What? Me? Linux? What is Linux? These are your questions. I know.
What is Linux?
In simple language, Linux is really the free version of Mac OS which is also a flavor of Unix operation system. Apple convinced everyone in mid 1980 that its innovation was its Graphical User Interface and their OS. Actually it was Xerox Star the precursor to the first Macintosh.
Xerox failed to commercialize the personal computer with GUI. Apple did for the high end and Microsoft did for the low end. I believe that Apple did the right thing by adopting Unix.
I applaud Microsoft for not getting into the hardware business for years and allowing the masses who could not afford Apple machines. However, MSDOS which made it possible to use very low cost hardware without GUI became too popular for its own good and under the hood or Windows is MSDOS even today. Windows NT 4.0 and later Windows 95 was much better but the legacy support is what makes it ancient.
The corporations have been using Linux on cheap hardware and pretty much the same GUI as Mac and Windows on those machines. So, why not the rest of us?
Problem is support. Linux is open source. There is not one company supporting it for the consumer market in a practical way. That is why an average consumer may not know what Linux is. Also, there is some software which is not available on Unix. Lucky me. It is down to just tax software and will maker for now.
I have been using Linux at home since 2006. However just to use 2 or 3 programs available on Windows, I was dual booting the same computer to run either Windows or Linux. Only about one week of the year I used the Windows. Unfortunately, that is when all hell breaks lose. Most recently, after I installed will maker, windows 10 decided to update itself without asking me but will not boot again. I got the more stable Windows 8.1 original licensed disk and installed it inside a "virtual" PC inside the Linux. It took just 15GB. Nice thing is I drag and drop the virtual PC folder onto an external drive and I can run it on any Linux machine.
What do I use Linux for? Firefox browser for everything you do on PC or Mac, read write Microsoft documents, Adobe PDF, ebooks, read write CD, DVD, Bluray disks, Skype, stock trading, etc. That is probably what you do anyway.
See screenshot of Windows 8.1 inside Xubuntu 15.10 Linux in virtualbox:
If you are looking for excitement and you know how to down load what is known as ISO image, write a DVD you are ready to try Linux. Otherwise, buy the expensive Mac or put up with Windows.
If you want to try, get your really old PC which you think is not fast enough to run windows, firefox, MS office. Try this.
Download the ISO and write a DVD using a PC or Mac.
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/15.10/release/
If you have a 64bit pc get
What is Linux?
In simple language, Linux is really the free version of Mac OS which is also a flavor of Unix operation system. Apple convinced everyone in mid 1980 that its innovation was its Graphical User Interface and their OS. Actually it was Xerox Star the precursor to the first Macintosh.
Xerox failed to commercialize the personal computer with GUI. Apple did for the high end and Microsoft did for the low end. I believe that Apple did the right thing by adopting Unix.
I applaud Microsoft for not getting into the hardware business for years and allowing the masses who could not afford Apple machines. However, MSDOS which made it possible to use very low cost hardware without GUI became too popular for its own good and under the hood or Windows is MSDOS even today. Windows NT 4.0 and later Windows 95 was much better but the legacy support is what makes it ancient.
The corporations have been using Linux on cheap hardware and pretty much the same GUI as Mac and Windows on those machines. So, why not the rest of us?
Problem is support. Linux is open source. There is not one company supporting it for the consumer market in a practical way. That is why an average consumer may not know what Linux is. Also, there is some software which is not available on Unix. Lucky me. It is down to just tax software and will maker for now.
I have been using Linux at home since 2006. However just to use 2 or 3 programs available on Windows, I was dual booting the same computer to run either Windows or Linux. Only about one week of the year I used the Windows. Unfortunately, that is when all hell breaks lose. Most recently, after I installed will maker, windows 10 decided to update itself without asking me but will not boot again. I got the more stable Windows 8.1 original licensed disk and installed it inside a "virtual" PC inside the Linux. It took just 15GB. Nice thing is I drag and drop the virtual PC folder onto an external drive and I can run it on any Linux machine.
What do I use Linux for? Firefox browser for everything you do on PC or Mac, read write Microsoft documents, Adobe PDF, ebooks, read write CD, DVD, Bluray disks, Skype, stock trading, etc. That is probably what you do anyway.
See screenshot of Windows 8.1 inside Xubuntu 15.10 Linux in virtualbox:
If you are looking for excitement and you know how to down load what is known as ISO image, write a DVD you are ready to try Linux. Otherwise, buy the expensive Mac or put up with Windows.
If you want to try, get your really old PC which you think is not fast enough to run windows, firefox, MS office. Try this.
Download the ISO and write a DVD using a PC or Mac.
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/15.10/release/
If you have a 64bit pc get
xubuntu-15.10-desktop-amd64.iso
else get xubuntu-15.10-desktop-i386.iso
Now you are ready to install.
There are plenty of videos on youtube to help you.
Have fun.
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