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Tux, the Linux mascot, welcomes you!

Tux!

    I'm creating this site for those of you who have heard of the Linux operating system & want to learn more about it.  I have included several resources for those of you desiring to give Linux a try (likely as a Microsoft Windows alternative). I've become quite busy as of late, so please forgive the current lack of material. But check back every few days -  I always add more. 
Users of Microsoft Windows  (who use Linux for their own security!)
winburnwinburn
(crash & burn) have very few ways to tweak their Windows-based computer.  Many Windows users download shareware programs which expire after a short period (unless the program is paid for), to tweak their systems for slightly better performance.  In all honesty, folks, when you learn what 'tweaking a Linux box' is like, you see how much control over your computer Microsoft does not give you.  The differences in how you control the Look'N'Feel of your desktop in astounding, to say the least.  Not to mention the hdparm program, included in Linux, which tweaks how your computer uses your hardware.  hdparm, in itself, will "instantly double the I/O performance of your disks", and "show 6 to 10 times your existing throughput".  What Microsoft calls 'tweaking' is a mere joke compared to what Linux can do. :)
    What's more, the Linux community has freely available documentation on how to tweak a Linux machine. This documentation ranges from installation to security (a real lack of that in most Microsoft home setups), to simple & complex performance tweaks --tweaks that make the computer run much faster-- to creating your own version of Linux, from beginning to end. 
    Linux documentation is so complete that you have the resources to become a System and/or Network Administrator...and this knowledge is free to all.
    For an in-depth statistical analysis of Open Source (read, Linux :), visit this link: here.  
    Below are links to some random screenshots of my favorite Linux desktop manager, KDE, and some excellent documentation.

My random screenshots:
- really clean desktop
- somewhat colorful
- Chromium - a free Linux arcade game
- XMMS & the GOOM! Plugin
- hundreds of included Linux screensavers
- security and style
    These screenshots are of the KDE desktop.  In Windows, you have one desktop environment - it has a background you can change, icons, fonts and sound events.  Linux has five major desktops: KDE, Gnome, Enlightenment, Blackbox and Fluxbox (the screenshots given for these 5 are of the simplest configurations; you can customize these to no end). 
    There are at least a dozen more desktop environments, not as widely used as the aforementioned five, but they exist nonetheless.  If you want a lot of eye-candy, the first five are for you.  If you do graphics-intensive work (Flash, etc.), then one from the latter category: WindowMaker, AfterStep is probably best for you.  These consume less resources than the ones mentioned above, and make a good choice for programmers or artists who need all the hardware power they can get.

A Few Good Reasons To Not Use Micro$oft Products
-- Number One
-- Number Two


How To Get Info On Linux...from the people who know it best:
The Linux Documentation Project - a veritable boatload of Linux documentation
Linux Documentation Project Guides - docs I'm currently reading, namely the System Administrator's & Network Administrator's Guides.

Simply the BEST forums in cyberspace for learning about Linux:
Linux Questions - Where Newbies Come For Help
    This website is where those of us new to Linux can find the answer to any question under the sun about Linux.  The forums are divided into categories, each dealing with a specific aspect of Linux: installing for the first time; playing games like Quake 2, America's Army, Unreal Tournament 2003, etc.; running various Windows programs in Linux....the list goes on and on.  Using the search feature to browse questions that have already been answered, you may never have to ask a question!  Chances are someone has already asked the question you need answered, and the answer is there.  If you don't have the time to search for the answer, or simply can't find it, then ask your question in the appropriate forum.  

Here is a link to the General Forum at LinuxQuestions.org.  For 107 pages (more posts are added daily) people display their desktop screenshots.

    Most people I know use Microsoft products on a daily basis. Many programs used in Windows have their counterparts in the Linux world.   Here's a laughably short list:

The Solution? 

Get rid of MS products!
...and get a copy of Linux.

Where Do I Get Linux?
  1. Dell ("Dude, you're gettin' a Dell") now ships Red Hat Linux 9 if you ask for it when buying a Dell straight from the company itself.
  2. Several online sites, like CheapBytes, will sell you a Linux distribution at an unbelievable price.  For example, you can purchase Mandrake 8.2 for only $4.99 + S&H!
  3. If you live in Atlanta, GA (USA) and are looking for a new laptop, I recommend Emperor Linux above all others.  These people are awesome; customer service to the extreme.  And, yes, their own 'empkernel' source code is available for all to view. :)  I love it.  You can also attend meetings with the Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts to learn everything there is to know about Linux.  
Virtually any computer retailer like CompUSA etc., carries Linux.
    If you live outside of Atlanta, GA, there are Linux User Groups (LUGs) literally all over the world.  It's easy to find one nearest you; Google is your friend for this. ;-)  If you can't find one with Google, ask in the General Forum at Linux Questions.  
    Rather make your purchase online?

    You can visit Mandrake Linux or SuSE Linux, the only two I can truly recommend to beginners, as these were my first experiences with Linux.  Voodoo Linux and Xandros are also good choices for beginners.  I recently purchased SuSE 8.2 Personal and was very impressed.  Since SuSE 9.0 has unleashed itself on humanity, I decided to give that a shot as well.  "Wow!" is about all I can say.  Thanks to a program called WineX, included with SuSE 9.0, I can now play games like Neverwinter Nights, The Sims, Unreal Tournament, etc.  WineX allows you to play games in Linux that you could only play in Windoze.  Quake versions are supported, naturally.

