My Linux Experience

I've been using Linux exclusively on my laptop for awhile now. I've had a lot of questions about what it is, how it works, and how it's working out for me, so here is a run-down. Please note, there is tons of info out there about Linux, so

What is Linux? Linux is an operating system, like Windows. It's open-source software, which is completely free in every sense of the word. Linux itself is just a set of operating system commands, kind of like the old MS-DOS, so to help make it more usable it comes in several different packages, called distributions, that are built around different user interfaces and with different purposes. The distribution I am using is Ubuntu, which is the one I liked best out of the three distributions I tried. Assuming you have a good distribution, it works a lot like Windows. Or Mac. You can set it up to work a lot like either one of those, or like it's very own thing entirely.

As far as my experience goes, it has really been mixed. I would be lying if I said it had been seamless and easy, but I think the pros have outweighed the cons so far. Getting videos and music to play has been relatively difficult, especially syncing my iPod. I've fixed most of that thanks to Songbird though. Ubuntu comes with a huge list of software that can be downloaded and used free and is very easy to install. For most programs, you'll find yourself choosing from a list of several programs to find the one you like best. But if what you need isn't on that list, good luck. You have to search for it online yourself, and then download it and - here's the kicker - compile the code yourself using the old command-line interface we all love so much. Getting my wireless card to work was also pretty difficult. Overall, I haven't regretted the switch, and now that my computer is basically set up how I want it I have very few complaints.

I don't think I would recommend Linux to just anybody though. While it works well once it's going and is super flexible, the price you pay for the flexibility is the more difficult setup. So unless your just really anti-Windows, or kind of a geek who likes to have lots of control over the way your computer works, stick with Windows . . . no, actually switch to Mac. If I could by the Mac OS and use it on my current computer I would, but you can't do that.

SIDE NOTES:

I have found a few things worth checking out for Windows and Mac users too through my Linux experience.

• Songbird - mentioned it above, but it really is a sweet program. Watch the video.
• OpenOffice - this is a replacement for Microsoft Office. Just as good, and free. It actually has some cool features that MS Office doesn't, like exporting directly to PDF. You can also save your files as the common MS Office file types for sharing or using on other computers.
  
• Firefox - this is more of a side note, since most of you are probably browsing from Firefox right now, but a it's a good example of an open-source application.
• Thunderbird - an e-mail program that's the brother of Firefox.
  
• VLC - an open-source media player that plays almost anything. Next time Windows Media Player can't find your codec, it's probably easier to just download this.

So for now, I'm sticking with Linux. But in case you were wondering, I'm still hoping to get a Mac soon.