25 Linux tips for Windows switchers, Aug 31, 2009

Don't see what all the Windows 7 fuss is about and thinking of jumping ship to Linux? The experience of switching to Linux needn't be a traumatic one.

To be a good administrator, you have to know the command line. Why? Well, with Windows there are times when the command line is the only thing that can save your skin. With Linux, the command line is vast, reliable, flexible, fast … I could go on and on.

As Linux squeezes itself into all facets of technology, more people are being forced to use it who have little knowledge of the foreign Unix land.

A complaint you hear quite often is that the Linux desktop environments, which mostly refers to KDE and GNOME, are trying too hard to be like Windows and Mac OS X.

In its "Windows 7 Sins" campaign, the Free Software Foundation has labeled Windows 7 as "treacherous computing," and accuses Microsoft of such acts as "poisoning education." This is just the latest in a long line of attacks by open source lovers against Microsoft. But Apple is arguably even more closed than Microsoft, yet always gets a free ride from vociferous open source proponents.

In a time when Microsoft is feeling the full impact of the global economic downturn, the open-source Linux operating system is flourishing.

Why is Linux still not as user friendly as the two other main OSes with all the people developing for Linux? Is it because it is mainly developed by geeks?

Commercials take products and make them desirable. No matter what the product. Think about how many bad products have been sold by good commercials. The right commercial can get the public to buy a steaming pile of poo and think they have purchased gold.

It was with much joy that the Linux community saw two harmful myths about open source get put in their places recently.

IM (Instant Messaging) clients have become invisible. We use them all the time to 'talk' with co-workers, chat with friends, and 'text' with family members on their phone.

Even as the recession continues to cool CIO appetites for software purchases, Linux is bucking the trend, according to a new IDC report.

Windows 7 is here, and unlike Windows Vista, it will probably run on your diminutive netbook PC. However, there is an alternative. Here is why you ought to give Linux a shot.

IDC is out with a new report, forecasting Linux revenue from 2009-2013. At least one Linux vendor has already posted on some of the detailed information.

When Windows 7 hits the scene on October millions of people will be immersed in the word 7 for the foreseeable future. How do you make something perfect even better? You learn from your competitors.

Recently I argued that running Firefox off a bootable copy of Linux on a CD or USB flash drive was an excellent approach for online banking. Windows users face a torrent of malware and, for many people, maintaining and using a Windows system securely requires too much time, effort and technical expertise.

I've read countless Microsoft-funded "studies" trying to persuade me that Windows is already dominating the netbook space. According to these studies, Linux might as well just take a curtain call because its act is over in the world of netbooks. That is simply not true. If it were, Asus wouldn't be selling netbooks with Linux pre-installed.

The Linux From Scratch project has released version 6.5 of its step-by-step instructions on how to create your own Linux system from scratch.

Having thrown in my nice sensible 9-to-5 job, I was supporting myself by freelancing, so going offline altogether wasn't an option. I needed to be able to check my email, keep an eye on my bank accounts, send in articles... And so I became GeekWriterType On The Road.

A steady stream of manufacturers are requesting Linux drivers for their hardware, suggesting growing adoption of Linux operating systems among enterprises.

Businesses today support Windows. Many also support Mac OS X. Should businesses also support Linux?

Some users believe that Windows is the best netbook OS. But others - such as Jack Wallen - think Linux is a much better fit. Check out his reasons and see if you agree.

One of the first things I hear from people attempting trying to make the switch to Linux distributions such as Ubuntu is that they are finding the sudden shift in how they use their computers to be relatively overwhelming.

Panasonic and NEC announced nine new cell phone on Tuesday that use the open-source, Linux-based mobile operating system called LiMo.

At the end of July, Sun posted a screenshot from "Project Renaissance," an effort aimed at creating a new user interface (UI) for OpenOffice. The prototype includes a "ribbon" UI in the vein of the one that Microsoft introduced for Office 2007.

If you had to pick just one area that Linux could improve on and get the most bang for the buck, so to speak, what would it be? What would really get people’s attention or persuade someone to take a closer look at migrating to Linux?

This year Microsoft has been making changes to the way it approaches Linux and open source in ways I had never expected. Some of the areas that Microsoft made changes in are significant, while other aspects of their changes are, to be honest, predictable.

What would it take to create a “definitive manual” for new Linux users migrating from Windows? There is one issue at the heart of the creation of any single “definitive manual” for the Linux operating system. That issue? Too many choices.

The show will feature several great sessions that focus on the realities of Linux and open source, beyond the hype.

Alternate operating systems can blow it almost in the first instance if a person comes along and cannot find quickly how to perform some of their most common tasks. If there is no immediate sense of being in control then there will usually be little incentive to persevere. This is where playing DVDs comes in. I’ve had friends call me and ask just why it is so hard to play DVDs under Linux. They reasonably expect to simply insert a disc and have the movie play.

 View older news this year: Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan
 View news from other years: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999
 View older news in category General this year: Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb
 View General news from other years: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999