Linux on the desktop: a guide for Windows users.

Nearly every PC user has heard about Linux. It's received an enormous amount of attention in the past few years. Even though its low cost (free in some cases), extremely stable, and very flexible, it still trails far behind Windows on the desktop.

However, there are more and more people moving to Linux on the desktop lately for many reasons. We'll present an introduction to the Linux desktop environment for Windows users who are considering taking the plunge, but don't have a strong grasp of Linux' advantages and disadvantages.

Early Days

The Linux Kernel development began as a project at the University of Helsinki in 1991 when Linus Torvalds, a Finnish computer science student, posted source code of the kernel to the Interact. Inspired by Minix, an instructional version of Unix, Linux grew rapidly, attracting thousands of developers. Linux was (and still is) distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GNU GPL is part of the GNU project, started in 1984 by Richard Staliman. At the time, Staliman was a researcher at MiTs Artficial Intelligence labs. He realized back then that unlike the academic community that shared software source code freely, actual software companies were beginning to closely guard their proprietary source code as intellectual property with licensing restrictions. Driven by these license restrictions, and his understanding that good ideas ought to be shared among the developer community, Staliman set out to start the GNU project, which promoted freely distributed and freely modifiable software.

Staliman wrote many widely-used Unix utilities such as the GNU Utilities and most recently the GNU C compiler gcc, as well as the popular text editor emacs. From today's perspective, the GNU project provides valuable applications used vath Linux, and GNU software and libraries compile and run the Linux kernel.

Most importantly, GNU created a process that transparently dissolved any copyright issues, stating that free software must remain free, and that any software which uses any piece of the GPL (GNU Public License) source code will also become free. This process is known as "copyleft'.

Back at Heisinki, after posting the source code on the Internet, inspiring and inviting many developers to contribute and help with the project, Torvalds realized that many of the GNU Utilities and other free applications were well suited to round off his development efforts. He bundled many programs with his kernel source and called the final product Linux--a combination of his name "Linus" and "Unix". Raw versions of the Linux kernel have been available for download on the Internet for years, and they are targeted at experienced and technical users.

Professional Distributions Ease the Way

In the mid-90s, software vendors such as Redhat, Inc. and Caldera Systems started offering bundled Linux solutions, integrating the kernel With a variety of available applications. They made Linux user-friendlier, and turned it into a marketable retail product for a diversified user base. These distributions (or distros for short) have put Linux on the path of becoming a more conventional OS. While Linux has had much market presence in the server area, new distributions now offer flexible and powerful solutions for any task at hand, including workstation mad home uses.

The distributions offer graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and wizard-driven installation procedures, as well as hardware auto-detect features. They've made Linux installation almost as painless as Windows 98 or 2000, even for the novice user.

But even with an improved installation procedure, Linux still requires a fairly strong knowledge of its underlying architecture in order to be productive during ongoing use. Some people argue that every OS requires specialized and sometimes arcane knowledge to be productive, and that Windows or Mac OSes aren't without their learning curves and startup problems. While this might be true, they are the standards for most of the personal computing population, which in rum means that any other operating system trying to capture a large slice of the market will have to compete with those well-known operating systems. Limiting our discussion to Windows versus Linux, you'll soon learn that Linux GUis can now provide similar functionality and ease of use for many common operations, but Linux still needs more compelling reasons for users to spend the time and energy converting their systems.

Linux Basics

The core of Linux is its kernel, which manages low level functions like process management, interrupt handing, scheduling, I/O control, and memory management. The kernel undergoes constant development and is available in both the latest stable release and the latest experimental release. As of this writing, the latest stable release is 2.4. All patches to the Linux kernel pass through Linus Torvalds. Though Torvalds does not own Linux, in the classical sense, he holds the trademark on the name and has the final say on what does and does not get included into the next release.

