Last month I (half) jokingly wrote about being addicted to Windows, and how Ubuntu Linux could be the solution. The truth is that I will not completely give up Windows for now, but I continue to be more and more impressed with Ubuntu and the open source movement.

Several years ago, when Corel Corporation gave a presentation at an ICON meeting, they were promoting their new (at the time) distribution of Linux. I was still relatively new to computing, but somehow knew that in order for Linux to compete with Windows for home users, there would have to be continuing support comparable to (or better than?) that offered by Microsoft, as well as compatible software to accomplish all the tasks people want to do with their computers. Just as important, there would have to be cross-platform compatibility to support file sharing with Windows users.

At the time, I thought Corel probably had the money and market share to accomplish that. As it turned out, they were either unwilling or unable to follow through with the support and financial commitment required to be successful with that venture. They sold their distribution of Linux to Xandros Corporation in August of 2001.

I find it interesting and amusing that the open source movement has gained a strong market share with completely free distributions of the operating system and compatible software, and further, that Microsoft is now taking open source very seriously. I am increasingly convinced that the only way to force Microsoft to improve their products is to support the open source equivalent of those same products. Many ICON members are already using the Firefox web browser for the security and features; a perfect example of the value of free, open source applications. That being said, there are some things you should know before jumping into Linux with both feet.

I wrote last month that loading Ubuntu Linux was similar to loading software on a Windows system by following the prompts of an installation wizard, and that everything you need to accomplish your daily computing tasks is installed along with the operating system. While this is true, finding and loading additional software, hardware and drivers, etc. isn’t necessarily so simple.

Microsoft has put a great deal of effort into being all things to all users, and making it possible to do "anything" within the Windows environment. The problem with this approach is that including "everything" in the program has made the operating system and accompanying applications quite large and slow to load. Having a virtual monopoly on the market has also encouraged carelessness from the software giant in securing their products. Configuring a Windows-based system for safe, streamlined and efficient operation requires a lot of knowledge and tweaking.

By the very nature of open source, there are many different developers working on, changing, and adding to virtually every aspect of the operating systems and software. This has made it very difficult for the casual user to find, and settle into, a desktop environment they can easily be comfortable with, and to get the support they need from a particular distributor.

Like many ICON members, I want to turn the computer on and, with minimal effort, do all of my daily computing chores. Ubuntu allows me to do that. Some of the functionality Windows users take for granted has only recently become readily available in the Linux environment, so there is a bit steeper learning curve than for Windows, but if users spend part of their computing time learning some basic principles about managing their PC (something they should do anyway), they can eliminate many of the stumbling blocks and hurdles they might otherwise experience in learning whichever platform (Windows or Linux) they choose.

Canonical Ltd, the developers and distributors of Ubuntu, have gone to great lengths and pumped millions of dollars into the project to fill this gap in support. They are standing by their commitment to release a new version every six months, and to release regular updates and security patches for each version for 18 months.

The amounts of support resources enjoyed by Windows users have only begun to be adequate for the casual Linux user. On the positive side, there is a growing number of online support sites, with tutorials and forums, to help people learn "how to." Some of the best support sites I have found so far are :

www.ubuntu.com www.psychocats.net/ubuntu and www.makuchaku.info/amnesty

The third link is really for Breezy Badger (a previous release of Ubuntu), but most of the information is still pertinent and very helpful.

"The Official Ubuntu Book," co-authored by key members of the Ubuntu community, is now available from Prentice Hall Publishers at http://www.phptr.com/bookstore/
product.asp?isbn=0132435942&rl=1

I have not seen the book yet, but it is reportedly 448 pages chock full of information, and contains virtually everything you could possibly want to know about using the latest release of Ubuntu Linux.

After my success loading and using the older version of Ubuntu on a slower machine, and my initial satisfaction with it, I loaded the new version on a 2 GHz Pentium 4, with 1 GB of RAM. I’m pleased to report that the operation is much faster, and the process of loading was faster as well.

The final test to make it possible for me to migrate to Linux was the ability to share files with Windows-based PCs over our home network. It took some poking around to configure the network so all of our machines could see each other, but ultimately we were successful, proving that I can completely eliminate my reliance on Windows when I choose to do so.

Assuming Canonical and the open source community continue to maintain and improve usability and support for home users, I will have no need to spend the money to upgrade to Windows Vista and the next version of Microsoft Office, a proposition that promises to be quite expensive. I now have a choice! When support for XP ends, I won’t be forced to pay an exorbitant price to upgrade.

If you want to try Ubuntu Linux, either by running from the "live CD" or installing it on a separate machine or hard drive, let me know and I will give you a copy. Alternatively, you can download it from many locations in the U.S. by visiting this link :

www.ubuntu.com/download

Until next month, I’m still exploring and using a FREE operating system and software!

Happy rehab,

Terry