Linux

I have recently installed LINUX onto my machine. It does not replace Windows by a long shot but it leaves it standing in some areas. The main advantage Windows has over Linux is that it already has it's feet under the table both in terms of popularity and software. This could very well be starting to change but it is still mainly hackers and enthusiasts providing most development. Linux is a multi-user, multitasking operating system that will run on many different types of computers, not just IBM compatible PC's. It is based around a standard set of UNIX capabilities and can be installed on very basic systems with limited resources. LINUX was the brainchild of Linus Torvalds who decided to attempt to create a UNIX clone. This has grown from one mans idea to world wide effort by thousands people. Millions of people around the world now come in contact with LINUX either as a way to learn about operating systems like myself, or less conspicuously via their Internet provider.

Four Flavors of LINUX I have tried myself.

I have put links to four different flavors of Linux which I have tried myself, Red Hat come of the front of PC Plus magazine. I tried this then I purchased a book for more information which also contained a distribution of Caldera Linux. I purchased S.u.S.E 6.0 mainly because it contains no less than five CD's leading to a possible 4 Giga-byte installation, if you include all the software bundled in the package. You can download these versions but I recommend getting hold of a CD distribution, bearing in mind Linux is FREE !

Other Distributions.

I have Linux installed side by side with Windows 98 and NT4 on my computer. This required some work partitioning the hard drives because of the differences between the two systems. The installation is very straight forward but I found Caldera the easiest closely followed by S.u.S.E. Once you have installed all the required packages onto your system you can then set-up things like your network card or printer. I have had two problems with LINUX, one was printer configuration and the other was sound card issues. The problem is, manufacturers like Lexmark are making their product Windows friendly, making them difficult to configure without specific drivers. After configuring passwords and user names you are presented with the face of most UNIX operating systems, a black terminal window. This is similar to DOS in appearance but that is where the similarity ends. There are a multitude of commands which seem intimidating at times and also console programs like text editors and mail readers, everything you might ever need but without the fancy front-end. There are several Windows-like environments also available but first you have to set up your graphics card and monitor. Once that is done you can choose from several windows managers including KDE, FVWM, FVWM95 and many others, each one is reminiscent of other operating systems front-ends.
An Xwindow Manager Window managers like KDE and Gnome are every bit as good as Microsoft Windows in their own ways, and they are constantly been developed and tweaked.	This is one example of an Xwindow manager. Some look like this, FVWM, and some are based on other operating systems like Windows 95 or Motif. Most window managers are highly configurable and free so you get best of both worlds.
	This is where the fun begins, you can access your existing files on the Windows partitions, browse the Internet, set up your own web server, play games, program Java or C++. In fact the world is your oyster. Somewhere out there is an application to do what you want to do.

LINUX also has the reputation of been very stable, no more random system crash problems, this is because the LINUX kernel does not allow programs to access internal resources as freely as other operating systems. LINUX has lots security measures and file permissions built in so the super-user, or 'root' user, can keep total control. LINUX can be set up as either client or server and all for a fraction of the cost of UNIX or Windows NT.

To summarize I would say the initial learning curve is quite steep, but once you have got over the basics LINUX is so configurable and flexible you start to lose yourself in it. It takes me back to a couple of key computing moments in my life, the first was when we got a ZX Spectrum, the second when I got hold of four CDRoms containing the Minerva bulletin board archives. Everything is new and there is so much software to learn and explore. If you're happy with pretty Windows95 and playing games then LINUX is not for you. But if you are a developer, programmer or someone who just likes to know what's going on inside your computer, LINUX is for you:

Have fun with it.