Linux's kernel design is modular. This means that although the actual OS code is very small, it is able to load whatever functionality it needs "on the fly". It can then use the memory for other tasks when the module is not needed any longer. This design ensures that the kernel can be kept extremely compact and fast. Most other operating systems have to load all functionality upfront, needed or not, which slows down the computer. A mainstream Linux distribution (generally available for under $50) provides the user with a head-spinning array of features and applications. Besides the kernel, users will find the Apache Web server, the Sendmail mail server, the WU-FTPD ftp server, a newsgroup server, the MySQL mad PostgreSQL database servers, and the Samba file server.

C, C++, Pascal, FORTRAN, and BASIC compilers are also part of the package as are the scripting languages Perl, Python, Awk, and sed. The list of included applications may slightly vary depending on the distribution you choose. The included XFree86 graphics server will allow you to run GUI's (front end graphical user interfaces) such as Gnome, Windowmaker, or KOE, which are bundled with most recent distributions. Telnet, secure shell (ssh) and xterm provide for remote access and administration. These are a few of the hundreds of applications that are included with any of the major Linux distributions. You will also find a myriad of tools and utilities: Text editors, database utilities, games, multiple Web browsers and file-system browsers, e-mail clients, and graphics manipulation applications.

Although not all of these applications are traditionally found on home PC's (i.e.: Web server and remote access via telnet), we can see today that companies like Apple follow a similar path by integrating the Apache Web server into the most recent release of OS X.

System Requirements 

Linux can run on extremely sparse hardware. Minimum requirements are a 386 processor with 8MB of RAM and around 40MB of hard disk space (or 100MB if you are using any X server and graphical UI). While these are obviously bare minimum requirements, Linux does run comfortably on any Pentium-class system with 16MB of RAM. Linux also runs on ARM, DEC Alpha, Macintosh, PowerPC and Sun SPARC systems. It aims for POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) compliancy, where POSIX is a suite of API standards that helps ensure the portability of applications when operating system services are required. POSIX is based on the UNIX operating system, and is the basis for the Single UNIX specification from The Open Group.

Stability and Security

Unix has always been known for its stability. Linux is no different in this regard. Computers running the Linux OS are known for running months or even years at a time without crashing, freezing, or having to be rebooted.

This legacy is certainly founded on solid ground. However, the stringency of Linux kernel quality control does not necessarily translate to applications, where anything goes. Similar to Windows, anyone can develop applications for Linux without having to pass any formal quality check. Buggy code can cause processes or the GUI to lock up. The good news is that processes run in a truly protected environment, so your machine will often allow you to simply restart the process that hung. Similar to Windows NT or 2000, having a protected environment is great, but be sure to frequently backup or save your data in any case. In contrast to the commercial wood, where you will typically find a company responsible for the final product, the end user might have a false sense of security running Linux apps thinking that their text editor is backed by a company with adequate development or support resources when it is not. While this situation may not be a big problem for most Linux users, it can occur. But you can also argue that code built by real software companies often isn't much better, and shareware in the Windows environment could pose similar problems. In any case, there are plenty of high quality Linux applications that will run for months without rebooting and keep you, the user, happy and content. This does not mean that you cannot get any commercial grade applications for Linux, backed up by quality customer support, it is just that this is very much a market in development.

Although old news, Linux was Y2K-compliant. The basic unit of time in Linux is tme_t. This format expresses the time as the number of seconds since midnight, Jan 1st 1970, It had no concept of the year 2000-it was just another tick.

However, the real 'Year 2000' of the Unix world will happen when time_t rolls over. Since time_t is a signed 32-Bit value, this will happen in the year 2038. Hopefully, with computers working towards a 64-bit architecture, timer will likely be re-defined as 64 bit long before 2038, and who knows what kind of operating systems will be in place 37 years from now!

Security, Speed and the UI Security

The Linux kernel is secure, but not necessarily the complete operating system environment. The framework that surrounds the kernel operas up paths that allow intruders to enter your PC if it is not secured properly. Breaking into Linux systems does require in-depth knowledge of the file system, network services that are launched through inetd (which is disabled by default in SuSE's 2.4 kernel distribution), user permissions, and remote access paths such as telnet or FTP.

