Linux - I tried!

Linux is a free open-source operating system based on Unix. Linux was originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers from around the globe.

Many people who are frustrated with the Microsoft family of operating systems, e.g., WindowsXP, Vista, etc, are switching to linux. There are a number of available packages (distros) which are mostly completely free. Free, too, are the many applications which you can install. Many of these rival main-stream products, like Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, MediaPlayer, and so-on.

I've been experimenting with the Fedora Core distro. It comes with KDE - a windows-like desktop environment, a number of Office-like applications, media players, email, contact and calendar apps, and a host of other goodies. There are thousands of completely free (open source) software packages to be found amongst the linux community.

However, there is a bit of a learning curve, and I found that it was becoming a hobby which I did not have time for!

There are a number of configuration issues, particularly if you have fairly new hardware. Drivers for certain things are not always readily available, and the file system takes some real getting used to.

It is an unbelievably stable system, though - mine did not crash once all the time I was using it. Large companies have reported years of constant crash-free operation! It also runs really well on older and slower machines - machines which would not be powerful enough to run XP.

My problem is that I run a (home) network of 5 PCs, two of which are dual-boot, and doing any 'under-the-hood' operations - such as disk management, back-up schedules, calendar and contact syncing, etc, required almost constant research onto the internet to find solutions. I felt that I was over-complicating things by having another operating system on the home network.

If you are not particularly technically minded, Linux is great as a useful (and extremely reliable) Windows / Office replacement - with the added satisfaction that you are not lining the heavy pockets of Bill Gates. Don't let me put you off! However, if you need to manage more system-level stuff, then be prepared to fettle! Having said that, there is a vast amount of knowledge available on the net to help you along.

For me it was causing more problems that it was solving - namely it was taking up far too much of my time!

I will, however, be installing a linux distro on an older PC I have in the garage for fiddling about with when I do have time, but I've discovered I'm not yet in a position whereby I can go completely microsoft-free just yet!