GNU/Linux
This page is mainly aimed at Windows users, since users of UNIX-family operating systems probably don’t need to read this stuff.
Why I use GNU/Linux.
- It is the most versatile, robust, and attractive operating system available.
- It is the ethically sound alternative to Big Software.
- I study operating systems, and I can look at the code in GNU/Linux since it’s in the public domain.
- It doesn’t cost anything. (Windows does.)
Fedora and Ubuntu are arguably the biggest (in many ways) distributions, and are my distributions of choice. The big distributions are just as configurable as the lesser known, but have larger development communities, greater ease of use, and greater survival rates.
Why You should use GNU/Linux, too.
It is unethical to use non-free software. Read Richard Stallman’s essay on software freedom and you’ll understand why.
Linux makes for a better desktop operating system. Windows is a graphical front end with no substantial amount of “balls” to back it up. The GNOME desktop is just as functional of a front end, and can be better looking than the Windows GUI. Underneath the GUI is a robust, full-featured operating system that runs on basically any computer architecture imaginable.
Linux is the only sane server operating system. Well, okay, UNIX/BSD and Solaris users are not insane, but Server 2003 users certainly are. Even the most basic server software like SSH, Apache, and BIND are targeted to GNU/Linux systems. Disregarding the obvious issues of performance, maintenance cost, and flexibility, I just wouldn’t want to go through the hassle of using ported software all the time.
Moving to GNU/Linux
If you’re ready to make the switch, you can use the Linux Distribution Chooser to find out which version of Linux is best for you. I recommend starting with Fedora or Ubuntu. If you’re worried about not having a certain program, you can get ideas from LinuxQuestions.org’s equivalent software list, or from my list of alternative software.
The easiest way to get started is to backup your data and install Linux from within Windows using Instlux. Alternatively, you can also setup a dual-boot system if you’re looking for something less drastic.
You Should Not Use Windows
If you’ve seen Pirates of Silicon Valley, you know that Microsoft got it’s start from manipulating the intellectual property of others, not from original software engineering. Microsoft produces badly-broken, non-standards-compliant garbage software that you can’t even hope to modify to get to work since you can’t read the code.
I’m really not interested in talking about Windows and its applications, so please don’t ask me for advice on any of the following (the solution is invariably going to Torrentz.com):
- How to get around DRM and various other restrictive licensing.
- Where to acquire counterfeit, enfeebled proprietary software (for no cost.)
- How to use counterfeit, enfeebled proprietary software
- How cool your latest closed-source P.C. Windows software game is.
You Could Use *NIX
*NIX Operating Systems are generally robust alternatives to Linux, but most of the developers of UNIX family operating systems have left the closed-source giants of yester-year and moved on to Linux. FreeBSD has an impressive track record for most uptime on web servers, I will say, though.
Beryl Screenshots
Beryl (now part of the Compiz-Fusion project) is an eye-candy desktop enhancement for GNU/Linux. It compares to the features of the Mac OS X operating system and of the new Aero theme in Windows Vista. Except its for Linux, so it doesn’t blow like those other ones.
Here is a screenshot from a 3200×1200 dual-monitor pentagonal beryl “Cube” I set up on my Fedora Core 6 workstation:
I also took screen shots of the above with different wall papers on the cube. For example, you can see it with sunflowers, or in a light blue-green colour.
Those hardly do justice to the experience; take a look at some video clips of Compiz-Fusion in action.
GNU/Linux v. Linux
“Linux” is the combination of GNU Software, the Linux Kernel, and all of the software that runs atop the two. Taking a minimalist perspective, I consider Linux to be the operating system, and GNU to be a suite of essential software.
Distributions such as Novell Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux should rightly be called “Linux” to downplay their association with the ideals of Free Software. Slackware and Debian are original GNU/Linux systems, and while GNU no longer recognizes them as free operating systems, I believe they should be labelled “GNU/Linux” by their history, user base, and even their nearly-identical ideology.
My vote is out on Ubuntu and Fedora. Derived from Debian and Redhat respectively, the distributions have gone in opposite directions from their originators in terms of overall use of non-free software. They’ve converged to some middle ground of software freedom.