 |
LINUX & YOU |
 |
||
| Home |
Contact
| Site Map | Reciprocal Links & Credits |
||||
You could (some may say should) install GNU/Linux on your PC because:
a)
Linux is a far more stable and much more secure operating system
thereby avoiding possibilities of crashes, blue screens and potential
corruption of data due to the insecurities
of a Windows system that is currently more prone to virus attack,
worms, trojans, hackers and the like.
b)
Linux is developed by a worldwide 'community' of users, there is not
one single profiteering conglomorate (call it an evil empire if you
like) in overall control of the system and so there will be no
uncomfortable feelings about supporting a certain other operating
system
supplied by a company that appears to be so anti-competitive and
un-ethical.
I
therefore eschewed Windows from my hard drive to give GNU/ Linux a
spin.
Rose Coloured Spectacles?
Once I had Mandrake installed, I
certainly enjoyed a very fast and very stable computing experience.
The system is seemingly infinitely configurable, and packed full of
features and applications, too many to describe here and so many that
many people will probably never need to use all of them.
Most people who have heard of Linux
think
that it is far too difficult to use. Linux is a UNIX-like
powerful
and adaptable operating system. Originally everything was done
from the 'command-line' (the scary black screen that looks a bit like
DOS). Today there are very user friendly desktops loaded as standard
that provide an easy to use and very attractive windowing
environment. The main ones are KDE and GNOME.
I use the KDE desktop and find it both
easy to use and very pleasant 'eye-candy'. The KDE Desktop I find
very much better to use than Windows Explorer, not only does it look
great, but it also has some useful features that are not present on
Explorer. EG double click on the title bar and the page 'rolls
up'
out of the way (leaving just the title bar) so that you can work with
whatever is hiding underneath. Also KDE provides multiple virtual
desktops, so that you can have your e-mail client open on desktop 1, a
spreadsheet on desktop 2, a word processor on desktop 3 and web page
creater, for example, on desktop 4. Each desktop can be easily
selected with a click of the mouse on the 'kicker' at the bottom of the
screen. A brilliant inspiration for organising the way you work!
HE WHO RUNS ROOT KILLS TREE
Linux is a proper muti-user system. There is one overall SuperUser (the Administrator) called ROOT. The root user has Permissions (access rights) set to enable access to all parts of the system, including other users' accounts. Each account is password protected. It is not normal to log in as root unless performing vital system maintenence. For normal day to day use each user will have their own account set up with limited Permissions so that they cannot alter other users files or more importantly alter or delete system files. Each user account will have their own special area, or Home directory identified as /home/mike or /home/jemima etcetera.
This strict system of rights used in Linux is quite unlike Windows, whereby any user can access any part of the system, including vital system files - which could cause irrepairable damage. In Linux only the root (i.e. superuser, administrator) can install software and access vital files. Because the root user is so powerful the Linux system should never be run as root - hence 'He who runs root kills tree".
LINUX = HIGH SECURITY = NO VIRUSES (well very few)
It is because of these strict access rights that Linux users find that the system is virtually virus free. Because under all circumstances you will be logged on as a ordinary user neither you nor a virus can have access to system files. Because of this virus writers tend not to bother Linux users and there are very few viruses out there that affect Linux systems. Why, indeed, would they bother when they can write viruses for Windows systems that are almost certain to hit the mark because of limited or no security, and cause untold damage!
MANDRAKE
HE WHO RUNS ROOT KILLS TREE
Linux is a proper muti-user system. There is one overall SuperUser (the Administrator) called ROOT. The root user has Permissions (access rights) set to enable access to all parts of the system, including other users' accounts. Each account is password protected. It is not normal to log in as root unless performing vital system maintenence. For normal day to day use each user will have their own account set up with limited Permissions so that they cannot alter other users files or more importantly alter or delete system files. Each user account will have their own special area, or Home directory identified as /home/mike or /home/jemima etcetera.
This strict system of rights used in Linux is quite unlike Windows, whereby any user can access any part of the system, including vital system files - which could cause irrepairable damage. In Linux only the root (i.e. superuser, administrator) can install software and access vital files. Because the root user is so powerful the Linux system should never be run as root - hence 'He who runs root kills tree".
LINUX = HIGH SECURITY = NO VIRUSES (well very few)
It is because of these strict access rights that Linux users find that the system is virtually virus free. Because under all circumstances you will be logged on as a ordinary user neither you nor a virus can have access to system files. Because of this virus writers tend not to bother Linux users and there are very few viruses out there that affect Linux systems. Why, indeed, would they bother when they can write viruses for Windows systems that are almost certain to hit the mark because of limited or no security, and cause untold damage!
