So I use Linux - Ubuntu (or rather, Kubuntu - the version with KDE as the standard desktop environment) to be exact. It’s been a year and… 3 weeks or so since I switched my main computer over to Linux now. A year of using Kubuntu fulltime, except for a few tasks I still relegate to the windows computer, just to give the thing something to do. Or maybe because I’m too lazy to migrate when it’s already set up and working fine on the other computer. Sure, Linux has its share of problems. But so does Windows - anyone, even a Windows enthusiast, will tell you that. The difference is this - I’m more willing to put up with Linux’s problems than Microsoft’s. Not to mention, Microsoft’s overbearing, threatening, and downright frightening business practices really put me off. And while there’s a place for every Operating system in the market, Linux is the one that belongs on my main terminal. Period. And here’s why.

Thirteen Reasons to Love Linux

1. Free - as in beer! No more shelling out a couple hundred dollars for the latest operating system - or more for a new computer with it already installed. Linux is completely free - download it straight from the internet and burn it to a cd, or, if you like, order one for a minimal cost (from a few dollars for postage and CD costs, up to around $40, if you want a distribution with a manual in it). But honestly? All you need is a broadband connection and a cd, and you’re good to go. No need to spend more - and virtually anything you’d like to know how to do in Linux is online - no need to purchase books, unless you want to!
2. Free - as in speech! Open source software is great. Sure, you may not want to know what goes on under the hood of your car, but they don’t weld it shut, so you can open it up to take a look every now and then - and heck, you can check your oil and add fluids, too. Linux is like that - you may never have the desire to look at the code and make some changes - but if you do, the option is available to you, unlike proprietary systems, which ‘weld it shut’, so to speak.
3. Choice - There’s dozens of distributions of linux available - something for everyone’s taste! Like a lightweight OS that uses minimal resources? Linux can do that. Like something more like Windows - with loads of features and eye candy? We can do that, too. Like simple and easy? Try Ubuntu. Like something you can really dig your hands into and get dirty with? Try Slackware.
4. KDE & Gnome - Two incredible desktop environments with a far broader range of customization options and much better performance than Windows could ever offer. Much prettier, loads of gorgeous themes, and the ability to customize just about everything. Learn more: KDE / GNOME
5. BASH - the command line shell is wondeful. Ever been frustrated by Window’s “command line”? Hate DOS? Try BASH and be delighted. For you windows users, you can experiment with Cygwin, which actually installs the bash shell for windows!
6. Software - Thousands of applications, free and at your fingertips. Many of these programs rival expensive or proprietary Windows counterparts - Gimp, Firefox, OpenOffice, Gaim, gnucash, amarok. While some distributions of linux can indeed make installing software difficult, as you’ve probably heard, Ubuntu and other newbie-friendly distros actually make the process simpler than it is in Windows. You just open up your package manager, select the programs you want to install (and there are thousands in the database - all tested rigorously and compatable with your distribution - and click “install”. And it does all the work for you - downloading the program, installing it where it needs to be, and setting it up to run properly. Uninstallation is just as easy.
7. No Spyware - That’s right, no spyware. So far, there has been absolutely no spyware for linux. While it’s inevitable that some programs may crop up, if you stick with the thousands of tested applications in your repositories, you will NEVER come across spyware again. In open source software, spyware has literally no place to hide, because ANYONE can look at the code - and better, anyone can modify it, too.
8. No Viruses - Same deal. A small handful of prototype viruses have been forged for linux - but none of them went far - when they did anything at all. Linux is a secure OS - and its system of user priviledges tends to limit what a virus would be capable of. For instance, software simply can’t be be installed anywhere outside of a user’s home directory without root (administrator) permissions. Therefore, any virus that a user ran across during normal computing simply wouldn’t be able to do damage to the system as a whole - if it could do much of anything at all. And again, open-source software simply has some built-in protections against viruses, and linux, more so.
9. Stability - Linux is hailed for its stability; crashes are not the daily occurance that they are on some Windows desktops. Many linux boxes are never rebooted, except for important upgrades to the system. Most upgrades to a home user’s system do not require a restart at all. Installing software in Windows almost ALWAYS requires a reboot. Not so in linux - only for major kernal upgrades, and similar services. Also, when programs crash in linux, it does not typically bring down the whole system - just the program that’s failed to respond.
10. Servers - Run your own servers! Yes, you! I run an ssh server that allows me to log into my computer from anywhere in the world and read my files, access other computers on my network, perform system maintenence, check my mail, and more. Free and simple. You can also run a mail server, web server, file server, print server, or anything else you want… without buying expensive software!
11. Installation - Ubuntu, in particular, is a very fast, very easy install. Virtually no technical questions asked, and even when downloading the OS, it’s very quick! Lately, they’ve evolved to a LiveCD dvd install disc - where you boot directly into the OS from the cd, and you can actually surf the web and play games from the CD while it installs!
12. LiveCds - This is great, especially for troubleshooting. LiveCDs are cd boot discs that can boot you straight into a fully graphical operating system - or not, your choice - without installing a thing. Carry a livecd, and pop it into any computer that will boot from a cd (most newish computers in the last several years do this by default, though some may need a bios setting change, first) and instantly be immersed into the environment of your choice. You can even download and “install” software - all without touching the data on the machine’s hard drive!
13. Hardware Support - Better than you’ve heard, especially for fairly standard machines made in the last few years! (Getting cutting-edge hardware is a bit riskier, as it takes time to develop support for them.) My camera, printer, graphics card, sound card, usb key, etc. were all automatically detected and set up for me. The only driver I needed to install was for the graphics card, and it was an incredibly simple process.
14. And a bonus - dual booting. You do not need to throw away windows to use linux! You can run them both from the same machine - easily! :) Learn more at Ubuntu.com - or choose another distribution, such as Debian, Fedora, Mandriva, SuSE, Mepis, or more.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

3 Comments »

1. Oh yes, I used to use Linux, it’s a wonderful thing! On a Mac right now ;). Happy Thursday!

   Comment by MamaDuck — November 2, 2006 @ 5:13 am

2. I love Linux for servers, or for use at work, but for my personal computer, I’m still with Windows, since I play a lot of computer games that just don’t run on Linux. :( It’s too bad, because I really don’t like Windows, but I need it to run my favourite games.

   Happy T13. :)

   Comment by Caylynn — November 2, 2006 @ 6:01 am

3. I didn’t know ANY of this! I thought it was just something for the business/office world. I’ll have to check it out now. Cool!

   I’ve posted my Thursday Thirteen, too. Enjoy! ;)

   Comment by Chaotic Mom — November 2, 2006 @ 6:46 am

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