Friends, I am sharing this article to you. It came from
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~rds/linux.htm.
I am sending it to you because I think it is saying the advantages of
Linux. Don't get me wrong, because I don't really hate Microsoft. My
first experienced with PC Operating system was MS OS actually.
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Migrating to Linux
Breaking the dependency on M$ Windoze
Supporting Open Source computing under the GNU-GPL
TUX breaking Windows
The purpose of this page is to encourage users of proprietary
operating systems such as Mac-OS or Win-XP to consider migrating to
Linux, a free and customizable operating system that is licensed under
a concept called 'copyleft' (as opposed to copyright). This page is
written to those who are 'newbies' (have little experience or
knowledge of Linux).
What is Linux? Linux is an operating system that promises to break
the Micro$oft monopoly on personal computers. Linux is based on UNIX,
a well-proven operating system for mainframe computers and web
servers, but is adaptable for end-users (eg. desktop client
computers). It is now possible to do everything on a Linux system
that can be done using Windows. Linux is more stable, more secure,
and more customizable than Windows. Linux is free because it falls
under the GNU-GPL (GNU General Public License). The Linux OS and it's
ancillary programs can be obtained as source code, customized
according to individual needs and desires, and used freely without
fear of violating commercial software licenses. In my opinion, the
emergence of the Linux OS and Open Source computing is the most
significant development in public information access since the
introduction of an affordable personal computer or advent of public
access to the Internet.
What's wrong with MS-Windows? Windows is a powerful operating
system, but is expensive, resource hoggish, and difficult to secure.
The computing code for MS-Windows is proprietary (secret), making it
difficult to customize and its 'one-size-fits-all' model has created
an unhealthy culture of interdependence as well as an entire
generation of users who are clueless in terms of being aware of what
is occurring inside their computer boxes.
What does Linux cost? Linux is licensed and maintained under the
GNU-GPL (general public license) and thus can be obtained at no charge
as a part of the Open Source software model. Generally speaking,
Open Source means that all source codes are made available for public
inspection, public use, and modification without payment of licensing
fees. All computer programs created under the GPL must have their
source code placed in the public domain. This is different from
proprietary programs like Windows that protect their source codes as
trade secrets and sell licenses to use the binary (compiled) versions.
Having access to the source code has several advantages. First, it
is difficult to hide spyware, malware, or other programs within it,
since the code can be read (or modified for personal use) by anyone
with programming skills. Second, source code is adaptable to a
variety of hardware configurations because it can be compiled by the
computer on which it will be used. Third, it allows you to customize
your computer to your own tastes and needs.
Linux users sometimes refer to the four "rights" protected by the
GNU-GPL: (i) The right to use the software; (ii) The right to
inspect the software; (iii) The right to modify the software; (iv)
The right to distribute the software. Linux is meant to be 'free'
(as in 'freedom' as opposed to 'free beer').
Linux is sometimes referred to as a "community project"
development, which means that amateur and professional programmers
often donate their time and skills to improve Linux for the good of
the entire computing community, although paid programmers will also
participate (via their involvement in companies involved in Linux
sales). The business model for commercial Linux distributions is
different than those involved in proprietary OS's (eg. Windows,
MacOS). Linux companies (eg. RedHat) make their money in enterprise
markets rather than licensing markets.
Is Linux difficult to use? Installing and using Linux at the present
time demands a minimal amount of computer literacy. Unfortunately,
many of us lack this currency, having lived too long under the Windows
legacy of 'auto-magic' installs and 'trust-someone-else-to-do-it'
maintenance. The good news is that Linux is rapidly progressing out
of the realm of computer geeks and into the mainstream. It is within
the abilities of many Windows (or Apple) users to migrate to Linux
now.
Why not use Apple products? Apple products can be more expensive
than MS-Windows equivalents and represent a shrinking market that, in
my opinion, will eventually disappear. It is true that the MacOS
performs some tasks better than MS-Windows, but Mac users suffer from
fewer software choices, a definite advantage in the Windows arena.
At the present time, software choices in Linux rival that of Windows
with the possible exception of the gaming arena. Linux has
persistently excelled over Windows in security, server, and multi-user
applications because of its being built on the UNIX model. Mac users
often seem to suffer from an unhealthy malady afflicting many users of
Windows: An dependency on an expensive operating system demanded by
expediency and few alternatives. Why pay for expensive proprietary
software which you cannot inspect, modify, or customize to your own
needs and desires?
