Linux
Depending on your exposure to the world of IT, you may or may not have heard of Linux. For those that haven't, Linux is a free operating system designed by a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds in 1991. Now back then, Linux was a very basic thing, and it was nothing like what we are used to now. Over time though, Linux grew to become a respectable OS among the geek community and as capable server software. In the mid-90s, various desktop interfaces using windows, icons etc. similar to Windows began to appear. The OS was still very difficult to use however, and the OS remained the domain of the geek community. In the past five years though, things have changed. Concerted efforts have been made to make Linux easier-to-use on the desktop, by making everything accessible on a desktop. There are countless "distributions" out there that provide a desktop system that is easy to install, maintain and use. They contain all the software the average non-geek will likely ever use, including office suites, image manipulation programs, some very cool games and so on, and so forth. Now here's the cracker. Those that have just heard of Linux in passing have probably been told that it's "difficult to use". What these people probably don't realise is that different Linux distributions cater for different abilities and that some require little more than sticking a CD or DVD in the drive, pressing OK twice, taking it out and booting up. Others, of course, allow you to alter every config file going, but we won't touch upon those here. There are numerous easy-to-use distributions, and most of them offer the same sorts of packages, but differ in their use slightly. Mandrake and SuSE are probably the most well-known two, but I'm going to give a special mention to Ubuntu, my distro of choice. There's a reason for this: whereas with Mandrake and SuSE you either have to download the CD images and then burn them to a CD, Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, will gladly send you as many CDs as you need, complete with printed sleeve, to install on your computer. It's fairly simple to install (not as simple as SuSE or Mandrake, I'll admit) and pro users have the opportunity to intervene at any moment. There's no program overkill - in comparison to other distros, which have mostly 3-4 CDs, Ubuntu comes on a single CD with most of the software you'll ever need - including OpenOffice, a full Microsoft Office replacement, and the GIMP, a Photoshop replacement. Almost everything in Ubuntu can be taken care of via easy-to-use configuration screens, and most importantly, it's secure. In fact, any brand of Linux is far more secure than Windows, as long as you have a vague idea of what you are doing. If you have little understanding of computer security, think about it this way. Windows is an operating system that allows the user (and internet) to access any file on the hard drive by default. Windows did not come with a firewall until very recently, nor does it come with a virus scanner. Linux, on the other hand, blocks access to all files by default, and only lets you have access to those that are "not dangerous". The "root" user of a Linux installation has access to everything, other users have limited access to their "home" directory as well as anything that the root user has given them access to. Unfortunately, in the past, many users have gotten very lazy with Linux security and decide to log in by default as root, opening up their system to all kinds of hacks. This is the beauty of Ubuntu Linux - it won't allow you to log in as root, and anything you need to do as root can be done via a temporary "single user" login that gives you root privileges for the time you run this program, for example when you want to install something. So let's blow off a couple of myths here. Firstly, Linux is not difficult to use, it all depends on the distribution you choose. Shop around. Secondly, Linux is secure, more secure than Windows certainly, but it is not perfect. No software is. A lot of different people use Linux for various different reasons. Some because they are sick of Windows' (lack of security), some because they simply like Linux, some because they like to be able to toy around with something (something that Linux is very much suited to), some refuse to use Windows because they don't want to be dependent on a single company. Others use it simply because it is free. I use it out of ethical reasons - I simply do not agree with Microsoft's business practices. Give it a try - look at the links below, and make up your own mind. Linux Online: www.linux.org |
Since I have my own personal space to express my views and opinions, I thought I'd inform visitors to this site a little about the wonder that is the Linux Operating System.|
This site was created using Ubuntu Linux, The GIMP and originally Screem HTML Editor, now Bluefish. All contents on this website are not for general use unless otherwise indicated. Design, graphics and content by Darryl LeCount, except the Tux figure designed by Larry Ewing. . The drop-down menus are courtesy of Dynamic Drive, many thanks for allowing their free use. All rights reserved. |