the computer is no good to me. There is now a free office suite called openoffice.org that is compatible with Word, Powerpoint and Excel. (But not Access)
3. Internet access that works. I have a choice of web browsers, and can still install my Google toolbar. Life is good. I can use file-sharing applications, and all the instant messenger protocols are supported.
4. Software availability. I like to play with new software and I like options. There are tons of programs written for Linux, and they are updated regularly. Best of all, most of them are free. Many shooter games like Unreal Tournament come with Linux versions included on the Windows CD, and others work with a Windows emulator installed on Linux. The only software I can't seem to find for Linux is a tax preparation package.
5. Eye Candy. I am the kind of person who likes to change the look of my desktop. I like it to look clean and sharp. Under Windows, I installed third party applications to help me decorate my desktop and differentiate it from other Windows computers. Under Linux, I have many more options for how I want to pretty up my system.
6. No more spyware. My husband's computer still has ME on it because I'm too lazy to go back up his data, reformat his hard drive and install XP. But, a recent invasion of spyware has forced my hand. He can barely get on the Internet anymore because spyware applications throw up popups and errors faster than he can close them. Running ad-aware shows hundreds of spyware objects and they keep coming back every time they are cleaned.
The default security settings in Microsoft software have made it a target for every money-hungry jerk on the Internet, which makes maintaining a Windows PC a pain. My husband and kids don't know how to stay out of computer trouble - Linux would keep them safer. Sites that used to try to force me to accept installations of spyware programs on a Windows computer grumble a bit because I'm not using Internet Explorer and then allow me to access the information without accepting the spyware.
7. Price. It's free. I don't have to pay when new features come out, and I don't have to activate any license.
Not Just for Geeks Any More
It used to be that Linux was mildly painful to use. I would install it, use it for a while, and then ditch it to go back to Windows. Linux was the system to install if you wanted to show off your computer skills. Now, Fedora has gotten to the point that I no longer feel like super-nerd when I turn it on. It's a computer that works, and that's about it. I turn it on and do the things I want to do without suffering through archaic configurations or making do with difficult software.
I will confess that I had to do a bit of research to get some basic functionality working. In order to play MP3 files or DVDs on my Fedora computer, I had to download and install software that didn't come with Fedora. But, the installation process took a matter of minutes, and now everything works as it should. Linux has come a long way.
Is it Time for You to Switch?
Maybe. If you have a Windows computer that crashes all the time, you might want to give Linux a shot. If spyware and popups are driving you insane, you'll love Linux. If you are sick of every email virus trying to sneak into your Outlook address book, Linux will set you free.
You do have an option. Linux is easy enough to use at home now, and might be the answer to your computer woes.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
amykhar
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Amy
Location: USA
Reviews written: 320
Trusted by: 480 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.