WTF is…Linux?
In one word, Linux is awesome. Most of you out there are probably Windows, or recently converted Mac users. I’m sure if you’ve never used Linux you think its only for the Tech elite but in the past couple years Linux has made huge strides and become much more user friendly. To find out more, read on after the jump.
Linux is really not that different than Windows or Mac OSX, in fact many of the things you probably love about Windows or Mac OSX were stolen from Linux. "Spaces" which were just recently added to Mac OSX have been in Linux for some time now, even Windows has a powertoy to give it similar functionality. The big difference between Linux and Mac OSX and Windows is that Linux is Open Source, which means in general Linux is free.
Linux is pretty powerful these days and can run on low end PC’s making it ideal for some old computer sitting in your basement or garage. There are tons of different distributions of Linux, you’ve probably heard of Ubuntu, which is one of the most popular. My favorite distro is Fedora, but some other popular ones are openSUSE, PCLinuxOS, and Linux Mint (actually a variation of Ubuntu).
Edit: Some people have commented or contacted me saying they want more of an explanation for this article, which I am willing to do, but the purpose of this site is not to be too technical so I’m trying not to get too deep and start talking about kernels and what not. I would rather not mention things like Unix, but Linux very similar to Unix (see the wikipedia article on Unix-like for more). Maybe you’ve never heard of Unix, but if you’re a Mac user, your on the most widely used Unix-based OS in the desktop market (according to Apple).
Linux uses various desktop environments, most popularly GNOME and KDE, which can cause problems, being that programs made for one will not always easily run on another. People will say that KDE is nicer looking than GNOME, but it’s a matter of opinion, I tend to go for GNOME over KDE. Many popular Linux distributions will offer a choice of desktop environment, Ubuntu uses GNOME, but also makes Kubuntu, which uses KDE, and Xubuntu, which uses Xfce.
That’s it, a brief rundown of Linux. If you’re not happy, keep posting complaints and I’ll probably keep adding more.
Similar Posts:
- Impressions: Linux Mint 5 Elyssa Main Edition R1
- Impressions: gOS 3 Gadgets BETA
- Wubi…Linux for People Afraid of Commitment
- gOS 3 Gadgets Beta Released
- WTF is…Open Source?
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
When someone chooses Linux over Windows or OS X, they most often do so having much experience with the other operating systems. When someone says Linux sux they most often do so with the experience of just one operating system and it’s not Linux. I suspect you will attract some staunch defenders of Windows with your post here. I’ve given them the heads up now about speaking from experience and not just from self aggrandizing opinion. They begin their comments with something like “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used Linux (insert years here) and while I think it’s good for servers it fails miserably on the desktop”. From that point on they use twisted logic, half-truths, paycheck induced ignorance and outright lies to defend their arguments. In spite of their numbers, they present themselves not as victors but as anxious users huddled in the shadow of Microsoft hoping the mighty software vendor will beat back the Open Source menace… some day.
Lets hope that day never comes Richard.
Erm… where’s the rest of this article… This doesn’t even begin to answer the question you’ve posed in the title.
this article is belligerantly offensive. christ is the only operating system i use
Leave your response!
Twitter Updates
Tags
Archives
Calendar
Blogroll
Meta
Categories
Recent Posts
Most Commented
Most Viewed