Posted on 04/04/2018 3:53:50 AM PDT by ShadowAce
I’ve been running Linux on the desktop for decades. When I was starting with it, Linux was, comparatively, harder to use than the GUI-based operating systems then available from Apple and Microsoft. That was then. This is now.
Today, Linux, especially such distributions as openSUSE, Ubuntu and, my favorite, Linux Mint, are just as easy to use as macOS and Windows. And they don’t have the security bugs.
What’s that? You don’t mind dealing with a few bugs? Well, on the latest Patch Tuesday, as Woody Leonhard put it, an “enormous number of patches spewed out of Microsoft this month, with two ponderous cumulative updates.” Every month, we see a new flood of critical Windows updates. Maybe updating Windows is your idea of a good time. It’s not mine.
As for Apple, a “shameful” security flaw was discovered in macOS last fall, and the malware rate for the OS went up 270% last year. If you still think Macs are secure, you haven’t been paying attention.
No, if you want a desktop operating system with a real proven security record, you want Linux. As David Taylor reported recently, “The clear consensus among experts is that Linux is the most secure operating system.”
OK, so you’re sold on the security factor, but you still don’t want to commit to an OS that doesn’t run your favorite applications? Nowadays, the alternatives that are available are excellent. For everyday work, you can substitute LibreOffice or even Microsoft Office Online for Microsoft Office, use Gmail instead of Outlook, and you’re good to go.
I know, I know: “Using Linux is just too hard!” Please.
The Linux desktop hasn’t been hard to use for ages. You can go weeks — months — without touching a shell.
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
(bkmk)
Toss in VirtualBox for your favorite old Windows Apps on their native O/S and you are now good to go...
And with the release of kernel 4.16 this past week, VirtualBox drivers are included in the OS.
I also need Office 365 to do my work and think the web browser version of Office 365 works well enough in Linux to merit consideration for use as well.
So anyone who's dependent on MS Office, give Office 365 a try via Web Browser. It's quite good, Microsoft is doing a great job at making their products work via browser for other desktop / laptop / mobile device platforms.
(No, I don't work for Microsoft .....)
Linux crossed that barrier some years ago. I had this "challenge" to Linux that I had to be able to hand my now ex-wife a CD/DVD that she could install without any assistance from me, in order for me to consider Linux "consumer ready."
My memory isn't that great on this part, but I think it's been at least 4 or 5 years now that Linux has been consumer ready (meaning anyone who could install Windows on a machine could also install Linux.) I happen to think some Linux desktop versions are actually easier to install than Windows (including pre-installed versions of Windows.)
Just my own opinion, of course.
Long time LINUX user - its all true - but you do hit stumbling blocks. But there is usually a solution.
EXAMPLE: Love Linux Mint - but they don’t have a good file picker dialog. This stinks when trying to upload multiple pictures to say eBay for example. There is no preview mode - best you can get is smallish, but useless, thumbnail. SOLUTION: The only combination that offered dialogs I wanted was KDE + Chrome. And even that took a few trips to the settings panel to get it working as I like.
I’ll say this - of all big OSes - LINUX is pretty much the easiest to install and manage.
But yeah - I’m pretty much all in with KDE.
Android is Unix running on the Linux kernel.
The difference from Linux is it can’t be run as root.
This is to prevent users from trashing their system or unintentionally compromising it with malware.
On the whole, Unix OSes are safer than Windows.
The noob distros of linux are generally very easy except occasionally when you need to do things offscript then they become aggravatingly difficult.
From a *technical* point of view, it's not. Both Android and Linux (two separate products) are POSIX-compliant, which makes them look and act very similar to Unix, but the kernels are different enough that they are not considered to BE Unix.
From a user point of view, though, there is not enough difference to worry about.
Here’s the only things I do that necessitate a Windows Machine
1. Reaper - Multitrack recording software
2. Ulead Photo Impact - Win98-era pixel editor software
3. MS PowerPoint - presentation software
But note - none of those necessitate network connectivity.
And each task is a seperate work station
Hence these Windows machines almost never see the internet - and thus, keep working!
Do I still need to compile the OS before I manually install it using shell commands?
Linux is only “free” if you don’t value your time.
Easier to install and use than it was in the past, but not on par with Windows, yet.
I run both.
You don’t need to - unless you want to!
On most versions of Windows - just download the proper .iso file. Right click on that file and select “Burn Image To Disc” Burn the disc and throw it in the target machine CD-ROM drive and turn the machine on. About half the machines will boot from the CD drive - others you’ll have to change the boot order in the BIOS settings. It will boot to a “Live Session” - where you can test stuff like sound and network before installing.
These days - save for a few older wireless drivers - most stuff should work. Some stuff is stupid easy...Brother printers - plug it in and print.
If I am not mistaken Macs also run Unix.
I run both.
Then you are making things harder on yourself than they need to be.
Linux can install with a few point-and-click decisions and a single reboot. That's better than Windows.
As far as ease of use, that is a *very* subjective parameter. I find Windows difficult because it won't work the way I work--it forces me to work the way it works. I find Linux a LOT easier to use.
And with the release of kernel 4.16 this past week, VirtualBox drivers are included in the OS.
...
I’m getting tired of Microsoft destroying my work with updates. I may consider going back to Linux after all these years.
Only one distro (of which I am aware) requires that, and it's mainly used to learning the internals of how Linux works, and severe optimization of the code to the individual computer it's running on.
I’ve used both for 10 years now.
But thanks for the tips.
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