However, due to the vast array of services and the accessibility of a Linux system, it requires a fairly substantial amount of knowledge to make your system secure. As a matter of fact, there are very few Linux administrators that claim to run a truly secure system. Of course, security is a major concern for home users today, particularly broadband users. Broadband provides a permanent connection from your PC to the Internet as well as from the Internet to your PC. The minute you link your PC to a cable modem or DSL line you invite malicious elements to explore your electronic home. Linux provides many network security capabilities including easy to configure firewall services, and secure routers.

Regarding viruses, Linux is considered extremely secure compared to other platforms, and there are actually few Unix viruses. Hence, the market for virus scanners is comparatively small compared to the Windows environment.

Speed

As mentioned above, the Linux kernel is (or at least it can be) small and fast. Being small depends largely on how the kernel was compiled. While most popular distributions want to "please" the consumer and especially home user, they install a kernel that is much larger than it really needs to be. This is due to the fact that distributions like Redhat, Caldera, TurboLinux, Mandrake and SUSE will include a wide variety of "drivers" in the kernel architecture, thus making the OS compatible with a wide variety of devices and service.

There is a solution to kernel bloat, but there is also a catch. You can recompile the kernel after the initial installation is completed and remove excessive elements. What's the catch? You have to know how. This is one of the cases where strong familiarity with the OS is required. You do not want to attempt to recompile your kernel if you are not sure of what you are doing and how the kernel is structured. However, if you know your way around your system, and this does not present itself as a big hurdle, you can certainly strip unnecessary features from your kernel and significantly speed your, system.

Linux also provides performance enhancing features like SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing support, RAID, and true multi-tasking capabilities. Linux will detect how many processors are present m your system during the installation routine and take advantage of them. RAID support can be configured during the installation as wall, allowing you to span multiple drives and volumes when you configure your file structure.

The Interface

Linux has interface options offering functionality similar in many respects to the Macintosh and Windows interface. Under Linux, the so-called window managers run on top of the X Windows system. Most distributions today use an X server called Xfree86. There are also commercial version available, such as the popular and accelerated MetroX, The most common window managers are KDE (K-Desktop Environment), Window Maker, and GNOME (the GNU Network Object Model Environment). They support drag and drop functionality as well as backgrounds, screen-savers and other amenities popular in Windows. As an added bonus, these window managers can be configured to resemble most any OS on the market: Mac, NextStep, BEOS, or even Windows.

However, while the resemblance can be striking, the functionality will still be dictated by the capabilities of the window manager. If someone is particularly interested in running an OS that conforms to the X/Open or eXode (Enhanced X Open Desktop) standards, Linux can only partially comply. X/Open is a project whose goal is to create a set of integrated tools that allow you to manage a UNIX Operating System rimming the X Windows graphical environment. By definition, X/Open requires a POSIX system with the OSF Motif GUI libraries and the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) window manager. Since the Motif libraries or CDE are not open source, they cannot be included in any Linux distribution. However, third party vendors do offer packages that sell for around $200 and make Linux conform to X/Open. The only drawback: There is no X/Open certification as of yet. Although the X Windows system is extremely flexible and offers many more configuration options than Microsoft Windows, there is a downside, The different interfaces are extemly inconsistent. Not only are thee huge variations between KDE, GNOME, and Window Maker, but there are also distribution differences. A KDE implementation in Caldera's distribution can look significantly different from a Redhat distribution of KDE Configuration utilities and text editom, Web browsers, and file system viewers can often be found in different or even multiple locations in the directory structure This patchwork can lead to frustration when end-users switch between distributions or use different distributions at the workplace.

Networking and Connectivity

Rich networking ability is one of the strongest features of Linux. TCP/IP connectivity is built-in of course, and Linux can communicate with Mac, s using AppleTalk, and with Windows PC's and servers using SAMBA, which is a Server Message Block (SMB) protocol implementation. Caldera's distribution has provided IPX connectivity for Novell networks for year, though early implementations that installed an IPX router by default could cause problems. Linux also includes Simple Network Management Protocol and Domain Name Service (DNS) support for advanced tasks on any network.

