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Linux OS? What is all the fuss about?
Many flavours of Linux have been developed with its operating system ranging from high-end supercomputer to PC desktop. Although the uptake of Linux in enterprise and scientific circles has been promising, the OS suffers from certain myths spread mostly by computer illiterates, who have either never used it or have had very small exposure to its features and utilities. This article intends to dispel the most common myths about Linux desktop distributions.
To be precise, Linux is not an operating system; rather it is the kernel of an operating system. A kernel is a software that makes it possible for communication to take place between computer applications and hardware, providing system services, such as file management, virtual memory, device I/O, scheduling and more. A complete operating system can be built using the Linux kernel, such an operating system is termed as a Linux distribution (popularly called “distro”).
As a convention from now Linux will not refer to the kernel but to a general Linux desktop (PC) distribution, such as Mandrake Linux, Red Hat Linux, Slackware, etc.
Why use Linux?
IBM studies on TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) show that Linux-based solutions are approximately twice less costly than Microsoft Windows-based solutions in a broad range of situations. Other studies from IBM show a Linux-based system’s down-time (the time while a system is down) is approximately ten times lower than a Microsoft Windows-based system.
These studies are very interesting because Microsoft Windows and Linux run on the same hardware, allowing a very significant comparison of the operating systems.
Linux is often seen as a secure operating system as it does not suffer from the frequent trojan, worm and virus attacks on the web, which can target Microsoft Windows systems only. As a matter of fact, last year, Microsoft released a number security patches for there many of there Windows OS, of which quite a few were critical updates, and many came after a major attack had been perpetuated.
Linux security is not perfect, but the new versions of Linux are immensely secure partly due to the United States National Security Agency’s project called SELinux (Security Enhanced Linux) which aims at creating a secure operating system for the United States Army and it’s sister branches currently SELinux version 2 is available.
But according to philosophy a change in Linux kernel has to be returned to the community of the benefit of all. SELinux Security code has been in-cooperated into standard Linux kernel and distributions, and can be used to secure your home computer system.
Generally eight points sum up the “Linux advantage”:
1. It’s all free: Linux source code is freely distributed. Tens of thousands of programmers and various organizations have reviewed the source code to improve performance, eliminate bugs, and strengthen security. No other operating system has ever undergone this level of review.
2. Linux has the best technical support available. Linux is supported by commercial distributors, consultants, and by a very active community of users and developers. In 1997, the Linux community was awarded InfoWorld’s Product of the Year Award for Best Technical Support over all commercial software vendors.
3. No vendor lock-in: The availability of source code means that every user and support provider is empowered to get to the root of technical problems quickly and effectively. This contrasts sharply with proprietary operating systems, where even top-tier support providers must rely on the OS vendor for technical information and bug fixes.
4. Wide range of hardware compatibility: Most Linux systems are based on standard PC hardware, and Linux supports a very wide range of PC devices. However, it also supports a wide range of other computer types, including Alpha, Power PC, 680x0, SPARC, and Strong Arm processors, and system sizes ranging from PDAs (such as the PalmPilot) to supercomputers constructed from clusters of systems (Beowulf clusters).
5. Exceptionally stable system: Properly configured, Linux systems will generally run until the hardware fails or the system is shut down. