10 Reasons Why You Should Adopt LINUX

Tech Zone ^ | 2005-08-20 | Hina Aman

[N3WBI3]

INTRODUCTION:

linuximgDeveloped by Linus Torvalds in 1991, Linux is a free operating system which “belongs to the world” and today, it has millions of happy users worldwide. Its being free doesn’t mean its being meaner than other operating systems. On the contrary, the industry experts are most impressed by its power and richness and more and more users are embracing Linux. Changing operating systems is definitely a big labor but this one-time labor is nothing if compared to all that one does to tackle those terrible blue screens of death, frozen windows, system crashes, viruses, data loss and spy wares. We are not destined to spend a quarter of our lives installing, de-installing and re-installing anti-virus tools or restarting computers and those geeks and non-geeks, who realize this, close their Windows, migrate to Linux and live happily ever after. And, I’ll give you just some of the reasons why.

1. FREEDOM:

The number one reason why Linux is the choice of many is the freedom it gives. It “let’s you do everything you want to do” but this is not the only aspect of this freedom. Linux liberates you from the yoke of vendors who hurl unwanted updates your way, and frees you from the sight of the horrible blue screens of death and its likes. This precious freedom doesn’t cost you a penny. You can download a free distribution of Linux from the internet. Otherwise, you can get a CD from the market after spending a minimal amount of money and without worrying about the licensing fees or about violating the piracy laws because Linux is open source and it comes with GNU General Public License. This is its true beauty and the reason why Linus Torvalds and the whole Linux community, working to make things better, have many admirers.

2. STABILITY:

Linux_vs_Windows

With Linux, your computer doesn’t freeze or slow down because of memory leaks. It has a high performance level and can run for years without causing you trouble. This actually means complete control as you will not find yourself pushing Ctrl+Alt+Del keys in sheer desperation. Problems pop up only when any of the hardware fails. Its excellent stability is another reason which attracts users.

3. SECURITY:

No OS can beat Linux when it comes to security. It’s a long debated issue and something which bothers Microsoft so much so it started its own campaign to make people believe Linux is not any safer but Linux users are already aware of the vulnerabilities of Windows and know Linux differs when it comes to it and can easily be termed as the most secure operating system. The design of Linux is different from that of Windows. This doesn’t make it an easy target and even if half of the world switches to Linux, the attacks will not cause much damage even though the source code of Linux is available for every Tom, Dick and Harry. The availability of the source code only means advantage. Millions of programmers have contributed to beef up the security of Linux. Bugs are fixed just as soon as they are identified. Linux is getting better and better every passing day. For a comprehensive report on the security of Linux as compared to windows, click here.

4. EFFICIENT NETWORKING

One of the most talked about features of Linux is its efficient networking capabilities. Reviewed, tested and strengthened by many programmers on the internet, Linux networking is well renowned for its reliability. Since networking is amalgamated deeply in the Linux operating system, it can bear heavy loads and exhibit persistent high-performance and is highly appreciated for its robustness. Linux supports different networking protocols which include TCP/IP, ISPX/SPX, ISDN, PPP, SLIP, PLIP, Apple Talk Protocol Suite, etc.

5. EASY INSTALLATION

use_linux

Linux has many popular distributions (flavours), for example; Red Hat, Mandroke, SUSE, UBUNTU. You can chose any version you deem appropriate and the best thing is most of them come with easy installation procedures, which give you complete power as to decide what you want your PC to do.

6. FLEXIBILITY:

This is yet another wonderful feature of Linux. You can customize the system as much as you want to fit your needs giving your computer a personal touch in the true meaning of the word. You’ll come to love your PC finding it the way you want it to be. It doesn’t go without saying, “Linux lets you do everything you want to do”.

7. FREE UPGRADES:

Yes, free upgrades. There is whole big dedicated community, which works to extend the capabilities and power of Linux. This is the real essence of open source. With so many brains together, the result is always impressive. Both major and minor Linux upgrades are easily available for download on the internet. If the configuration is done correctly, software don’t need to be re-installed on Linux when you upgrade.

8. FULL USE OF HARD DISK:

Windows’ performance slows down when you use most of your hard disk and you get ‘low memory’ errors. This is not the case with Linux though. It lets you use every single space on your hard disk and runs smoothly all the while. You are alerted only when there isn’t any space left on your hard disk.

9. SUPERB TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

In 1997, InfoWorld awarded Linux the Product of the Year for Best Technical Support. Linux has an active community of users, developers and supporters who are always very willing to help. If you face any problem, all you have to do is just connect to the internet, search and see if your problem is answered anywhere. If it’s not, you can join a Linux forum and post it there to be scrutinized by the community members.

10. THE CHOICE OF THE GIANTS:

The popularity and power of Linux can be estimated from the fact that it’s the choice of the giants. Google, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Panasonic, Royal Dutch/Shell, U.S. Postal Service are only a few names who use Linux plus the government of Mexico City uses Linux for everything and the money it saves by doing so is spent on welfare services.

I can not mention all the reasons why once should switch to Linux, for they are so many and I have not even mentioned some really important ones like multi-tasking, scalability and easy remote administration. The choice is yours. Save money using a product liked by the experts or buy the one which they shun. Linux rules the heart of its users. This is enough a reason why one should embrace Linux.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

first and foremost for being American products instead of foreign fakes.

YOu seem to have a problem with.... NIH ....!P>NIH is "Not invented here".....

[N3WBI3]

I decided to do a GE type hunt for the communism of Linus here is what I turned up..

Results 1 - 10 of about 265,000 for bill gates communist. (0.21 seconds)

Results 1 - 10 of about 10,500 for linus torvalds communist. (0.18 seconds)

It would seem to be that Bill gates is 25 times the communist Linus is (oh dear)... Now I could go read maybe the first five results for each article but give GE was too lazy to do that why should I bother..

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

No mention of Bill Gates and his Leftist views?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And I DID NOT see your comment before I posted mine!

[Golden Eagle]

I tried to leave but the comedy on from you two is quite a draw. Accusing the richest man on the planet of being a communist of all things. Hysterical!

[N3WBI3]

Right because the communist in power in RUssia did not accumulate weath right?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

So how do you feel about this?

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Link

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Got there via this:

Umigumi

Umigumi is a Free Software published under the General Public License which simplifies the gerenation of custom Linux distributions and their deployment on various media: Flash memory cards, LiveCD, hard disk, etc. Umigumi is also a fantastic tool for system integrators looking to automate configuration and quality assurance of complex Linux based solutions.

Umigumi has been originally developped by the OpenBrick community for the OpenBrick open embedded platform. Umigumi is now available for other platforms with the goal to accelerate the distribution of Free Software based appliances both for business (router, firewall, VPN, NAS, etc.) and home (multimedia, security, home gateway, etc.).

What can I do with Umigumi ?

Umigumi has been used to develop more than 10 mini distributions based on Mandrakelinux:

• Nexedi VPN: an ipsec VPN mini distribution featuring QOS, dynamic DHCP, enterprise level DNS and advanced printing support.
• Nexedi Desktop Linux Server: a live CD which provides a complete server environment to small and medium enterpises, featuring LDAP unification, kolab groupware and terminal server.
• Radio: a WiFi radio receiver distribution intended for flash memories.
• TC: a thin client distribution which allows to turn any PC or OpenBrick into a tightVNC thin client thanks to flash memory of live CD.
• etc.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Technology is changing the world in ways we can barely understand!

[softwarecreator]

The bet is not what he is going to say, we can all took at the tripe list on my profile for that. The bet is when hell find his way here to say it... How many post into a thread until GE says 'X' by pinging him you brought him here a bit earlier than he might have otherwise shown up..

oops ...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

LINUX is a TOOL!!!!

No matter what its roots might be!

[Prime Choice]

Accusing the richest man on the planet of being a communist of all things.

He might as well be. He sure didn't mind selling his soul for the Chinese so they can use MS malware to repress words like "freedom," "democracy" and other things Leftists like ol' Bill can't stand.

[softwarecreator]

Right because the communist in power in RUssia did not accumulate weath right?

Is Russia still a communist nation?

[Prime Choice]

LINUX is a TOOL!!!!

No. Linux is an OS kernel.

Brass Buzzard is a t00l.

Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk.

[RadioAstronomer]

Technology is changing the world in ways we can barely understand!

I know!

You should see the latest products from Ronco! :-)

[N3WBI3]

Fine in the former soviet union did not some people in charge make themselves rich?

[softwarecreator]

Technology is changing the world in ways we can barely understand!

No kidding.  Pretty soon we'll have pocket PCs that we can carry anywhere.  Just hook up to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and go to work on it.

I can't keep up anymore.  I'm getting too old for this sh*t.

[softwarecreator]

Fine in the former soviet union did not some people in charge make themselves rich?

Of course they did.  They pretended it wasn't the case, but there were many millionaires in Russia.  Communism is a sham and only applied to the working class.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I'm reading and posting on a linux box.

The other side of the coin is that there is a windows box sitting right next to it sharing a KVM switch and a windows laptop on the desk next to it.

People always pose the linux/windows debate as an either/or proposition.

I think this is not the way to look at it.

Each Environment has their advantages.

In my opinion, Linux is more stable.

Again, in my opinion, there are applications and tasks that are difficult if not impossible to accomplish on Linux.

Examples of these might be running Quicken or running company or industry specific applications.

With hardware so cheap, a good argument can be made for owning multiple computing platforms and using each as appropriate.

That's what I do.

[softwarecreator]

use MS malware to

BWAHAHAHAHA ... first time I heard that one ... today.  Ah, the classics never die, do they?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

RONCO???

Check out this and the Floating AD scrolling across the screen....ROFL!

Ronco Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ 4000T