Since Linux is a Unix derivative and was developed by programmers sharing ideas across the Interact, networking not only comes naturally, but is also a prerequisite during the installation routine of many distributions. This can make the installation process a bit more difficult for home users who do not have an Ethernet network or are not interested in network connectivity. Its therefore important to read the manual before you start the installation process so that services that rely on network connectivity can be avoided. You can easily de-select package options during the installation process that will need networking services. Many users may want to set up networking to get access to great features such as the Web server and remote access capabilities.

The latest distributions from Redhat, Mandrake, and SUSE search and detect networked printers and discover DHCP servers on your network.

An item that needs some improvement is the configuration and tuning of modems and ISDN adapters. Tuning of IRQ's and other vital settings for a modem often require you to dig deeper into the depths of the OS than you might feel comfortable doing.

Users and Administration

One of the main advantages Linux has over other OS's is the amount of control and configurability it provides for the user over the computing environment. Linux is by design a true multi-user system. Every user, including the administrator or "root' user has their own home directory, which holds all user specific configuration files and private files. This directory holds the users E-mail as well. The configuration files control all settings, including the user specific choices in the graphical user environment. No matter how many users are accessing the system, the OS guarantees a clear separation of files and user space. Furthermore, Linux is designed to multi-task. Whether one user is running several programs or several users are running one program, whether a user is locally connected or accesses the system remotely, Linux will keep this separation intact and direct the traffic accordingly.

With all this multiuser power, things aren't quite so straight administratively, and can quickly develop into a layman's nightmare. If you don't have much experience with Linux, issues such as symbolic links, file-permissions, user-, and grouprights will make your initial experience far more difficult, at least in the beginning.

You'll soon learn how to change ownership of a file or a directory using the "chown" command, or how to set file permissions using "chmod". These are standard UNIX features that have been around for years, and even resemble older DOS commands. In the end people not very familiar with the Linux commend line tools may be best served by using one of the configuration utilities or file-system browsers that operate in point-end-click fashion to get familiar with administrative tasks.

Software and Applications

While the open source community has produced thousands of useful applications, there is still a frustrating lack of commercial applications for the Linux platform. Linux applications from big name vendors are typically at revision levels compared to their Windows end Mackintosh versions.

Still, there are Linux applications and solution for just about any computing tasks you would ever need, we'll dig deeper into the availability and capabilities of open source software a bit later. While big name office and productivity apps for Unux are still sparse, developers in the gaming industry have long ago discovered Linux as a capable platform. Especially popular is Linuxs ability to run an efficient end fast yet free Quake server. Many software publishers have begun to part their games to Linux, producing high-quality 3-D end online games. Additionally, there are hundreds of traditional board games such as chess or card games that are available free of charge. What else can you do besides play games or set up Web servers? Let's turn our attention to the vast amount of open source software. Its flee, its downloadable, end as we mentioned there is an application or utility for just about any task you need to perform. The GNU Site alone lists hundreds of applications, ranging from statistical and mathematical programs, to games, home environment control apps that turn lights on or off, word processors, database ublites and much more.

Applications for astronomy, biology, cartography, chemistry, and physics can be found from various developers throughout the Internet. C/Net, Tucows, and ZDNet, formerly dedicated to mostly Windows content, now offer a variety of Linux applications in their download sections as well. Aside from open source advantages, the availability of development tools has been a major reason for the explosive growth of applications on the Unix platform_

If you are interested in developing applications or utifties in Ada, assembler, BASIC, Dylen, Forth, Fortran, INTERCAL, LISP, Logo, Mercury, Module, Oberon, Pascal, Perl, Prolog, Python, Rexx, Sather, SIMULA, or Tcl/Tk you will find many free development tools to fit your needs, There are also two popular compilers available, the GNU C Compiler, end the Experimental GNU Compiler System.

Linux offers much versatility for performing specialized tasks. It comes to no surprise that Linux is widely used as the operating system of choice in application servers. What advantage does that introduce to the home market.? The answer is that you can turn any decent PC into a capable "specialty" application system. First, there are pre-packaged commercial solutions such as the Netmax file-server, firewall, VPN, end Web server. These server systems run on a hardened Linux kernel end offer plug-end-play installation with a Web configuration interface.

Second, you can configure your own Ipchains, an integral part of any Linux distribution that offers firewall end NAT (Network Address Translation) capabilities. Linux can also act as a router on your network, handling IP and IPX traffic, And MySQL offers fantastic database capabilities for no extra charge. In addition, SAMBA can turn your Linux workstation into a fileserver, and the Open Directory project lets you setup your Linux machine as an authentication source for your network The possibilities are endless, end when you delve deeper into the mechanics of this OS, you will find surprising now applications and uses for hardware mat you Might OtherMSe have retired already

Distributions and Installation

In contrast to the Windows end Apple world that provide you with a limited set of distributions, Linux offers a wide array of different distributions. Let us be clear about one thing: They all do the same basic thing. All distributions will install the Linux OS on your machine. Distributions differ in the number of provided tools end applications, end the look and feel, plus they all have a slightly different directory structures and file locations. However, if some tool or application is not included in your distribution of choice, just visit the Web end download what you need or are missing. It is all open source and it is all free! The biggest differentiating factor between distros is probably the amount of support that a particular Linux vendor provides. Linux distributions are available not only in a variety of flavors, but also from a variety of sources. It can be purchased on CDROM or downloaded via RTIP or FTP, which is particularly attractive for students with small budgets and fast campus Interact access. Recently, major PC vendors such as Compaq, IBM, end Dell started offering Linux pre-installs as an option in certain product lines. Some of these vendors even offer phone support for Linux issues.

Lets assume that you are sold on trying Linux, end you went to acquire a copy. We recommend that new Linux users purchase a mainstream retail version rather than downloading.

Installation Overview

We now assume you've acquired a retail copy of Linux end are ready to install. What will you encounter during install and how will it differ from your usual Microsoft installation routine? We will quickly walk you through the Installation procedure of a typical Redhat Linux installation.

The machine we'll use for demonstration purposes is a vanilla Pentium II 350 with 64MB of RAM end an 8MB graphics card (this type of system was popular a little over 3 years ago). We used an 8GB IDE hard drive end a 3COM 3C905B PCI Ethernet adapter.

You will have a definite advantage if your machine is able to boot off the CDROM. If this is not the case (end if your distribution doesn't include a bootable floppy), you will have to use an included DOS utility called "rawrite.exe". You will point the utility to a "boot.img" (or similar) image file on the distribution CD, end it will create a bootable floppy for you.

* When the installation routine starts up, you will be greeted by a graphical user interface, asking you to choose your installation language. We chose English.

* The next screen identifies your keyboard and does not require any further input.

* The same usually goes for the mouse configuration page, as long as you use a standard mouse that does not require special drivers.

The "Next' button will bring you to the first screen that will require your input, and that will determine what kind of system you are going to install-workstation (PC desktop), or server. For the purpose of this exercise, we choose a plain Workstation installation.

* On the next screen, Redhat's automate partition tool provides hands-off configuration of your file-system We selected the automate partitioning that removes all existing data Other options include manual pardoning of your hard disk. Be very careful at this point. If you are familiar with your hard discs partition structure, you can place Linux on a new partition and leave the rest of your drive intact

* When you choose manual partitioning, most distros now support your efforts with automated utilities, such as Disk Druid (Redhat) or DiskDrake (Mandrake). Going this route will enable you to not only preserve the existing data on your disk, but also to create a dual-boot system Most Linux distributions will explain this procedure in their documentation. Essentially you will create a 'multi-boot' system that allows you to choose the OS you want to use upon startup. After the partitioning process is complete, you will have to choose where you want to use LILO (Linux Boot Loader), procedure in their documentation. Essentially you will create a 'multi-boot' system that allows you to choose the OS you want to use upon startup. After the partitioning process is complete, you will have to choose where you want to use LILO (Linux Boot Loader). After a successful re-boot you will be presented with a menu providing the operating choices that you configured. Linux gives you the option to place LILO either into the MBR (Master Boot Record) of your disk, or onto one of the available partitions. Be aware that if you install Windows after completing your Linux installation, Windows will overwrite your LILO setup.

Network Configuration

Next comes the ominous "Network Configuration" page that requires us either to choose a DHCP server-driven IP configuration, or to enter our own IP address. Since most home users do not have access to a DHCP server, we entered an IP address from a private subnet (I 92.166.1.15) and a 24-bit netmask (255.255.255.0). Our network is 192.168.1.0, and the broadcast address is 192.168.1.255. Some distributions actually auto-enter the appropriate Netmask and Broadcast address. If you are not sure what IP address to enter, either talk with your ISP, or choose a private realm of addresses. Private addresses for example are 192.168.X.X. These addresses will not cause any routing confusion when you log on to the Net, but will require that you enable NAT (Network Address Translation) to masquerade the private IP address with a public address. Our hostname was set to "linukwkst', and our gateway address is 192.168.1.1. To get proper name resolution, you will also have to point your system to a properly working DNS server. In our case 192.168.1.5 and 192.168.1.6. To find out what your DNS servers are, please also consult your ISP. The "Time Zone Selecton" page follows, and it allows us choose our home base, and will take care of the correct offset to GMT.

Installation

The next screen is one of the most critical. Unlike Windows 2000 or NT, Linux does not allow you to choose a "null" password. Make your selection carefully, and most important: remember your password! Linux is unforgiving if you forget your password and will not give you access without a password. You have the choice to add a non-administrator user that you can use later for all non-critical configuration tasks and your daily operations.

The "Next' button will cause the installation routine to look for the appropriate package for our Workstation installation.

Packages are canned installation formats for software and other parts of the distribution. eg RedHats RPM(Redhat Package Management)

You can choose either the GNOME or KDE window managers or both. You can also choose to have a selection of games on your system. On the bottom of the screen you'll see a pre-calculated number that indicates the needed space on the hard disk.

The next page will prompt you to select your monitor or an equivalent generic model.

Our graphics card was properly identified as a card with the RIVA 128 chipset once we proceeded to the next screen. It is absolutely imperative that you use the "Test this configuration" button to see if the X server starts up properly. If you omit this step and something goes wrong, you will end up with a bare command line Linux system and will have to re-run this step or edit the XF86Config file by hand. Neither choice is pleasant for a novice user. Our settings worked, and we selected the "Use graphical login" option before we proceeded. Our desktop of choice was GNOME. The page "About to Install" requires only a click on the "Next' button, and the Red_hat system works. You can observe the formatting of your file-system (/dev/hda 1, SWAP, etc.) before all packages are being unpacked onto your hard-drive.

Almost 500 Redhat Package Management (RPM) packages are going to be decompressed in about 20 minutes. You can lean back now end wait for the installation routine to finish. Create a boot-disk if it makes you feel safer. Done. A friendly "Congratulations" page prompts us to reboot. After rebootIng, we are greeted by the GNOME logon manager that prompts us for our username and password. A successful entry grants us access to the system and presents the GNOME desktop. This was obviously a smooth installation and we did not encounter any problems. However, things can get a little more difficult if you start to use legacy equipment, especially ISA adapters such as sound cards or modems. We will soon discuss some of these shortcomings.

Not all distributions are alike as we mentioned above. BUt most of the latest distributions follow the same setup model., though different distributions let you choose different pre-configured setups, and all of them let you drill down and select or de-select single packages if you feel the need to customize your installation. The more specific you get, the more knowledge about the system you need. This is particularly true when you start configuring partitions or the boot loader LILO by yourself. There are also specific strengths inherent in certain packages. Mandrake for example lets you use TrueType fonts. Whats interesting is that if you install Mandrake onto a hard disk that that already contains a Windows partition, it will pull TrueType fonts out of your Windows partition and install them. A utility called Font Drak takes care of this operation--no other user intervention is required.

There are also downsides to these advanced installation routines. Too much, or too little information can cause problems or be annoying for both novices and experts alike. While individual package selection can be a great way to customize your system, it can quickly extend into a confusing labyrinth of choices with seemingly never ending click and select routines. Pre-configured installation options on the other hand can often leave out necessary elements that then have to be installed afterwards. The user is then left alone trying to figure out what packages are missing, especially if new applications don't install correctly. In Windows' defense, the installation routine can usually be performed successfully by a novice user without requiring any reading or upfront knowledge.

