Patent to Conform

Linux

If you know me, you've probably heard me talk about Linux before. Instead of repeating myself from now on, I'll just redirect you here. My series on Linux is broken down into several sections aimed towards the average Windows user. So, some things will be technically sketchy to the geek, but it should give the average user a good idea on what Linux is all about.


What is an Operating System?

Computers need operating systems (OS) to run. An OS manages memory, loads programs, handles multitasking, tells the processor how much time to spend on what, schedules tasks, and a whole bunch of other things. Microsoft Windows is the most popular OS. It takes all of the OS stuff that I just said and puts it together with a graphical interface (think of the Start menu) and programs (Internet Explorer, etc.). The graphical environment and programs are tied so close to the low-level geeky stuff that you can't separate them. Because of this, if you don't like the way it handles the graphical stuff, you can't drastically change it. You're stuck with what they gave you. You don't have the freedom to do what you want with it.

That's the way it is with Windows. If you don't like something, too bad. And if it has a critical bug in it, it could be a month or two before they release a patch, or an update. That's because of the "bureaucracy" that's in Microsoft. It's like technological red tape. If you want to change something about it, too bad. You don't have any control over your computer other than what they decide to give you. And you paid at least $100 for this software, either buying it directly, or having it bundled with your computer.



What is Linux?

Linux is another operating system that's different. Unlike Windows, there's no included graphical interface. Using just plain Linux won't give you a "start bar". Linux at it's purest form (this little part is called the kernel) just takes care of the memory, program loading, multitasking, and all those other things. Because it doesn't tell you what to use for a user interface, you can choose. There's GNOME, KDE, xfce, Fluxbox, and a whole mess of others, but the most popular are GNOME (pronounced "Guh-nome") and KDE. But, a graphical interface doesn't do much good if you don't have programs to use. Simple utilities that are essential to any OS were provided by something called the GNU (pronounced "Guh-new") project. Because there's so much influence from GNU, some people like to call it the Linux/GNU OS (well, one person really. And he's the author of the GNU programs...).

But, there's a lot of these programs that you need to have your system working right. You need tons of different programs to download and install. Then, you need to configure all of these to work together. Fortunately, there's things call distributions (or "distros"). Distros package everything you need onto a CD or DVD with an installation process so that you can have Linux up and running ASAP. There's hundreds of distros you can choose from. At the bottom, I'll recommend some if you are serious about using Linux.

A big thing about Linux is freedom. You can choose what programs to use, you can choose how your user interface works, you can even change how the core of the OS works and fix bugs or add features yourself. This is due to the Open Source/Free Software philosophy.



What is Open Source/Free Software?

Open Source and Free Software is about having the freedom to do what you want with your computer. While there's apparently some distinction between the two (remember the one guy who wanted to call it Linux/GNU? Well...he's back!) but for all intents and purposes, they're the same. The "free" in free software isn't monetary, (commonly called "free as in beer") although it usually is. The "free" actually is "free as in freedom", meaning you can "run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve" the program. Programs don't just pop up out of nowhere. Programmers use programming languages to tell the computer what to do. This code is then passed through a program that changes code into machine language and into a program you can run. In commercial/proprietary software, usually the code used to make it is kept a secret. With open source, that "source code" is freely available.

This means that people can see what went in to making the program. Other programmers can then look over the code, check for bugs, make changes to it and make it better, or learn something from it. This makes a community of programmers that a commercial, closed source program doesn't have. What does this mean for you average computer users who don't program? It means that there's a whole network of people who know what they're doing that are making the programs that you use better. It's not hidden behind technological red tape. If someone finds a bug, they can write a fix and it's fixed by tomorrow. If you want a feature, just ask for it. If there's a demand for it, the developers will listen to you and do it. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux supposidly said "Given enough eyes, all bugs are transparent". Meaning, with enough people working on a project, bugs are easier to find. Open source means good things for you, even though you may not look at the source code itself.

To make programs open source, most programmers use a software license like the GPL to make sure that their code retains the freedom they wanted for it, even when other people use it. For instance, if you use GPL code in your program, your program also has to be GPL, meaning you have to distribute the source code as well.

Summary

With Linux, you can do almost whatever you want with your computer. It's more secure than Windows, you can do more with it, and you can customize it however you want. If something goes wrong, you can talk to a person that actually works with the code, rather than some over-the-phone technical support person reading instructions off of a computer screen. Linux is also more stable--no blue screens of death or repeated Control-Alt-Delete keystrokes. Linux fosters freedom--you bought your computer, you might as well get the full potential.

So how much does all this cost? It's free. Linux is a free operating system: free as in freedom and beer. While you can purchase some distros for enterprise use, you are actually paying for the 24/7 support and other things. But, unless you're running a massive organization from your house, you can get away with a free distro.

What's the catch? Something more stable than Windows, something that gives you more power than Windows, something that's more secure than Windows, for free? There's gotta be some catch. Well, there is. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is a model geek. He wrote it for other model geeks. Linux has gotten easier for the common user to use in recent years, but it's still an OS written by geeks for geeks. It's not as difficult as it was, but it's still not as easy as Windows. There's some new terminology you'll need to learn, some new techniques, some new mindsets, but it's worth it. You can be free. You're guaranteed freedom in the Constitution, why give up those rights to Microsoft?

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