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It's pathetic in a way that when people ask me if I'm using "Explorer" I have to tell them, "No. I don't even use Windows. I use Linux." And then even more sad when they have no clue what I'm talking about. This page hopes to address that issue.
What the Heck is Linux?
Linux,
is an operating system, like Windows XP or Windows Vista or MacOS. The difference is that people pay hundreds of dollars to have Windows on their computer. Linux doesn't cost a dime. It's free. It's legal. My computer runs Ubuntu Linux, one of the many "flavors" or "brands" of Linux. Ubuntu, like the other versions of Linux, is free and downloadable.
Along with your operating system you run software. Windows people typically use software like Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and Photoshop. On my Linux computer I use Open Office (a free program from Sun Microsystems, the people who own Java) which replaces Microsoft Office. I use Firefox and/or Opera instead of Internet Explorer, and I use the Gimp instead of Photoshop. All of these programs are free, downloadable and legal.
The Linux Operating System is based on a "kernel" (like Windows is based on DOS) which is
Unix-like. Like DOS has Windows, Linux also has a desktop environment
that has a look and feel similar to Windows (and can be customized to look and feel very similar to Windows).
You might be interested to know that a Mac uses an operating system called Mac OS which is based on Unix, just like Linux!
You can buy a new computer without
any software or operating system on it all (thus saving you the money
having to purchase XP along with the new machine), and install Linux on
it for free. I did that with my laptop recently, when the hard disk
crashed and I had to install a new hard drive, but no longer had the
original XP install CDs. I simply downloaded Linux online from Mandriva Linux, and installed it. It works perfectly!
Linux comes in different 'flavors' (versions
developed through open source code) and can be downloaded from the internet
or bought in commercial packages with limited product support. It also
comes with many free applications to help you get the most out of it.
One version I have installed and used, in fact the latest one I'm sold on is Linux Mint. It comes complete with a downloadable and free LIVE CD, so you can run Linux from the CD without installing it, to see if you like it. Then, if you do like it, it's as easy as a click to install it on your machine.
Why are there so many versions of Linux?Because
Linux is offered as open source that can be added to, altered, and
refitted by anyone. It is a compilation of many programmers and
developers since it's origins by Linus Torvalds in the early 1990's.
Is Linux better than Windows?
Not better just different...and FREE! Linux is a UNIX based operating system. Most of the major pro sites you see on the internet run on one form or another of UNIX because it's clean, efficient and a very stable operating system.
Is Linux User Friendly?In an effort to win over more Linux users, the latest versions have a more user-friendly graphical interface that doesn't leave Windows users out in the cold and feeling like they're from another planet.
What about Virus protection on Linux?For the most part, you don't have to worry about viruses with Linux. They can't touch it unless invoked as 'root'. Viruses are a Windows disease and most crackers typically target MS products. Also, Linux never needs to be defragmented like Windows does. Besides cost, there are many advantages to using Linux.
Should I get rid of Windows and get Linux?Who says you have to choose, and why can't you have it all? It's very possible to even have both on the same machine. Some versions of Linux can be run from the cd without installing anything to your system. Always follow common sense computer knowledge like 'back up your hard drive first' and 'create a boot disk' before you do anything to your system.
Does Linux have a desktop environment?Different versions of Linux have a preferred desktop environment included in their
software. Two come to mind, KDE and GNOME. There are also links for programs that are comparable to Windows programs. Unless you buy a boxed commercial brand version, they are all free. |
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And here's another one of our 2,971 famous quotes:Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.
-Dr. Napoleon Hill
Microsoft and Mac are Competing – But Where is Linux?
April 4, 2009
Let's face it. In many ways, Linux is better than Windows or Mac OS. I say this plainly because it's true. It's got speed and security, both important, and both lacking in the other two operating systems. Furthermore, Linux is free. Just download and install.
The reason you're not seeing ads running on the TV or newspapers about Linux being better than both Windows and Mac OS is precisely because Linux is free. And because it's free, and decentralized, no one has the funds to put up the advertising campaigns like the ones Apple and Microsoft are running competing with each other.