MANDRAKE
Having used Mandrake
Linux for some time now I can see why Linux users love it and would be
loathed to go back to Windows, but are there problems? Yes of course
there are problems - we are talking incredibly complex machines, i.e.
computers here!
We can say that the MAC excels with
desktop publishing, for example. Windows excels with games - but
not because it is a good games platform - it's simply because the games
writers produce their games for Windows because it is easier to sell
the
games to Windows users and make money because there are so many Windows
owners.
There
are games for Linux, of course, but mostly unfamiliar ones and until
the
Linux community has developed an equivalent to Direct X then Windows
will always be an emminently more suitable platform. However
there
is a system called WINE (WINdows Emulator) which will run some Windows
games on the Linux platform. I am not really a gamer so I cannot really
comment on this. WINE, it must be said, does not work with many
Windows programmes, and will not work with ones written in Visual
Basic,
so at the moment is a fantastic idea with limited usefulness.
The
other problem is loading software. In Windows you just bung the
CD, it autoruns, you press OK a couple of times and the sofware is
installed automatically. A almost brainless task.
These
tasks can be equally brainless is Linux too, in fact easier, if
you want to load the right software. Mandrake, Lycoris and Red
Hat, among others, use a software package management system called RPM
(stems from Redhat Package Management). The software application is
packaged as an RPM for a specific distribution. I have a DVD full
of RPM's for Mandrake, all I do is put the DVD in the drive double
click
on the package I want to install and it's done in seconds, it's even
easier than in Windows.
The big problem with Linux is that you cannot load any existing Windows applications onto your PC. There are many similar applications written for Linux, but they will be unfamiliar and sometime awkward to load and use. Some are easy and brilliant, it has to be said.
The big problem with Linux is that you cannot load any existing Windows applications onto your PC. There are many similar applications written for Linux, but they will be unfamiliar and sometime awkward to load and use. Some are easy and brilliant, it has to be said.
Even
though there is masses of software available for Linux it's probably
not going to be found in the shops. It will often be found on free CD
ROMs given away with magazines, if not it has to searched for on the
internet and then downloaded. Not so bad since it will be
completely free and legal. However if you cannot obtain the
required software compiled as an RPM for your distribution there will
be
a bit more work to be done before it can be loaded onto your computer.
It's not too difficult, but is certainly more complex than the Windows
type of software install. This is where Linux can become more
difficult, and I have had to resort to the internet Linux forums for
help on many occasions. But there is help on hand and most
problems have solutions.
While
my rose tinted glasses are becoming clearer are there any other
downsides?
IBM & SUN
One
real problem area that I can think of and that is hardware
support. Because most hardware manufacturers cannot be bothered
to
write Linux drivers for things like printers, scanners and web-cams it
is down to the volunteers in the Linux community to write new drivers
for hardware as it comes out. This does mean a delay between a
particular hardware item being released and a suitable driver being
written and then released on the internet, or in the next Linux
distribution. The situation is not helped when the manufacturers
will not release the specifications of the hardware to make it easier
to
write new drivers.
In 2004 the situation appears to be getting better. As more and more users turn to Linux many more hardware vendors are providing support for their equipment under Linux. NVIDIA is a good example. It is a situation that can only get better.
In 2004 the situation appears to be getting better. As more and more users turn to Linux many more hardware vendors are providing support for their equipment under Linux. NVIDIA is a good example. It is a situation that can only get better.
IBM
is heavily promoting LINUX for both server applications and for
desktops and together with SUN MICROSYSTEMS involvent with Linux I am
certain that the hardware support situation can only continue improving.
It
does not seem to be too much of a problem with printers. My HP
printer worked fine, if a little slower, with a generic printer driver
for a while. Then I got a specific driver and it now works at
full
speed.
Scanners
seem to be a bit more complex, but my Canon works fine with
Mandrake. It's always necessary to check compatability before
obtaining a piece of hardware.
Basic
internal hardware such as AMD Duron & XP and Intel processors are
fine, as are network interface cards and the common Soundblaster cards,
perhaps not so much the high end Audigy cards which may not have had
support developed for them as yet.
Basic
video cards appear to be well supported, but go to a high end Radeon,
for example, and there will probably be more difficulties than with
NVIDIA cards. NVIDIA have had the foresight to offer good Linux
support for their range of cards.
