What is Linux?
Linux
is an operating system and software suite for your computer.
(That's what Windows and MacOS are also.)
Operating systems are the fundamental programs that run your computer,
provide you with a graphical user interface (GUI) and allow you to run
other software such as word processors, spreadsheets, and games.
Linux, Windows, and Mac OS all provide the sames kinds of basic
functionality, but they do it in different ways.
Unlike Windows and MacOS, Linux can be configured to run on just about
any computer-like device. You
probably own a
device that runs Linux. Linux
is used in a huge number of computer systems, gaming consoles, juke
boxes, Internet servers, cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs, and many
more. If you use the Internet, you are using Linux machines
somewhere.
Most Web sites run Linux.
Linux is the fastest growing operating system.
Why haven't I heard of Linux?
Linux is free! And most of the software for Linux is free as
well. So, You won't see many Linux items in stores. Some
Linux distributions (like Linspire) are sold along with commercial
software add-ins at electronics stores, but you probably missed it
among all the other commercial software on the shelf. Since most
applications for Linux are also free, they are not in stores either.
You probably have heard of some sofware available for Linux. Here are a
few examples:
Mozilla Thunderbird Email
Mozilla Firefox Web Browser
MySQL Database
GPG encryption
Open Office office suite
Star Office office suite
Gimp image manipulation and printing
Maybe you have seen a movie that was rendered on Linux computers like
"Finding Nemo."
How do
I get Linux?
People
usually get Linux by downloading it from the Internet and
burning a CD.
Since Linux is free, Computer Reboot charges only $1.00 to burn a CD
for you. You are paying for our time and materials, not the software. Why
Linux?
There are a lot of reasons to switch from Windows to Linux.
Faster. Safer. Better. Free.
Linux is Free - Windows is often sold with a computer, the price is included. You paid for it.
Most Linux software is Free - Even the most basic applications for Windows cost you extra.
Linux is a secure operating system - Linux doesn't get viruses, malware and spyware like Windows.
Linux is more Efficient - Linux runs faster on less expensive hardware.
Linux is more stable - The computer I wrote this web page with, has been running at over 100% for over a year. 24 hours a day 7 days a
week, no breaks (except 9 months ago when I had to move it and
unplugged it for a few minutes). In that time, I have had
no crashes, no viruses, no spyware, not the slightest issue. The
computer is on the internet all the time. That's over 9000 hours
of exposure, no issues.
Linux keeps up - Microsoft releases "fixes" on the second tuesday of
each month. If something needs to be fixed with Linux, updates
are available sometimes within the hour.
Linux is way ahead - The latest Windows version implements a lot of
"new" features that have been in Linux for years. (Where do you think
they got the idea?) What
is "Open Source" and what is Proprietary?
Open Source is the opposite
of Proprietary.
Proprietary means Secret. Proprietary, legacy software, like Windows,
is kept secret from the average user. You are not allowed to see how it
works, how badly it is designed, or to make your own changes.
Proprietary means Expensive. The programs are copywrited. You are
not allowed to make copies and use them on other computers. You
are not allowed to give copies to your friends.
Proprietary means Risk. If the software company tells you the
program is safe, secure, or doesn't track your every move, you have no
proof. You just have to take their word for it. And, they
have lots of reasons to lie.
Proprietary means No Choice. Since proprietary software vendors
have big incentives to keep you from buying other vendor's software,
they make every effort to make it hard for you to use other
software. They force you to buy their new products to keep up to
date, by ending support on old products and forcing their partners to
do the same. You end up with "Vendor Lock-in".
Proprietary software is an Ecological Disaster. Proprietary
software vendors make deals with hardware vendors to sell their latest
products and to force users to buy new hardware. What do you
think happens to all the computers no longer supported by the new
version of Windows?
Open source means Transparency. Open Source programs are
available
for you to look at any time you want. You can read the actual
program. If there was anything "fishy" in there you could see
it. And believe me, there are people looking at it! They
are looking for anything they can use to attack Linux and make their
proprietary software look good. If they had found it, you would
have heard about it.
Open source means High Quality. Since any problems with open
source software can be found by anyone, the problems are found.
They are found fast. They are fixed fast.
Open source means Diversity. Since there are millions of people
working on open source projects, there is input from many more people
than a software company can get. As a result, there is more
choice. Open source software runs on more hardware types, in more
languages, in more places than any proprietary software.
Open source means Safety. If there are security holes, people
know about it and fix it. There is no reason to pretend
there is no problem, there is no stock price to protect, no lawsuits to
avoid, no reasons to lie.
Open source means Low Cost. Many big hardware vendors have turned
to open source to make their products cost competitive. IBM,
Hewlett Packard, Dell, Sun, and many others have embraced open source
as a way to provide better products to their customers.
