Carroll County Times Articles
Linux on the Home PC
by Jeannine Morber– September 27, 2007
Not too long ago, the only people who would insist on using the Linux operating system over Windows were high-level advanced computer users who actually felt more comfortable using a command line interface rather than the graphical user interface of Windows. In fact, many of these same computer users refused to even give Windows a try - considering it not a 'real' operating system.
But now that many Linux distributions come equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) that is as user-friendly as the Window's GUI, the Linux operating system is popping up on more and more home PCs and for many different reasons.
First, Linux is a very inexpensive operating system. Usually the cost involved is for the actual CD and shipping charges, and not for the operating system itself. Often, the entire operating system can be downloaded from a website and therefore is entirely free. The low cost or lack of cost of Linux is not why it is referred to as 'free software' though. The term 'free' in this case refers to 'license free' software which means that the code for the entire operating system can be viewed, modified, or copied without violating any licensing or copyright laws.
Secondly, because the code for Linux distributions (called 'distros') can be readily viewed by anyone - bugs, holes and security issues tend to be found and fixed quickly. So unlike Windows, Linux tends to be a bit more secure. Also, because Linux is not as popular as Windows, most viruses and malware are not written specifically for it which also makes it a bit safer to use.
Thirdly, many Linux distros have interfaces similar to Windows XP which means there is no longer a need to learn command-line computing to use Linux.
Software for Linux is also extremely inexpensive, if not also free. For instance, OpenOffice.org is a productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office and includes a word processor, a presentation package similar to PowerPoint and a spreadsheet. Firefox, a popular web browser from Mozilla works perfectly on Linux and in fact, was originally designed to be used with the Linux operating system.
Linux does have a down side though. Mainly, it is not always the easiest operating system to install. Hardware driver issues are usually the main culprit although this seems to have improved over recent years.
Also, there are many applications or software packages that will only run on Windows systems such as all Microsoft products, of course. Many computer games also will only run on Windows systems.
For those who want to give Linux a try, it's possible to have both Windows and Linux installed on the same PC, and then just select which operating system to load at boot time. Instructions on how to select a Linux distro, download it and install it on a computer already running Windows XP can be found here .
About the Author
Jeannine Morber is the Director of the Carroll Technology Council. Questions are welcome and may be addressed in future articles. Email mail@carrolltechcouncil.org or go to www.carrolltechcouncil.org to learn more.
