| If you have any involvement with Information | | | | DVDs, listening to music, watching videos, |
| Technology, you're probably already familiar | | | | and chatting via services like AOL's Instant |
| with Linux as a server operating system. | | | | Messenger. |
| Indeed, for many applications Linux is an | | | | |
| accepted and even preferred platform. Google | | | | This list is by no means complete. There are |
| has built and is expanding one of the world's | | | | thousands of open source applications for |
| largest cluster of Linux servers to host its | | | | Linux; you'd be hard-pressed not to find one |
| pervasive search engine system. Major | | | | that could do what you need. But there are |
| hardware vendors, including IBM and | | | | also many commercial applications available. |
| Hewlett-Packard, sell servers preloaded with | | | | |
| Linux and provide premium support for the | | | | Drawbacks |
| operating system. Oracle is the largest | | | | |
| commercial database running on Linux with | | | | If Linux offers so much of the same |
| more than 80% market share. Successful | | | | functionality as Windows, why isn't it more |
| commercial applications like VMware ESX are | | | | widely used? Why do many home and corporate |
| built on Linux foundations. And many of the | | | | users reject it? |
| largest Internet hosting providers run on | | | | |
| Linux. | | | | Microsoft Windows, while it has many faults, |
| | | | has become so widespread in its use as to be |
| On the other hand, if your computer | | | | nearly ubiquitous. It has become the de |
| experience is limited to your own home PC, | | | | facto standard by which other systems are |
| you may never have even heard of Linux and | | | | measured. For those people already familiar |
| may be wondering what all the fuss is about. | | | | with and comfortable with Windows, anything |
| If that's the case, listen up because Linux | | | | else is a step back, even if it is faster, |
| may be coming to a desktop near you! | | | | more intuitive, more stable, and more secure. |
| | | | |
| What is Linux? | | | | Also, it must be admitted, there are still |
| | | | situations where you may need to venture into |
| Simply put, Linux is a computer operating | | | | the cryptic world of the Linux command shell. |
| system like the Mac OS X or Microsoft | | | | For those used to living with a mouse in one |
| Windows. The difference is that Linux is | | | | hand, typing commands like awk and grep at a |
| open source; anyone can view, modify, and | | | | flashing cursor is unacceptable. |
| redistribute the underlying code. Further, | | | | |
| while OS X is designed to run only on Apple | | | | And, while there are enough applications to |
| hardware, and while Windows runs primarily on | | | | satisfy all but the most demanding of users, |
| x86 processors from Intel and AMD, there are | | | | there are a few notable exceptions. |
| many distributions or flavors of Linux, | | | | Microsoft Office is not available on Linux, |
| compiled to run on a wide array of hardware, | | | | and likely never will be. Adobe Photoshop is |
| everything from high-end corporate servers | | | | also missing. In both cases, nearly all of |
| and mainframes, to home PC's, to cell phones. | | | | the functionality these two giants provide is |
| | | | available in other applications, but for some |
| Linux began as a pet project of a Finnish | | | | die hards, that's not good enough. While |
| university student, Linus Torvalds, in 1991 | | | | there are ways of running some Windows |
| as an alternative to the server operating | | | | applications on Linux, they're not usually as |
| system Unix. He made it freely available to | | | | fast or as stable -- or as easy to implement |
| anyone who wished to modify it and it was | | | | -- as native Linux applications. |
| quickly adopted and grew. Still, it remained | | | | |
| primarily a server-based system. Few home | | | | The situation is even dimmer for games. |
| users would have chosen its complex | | | | While the console market -- PlayStation, |
| command-line interface over the comfortable | | | | Nintendo, and Xbox -- is growing, the PC and |
| and easy-to-use point-and-click GUI of the | | | | Mac game market is shrinking. The commercial |
| Macintosh or Windows. | | | | Linux game market is even smaller. Oh, there |
| | | | are plenty of games for Linux, but most are |
| However, Linux now also sports a graphical | | | | modest efforts, with few of the heavy hitters |
| front-end and a plethora of user-friendly | | | | widely available on other platforms. Those |
| applications. | | | | that have been ported to Linux are not always |
| | | | fully supported -- if they're supported at |
| Going GUI | | | | all -- by the original producer. For |
| | | | example, while you can purchase Quake 4 for |
| Since Linux is all about choice, it's not | | | | Linux, don't expect id Software to help you |
| surprising that there are a number of | | | | get it running, a task not for neophytes or |
| graphical environments available. The two | | | | those who shy away from the command line. |
| most popular that come preloaded on many | | | | |
| distributions targeted for desktop or | | | | Vendors |
| workstation use are Gnome and KDE. Both | | | | |
| offer features home users have come to | | | | Despite any apparent drawbacks, some major |
| expect: menus, icons from which to launch | | | | vendors are actively promoting Linux on the |
| applications and documents, desktop | | | | desktop. Novell now offers the SUSE Linux |
| wallpaper, screen savers, trash icons, and | | | | Enterprise Desktop, while Red Hat offers |
| the like. | | | | Enterprise Linux WS, both targeted at |
| | | | corporations. Since users in this |
| Connecting to printers is a simple process of | | | | environment are likely to have a fixed set of |
| selecting the printer type from a menu and | | | | applications without a heavy gaming need, |
| telling the system where to find it, either | | | | Linux is often ideal. And a number of |
| on a local port or a network queue. To print | | | | organizations are taking advantage of the |
| from most applications simply select File, | | | | potential savings offered by these open |
| Print. No surprises there. | | | | source options. Governments especially, |
| | | | under scrutiny for how they handle the public |
| Sharing folders is equally simple and relies | | | | purse, are often quick to make the move. |
| upon standard protocols that interface well | | | | Among them are the cities of Largo, Florida, |
| with Macintosh and Windows systems. | | | | USA; Bristol, UK; and Bergen, Norway. They |
| | | | have each made their taxpayers happy with |
| For security, you can create multiple user | | | | significant savings over the closed source, |
| accounts; each user gets their own desktop | | | | proprietary systems they used to use. |
| they can customize as they wish. There's | | | | |
| also a built-in firewall to protect you from | | | | Choices |
| Internet intruders. | | | | |
| | | | If you're a heavy gamer, then you'll probably |
| Of course, most people are more interested in | | | | want to stick with Windows or a dedicated |
| the applications they can run, rather than | | | | console. If your focus is advanced graphics |
| the underlying operating system. Here, Linux | | | | and video editing, then Linux may be an |
| is in no way deprived. | | | | option, if you're willing to give up certain |
| | | | commercial applications. Otherwise, you'd be |
| Applications | | | | better off with a Macintosh. If you're just |
| | | | surfing the Internet, sending e-mail, writing |
| For browsing the Internet, there's Mozilla's | | | | letters, and editing spreadsheets, then Linux |
| Firefox and Konqueror. For e-mail there's | | | | and the open source software that comes with |
| Thunderbird and Evolution. The popular | | | | many distributions will do everything you |
| OpenOffice.org suite provides typical office | | | | need. |
| functionality including word processing, | | | | |
| spreadsheet, database, drawing, and | | | | On the other hand, if you don't want to ever |
| presentations. The Gimp and Inkscape offer | | | | see a command line or edit configuration |
| advanced graphics capabilities. And there's | | | | files by hand, then Linux probably isn't for |
| a variety of utilities for burning CDs and | | | | you just yet. But it may be soon. |