Do you expect Linux to overtake MS-Windows on desktop installations?
Not in the US or Canada on the short-term for two major reasons: (i)
It is difficult to overcome cultural inertia; (ii) Too many people
in our society are functionally illiterate in terms of OS software
administration and thus are forced to rely on using computers that
come pre-configured and are easy to use. The biggest migrations to
Linux are currently being seen in foreign markets where there is
greater motivation to make-do with older hardware or there is a
greater distrust of proprietary OS's in terms of security.
Unfortunately, these foreign migrations to Linux may contribute to a
loss of national security as other countries convert to Linux and move
to greater computer literacy while the US and Canada continues its
unhealthy dependence on Windows.
Does UB support Linux? There appears to be a major commitment by
the IT community and administrators at UB to support Linux use among
faculty and students. UB offers its own release of Linux called
UB-Linux (which is based on the Redhat Enterprise release). The
Faculty Senate passed a resolution to support Linux. It may be
helpful to take a look at the links offered at the end of this page
for more information.
What are your recommendations for moving to Linux? The biggest
challenge for a new user of Linux is being faced with what seems like
an endless number of choices. UBLinux may be a good start for local
users because it comes pre-configured for the UB environment.
UBLinux is based on the RedHat Enterprise edition core, a popular
Linux distribution. Distributions such as Linspire or Xandros come
close to duplicating the common Windows experience and therefore may
be good for first-timers, but they have a disadvantage of being
commercial rather than public distributions. Commercial distributions
often require fees be paid for bundled licensed software (eg.
multimedia codeces) and for software upgrades.
If you want to test the waters before jumping in, you might try
one of the live-Linux CDs such as Knoppix, Ubuntu, or Mephis. Live
CDs allow you to run Linux from a CD without installation on the
hard-disk. Another possibility is to set up a dual-booting
configuration where a choice to boot to Linux or another OS is given
upon startup. Be aware that Windows must remain installed in the
primary partition for this to be successful and it is best to use a
second (physical) drive rather than trying to install Linux on a
second partition sharing a single drive with Windows. MS-Windows was
not written to share with another OS.
If you are currently a MacOS user, you might note that OSX is
based upon UNIX architecture (OSX was built upon NetBSD). Here, one
can opt to utilize a hybrid system such as GNU-Darwin. If you would
like more information on this alternative, go to the following link
and look at their FAQ which is found under the 'about' link on the
upper toolbar: http://www.gnu-darwin.org/
What is your own experience with Linux? I am a prior MS-Windows
user that dabbled in Linux since the 1990's, but converted to using
Linux for almost all computing tasks since mid-2004. In 2004, I used
UBLinux for a while, then switched to Fedora Core 1 (a version of
RedHat Linux) because I wanted to experience computing closer to the
bleeding edge. Later, I switched to SUSE 9.1 and am currently using
SUSE 9.3 on both my laptop (an IBM T-series) as well as my office
desktop computer (Dell). One of our lab computers is configured with
Simply-Mephis because Mephis Linux performs well on older hardware.
I found the biggest problem at first was getting familiar with the
UNIX file system and the UNIX model of computing that is much
different than Windows. A second difficulty was reacquainting myself
with shell commands and dealing with program source code, though this
can be avoided successfully if one doesn't want to deal with them.
As is the case for most new linux-users, I was very naive in
regard to what Linux needs in terms of post-install tweaking. For
one thing, all free Linux distributions come crippled in regard to
multimedia tasks (eg. playing DVD's) because of licensing rules on
multimedia codecs. It is expected that codeces and other necessary
computing components will be installed separately, after the Linux OS
is up and running. Often, this is too much for the newbie to tackle
and it has the effect of sending new-users running back to their old
operating systems. Find help if you need it.
Where can I find help? The web is the best place because there are
a lot of people migrating to Linux and facing the same issues.
Documentation in the form of manuals and tutorials are freely
available on the Internet. In addition, there are numerous websites
that deal only with Linux problems. UB has it's own help network.
--
Angeles Communications (Phils.), Inc. - Angelcom
System Administrator
---
1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profiteth little:
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