How Did I get started?

I've been a Microsoft guy since DOS 5.  I've used every version of Windows since 3.1.  So, how did a Microsoft fan-boy get into Linux?  It's a long story.

When I went back to school (after a short 15 year break),  I took an operating systems class at WV State College. This was way back in the distant past(circa 2005.)  One of our tasks was to install the Fedora Core 4 operating system.  We must have installed that thing at least ten times.

Anyway, I was intrigued.  Linux was exotic and novel.  I guess it spoke to my inner geek.  But, I was a happy Windows user.

Using Linux to wipe computers

A few months later, I had a hard drive crash.  I had an old, spare hard drive with a whopping 2 gigabytes of storage, and just though Windows XP Pro would not fit.  I dusted off my Fedora Core 4 disk, and was up.

I will admit that this first experience with Linux was not at all pleasant.  I was a very seasoned computer user,  but everything I knew was suddenly obsolete.  Where were my drive letters?  How did I install programs?  Where did my Documents and Settings folder go?  I lasted maybe a month.  The final straw was trying to connect a local laser printer.  After I attempted, in vain, to configure the CUPS driver, I finally gave up.  I bought a large hard drive, and reinstalled Windows. 

Still, the siren song of Linux called to me.   I really enjoyed most other open source programs.  I used GCC in my C++ classes.  I fell into love with GIMP.  I even installed TuxPaint for my daughter.

Then I upgraded my computer.  It had a dual core, 64 bit processor, with 4 gig Ram.  But, good old Windows XP Pro was a 32 bit operating system.  That meant I couldn't use the hardware to its fullest advantage.  On top of that, 32 bit Windows can only access about 3 1/2 Gigs of RAM.

Since I plunked down over $100 for pro version of XP, I thought I might be able to upgrade to the 64 bit version for free.  Ha!  Microsoft give something away?  Not only would I have to spend another $100 for it, but most of my software wouldn't work on it.

So, I wondered, what would it be like computing at 64 bits?  On a lark, I downloaded the 64 bit version of Ubuntu 10.10.

Sure, it still took a bit to figure out where stuff went, but it was so fast and easy that I still haven't gone back.

I still use Windows every day, but I can now proudly state that I am a Linux user.

What is Linux?

Tux, the Mascot of Linux

What Is Linux?







What is it?
Linux is a free, open-source operating system modeled after Unix.  It is fast, powerful, highly customizable, and very secure.


What is an Operating System?
If we pretend your computer is a city, then the operating system is like the government.  It keeps the roads open, polices bad behavior, provides basic services like water and sewer, and handles allocation of resources.  The operating system is the software that sits between your computer and all of the programs you run.

The operating system that most people use is Windows.   Linux is like Windows in many ways.  It's easy to use, pretty, and has a nice graphical user interface.  Unlike Windows, it's free.

It's free in two ways.  First, you don't have to buy a copy of Linux, just download it from the Internet.  Second, unlike Windows, you can dig as deeply into the operating system as you want.  All details and even the programming source code is freely available.  If you are so inclined, you can go in and make changes to it to suite you.

If It's Free, It Can't Be Good
The phrase "you get what you pay for" doesn't apply to Linux.  It is estimated that it would over a billion U.S.dollars to remake Linux.  Thousands of professional programmers work on software for Linux.  Why do they do this?

Some companies use Open Source software, and pay their programmers to make it better. Some people do it to create a reputation to further their career (being a project manager for a large Open Source project looks really good on a resume.)  Some do it for philosophical grounds.  Some do it to meet a need they have, personally, and some do it because they think it's fun.

Regardless of why they do it, they do it.  And all of their work is open to anyone to look at.  Since hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking at the submitted computer code, bugs tend to get squashed rather quickly.  When a flaw is detected, programmers jump on it like a starving dog on a turkey leg.  It gets fixed and fixed fast.
 
Trust me when I say that Linux is at least as good as any commercial operating system.

Where Did it Come From?
The story of Linux is a long one.  It is modeled after Unix, an operating system designed by Bell Labs in the sixties.  Unix was made for mainframe computers, and was designed with speed, security and stability in mind.

In 1983, Richard Stallman started the GNU project.  His goal was to create a free Unix-like operating system.

In 1991, a college student in Helsinki Finland named Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel as a hobby.  He wanted to make a version of Unix that he could run on his home computer.


Wikipedia explains how the two projects were merged.

The Linux kernel, started independently by Linus Torvalds in 1991, filled the last gap, and Linux version 0.12 was released under the GPLin 1992. Together, Linux and GNU formed the first completely free-software operating system. Though the Linux kernel is not part of the GNU project, it was developed using GCC and other GNU programming tools. Wikipedia

Some interesting facts about Linux

• 91.4% of super computers run Linux (none for Windows)
• Nearly 60% of all servers run Linux (Windows is only 30%)
• Only 40 known virus exist for Linux (Windows has over 60,000)
• When you install most distributions of Linux, you get not only the operating system, but office suites, graphic programs, games, media players, programming languages, and tons of other software all for free.  With Windows, you have to buy almost all the software you use.

* Creative Commons Image by Larry Ewing, Simon Budig, Anja Gerwinski