Ups and Downs of Linux

Note: Before reading this article, you may want to read What is Linux? The document you are reading assumes you already know some of the things found there.

The first time I heard about Linux I wondered, what is better about it? Why should I use this instead of Windows which I have spent years using? Does Linux have any disadvantages? Continue reading and this document will cover them all.

Here are some strange terms you may come across:

Source Code: Source code is programming commands. The thousands of lines of programming that tell the computer what to do. Source code must be interpreted by the computer or complied to be useable. Also known as Source or Code.
Compile: To convert ASCII source code into binary, which the computer can understand.
Kernel: The base of Linux. The bridge between the software and hardware. This is difficult to explain and I am not sure of a Windows example to compare it to.
Swap Space: Scratch space used by an operating system when it runs out of memory. Also known as Swap, the Swap File, or Virtual Memory.

Some advantages of Linux are that it's...

Open Source - To understand what I mean by this, let me explain a little bit about source code. Most commercial operating systems, for example Windows, are not open source. The source code is not available to anyone to be viewed or modified. The Linux source code and most of the software for Linux, however, is open source. Anyone can look at it and change or add to it. The fact that anyone can change the source code is good. For example, when a security problem or bug is discovered in Linux it is fixed by others much faster than Microsoft would release a patch. Also, unlike Windows, Linux constantly evolves. It is improved on every day. You can get a new release of the Kernel nearly every week.
Free in Cost - Linux being Open Source leads to it being free in cost. There are many distributions of Linux that can be downloaded free of cost from a FTP site. You may also see places where you can purchase Linux on CD. In these cases, you are paying for the cost of creating the CD, documentation, and possibly support.
Secure - Windows 95/98 both have terrible security. Windows NT has been proven very bad also. On a Windows system, anyone can sit down and delete all the files on the entire hard drive. Linux uses the Unix idea of permissions. Only authorized users are able to modify, for example, global configuration files. (Settings that affect all users.)
No Viruses - With Linux, you don't have to waste valuable system resources and money for a virus scanner. Since, as described above, Linux is so secure, a virus that attempts to delete a system critical file will receive a permission denied message the same as if a user without the proper privileges trys to delete one.
Stable - How many times has Windows froze up on you? How many times have you been typing a large document or email message when you receive that dreaded "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down." and be forced to exit the program before getting a chance to save your document. Or perhaps, you use Windows NT for a webserver, for example. How long could it go without having problems? Not very long.

Linux is VERY stable. There have been reports of Linux systems staying up for a year and only going down for maintenance. Linux just does not need the workarounds that Windows does. It is a huge project always being worked on by many programmers. When a bug that could cause the system to crash is found, it is fixed very quickly by someone.

Powerful - Linux is not a sissies operating system. Although Linux is becoming more user friendly, it is extremely powerful and does not sacrifice features for ease of use.
Very Flexible - For starters, Linux comes in many different distributions. Each have their own differences. I like Debian, but I hear RedHat is more suited for new users. (Get a larger list of Distributions at the bottom of this article.) Have a look at the web pages at each one, and pick the one you like best. Again, if you can't decide, I hear RedHat is a good newbies distribution.
Multiuser - Windows 9x was a terrible multiuser system. Anyone could access anyone else's files. The password dialog box could be bypassed by clicking Cancel. Linux is a true Multiuser system. Each user has their own directory for their own files and can choose to deny access to other users. Users "own" certain files and can also belong to group(s) which have certain access restrictions taken down. For example, their could be a group called modem which users were permitted to dial out the modem. (With the exception of "root", the administration account which gets unrestricted access to everything!) Sometimes in Windows, users settings conflict. Email would get mixed together, etc. With Linux, Netscape creates a mail directory in each users /home/user directory. They get all their email in that one place and can't read each others email.
Fast - Linux is highly optimizable. For example, once you become more advanced with Linux, you will probably want to recompile the Kernel to optimize it for your CPU or to include support for your sound card. You can not recompile Windows to optimize it for your system, because it is not open source. However, since Linux is open source, you can recompile the Kernel to optimize it for your system.

Some disadvantages of Linux for newbies are that it can be...

Difficult to Learn - Linux is not as easy to use as Windows 9x. It will not try and do everything for you. Hopefully, you will find it interesting to tamper with things, etc. If you just want to surf the web, and have never heard of ppp, than Linux is not for you.
Difficult to Set Up & Install - Both are being worked on and recently the situation has improved greatly.
Specific Software may not be available - For example, Internet Explorer and MS Office are not available for Linux. However, replacements for most specific software is available, such as Netscape Navigator instead of Internet Explorer and WordPerfect instead of Office. There is also a suite available called StarOffice.

Some other notes that newbies should know are...

Lots of Docs - Lots of books and documentation is available for Linux. The Linux attitude is RTFM (Read the (uhh..) friggen manual!) If you can't find the answer you need there are lots of places where you can ask questions, such as the discussion boards on this site.
GNU/Linux - You may hear it referred to as GNU/Linux. This just means the same thing as Linux alone.
Important notes about partitions - Let me first say, that this is not a fault of Linux. If you had Linux installed and you wanted to install windows, you would still need to mess around with partitions. Partitions are what divide up the hard disks that will allow for organization or for multiple operating systems.

Before installing Linux, you will need to know you need a Linux partition and a partition for the Linux's swap space. You could erase Windows and make two partitions when installing Linux. This is not recommended for new users. If you have a second hard drive, you could use that for Linux. (If you do, you will be responsible for backing up, moving, or otherwise archiving the files already on this drive.) However, what most people do, is use a program like FIPs or PowerQuest's Partition Magic to create room for Linux. I highly recommend Partition Magic, but it is not free! (Probably $70) FIPs is a free program which takes space at the end of a partition and breaks it off to make room for Linux. The only problem with this is that you must actually have space at the end of the partition. This can usually be fixed by running defrag, but some data doesn't get moved. (Such as hidden, system, and swap files.) Anyway it is beyond the scope of this article but now you know you will have to do something with your partitions.

In Summary...

Linux has upsides and downsides to it but the upsides probably outweigh the downsides. The advantages of Linux are that its Open Source, free, secure, virus free, stable, powerful, fast and more flexible than Windows. However, it can be difficult the learn, set up, install, and some software may not be available yet. All of this is being worked on by someone. You should also know that help is out there and there is lot of documentation available. If you want to give Linux a try, expect to have to read!

I hope this has given you some insight on whether or not to give Linux a try and has answered the question that some people are asking, "What's the big deal?" Next, you may want to read more on this site, or check out the websites of the various distributions. (RedHat, Debian, Slackware, Caldera OpenLinux, Mandrake, S.u.S.E, Stampede and maybe a few more I forgot.)

Written by Jason Dawe <jason@st-johns.crosswinds.net> for www.linuxnewbie.org. If you are not viewing this file at linuxnewbie.org, not only had the site you are viewing it off stole it, you could be looking at an outdated version. If you have any questions on the content of this article, feel free to email me.

If you have written your own "Newbieized Help Files," and want to publish them, feel free to send them to newfiles@linuxnewbie.org for review.