Linux in a nutshell

My opinion of Linux is it's a good free alternative to Windows. It's is supported in a ton of different languages, it has software comparable to if not better then, software made for either Windows OS or Mac OS. It is offered to countries that are poor and can not afford the luxuries many of us have. It is not a resource heavy system, which means even the newer releases of the many Distro's are compatible with older computer systems that do not have the latest hardware. In a nutshell, Linux Distro's do have something to offer the world, and not just the tech savvy geeks many people are lead to believe are the only ones who can use the OS properly.

However, Linux isn't as user friendly as Windows. It can take some time and a little know how to have it run smoothly on your computer. At first, it seems quiet foreign and like something that is just short of impossible for the average everyday computer user. Once you have used it for a time, you begin to understand the do's and the don'ts. You become more comfortable with it's GUI. I like many others, went in to using the OS thinking "Windows like". I posted on the forums, "well when I use windows this does that and not this, it's broken!". The real problem was, I just didn't understand the basics. I was using the OS expecting it to be like windows or better.

Linux is not Windows.

Linux Distro's are someone else's idea of what a operating system should be. Which I think is a good for two main reasons. For one, it offers people a alternative. Something else other then the norm. For two, if everything in the world was just like something else, the world would be a sad and boring place.

Linux offers a ton of different versions. Well, let me put it like this. "Linux" by it's self is nothing more then a kernel. The kernel is what process's and communicates actions. Things like, sending a text documents information to a printer to be printed. Basically, it is what helps all your hardware communicate with each other and function properly. The GUI is what is offered differently in the many distributions of the Linux kernel. And not to seem like your dumb, but the GUI " General User Interface" is nothing more then the pretty windows and and box's that make using the kernel easier.

Distribution's of Linux vary, some of the top ones are Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, OpenSuse, and many more. What makes a Disrto good? It all depends. One thing is the community that surrounds it. If it has a large active community of people who are all collectively helping one another to better the OS it's self, then you have a good Distro. In my opinion, Ubuntu is probably as of right now, the top dog of the Linux world. It is a some what new distribution on the Linux scene, and has made quiet a name for it's self. It is user friendly, but all Linux Distro's lack the complete ease of use that Windows offers.

What I think is holding Linux back from really being a tough competitor of Windows is the lack of support from hardware companies, and the gaming world. Many Linux users will argue that gaming isn't a issue, that the games offered for Linux are fine. Pardon my language but, bullshit. Only very few commercial games are available for Linux compared to the millions that are offered for Windows. As for hardware, many drivers are available for thousands of devices to Linux users, just not no where as many as windows. Other things of note are usability. It can be a little difficult to get the hang of using Linux. Options, way to many. With Windows, you pretty much get the same thing no matter what version you have. With Linux, every one is different in it's own way, and no two are just alike.

I'd like to see the top three or four distributors team up and make a new Distro. A super bastard child of a OS. I think if they worked together and made a completely user friendly OS, that windows would be in some real trouble. And maybe, just maybe, start a gaming company up for Linux that makes good games.

I liked Mandriver more than Ubuntu ... but then I'm not a Linux fan

Linux is fine if all that want to do is lookup web pages, check emails and shop online. The popular distros are secure enough to do these things, but try to install a printer. That's where the fun begins. Try to view your photo album that you have on a USB flash drive, or run your external drive. It sees the sizes of your drives, but the contents are "unreadable". Certain broadband cards do not work. Web pages move on their own when you're trying to click onto them. I mean, they FLY across the screen. But even with all of it's problems, it does have it's place (although a very small one) in the world. There are those who are unfortunate and cant afford a new computer. There are recycling programs that takes computers of all kinds and installs Linux distros on them and distributes them to the needy. That's a good cause, computers that have years of life left in them doesn't end up in the landfill. Children that would not have a chance of getting a computer to learn gets one. Although I personally don't care for Linux, these are good things for the environment and the people who donate their time for this cause are appreciated by me. It would also be a great gesture for Microsoft to release outdated Windows editions for this cause, too. The support for Win 2K ends in August, less than .5% still runs it. About a year after the support cycle runs out, Microsoft could donate these OS's, too. For all of the Windows bashing that goes on, it's funny that they represent 92% of the world's computing population. It would further help their image to donate their outdated OS's, too. Children who grow up using Windows will most likely buy Windows OS's when they're grown. And Microsoft has nothing to lose in doing this, their money has been long made. They do, however, stand a lot to gain by doing the right thing and giving these otherwise useless OS's to charity. In about 5 years, there will be over 400 million XP OS's that would otherwise hit the landfill. Those "useless" copies would go a long way to narrowing that 8% of non-Windows users by at least half. What a wonderful idea!

I have found that running the live Linux from the Optical Drive is useful for checking out a PCs system ... but thats about all i use Linux for today (a handy tool)

There are some useful Linux based partitioning and recovery tools, but as far as running it again, no thanks.

Cat wrote As a OS ... likewise we have Windows 7 now.