Mars Needs Linux
or, Ubuntu Is For Lovers
from prof_booty

Most Linux articles are written for people who already use Linux, preaching to the choir. There is a ton of in-depth information out there with lots of acronyms, geeks shouting 'my d15tr0 i5 teh r0xx0r' and similar intelligent commentary.

I tried to write an article introducting Linux to Athenaeum regulars in terms they can grok and using an attractive bait to lure new users to Linux: freedom.

There are two types of freedom in question here, geeks often split it up in to "free as in beer", (call it gratis) and "free as is speech" (call it libre). Free software programs (as Linux distros are) are requried to be libre, meaning that anyone sufficently motivated can change the software to do what you want as long as they share their changes with everyone else. No one call tell you how to use the software, under what "conditions" its use is "appropriate", how many backup copies you can make. True, Windows is an operating system that "just works," but at what cost?

Please see the "More" section for the full article.

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Mars Needs Linux
Or, Ubuntu Is For Lovers

How I Finally Killed XP

About a year ago, one of my geek friends convinced me to edit my Windows registry to help XP look more like Linux on the surface by replacing the Windows logon screen with my own graphics. But screwing with XP at a fundemental level eventually fried my computer. And apparently my purchased Windows licence didn't actually include the right to a Windows CD, so I was S.O.L. with no hope of having a working computer in time for completing my school work in time.

Knoppix To The Rescue

Knoppix is a fully functional operating system that runs entirely on RAM and your CD drive, without touching the contents of you hard disk. Knoppix is a geek's Swiss Army knife: web, email, graphics, it's all there. Entire books have been written about what you can accomplish with it, but Knoppix's core use is as a life raft when you damage your operating system beyond repair. Knoppix got me through and allowed me to finish my school work without XP being available.

If you are curious about Linux and want to try something new, I can't recommend Knoppix enough. Even if you have a Mac there is a Knoppix for you (look for Knoppix PPC).

The benefit of Knoppix is also it's drawback - running only on RAM and your CD drive makes it sluggish. It's a stop gap measure, not a permanent solution. I needed a new operating system.

Why Linux?

Ok, so far I've proven that Linux is useful if you destroy XP. But why would anyone want to run Linux full time? Isn't it hard? I need Word and Excel! If Linux was so great, everyone would use it. Everyone uses Windows except those willing to shell out the extra dough for a Mac.

The answer is simple: freedom.

There are two types of freedom in question here, geeks often split it up in to "free as in beer", (call it gratis) and "free as is speech" (call it libre). Free software programs (as Linux distros are) are requried to be libre, meaning that anyone sufficently motivated can change the software to do what you want it as long as they share their changes with everyone else. No one call tell you how to use the software, under what "conditions" its use is "appropriate", how many backup copies you can make. True, Windows is an operating system that "just works," but at what cost? If you wanted to modify the Internet Explorer code to make it more secure, Microsoft would not allow access to the source code. But if you had a brilliant way to secure an open source browser like Firefox, you are actually encouraged to make changes and engage in the community development process.

Free as in beer is important too: my Windows XP Home Edition was ~ $150 and I didn't even get a backup CD. Most Linux distros are gratis.

Though freedom is the primary reason, security is another. And the two are intertwined. If there is a flaw in Linux software, someone will notice it and pipe up about it. Windows security holes go unacknowledged for months, and fixes often come months after that. How many of you have been infected with spyware, popup windows, annoying ads, had your homepage changed? With Linux, you can gain contol of your computer again.

But you Mac people are snidely smiling, saying "I am already secure, and one of my geek friends even told me that OS X is really Unix under the hood." True, but it is still not free. And in the coming age of Digital Rights Management, "Trusted" Computing, Broadcast flags and the like, freedom on the net is more important than ever. Why should we let a few huge companies dictate how content on the internet is delivered?

Choose Wisely

Linux comes in many colors, shapes and sizes, referred to as distributions. They are all essentially the same at the core, the differences are in the packaging, support, and community. Packaging is sort of a double entendre here, meaning how the distro looks and feels and also how new programs are installed (called package management). Support is a big issue: if you run in to a problem (and who doesn't, even on a Mac) how easy is it to find out how to solve it? Community is related to support, but also involves the philosophy behind the distro (there are a million different distros, why choose this one?) and vitality of the developers and users.

Ubuntu, I Choose You!

For packaging, support, and community, no distro I've tried beats Ubuntu. It looks and feels polished right from the start and has great package management with apt-get. Support is fantastic, there is a cheat sheet and Linux guru's to answer questions.

Ubuntu comes with the Gnome Desktop Enviorment, Totem for movies, Rhythmbox for music, Firefox for browsing, Evolution for email, The Gimp for graphics. Open Office comes installed, and can create, save and edit PowerPoint slides, Word Documents, PDF's, spreadsheets, anything you want to do in Office is available on Linux.

But don't be fooled, Ubuntu's ease of use does not detract from Linux's power. On my modest home machine I run the latest and greatest web server, encrypt remote logins and file transfers, create and edit modern graphics, listen to mp3's, watch movies, everything else my Windows and Mac colleagues do. I often fall asleep listening to the sweet sounds of Peter Mansbridge on the CBC's The National newscast.

RTFM

Part of the appeal of Linux is it's DIY nature. You choose it, configure it how you like, when it breaks you fix it. You'll learn more about computers in a week with Linux than a year with Windows. But when you run in to a problem, assume that someone else has too. There are probably notes about your error it in the files included with the program. RTFM means "Read The Frickin Manual." Forums are great, but if you ask a question that has been asked a million times, some one will tell you to RTFM or JFGI (Just Frickin Google It). I swear, I've solved more technical problems simply by cutting the error message and pasting it in to Google. If only everything in life could be that easy...

posted by prof_booty | 11:05 AM