Penguin Computing
 
    If you purchase Mandrake Linux from a local retailer (CompUSA carries it in metro Atlanta, Georgia), you can gain access to the MandrakeClub, which gives you access to over 50,000 (fifty thousand!!) programs tested to work on all versions of Mandrake Linux.
   
    This next link is from Linux Online:
    - vendors by country

    If you have a high-speed internet connection (cable, DSL or faster), you can download Linux for free.  Dialup users (AOL, MSN, etc.) can too....but that's not a feasible option.  You could make enough money working at a fast food place to buy four Linux distributions before you finished downloading one.  You can download Linux freely from this site:

    - Linux ISO

    To quote the LinuxISO.org site, let's explain how Linux is priced:

What Does It Cost?
The short answer is anywhere from $00.00 to hundreds of dollars. Linux is free as in 'free beer' and as in 'freedom'. The 'free beer' part deals with the monetary cost of Linx. You can download it for as little as the cost of an Internet connection. Someone can GIVE you a copy of Linux, legally. The 'freedom' part means you are legally alloweded to possess the source code, the actual programming code of Linux. You can inspect this code, line by line, even make changes to suit yourself. These free aspects of Linux, and other similarly licensed software, are at the heart of what Linux is about. The Linux kernel and most every other program that is part of a distribution are released under the GPL, or General Public License, also called a 'copyleft license'. ( Think about it. ) This license makes provisions for the distribution and modification of free software like Linux. Anyone may modify and/or distribute GPL software, as long as all subsequent modifications are released under this same GPL. The GPL allows money to be made from GPL'd software, while also ensuring that everyone can distribute and continue to have access to this same software without restrictions. GPL software is copyrighted to the author or authors, and is not public domain software or shareware.

    When you have a few minutes, I would suggest reading this article. It concerns everyone who uses a computer, because this will affect us all.
The synopsis?

M$ Longhorny

Microsoft's next operating system, Longhorn, will look nice - that's a given - but will it be worth purchasing?  Microsoft has already divulged the information that Longhorn will not be compatible with your existing Windows programs - so you'll have to re-purchase many of your favorite applications to be able to use them with Longhorn. Oh, the news gets even better. Longhorn will not even be compatible with your current hardware, i.e., your computer itself! You will most likely be forced to buy a new computer, just to use Longhorn. Sound far-fetched? Yeah, it did to me as well.
    ...Until I read the article.
    Here are a few snippets from the article posted above, in case you haven't the time to read it yourself.  
    {begin quote}
    Palladium, a chip based "security" initiative, is another major part of Microsoft strategy. Since Microsoft has seized control of PC design from Intel and the PC manufacturers, they are in a position to dictate how PC hardware will integrate with Windows.
    Microsoft promotes Palladium as a boon to user privacy, security, and a stopper of worms and viruses. They claim it has nothing at all to do with unpopular DRM (Digital Rights Management), which prevents playing, displaying or copying copyrighted content (music, videos, documents, etc.) on a PC. (emphasis mine)
    That is a lie. Truth is found in Microsoft "help wanted" ads: "Our technology allows content providers, enterprises and consumers to control what others can do with their digital information, such as documents, music, video, ebooks, and software. Become a key leader, providing vision and industry leadership in developing DRM, Palladium and Software Licensing products and Trust Infrastructure Services" (W7).
    You can be sure the primary "digital rights" Palladium protects will be Microsoft's. You will find it impossible to run Microsoft software on any computer other than the one to which it was originally registered - or anything else Microsoft doesn't want you to run.
    Palladium requires computers to have a special chip, which both Intel and AMD have already agreed to incorporate.    "Protected content" will not run on a computer lacking the chip, or with the Palladium features turned off. You will have to buy all new computers to run Palladium enabled software.
    Of utmost interest is Microsoft's statement that Palladium will allow creation of content that has an expiration date, and which cannot be used or viewed after that date.
    {end quote}

    I personally don't like the sound of that.  In a related topic, there are about 40 or so virii (plural of virus) that affect Linux, and you can get free anti-virus software for this.  There are 60,000 that affect Windows...that's not a typo, people.  Sixty thousand.  Many make the argument that if Linux were as widely used as Windows, then just as many virii would affect Linux.  That's a misleading statement.  In a nutshell, it's like this.  Over two-thirds of the Internet runs on the Apache web server - which runs on Linux and Linux-like operating systems (NetBSD for an example), not Windows.  Many email-borne virii can only affect your computer if you download it - no matter if you use Windows or not.  Even if someone running Linux downloads a virus via an email attachment, that virus can only affect their Home directory (if it can affect Linux at all, which is highly unlikely) - it will not ruin the whole operating system, like it does in Windows.  Linux, by its very nature, is more secure than Windows.

    Why not give Linux a try?  Either download a distro (distribution), purchase one online for like $8.00 (that's right, eight bucks!), or buy one from a retailer for about $40.  Once you learn how to use it, it becomes easier than Windows.  You can make it do what you want, when you want it done.  No more BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) freezes.  One very nice feature of Linux is when you download and/or install very large programs, you do not have to reboot.  You can literally go for years without ever having to reboot. 
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