You might have heard about Linux, but you don't know what it is? Or you know a few things about it, but they terrify you? Well, then this article is for you.
Don't be afraid - Everyone can use Linux! Part 1: What is Linux and why should I use it?
Linux is an Operating System (short: OS). OK, so what is an OS? Let me explain:
Nearly everybody knows Windows. But what exactly does it actually do?
Windows is an example for a OS and one of it's main tasks is to enable communication between the computer hardware and software like word processors, games or video editing tools. But you know, Windows isn't the only one! And guess what - you don't even have to pay for all of them!
"Linux" is a very popular example - there are various flavours of Linux (called
distributions), but they're all based on the so called
Linux Kernel. (More about that later.)
A long time ago, Linuxes were difficult systems. You only had a
shell (similar to MS-DOS), installation was hell and don't even think of Multimedia - Linux was for Freaks only and Freaks don't need music and pictures. Or do they?
A lot of that has changed in the last years. This article should clear up some common misconceptions about Linux and maybe even convince some of the Windows users to test a Linux distribution.
Please note that many things are the same or similar in Unix as they are in Linux. This article will therefore only cover Linux, and if you have questions about differences, please ask in the forums.
Why install Linux?
As you will see in this Article, Linux is different to Windows or Mac OS X in many ways. So, what are the advantages of this so unknown system?
Nearly everyone who has ever worked with Windows knows: Windows crashes. Not always, in some cases hardly ever, but ever so often you are confronted problems like the infamous
Blue Screen of Death.
Then there's the Virus issue - there are loads of Viruses, Trojans, Worms, etc. that attack Windows. Also, a lot of crackers (note:
hackers != crackers) and ScriptKiddies concentrate on Windows. Oh, and of course you have to pay for the Operating System.
As for Mac OS X, it is apparently much more secure than Windows, but it (officially) only works on the hardware that Apple sells and those systems are relatively expensive.
Now, Linux is a different issue. Most Linuxes are
free (more about that on the next page) and much more secure than Windows in terms of Viruses & co, Hackers and system stability. Of course, in Windows you can install an Antivirus, a Firewall, Addware removers, etc. - but you don't have to in Linux!
One reason of course is, that Linux is not so widespread, but the much bigger (and often ignored) argument is, that Linux is designed in a way, that allows it to be much more secure. Explaining that is a bit complicated (and there are many so called "facts" that apparently disprove it), so you'll just have to believe me right now. If you want to know more, there's a great article about Linux vs. Windows in terms of security
here.
By the way, Linux may not be very widespread in the world of home computers, but in the world of webservers, Linux with
Apache is the most popular choice.
Apart from that, Linux is highly configurable, the support is normally great and it's great for developers, as there are loads of Development tools available for nearly every language you can think of. Did I mention that they are mostly free too?
I found a nice article about how Window isn't Linux
here. I recommend that you read it!
There's more about these and other issues later in the article, so don't be afraid - you too can use Linux!
Continue with Part 2 
