What is linux

It’s a free operating system available to download but you have to pay a tiny bit to mailorder it or buy it from a company. Linux came into being about 11 years ago- itwas developed by Linus Torvalds of Finland along with a group of programmersfrom the open source software movement.Linux is growing steadily year after year. With a passionate community backing it, with bigcompanies Like IBM and HP pledging their support for it, it’s no wonder Linux-the wonder operating system for servers of the past, has also made it to thedesktops of today.Linux is based on the commercial OS, UNIX. All the operating systems try to pack in command linemanagement of systems. System administrators of companies use command lines allthe times as their lifeline, but it’s not really meant for regulars users.

Tips for Home

Users:

If you want to

get comfortable with Linux, you don’t have to let go of windows. Get Linux

installed on a separate partition and you can switch between Windows and

Linux. For new users who don’t have any computer background learning windows

or Linux both takes same time and sitting.

It is suggested that new PC buyers should get both operating systems installed and

should use them equally. If you’re getting Linux for more than 2-3 PCs, you

can also get training and support at a small free, if you choose to have it.

Else it’s the Linux community on the Net to your rescue.

You don’t have to be a great computer user to work with Linux. There are Desktop environments

that let you work in Linux as you work in Windows. As you work with windows,

same is the case with Linux.

Linux hands in decreasing PC prices.

PC prices are already on their way down. And you get more choice with operating systems and

pplications. From being an OS only computer professionals had heard about,

Linux, in a short time, has made a transition into the lucrative and high

profile home PC segment.

The PCs bundle the operating system. Linux being a free open source operating system means that

the code that runs is open for everyone to see, work with, modify and develop

their own innovative applications for it. But this is nothing compared to the

money people spend on Operating Systems like windows. And a company bundles

Linux and applications based on it with a computer, quite a bit of the PC cost

comes down. Presently some branded PC’s coming with Linux are available for Rs:

25000/- (US$600)onwards.

Linux is

better than other OS

Linux users won’t

even bat an eyelid before they say an emphasis comes from a deep dislike of

Microsoft’s practice of changing the earth for software. But a lot of it comes

from the fact they are ready to swear upon-that Linux is more stable. According

to a latest survey Web Hosts are using Linux Based Servers for hosting purposes.

One note here

though: the free in Linux stands for freedom of choice, to redistribute, to

install a feature, freedom to modify the source code. That’s the spirit of Linux

being free.

Security:

Linux has a

better security support for multi-users, lets you set up a stable server,

internet gateways etc, and still lets it-self to be used as a desktop

workstation. There are no blue screens and no viruses to speak of. It is rarely

attacked by any viruses and there are very less number of viruses written for

Linux. It can be given 10+ points on a 10 point scale for security.

A partition is a way of organizing space on your hard disk by creating virtual sections that are

separate from each other. Most computers that are running Windows or MS DOS have

one large chunk of space holding the OS. This space is the C drive. If you have

a large hard disk, it’s likely that it has been divided up into smaller bits

called partitions to help you organize your data better. These partitions are

usually called D:, E: etc. you could have Linux on any of these.

Myths about Linux

Installation:

Linux is hard to install, isn’t it? Not really. Most people haven’t ever installed Windows on

their computers either-since it comes preloaded. Linux is as easy-some say

easier-to install compared to Windows. You can install it through a graphical

user interface like Windows. These days Linux Versions are easier to install

than Windows. But what really stumps most people in installing Linux on a second

partition on their hard disk, when they want to be able to use both operating

systems.

Linux is very difficult and based on text command

Linux has come a long way from being the system of brilliant computer users. It has extremely

advanced X Windows systems that have a complete graphical user interface-you

know, like Windows. It also has a large number of window manager that let you

work with different levels of customization of your desktop.

Linux has a robust character-cell interface where commands need to be typed in. x Windows is

a free program that runs with Linux to provide a GUI where the mouse and

keyboard can be used extensively. But the X system itself is quite primitive and

needs a window manager, or a desktop environment- like GNOME or KDE- to be

really usable. Window managers are programs that let you interact with the

underlying X system and Linux OS by relaying commands. The popular window

Managers are Sawfish, Enlightenment, Black box, after step and Window maker.

As for desktop managers, they have their own window manager and other tools that make you feel

that you are working in Window! GNOME and KDE are the most popular of these.

GNOME stands for GNU Network Model Environment and KDE for K desktop

Environment. They have tools that allow drag and drop, have panels and taskbar-

almost like clones of windows.

Hardware compatibility problem and few applications that run on Linux

Well, most new

distributions will detect and configure your hardware in a jiffy, unless you

have some really old or exotic piece of hardware. All hardware are properly

detected and their drivers installed. Only Win modems (internal modems driven by

Window drivers) face problems.

As for software, there’s plenty. And most of it comes free-free for you to use, modify and

configure according to your needs. Almost all excellent software for Linux is

free and you don’t lose anything by giving it a try. You get free support on the

Net quickly on any query you may have. And you don’t even have to wipe out your

Windows. Just get Linux on a different hard disk partition and free to switch

between them as you please.

Other packages

are commercial and you have to buy the software-but this is mostly for the

software and training you need, and not for the software itself. Sometimes, if

you have the Windows version (as a doom) you can download a small program that

will allow you to play the game in Linux. The games in Linux are of very high

quality and features. You’ll enjoy them. Here what’s available?

Office suites:

Star Office, Open Office, Applixware, Corel WordPerfect

Graphics:

GIMP, Corel Photo paint

Music:

XMMS, Free amp, Real Player

Video:

MTV, Xine

Games:

FreeCiv, Tux racer, Doom, Quake, Heretic, Unreal And the list is growing.

Windows applications in Linux

Some applications

have been ported over to Linux, other run with a program called WINE (Wine is

Not an Emulator). Crossover, commercially available software also lets you use

your Windows programs on Linux. VMWare is another program that lets you run

Windows under Linux. Now many software companies have started developing high

end software for Linux.

Bottom Line:

The cool thing

about Linux is that most software is free, and you can legitimately use them

without worrying about piracy. If you’re worried that Linux won‘t look as pretty

as windows can, all you have to do is check out some of the cool Linux

interfaces and Window managers. But you don’t find a lot of multimedia titles

for Linux. And if you’re into a lot of these, Windows is in the way to go. So if

you have a PC that runs both, you can easily switch between the two, and get the

best of both worlds.