Time for Change

So, Microsoft has rushed Windows 7 into production, but that computer you bought just a year or two ago still has all its keycaps and the dust bunnies poking out of the air vents aren’t too thick yet. It’s probably good for another year or two, maybe even five if you clean it now and then. But, it’s got Vista on it. Bummer. And Microsoft isn’t going to apologize for the Vista fiasco and update you for free, are they?

But, there are any number of other companies out there that are willing to do just that: update you for free, to something completely different. Linux. And now is a really good time to switch. Unlike the computer store down the street, where you can buy a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes of computers from many different manufacturers–all with the same, aggravating, slow, and unsafe Microsoft system on them, many different vendors hawk multiple versions (actually, distributions–packaged sets of options) of Linux that will run on the computer you have.

What is Linux? Linux is, like Windows, an operating system, a friendly abstraction that turns the bits and bytes running through your computer into words and pictures that you can work with, and connects you to your printer and the Internet. The difference is, Microsoft wants you (or, more precisely, your computer’s manufacturer) to pay for the “privilege” of using their system. That they own, and keep the inner workings of a closely guarded secret. Which doesn’t provide security for you, since hackers whittle away and find the holes in it. Besides, the original premise of Windows was to provide all of the system to you, the user. Unfortunately, the inner workings of the machine are also laid bare to every program you run and to much of the data that flows into your machine from the Internet.

Linux is, as the Monte Python skit goes, “Something completely different.” Linux is based on Unix, a system designed more than 40 years ago to allow many people to use the same computer at the same time without crashing either the system or seeing data that belongs to someone else. Unix is the system that evolved to create the Internet, retaining that same, solid goal of protecting the system from its own users and any outside data. Linux is also the flagship of Open Source movement, crewed by the Free Software Foundation’s GNU project: all of the pieces of GNU Linux belong to everyone–by definition. Anyone is free to use and even change or add to the code, so that the community of users (many of whom are skilled programmers) contribute to continual improvement and innovation. Want a browser that works better with social networking? No problem. Someone who has an idea how to do that has written one, and one or more of the companies that package Linux for end users has included it in their distribution. Or, if you can’t wait, you can download the source code–the original, human readable (well, geek-readable, anyway) instructions–and build it into your copy of Linux yourself.

So, why would a company (like Red Hat, Novell, or Canonical) give away software? Because they don’t develop it, they just support it, and support is how they make their money. But, it is your choice. If you depend on Linux for your business, a paid support subscription is essential. If you only want to try out Linux, it doesn’t cost you anything except the price of a blank CD and maybe a pizza for the kid down the street to come over and show you how to download, burn, and install it. You can even try Linux from the disk without installing it, so there’s no commitment. After the first installation, you can keep your Linux computer up to date with on-line updates, when you choose to do so. Unlike Windows, Linux always tells you what will be updated, gives you a choice, and then gets out of your way while it performs its job. Rebooting is rarely required after an update.

This month is a good time to think about changing to Linux. Most Linux distributors put out a minor upgrade every six months, and a major upgrade every two years. The most popular distribution for desktop users and home users is Ubuntu, from Canonical. Canonical puts out a version upgrade every six months, in April and October, and a “Long Term Upgrade” version every two years, that will be supported for three years, so you don’t need to upgrade again if you don’t want to. Each version is updated with security fixes and bug fixes as needed, for at least two years after initial release. On April 29, 2010, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS will be released, which promises to be the best desktop system to date.

I’ve used nearly every major Linux distribution made, at one time or another, and currently use Ubuntu on my desktop systems, including my laptop (which originally came with Windows Vista on it, so Microsoft counts it as “one of theirs,” and got paid for it, though it is never used). I will admit I had to do some system administrator tricks the first few versions, but the current version, 9.10, very nearly worked “out of the box.” Ubuntu comes on one CD, which gives basic desktop productivity and Internet access, to which you can add software with a mouse click as you need it. My systems are complete development systems, with web servers, compilers, and many other tools you never need to load if you don’t use them, unlike Windows, that comes with a ton of features few use, and “demo” versions of productivity software that you have to pay extra for if you want to keep using them.

So, keep your old Vista or XP computer, but give Ubuntu a try, next month. If you can’t wait for the sometimes slow downloads that are inevitable after a new release, borrow a disk from a neighbor–it’s perfectly legal, and encouraged–or you can get a disk in the mail from Canonical. You can choose to “demo” Ubuntu without changing your hard disk, running it from the CD, or you can install side-by-side with Windows and start up in either Linux or Windows. You can add the Wine package in Linux and run some Windows programs from inside Linux, and you can still read files from the Windows half of the disk. But, Linux will be invisible to Windows, so you will find yourself booting Windows less and less often, because you can’t live without Linux. Linux computers don’t get malware or viruses, so your files and your system remain safe, but you, the user, are still vulnerable to phishing attacks and phony web sites that steal your on-line identity.

But, if you are still intimidated by installing your own software, and you need a new computer anyway, buy an Apple–it’s Unix, too: it’s not free, because, like Windows, OS/X support is bundled in with the computer when you buy it and when you install a system upgrade, but, because it is Unix, it’s inherently more secure and stable.