1) Exploring Windows Alternatives There are over 150 operating system alternatives to Windows. Which ones are worth looking at?
It's not an idle question. As we first discussed in January of this year, there's an increasing need for Windows users to have--- at least as a back-burner priority--- some kind of a "Plan B" in case Microsoft doesn't get its act together. You see, over the last few years, Microsoft has started to treat its end users--- you and me--- very poorly. It's a trend that started about two years ago, coincident with some top-management shuffles and the distraction of the antitrust suit. For example: Windows Millennium Edition was and is perhaps the worst version of Windows in over a decade: It should have been at most a free update to Windows98SE, but instead, Microsoft gussied it up and shoved it out the door as if it were an entirely new version of Windows. The only reason I can see for doing this is that Microsoft needed to release something new to keep the cash flow going. Lacking a real product, they foisted a half-baked Windows ME on the world. (See http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm ) There are even broader problems, too, such as the corporate blind spots that have caused exactly the same kind of security flaw to show up again and again and again in an amazing range of Microsoft products. It's almost as if Microsoft can't generalize, and instead treats each security problem in isolation--- leading to the same kind of problem recurring over and over. The conclusion is inescapable: If only in self-defense, we all need to at least begin thinking about Windows alternatives; perhaps even actively exploring non-Windows options. The trouble is, it's not a simple choice. Linux is the most obvious alternative--- except that there are *literally* some 170 different flavors of Linux, and even more than that if you count different version numbers! So before you get to issues of compatibility, support, and such, you first have to find a way to address the huge question: "Which Linux?" The Mac is another alternative, but one that carries its own mix of plusses and minuses. Then there's BSD, FreeDOS, Solaris, OS/2, QNX, VMS, Debian, Amiga, AtheOS, and. well, you get the idea. There are, in fact, so many operating system alternatives that it would be very hard for anyone to try them all. But collectively, if we pool our knowledge, we can surely hit all the major ones. I'll go first: In my current InformationWeek column (live now at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020314S0038 ), I'll provide links to every free OS I know of so you can download and try as many as you want; and I'll also tell you what I consider to be the high and low points of the major contenders. But then let me ask you: Which non-Windows operating systems have you tried? Which brand/distribution and versions gave you the best results? What worked, and what didn't? How long did the OS conversion take? What did it cost? Have you migrated entirely away from Windows, or do you run your alternative OS in a dual-boot setup? What did you just plain like, and what was disappointing? Let's pool our knowledge! Please check out the column at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020314S0038 and then join in the associated discussion at http://www.informationweek.com/forum/fredlanga ! See you there! ================================================ BRLUG - The Baton Rouge Linux User Group Visit http://www.brlug.net for more information. Send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] to change your subscription information. ================================================
