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TAKING A LOOK AT LINUX
Would you like:
...all at NO COST?? Linux may be for you. (It is for me!) This is more than a “shoestring budget” issue, but obviously Linux IS a great way to slash costs.
NOTE: BEWARE of what non-Linux users tell you about Linux! It is NOT “only for geeks” or “too complicated;” don't listen to ANYONE who starts dismissing Linux by saying “...in the REAL world...” Because...(1) Linux switched YEARS ago to becoming user-friendly and (2) LOTS of people are using it. Microsoft is even trying to prove Linux isn't better than Windows! (Can you spell “worried?”) Besides, much or most of what we teach in computer class is applications, not operating systems; students can learn how to use word processors with MS-Word, Corel, OpenOffice, or ABIWord; the principles are the same. Besides, who's to say that when today's students enter the “real” workforce that Windows and commercial Windows-based software will still dominate?
There are some basics you need to understand about Linux or you will quickly get frustrated...like, you never switch floppies without “mounting” and “unmounting” them. See the "Top Ten Annoyances." :-)
WHO is using Linux? A few examples...
I teach our students BOTH operating systems—so they begin to think critically and can figure out a new program by relating it to several other similar programs, open source or commercial, Windows and non-Windows.
There seem to be two main schools of thought regarding Linux:
“bigger is better” - these versions (“distros”) of Linux utilize all the power of newer machines, though usually requiring less power than Windows for the same jobs. These distros are very powerful, utilize a lot of “bells and whistles,” are often VERY easy for Windows users to acclimate to, and have several programs to do any task. There may be a few browsers, word processors, photo editors, etc. Some of the popular ones are Ubuntu (consistently the #1 downloaded distro of late) and my distro of choice, Mepis. (Click here for a nice little low-key intro to Mepis.) Others include Knoppix, SUSE, Fedora (think “Red Hat”), Mandriva (formerly “Mandrake”), and others.
“lean and mean” - these distros aim to level the playing field for those who have older PCs. These versions are still quite powerful but have stripped out many of the “bells and whistles.” The power of the older machines is harnessed for work, not for eyecandy and frills. A windows user will quickly adjust to various apps (word processing, browsing, etc.) but will find other programs a little less user-friendly. My favorite is PuppyLinux. There's nothing quite like it. There are several Puppy variants, but you will probably want to try the latest official release (2.11 as of this writing). You can add OpenOffice, the Gimp, etc. to this if you want Puppy with OpenOffice included, go here.
There are a few that try to be somewhere in the middle. One example is ZenWalk, a nice little distro (if you don't mind the name...) Also, if you like PuppyLinux, PuppyPro or Puppy 2.03 CE may be a good choice for less ancient machines. I have not tried it but Puppy in general is just plain good. There is also a MepisLite version that's been around for awhile (download here); a newer version (6.0) is in the works.
There are many comparison lists, such as the one at http://distrowatch.com . Best to ask an experienced Linux user.
For those who would like to try Linux, you can use a “Live CD.” Simply boot the machine with the CD inserted into the CD drive and the operating system boots without loading itself onto your computer. When you are done, reboot without the CD and your machine returns to normal, unaffected. (The Puppy CD has a cool feature that lets you keep your settings and any files you create on your PC for the next time you boot up with the CD in the drive, but doesn't install the OS.) You can get a live CD by downloading an .iso image from distrowatch or your favorite Linux distro's website and burning it to your CD. Nero has a built-in option to do this – go to “File” and choose “burn image.” If you need help or software to burn an .iso image, go here -- the instructions were written by the Ubuntu people, but they are the same for burning any .iso file to a CD. (An .iso file is a way to download an entire CD's worth of files quickly, but it has to be burned this special way.)
The last word on Linux: yeah, I think it's worth the switch, at least for some of you, but you need the info (books, or better, online) and a friend—a Linux “guru!” Ask around or check out a nearby LUG (Linux Users Group) by searching for it on the web. It seems that Linux users are generally interested in helping others learn Linux. You can e-mail me with questions -- especially those of you from the MACSA Convention!