[NBLUG/talk] The Advantages of Linux

[E Frank Ball]

On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 07:23:49PM -0700, Edward Mendoza wrote:
} 
} I am, at present, a windows user. I have been seriously considering for some
} time now switching to Linux and debunking microcrap's "operating system." I
} know that one advantage is that Linux offers its users open source code but
} I need to understand a little better exactly how this benefits the user.

As Mike pointed out, open source tends to garantee a higher quality
product.  People find bugs, and people fix'em.  For some people it also
means they don't get screwed when they have a large inventment in
software and data and the manufacturer drops it or goes out of business.
Other people can pick it up and keep it alive.  I don't take advantage
of the fact that my software is open source myself except in rare
exceptions, but I did make a couple changes to the source code of the
webserver I use to optimize it for my own use.


} Also, is there another advantage to Linux besides it being the alternative
} to windows and the open source code? Should I get Lindows instead? 

Lindows IS linux, it is just another distribution like RedHat, Mandrake,
Turbo, SuSE, Debian, Slackware, Connectiva, etc, etc.  At this time I'd
recommend RedHat for beginners.  I use Redhat and Debian myself.  I've
used Mandrake, Turbo, and SuSE in the past.


} What text
} editing applications do you use on Linux since it cannot be MsWord? What
} about the use of other applications such as Macromedia Freehand, Flash,
} Fireworks, Adobe Illustrator, and Excel? What browser do you use in Linux
} for surfing the net?

I don't create word or excel or powerpoint documents, but I get stuck
having to read the ones other people create.  gnumeric and openoffice
work well for excel, openoffice works well for word and powerpoint too.
abiword and koffice are a couple other alternatives.  They are all free,
so try them all and pick the one you like.  The fanatics like me should
check out antiword for a fast well formatting msword to text converter
(http://www.winfield.demon.nl/index.html) which works well with mutt.

I don't know about Macromedia Freehand, Fireworks, or Adobe Illustrator,
but I do create pdf files.  There is a utility called ps2pdf which
converts postscript files to pdf files.  Web browsers can print to
postscript files, linux's universal scanner software xsane can generate
postscript files, and there are other tools like tetex too.

Mozilla is a very full featured web browser.  I prefer Galeon which is
stripped down and faster.  There is also Netscape, Opera, Konqueror, ...


On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 07:53:37PM -0700, John F. Kohler wrote:
} 
} for the screensaver 
} "xscreensaver" a "tar" format is on the website where you find the 
} download, with instructions on how to (at the root level of operation) 
} unpack, compile, link edit and execute, in about 5 command-line operations.
 
Don't scare him off.  xscreensaver comes with any distribution in an
easy to install rpm or deb file.

So what are some other advantages of Linux?  Not worrying about viruses
is a big one.  There was an interview with the CEO of Lindows on
slashdot today that is worth reading - make sure you get to his comments
on virus scanning:

http://interviews.slashdot.org/interviews/03/05/05/1225249.shtml?tid=126&tid=185&tid=106&tid=163



-- 

   E Frank Ball                frankb at efball.com