Linux - A Short Introduction
What is Linux
I will not get into details on this point, if really have no idea what is this ?Linux? thing, check out the Linux Wiki page!
How I Switched to Linux
First attempts
I spotted a "special isssue" of a monthly magasine sometimes late 2003, if I remember well - it came with the three installation CDs to install Mandrake Linux 9.2. They claimed that this is a fully-fledged operating system, etc. - so I bought it.
I must admit that the name "Mandrake" and Tux the penguin also had a great deal in convincing me to give it a try. I found the penguin logo very friendly while the name "Mandrake" reminded me of one of my favourite cartoons, Dexter's lab
I never really managed to quit Win2K while having Mandrake 9.2 alongside - the main reason is that I did not have internet access at the time where you can easily find the solutions for your little annoying problems all Linux newbies face in the beginning! This is why I strongly recommend a working internet connection if you want to give Linux a try, especially if you have no IT background!
As the heading says, "first attempts", it's easy to guess that my first attempts failed...I had a dual-boot system for a while, rarely using Linux, later on loosing some music and photos on my hardrive when messing things up, etc...So I actually abandoned the whole idea completely and want back to the good 'ole Win2K.
Then one day, again, I had seen a magasine with Mandrake 10.0! I tried again, and it Linux stayed, but only after I had invested in another harddrive. This way I could be relatively sure that my primary, Win2K harddrive will be ok while I mess things up with Linux on the other. Having internet helped, too - internet is so vast, and there are so many Linux newbies that you have an almost 100% chance to find your question already posted and answered on a forum. As of present, I can not recommend enough using Google to solve problems - and learning how to phrase your query helps!
Getting there
As I switched to Mandrake 10.0, then 10.2 (Mandriva Linux 2005SE) and slowly accumulated experience, I became less and less dependent of Windows. I consider finding the bibliographic reference managment program, Pybliographer, being the last step towards almost complete independence. Managing references while writing my Phd was something that I absolutely needed and before Pybliographer I depended of Endnote.
Just finding out how to get things done that I could already do easily under Win2K doesn't sound that extraordinary you might say - and you'd be absolutely right.
But switching to Linux was in fact the beginning of a long, apparently endless:), learning curve. I always wanted to learn how to make webpages, to do some basic programming, record music directly from radio on my computer, etc...I could have learned all that without switching to Linux, but I had not. I would compare switching to Linux like being a sponge that has just been pressed dry, being ready to soak up all the new information it might come across!
In any case, the most important factor in succeeding was determination. Once I was really determined to do the switch, and not to reboot the machine into Win2K when I encouter a problem, I really started making advance!
Few months later...
As I am writing these sentences, I am - of course - using Linux, more precisely Mandriva Linux 2006. But the distro is not of any importance - I have OpenSuse 10.0 on my home PC and I have been playing around with Gentoo 2005.1 lately, maybe in one month i'll be using it full time.
The really important point is: it feels completely natural to use Linux, I don't feel any regrets for not using MsWindows. I still have to solve little annoying problems on friend's and collegue's PCs with WinXP (internet access blocked because of outdated antivirus program, USB key - Compact Flash card reader not working, download printer driver, etc), but have difficulties to imagine myself using that operating system (OS) again.
I feel much more productive, more in control of my computer, having less little problems since I've been using Linux. I can hardly beleive it was different one year ago.
Closing thoughts
I can imagine myself using a Mac. I can imagine myself using Linux. I can hardly imagine myself using MsWindows again. And I know why!
Just think it over! What is Windows XP? An OS that was initially released October 2001? This must be a joke!? Would you buy any hi-tech item that is more than four years old?
For example, let's take digital photography: four years ago buying a 2 Megapixel digital camera was a big thing, you paying heavily for it, in the 500 Euro range. Today you get 5 Megapixel one for 200!
Or mobile phones! Back than it was heavy stuff with small memory, monochrome display with a few hundred pixels. Today? Millions of colours, digital camera & mp3 player included, memory card extension and so on.
What happened in Redmond all this time? They let you download bugfixes and security patches plus 2 service packs in a total size of >300 Megabytes.
In my opinion, we should simply acknowledge that Microsoft Windows is outdated.Time to move on people, choose a Linux distribution! You'll have to learn a few things, but that didn't kill anybody, did it? If you insist on paying for your OS, you can do it - all big Linux distributions have offers in the 50 Euro range that gives you also some support, and all contributions are welcome ...
All I ask you, Dear Visitor, to think it over! Visit some other pages on this site if that helps, and give Linux a chance! It is not magic, it simply works.