However, no matter what your distribution of choice will be, it will open up the Linux world to you and will let you explore the seemingly endless possibilities that this OS offers.

Compatibility and Support

While Linux certainly shines in terms of excellent backwards-compatibility, allowing you to run on hardware that is usually used as a doorstopper, there are still unresolved issues when it comes to plug-and-play.

Many PnP cards do not work at all. Though things are improving, this problem presents a difficult hurdle for the novice user. Adjusting IRQ'S, or any aspect of your hardware configuration, can quickly lead you into the dark depth of editing page-long text files that are hidden many levels deep in your directory tree. More recent distributions have assisted the user with hardware configuration by providing GUI driven configuration utilities such as "linuxconf' in Redhat, or "Yast2" in SUSE. However, even these utilities fall short when a serious hardware conflict prevents a normal configuration. SUSE. However, even these utilities fall short when a serious hardware conflict prevents a normal configuration.

Support

As with commercial operating systems, Linux vendors now have to find ways to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Since Linux is open source, there aren't too many options available to do this, and competition will get fierce.

What choices do they have? For one they can modify the distributions and include more software, such as office and productivity applications. Second, they can offer great support to their customers, including the home user. In fact, support is where we see most differences in today's distributions. The leader of the pack is Redhat, which also owns the biggest chunk of market share. Red-hat offers quality phone support, a well-organized Web site, and an extremely large user community with discussion groups, new groups, and e-mail lists. Unfortunately, there is no centralized help system in Linux that the user can interactively address. Most help files need to be individually unzipped, and are hidden in unintuitive places. Not that we would wish for the annoying talking paperclip to find its way into the Linux world.

Basic help is provided by the "man-pages", a set of manual pages that explain the functionality and syntax of most commands. You can easily access the man-pages by typing 'man' at the command prompt The expression 'man chmod' for example will bring up the man-page for the chmod feature that lets you change file access permissions.

However, support, or lack thereof, has also been a major hurdle for Linux's advance into the corporate marketplace. Most businesses require a reputable entity to stand behind their product. The successful operation of mission-critical services demands 24-hour technical support Although companies like Redhat and Caidera in particular are pursuing these goals, they still have a ways to go.

Another big issue is the tack of support through consulting firms, coupled with the lack of qualified personnel. It is not so much an issue of quality, but an issue of quantity. Rare talents demand higher prices. For the home user this has the same effect. While 8 out of 10 friends can help with a Windows problem, Linux enthusiasts are harder to come by. Great resources for home users as well as advanced system administrators are the collection of HOWTO files that can be accessed on the Internet. Almost every possible configuration task ranging from user administration and firewall setups to Apache Web server configuration is explained in great detail. These HOWTO pages are not only helpful in resolving problems, but will also give you a good insight into the works of the Linux OS and can certainly serve as an educational tool. Obvious Disadvantages of Windows

* It typically costs more than $50

* You are limited in using and distributing the OS

* The source code is not freely available

* Upgrades to the OS are often less timely than with open source systems (i.e.: once every two or three years) and often require complete reinstallation wiping all valuable custom configuration

* Backwards compatibility falls victim to support of late model hardware or new operating system features

Final Thoughts

Linux usability has improved over the past few years substantially, which has made Linux marketable and accessible to the end user. However, if you're not at all familiar with Linux (or Unix), you could be a bit overwhelmed at first encounter. Even upon using the system for a while, you'll still experience some frustrating moments trying to accomplish simple tasks. Remember that you can still keep Windows 98/2000 on your hard disk if you just want to try Linux in a separate partition. After experiencing Linux for a while, you'll appreciate all the free applications and tools that would cost much money in a commercial operating system environment. In addition, Linux can be a fun challenge for anyone with a deeper interest in understanding computer technology, especially its free source code. Once you achieve a certain degree of proficiency using Linux and navigating the world of Linux, its power becomes readily apparent.