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Incorporating GNU/Linux as Part of Your Work System
An Experiment with 'Ubuntu' Linux
An article about another operating system on a site focusing on Apple computers might seem a little a strange but I guess this emphasises my position as an independent voice.
As an Apple support agent it should be no surprise that I work with many clients who need to include other types of computer within their work set up. Microsoft Windows is the obvious alternative and with these users in mind I am very keen to encourage the use of another less well known system called GNU/Linux. There are many versions or 'distributions' of Linux, Fedora, Debian, Mandriva, Suse and Gentoo, to name just a few. I have been focusing upon a version called 'Ubuntu' which has been rapidly growing in popularity.
GNU/Linux is distinguished from other Operating Systems like MS Windows or Apple OSX because it is a free system, maintained by the community of users. GNU/Linux has been in existence for many years but doesn't receive the publicity it deserves. Whenever I ask friends or even technically minded computer users if they know of it, the answer is nearly always, "I've heard of it but never seen or used it".
I decided to try Linux because I wanted to experience another implementation of Unix, the base system on which Apple OSX itself runs.
Why Choose Linux?
The following story might help explain why a person should consider Linux.
Recently my sister told me she needed to buy a new copy of Windows XP, because her Sony laptop, bought at auction, had stopped functioning. Apparently Microsoft's update system had figured that the copy of Windows installed on her machine was not "genuine", it didn't match the serial number on the base of the laptop. Following this discovery, Windows refused to start, leaving my sister unable to access her files. My sister figured her only option was to get another copy of Windows from her local PC store. I'm sure many people find themselves in similar situations, never thinking if there's an alternative choice. The laptop in question was old and not very powerful but it wasn't used for anything stressfull like rendering 3-D movies. It was only required for basic everyday tasks, typically browsing the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail, using office applications and a few other things like managing music and digital photos.
Instead of paying around £50 for a copy of Windows, my sister could have easily downloaded a disk image of Linux using her friend's machine, burned it to CD, then installed it on her laptop. It might also have surprised her that her old machine would start up faster, work faster and provide her with a more stable and secure experience than she had with Windows. Added to that, Linux comes with a stack of free software, which will cover virtually all her needs. So why did she end up buying Windows? Especially after I'd explained so much to her about Linux, it beats me!
Irrational Fears
A lot of people seem frightened by Linux, they think it might be too difficult to understand, and figure that in their confusion, they could lose their important data. Stick with the devil you know, is often the conclusion, even if that devil is famously prone to security holes and viruses. I reckon one of the hardest things to swallow is the bit about it being FREE. The word 'free' in relation to a product, is often perceived negatively - "You get what you pay for" is how we're conditioned. Free Software and Open Source are terms widely misunderstood.
To quote the GNU website - "Free software" is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of "free" as in "free speech," not as in "free beer." Go here for a complete explanation.
GNU/Linux is state of the art and fully featured. Just as companies like Apple boast, Ubuntu Linux also works straight out of the box. Linux has it's own unique character as would be expected, nevertheless it compares very well with the famous proprietary operating systems. Considering the undoubted saving to be made by using a free OS and given the enormous amount of money spent on operating systems both in business and at home, it is extraordinary that so few people ever think to give Linux a try.
There is a version of Linux out there that will run on the computer you are using now, although, as I have discovered there is diminishing support for the PowerPC. I should make the point, I don't advocate that everyone abandon whatever system they're using in favour of Linux. If you've just bought a brand new Apple iMac or MacBook, stick with it, as it is. I'm trying to reach out to users with cranky old bangers! If you have an old PC you can afford to experiment - it's educational and it's fun! Anyway, whatever your machine, download the software with a broadband connection, burn it to a CD-R and you're ready to install - it's really that easy. Better still you can start up and try the OS directly from the CD, without affecting the OS on your machine. As a matter of fact I run a copy of Ubuntu 9.04 Linux on a 24" iMac, see below. I run it within another piece of Open Source software called Virtual Box, from Sun Microsystems. "Virtual Box" does a similar job to the more famous proprietary software "Parallels Desktop" or "VMware Fusion"
Ubuntu 9.04 running on my 24" iMac, with the GIMP Image Editor and Firefox Browser open.
I was moved to get to grips with Linux after reading a news article on the BBC web site which announced the latest release of 'Ubuntu' Linux in April 2008. The article focused on the man behind Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, a South African software tycoon who first hit the headlines as the second ever 'space tourist', who travelled to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft in 2002. Mr. Shuttleworth made his fortune from his company Thawte, producing software for secure digital transactions on the web (think ebay). Today he applies his considerable resources to produce and popularise the 'Ubuntu' Linux OS for countries (or anyone else) unable to afford the costs associated with proprietary licences. Although Mark Shuttleworth is at the front of the Ubuntu project, GNU/Linux is a much greater beast. The originator of the GNU project is a guru like fellow called Richard Stallman, a programmer, who by himself began the Free Software Foundation and wrote much of what goes into the OS including the GNU General Public License, which ensures it's 'freeness'. Better known is the man who gives a part of his name to the OS, Linus Torvalds who wrote the code for a central part of the the operating system, referred to as the 'kernel'.
