GNU/Linux

What's all this GNU/Linux thing?

GNU/Linux is an Operatve System, just like Windows or MacOS. Is based on Unix Operatve System, that has been working and getting tunned-up for the alst 30 years. But is different to others in that is freee. This means that you can legaly copyr, sell, lend, use, modify... all what you want to do and all those actions are legal. On the other hand, this is not true with neither Windows nor with MacOS. If you do such a things with them, you are commiting a crime. Also, Linux is multiplatform, that is, works in nearly anthing that resembles to a computer. Some examples:

• Intel-compatible computers, equal or better than a i386 (like Intel i386, i486, Pentium, PentiumPro, Celeron, Pentium II...; AMD K5, K6, K6-2, K6-3, Athlon, Duron; Cyrix; els IBM...)
• Apple computers, included iMac, G3, G4...
• Computers with Motorola 68xx CPUs
• SPARC Servers and Workstations
• Servers with Alpha CPUs
• 'Embeded' systems, like digital VCS systems, phones,...

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Cost: the most visible difference

Having a personal computer, with an office suite, a program for digital image processing, multimedia players-mp3 encoders, applications to develop webpages, security for internet ussage (firewalls), software to record CD-Rs,... has a nearly zero cost on Linux. It is absolutely legal for a friend to lend you some Linux CDs, so you can install all of this for a cost of zero dollars. Even more, it can be used for any number of people.

Don't you think for a minute that when you are buying a computer you are getting for free Windows, MS-Office and all those programs. You are really paying for all that. Nobody can give for free anything from Microsoft. It is ilegal to do so. The cost of all that is included in the price in the computer.

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What's the cost of all that in Windows?

Let's think of a system, more or less similar to Linux. I mean, similar in stability and performance. Of course, to act inside the law, all those programs can only be used by a single member of your family. If your family has, let's say, three computer users. you would need to multiply the cost by three!

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The not-so-obvious advantage: Freedom.

Linux is, above all, Freedom (in capital letters, please). Even though it is much more stable than Windwos, even though it is a truly multi-user system, even though its cost is close to zero, the best thing that we get with Linux is Freedom.

Let's start by the time of getting Linux You have the freedom of choice. Choose to get it through any of those options: someone can lend it to you, someone can give you a copy, you can download it from internet, you can buy it to someone that burns CDs and you can buy it to any of the "brands" or to the distributors. All this is legal.

On the other hand, other Operative Systems (and other programs) can only be acquired to an authorised dealer, you cannot copy it, you cannot lend it. You cannot do anything like in Linux because it is against the law. If you are doing something like this on Windows, you are breaking the law. No joke here.

Let's talk now about the graphical interface. They say that Linux is like the old MS-DOS. This is as far from the truth as you can get. First of all, the graphical interfaces on Unix systems (Linux is a Unix system), has been around for more time than the equivalent graphical interfaces from Microsoft or Apple. Take a look to some screenshots of my system. Or take a llok tothis web,where you have a representation of Linux's most popular desktops. And Gnome and KDE are far more beautiful than Windows. Here you have a web dedicated to Linux Themes.

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Acknowledment

Those Linux pages are a compilation of tricks from all over the internet and from the knowledge acquired in my day-to-day use of Linux. Very useful has been, specialy for the Netscape's section, MandrakeUser.Org that, even though has lots of information, it's only in English.

Thank you

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