Linux.could it be your next operating system?

By Rick Castellini, MCP Special to PRIME Recently I installed the new Windows Vista on my fine running XP machine (less than six months old) and have been tolerating it since then and learning about its quirks and features. I have actually been using Vista since September and besides the integrated search (which can be added to XP through multiple channels for free), I honestly do not understand what Microsoft did for nearly six years between operating systems. Yes, Vista is pretty, but does anyone really care how pretty it is? My email is slower, programs are slower, menus, options, and preferences have all been moved to different places with Vista. In my opinion, Microsoft abandoned their installed customer base by changing the whole paradigm of Windows' computing that we have learned and lived with for more than twelve years. Hate Vista? Consider Linux I digress. Today, I want to tell you about something that I never thought I would talk about on our show or in an article; Linux. Linux is another operating system that competes with Windows and Apple's OSX (which is sort of Linux itself also). In the past year, Linux has been making a bigger and bigger splash with the obvious misfire by Microsoft. I see many clients who use Windows Me and Windows 98 and have no desire to spend $800 and up to get a machine that will run Windows Vista with any oomph at all. And I agree with them. However, Windows 98 and Me are rapidly losing their ability to interface with many of today's technologies because of their older code. Photos, high speed web, and even general web browsing all get more difficult every day with those older operating systems. After seeing Vista wasn't going to cut the mustard for me or many of my customers, I promised to look into Linux and Macintosh. Apple Macintosh computers have long been 'cult' favorites, but can be expensive. Linux, on the other hand, is a free operating system designed to work on hardware up to a one-third less powerful than what is required for Windows Vista. My goal was to find out whether a Linux upgrade to an older computer would truly be an upgrade for computer users not wanting to shell out hundreds of dollars. Installing Linux After a little research, I settled on the Ubuntu version (there are many) of Linux. The download is just under 700 megabytes (don't even think of trying it on a dial-up connection). Ubuntu users point out that it will run on a machine with a 600-700 mhz processor and 128 megabytes of RAM (computers built in around 1998-9). For best performance, 256 megabytes of RAM is recommended. After downloading the file, burning it onto a CD and slipping the CD into my test machine (768mb RAM, 1.2 ghz processor, roughly six years old), I was at the Ubuntu desktop in less than 3 minutes. Turns out the download creates a "Live CD" which enables you to try out Ubuntu without actually installing it on your system. It simply runs from the CD ... Microsoft would probably kill for that kind of efficiency since their Vista now requires a DVD to install. I played for a moment, but wanted to install the software on my computer, so I exited and restarted the computer to install Ubuntu to the hard drive. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entire install process (including formatting the hard drive) required a grand total of three clicks from me and less than 12 minutes! Sorry, Bill, but I honestly said, "Wow," as the desktop booted up in that short time. Then I was even more delighted to see that without doing any other installation whatsoever, I had full Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint capabilities, Firefox web browsing, Evolution email and calendaring (like Outlook), picture management software (I later installed Picasa for Linux), and a full complement of games (including solitaire). Bench test results After using Ubuntu for a couple of days, I can honestly say that I am more than impressed. For computer users who only need to browse the web, play a few games, send and receive email, word process, and work with digital photos, Ubuntu should be a consideration. Installing new software is a mixed bag. There appears to be a great deal of software available for the Linux operating system (both free and commercial), but installing it ranges from easier than Windows installations to harder than making cheese. I will continue to evaluate and learn about Ubuntu Linux and report back my findings. In fact, I have written this entire story from my "new" free Ubuntu Linux machine. Rick Castellini is an author, computer consultant, and hosts a nationally syndicated computer radio show from Colorado. Visit his web site at www.HelpMeRick.com for new tips every week and sign up for his free weekly email newsletter.