The
biggest problem is with modems. A Modem ( MOdulate and
DEModulate) is used to communicate along a phone line to connect to the
internet. Most PCs are fitted with internal PCI 'WinModems',
which
aren't actually modems at all. A winmodem is a piece of hardware
that relys on the software provided by Windows to perform as if it were
a real modem. They are sometimes called soft modems, because it takes
Windows and the PC's CPU to make them work. They are used because they
are cheap to make, having few of the components necessary to be a real
modem, instead relying on Windows to make them work.
Unfortunately
because the Windows source code is a closely guarded Microsoft secret,
it is almost impossible to emulate it. Some clever linux bods
have
managed to make some code for one or two winmodems. The safer
bet, however, is to use a real Hardware
modem. There are
one or two
that are known to work perfectly with linux (see right). Alternatively
opt for an extenal hardware modem.
If you connect to the internet with broadband via network card installed in the P.C. and a router this seems to be a cinch. I did not have to make any adjustments, Mandrake just auto-detected the network card and connected to the internet without any help.
If you connect to the internet with broadband via network card installed in the P.C. and a router this seems to be a cinch. I did not have to make any adjustments, Mandrake just auto-detected the network card and connected to the internet without any help.
Anything
else? Well since I have been using Linux I have not suffered a
system crash or lost any work or data. Sure I have had an
application misbehave, but just using the KILL command closes the
guilty
piece of software. These little problems don't slow down the other
applications or freeze or crash the whole computer because Linux is a
true Multi-Tasking operating system. Just kill the misbehaving
app, re-open it and all is well. So no Scandisks, Defrag's, Virus Scans
lost MBR's etc. Just a promise of pure productivity.
Stick to good basic hardware - nothing really fancy and top-flight and few, if any, problems should be encountered, certainly no more problems than can often be found even in Windows systems.
Stick to good basic hardware - nothing really fancy and top-flight and few, if any, problems should be encountered, certainly no more problems than can often be found even in Windows systems.
But
never say that I said it would be easy! It is most definitely
worth a go though, so see what you can achieve with open-source
software. You may wonder how you ever did without it.
 Back to
Computers |
Why
Windows? |
Why Linux? |
^top of page |
||
 |
| A KDE desktop |
| Other Pelated Pages: |
| Favourite FREE Software |
| Back to
Computers. |
| Upgrading a P.C. . |
| Why
Windows? |
| Penguin
Saves The Day |
| Why Linux? |
| Linux In
The Limelight |
| More
KDE desktops: |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| What
is
Linux? LINUX was born in 1991 when Linus
Torvalds, a Finish student, began to programme his computer. This
'core'
program is the 'Kernel'. He freely published the code that he developed
on the internet asking other coders to make improvements and freely
publish their results on the internet too.
The Linux core, though very powerful, on its own is of little use to the average computer user. The Linux kernel needs a graphical interface and some useful applications, programs and utilities to be able to perform day to day computing tasks. This is where the GNU project comes in: The GNU utilities, developed by Richard Stallman, enabled Linux developers to write & run C programs since they included tools such as an editor, C compiler and shell. These utilities were also freely published. Hence the name GNU/Linux. Once a neat GUI (Graphical User Interface - i.e. 'desktop' environment) such as KDE or GNOME is included (amongst some other utilities), Linux can be an ideal DESKTOP system as well as the perfect SERVER. Add other GNU applications such as a browsers, e-mail clients, office suites and image editors etc, the system becomes comprehensive and useful! |
|
Links:
OpenOffice.org - A comprehensive Office Suite for Linux and Windows
ADSL GUIDE - Your Guide To Broadband Internet
OpenOffice.org for a better office suite
ADSL GUIDE - Your Guide To Broadband Internet
Mandriva
SuSE Linux - from NOVELL.com
Ubunto Linux - A popular choice in 2005/2006
Fedora Linux
Red Hat Linux
Mepis Linux
Zero to Linux in 5 Minutes
How To Obtain Knoppix
Linux Questions.org
Linux on a Laptop
Apple MAC
Cheep Linux
Try out Linux from a CD-ROM:
How To Obtain Knoppix
KNOPPIX is
a Linux distribution deleoped by Klaus Knopper based on the Debian Linux distribution. KNOPPIX is
designed to boot off and run directly from a CD-ROM. Just set
your
BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM before the hard drive. Knoppix will
then boot up and run, detecting much of your hardware automatically. It
will even detect FAT32 partitions on your hard-drive (but not
NTFS). Knoppix is loaded with applications, including CD
burning software.
| Favourite FREE Software |
Internal PCI modems that are said to work with Linux:
ActionTec PM560LKi
IBM 33L4618
Multitech MT5634ZPX-PCI
Zoom 2920
(And many external Hardware Modems too.)