How to Become a Successful Linux User

First Edition Published: 2007-04-20
Updated: 20-Apr-2007 07:40AM

If you're thinking of switching to Linux, using a bit of common sense can be the difference between having a positive or negative experience with Linux. Here are some simple rules that we think will make yours a positive one.

Know what you want to do

Many emails we receive from aspiring Linux users start with some variant of: "I've decided to stick it to Bill Gates and I've would like to try Linux ..." . Though most of us of in the Linux community are not big fans of Mr. Gates, we don't think this is the best motive for switching. The best reason for using Linux is to get to work with a more robust, stable and secure operating system. If you're using Microsoft Windows to do general things (using the internet, word processing, storing your photos, listening to music), then a switch to Linux shouldn't be too painful. However, if you're a Windows user and your computer directly effects your livelihood, then you need to do an inventory of the programs you use. You should know that programs designed to run on Windows will not work automatically on a computer running Linux. That means that you may have to look for substitutes. Luckily, substitutes for almost every type of program exist. Even if you work in some special niche and can't find a substitute for a particular program, you may still be able to use it with Linux, but you will probably need outside help in getting in running. The bottom line is that having a clear idea about what you're going to use Linux for will improve your chances of having a successful transition.

An Introduction to Some Linux Terminology

Like any particular group, the Linux community uses its own terminology, comprised of certain words, expressions and acronyms, to talk about its activities. Just as dentists may talk about molars, bicuspids and incisors, people who are knowledgeable about Linux may talk about things like the kernel, a distribution and dual-booting. Like any new member to a community, hearing and seeing words you don't understand can be a bit of a turn off. Before you read any further, we'd like to refer you to our brief glossary of the most important terms associated with Linux.

Give Linux a Practice Run

The Linux community is fortunate in that we have a lot of very talented people who love to tinker. One of these talented tinkerers, Klaus Knopper, developed a type of Linux distribution that doesn't need to be installed. It is called a Live CD. He named his distribution Knoppix and it is available for free download from his website. All you need to do is burn it to a CD or DVD and boot your machine. This will give you a good idea what Linux is like. In fact, Knoppix isn't the only distribution that will do this. Many popular distributions, including Mandriva, MEPIS and Ubuntu will also boot up as live-CD systems. With these versions of Linux, you can take the operating system for a spin and there's no need to install anything. If you end up liking what you see, these live-CDs can also be installed to your hard drive.

Choose a "popular" Linux distribution

If you've decided to make the switch, we recommend using a distribution that a lot of other people are using. One of the keys to a successful Linux transition, in our estimation, is choosing a popular distribution has a large developer community. A large developer community means that you'll find the programs that you need easily and you will be able to install them with the same ease. With a less well-known distribution, you may find suitable programs but in many cases installing them will mean manually compiling the source code. If you're a beginner, this can be a frustrating experience. The more well-known distributions have prepared programs in 'packages' that are easy to install. On top of this, there are tools designed especially for a particular distribution to manage these packages to make sure that programs run correctly right away. The website Distrowatch.com maintains a comprehensive list of the most popular distributions.

Get the latest version of your chosen distribution

Linux.org receives a lot of emails from people looking for installation help. In the course of the email exchanges, it often becomes apparent that a person is trying to install some older, often no-longer supported version of a Linux distribution. It's best to stay away from CDs you find in old books and magazines. If you have a good connection, go to a distribution's homepage and download the latest ISO images or DVD image from an official mirror. If you're on a dial-up connection, there are several online retailers that will sell you a Linux CD or DVD at very cheap prices. The newer the Linux distribution version, the better the hardware support. The number of glitches you'll get in the installation process decreases with the newness of the version of Linux you choose.

Consider paying for your Linux distribution

A lot of Linux's fame has to do with the fact that the general public considers it 'freeware'. It is true that you can get a full-featured Linux operating system free of charge by downloading it from any number of sources. This is an excellent alternative to an operating system like Windows, which either comes pre-loaded with a newly purchased computer (which gets figured into the cost), is bought separately or copied 'illegally'. In most people's experience, the popular Linux distributions are easy to install. At the time of this writing, Ubuntu is a popular distribution that, is considered an easy to install system. It is also 'free as in beer', as we say in the Linux community. However, if you do run into some glitch (normally hardware related), you may have a frustrating experience. Although there are a number of excellent Linux support forums out there, personalized advice on your particular problem may be hard to find. So if your tolerance for frustration is low, then you may want to consider buying a computer with Linux pre-installed. Contrary to what the tech press often publishes, they do exist. For example, US retailing giant WalMart began selling Linux systems back in 2002, which proves that this option has existed for some time now.

If you'd rather use a computer you already have, you can also purchase a Linux distribution in a boxed package. There are several good candidates and they come with personalized support for a period of time. At the time of this writing, leading Linux distributions available for purchase include:

• Linspire
• Mandriva
• SUSE Linux Enterprise by Novell
• Xandros

The price you pay for a boxed set of Linux is usually half of what you'd pay for a copy of Windows XP or Mac OS X and considerably much less expensive than Windows Vista. And remember also that time is money. If you've spent the whole weekend searching internet forums for a solution to some problem, then your free operating system has cost you more than you planned on.

Use an appropriate computer

You may have heard that one of the advantages of Linux is that it runs on 'old' hardware. Does that mean that you can go and find a 10 year old Pentium, install Linux on it and expect to do productive work with it? Probably not. The confusion with respect to Linux on old hardware is mostly our fault because we often talk about using Linux to get more life out of old computers. Inside of a certain time frame, computers can run Linux well, but running it "well" depends on what you're going to use the machine for. You can use Linux to run a mail server or a web server in a small or medium sized business on older hardware. Scaled-down Linux distributions do exist to provide a basic desktop computing environment on older computers. But if you want to use Linux to do the same things that you would with Windows XP or Mac OS X, then you'll need the newest computer you can get your hands on. Avoiding 'elite' video cards and new, exotic hardware will also work in your favor. Though Linux has great hardware support, considering it's at a disadvantage with respect to Microsoft (they can sign non-disclosure agreements while the gadgets are still on the drawing boards), the best computer to use is something fairly new without being on the bleeding edge.

You're on your way

If you can follow the aforementioned guidelines, you'll get a good start on your way to a rewarding experience with Linux. Those who have approached their switch to Linux with many or all of these ideas in mind have gone on to become successful Linux users.

Note: Based on an op-ed piece by Linux Online managing editor Michael J. Jordan