Linux Over Windows??

If you use a computer, chances are that you are using a pirated version of Windows unless you have Windows Operating System (OS) pre-installed on your shiny laptop or your home PC. We all talk about branded clothes and shoes but turn to pirated stuff when it comes to Windows. And we don’t feel guilty. Why? Because many of us think that Microsoft is already earning billions from its very over-priced softwares and we will not pay that greedy company anything more. BUT there is an alternative OS which is FREE, legally free to install and share with others. And for that matter, also a free alternative for MS Office is available for quite some time. The free OS is Linux. I bet you must have heard of it before but never took it serious enough to know more about it.

There are numerous companies providing free Linux OS under names like Suse, Fedora, Mepis, PClinuxOS, Zenwalk, VectorLinux, Slackware, PC-BSD, Sabyon, Gentoo, some popular ones being Ubuntu (my favourite) and Mandriva. The free alternative to MS office is OpenOffice(.org). These OS and office are not at par with Windows but still they are good alternatives, if you want to go for “Non-piracy movement”. There are several advantages of Linux, and of course, some disadvantages to using the Linux operating system. We list 5 advantages of using Linux over Windows, and lists a few disadvantages as well.

Advantages of Linux:

• Cost – The most obvious advantage of using Linux is the fact that it is free to obtain, while Microsoft products are available for a hefty and sometimes recurring fee. Microsoft licenses typically are only allowed to be installed on a single computer, whereas a Linux distribution can be installed on any number of computers, without paying a single dime.
• Security – In line with the costs, the security aspect of Linux is much stronger than that of Windows. Why should you have to spend extra money for virus protection software? The Linux operating system has been around since the early nineties and has managed to stay secure in the realm of widespread viruses, spyware and adware for all these years. Sure, the argument of the Linux desktop not being as widely used is a factor as to why there are no viruses. My rebuttle is that the Linux operating system is open source and if there were a widespread Linux virus released today, there would be hundreds of patches released tomorrow, either by ordinary people that use the operating system or by the distribution maintainers. We wouldn’t need to wait for a patch from a single company like we do with Windows.
• Choice (Freedom) – The power of choice is a great Linux advantage. With Linux, you have the power to control just about every aspect of the operating system. Two major features you have control of are your desktops look and feel by way of numerous Window Managers, and the kernel. In Windows, your either stuck using the boring default desktop theme, or risking corruption or failure by installing a third-party shell.
• Software - There are so many software choices when it comes to doing any specific task. You could search for a text editor on Freshmeat and yield hundreds, if not thousands of results. Best of all, the vast majority of Linux software is free and open source. Not only are you getting the software for no charge, but you have the option to modify the source code and add more features if you understand the programming language.
• Hardware - Linux is perfect for those old computers with barely any processing power or memory you have sitting in your garage or basement collecting dust. Install Linux and use it as a firewall, a file server, or a backup server. There are endless possibilities. Old computers with barely any RAM run Linux without any issue. Good luck running Windows on these machines and actually finding a use for them.

Disadvantages of Linux:

• Understanding – Becoming familiar with the Linux operating system requires patience as well as a strong learning curve. You must have the desire to read and figure things out on your own, rather than having everything done for you
• Compatibility – Because of its free nature, Linux is sometimes behind the curve when it comes to brand new hardware compatibility. Though the kernel contributors and maintainers work hard at keeping the kernel up to date, Linux does not have as much of a corporate backing asalternative operating systems. Sometimes you can find third party applications, sometimes you can’t.
• Alternative Programs – Though Linux developers have done a great job at creating alternatives to popular Windows applications, there are still some applications that exist on Windows that have no equivalent Linux application.

I am not saying that one should switch to Linux suddenly. But one can have Linux as a secondary OS on your PC (in dual boot). One of the biggest advantages here is that if ever your computer gets infected with a virus which corrupts your Windows, you can start in Linux and save your data. People having original Windows also do this to save their data.

More info about various Linux OS, click Polish Linux

Now, something about OpenOffice.org-

Great software-OpenOffice.org 3 is the result of over twenty years' software engineering. Designed from the start as a single piece of software, it has a consistency other products cannot match. OpenOffice.org 3 does everything you want your office software to do, the way you want it to.

Easy to use-OpenOffice.org 3 is easy to learn, and if you're already using another office software package, you'll take to OpenOffice.org 3 straight away. And if you already have files from another office package - OpenOffice.org 3 will probably read them with no difficulty.

and it's free-Best of all, OpenOffice.org 3 can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. This means you may use it for any purpose - domestic, commercial, educational, public administration. You may install it on as many computers as you like.

Review of OpenOffice - Click CNET Reviews

You may or may not try Linux OS or Openoffice in the near future. But I just want to tell that these are great softwares aimed at breaking the monopoly of Microsoft. And you should have the knowledge that these kind of softwares do indeed exist. Fir mat kehna ki bataya nahin!