Linux is Better
But then it depends on what you do with your computer, too. Some people are really into gaming, and while there are many games that run just fine under Linux or Linux/Wine, admittedly not all games are happy running under Linux. So if you're into gaming, and that's important to your world, stay with Windows. Or, better yet, get yourself a Playstation or something.
But for my purposes, I do play some Linux games, but gaming is not what I do with my computer. I write, I design websites, I browse websites. My wife plays Runescape. For these purposes, Linux rocks, and it rocks better than Windows or Mac OS.
And then there's the argument that it's free, and Linux is continually improving and getting better all the time. If you're a first timer installing Linux, I'd recommend Linux Mint or perhaps Ubuntu Linux. I've been using Linux for more than a decade. It used to be very hard to get it to install and work with all of your hardware. There just weren't drivers available for all your stuff. Not anymore. That's pretty much under control these days!
But you might want to consider your choices when buying hardware for a Linux computer, as I've discovered. For example, don't buy a Lexmark printer. Buy an HP printer. There's more drivers. But if you were buying a Mac you'd have to stick with Mac printers, right? So what's the difference. You have more options, in fact, on Linux than with a Mac. And Macs aren't cheap. Windows is cheaper and Linux is free.
But what about BSD?
BSD, or the Berkeley Software Distribution, is a Unix Like operating system much like Linux. Technically, it's better built than Linux, and it's the ultimate geek thing to install it or run it on your server. I'd love to be able to install it. Problem is, I can't.
Unfortunately, as I've discovered, BSD (in all the flavors I have tried to install including FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.) is not an easy beast to install and get working right off the bat. In fact, I have yet to successfully install it on a single computer at home.
Linux, and especially for me, Linux Mint (linuxmint.com) on my computer and Ubuntu on my wife's 686 machine, on the other hand, have a great graphical install, and are very, very friendly for end-loosers like me who just need it to install and work quickly and effectively.
So in my opinion, BSD has a long way to go to catch up to the flashy versions of Linux that work for people like me and my wife, right out of the box.
How do you pronounce Linux?
Oh, this is a fun topic. And an embarrassing newbie question. You might be told, "In this group, there are only three forbidden subjects: Religion, Politics, and how to pronounce Linux".
All seriousness aside, I am aware of three pronunciations of our beloved system:
- "Linnicks" This pronounciation is probably derived from looking at the first syllable and seeing "Lin", which might properly be pronounced like "linn" or "lynn". This usage is very common. Also, Linux originated as a replacement for (or improvement of) Minix. Minix was always pronounced "minnix".
- "Line-icks" Linus Torvalds wrote Linux. When we think of Linus, we think of Charlie Brown's brother, and of Linus Pauling, Dr Vitamin C. In this country, we pronounce the name "Line-us".
Spelling rules also suggest "Line-icks", since "Linnux" really would need two n's. "Line" becomes "Lin" (no change in sound) if stuck against another syllable. So, people who know too much about English tend to use this. I'm one of them. I also heard it first this way.
- "Lean-oocks" Linus is from Finland. They don't say "Line-us" in Finland, they say "Lean-oos". If you can play a 30K wave file, Linus will explain it to you!
Armed with this knowledge, you would expect the Linnicks camp to "put down" the LineX camp; for the LineX'ers to demean the funny accents of Linnicks guys, and the Ulta-Purists to be madly waving their arms and shouting "No! You have to say it the RIGHT way, the way LINUS says it"!
But Linux users are cool bunch. They don't really care. They know that Linus doesn't care, either. They've got the best operating system money can't buy, and you can say it any way you like.
Linux is one of many words and acronyms to grow out of the computer age. And, due to its origins in cyberspace, no one ever had to say the word until they met face to face...long after each had created his own idea of how the word sounds.
My own suggestion is that you rotate the pronounciations and therefore give each one equal time. This should have quite an effect on your audience. And you'll be demonstrating that it really doesn't matter how you say it.
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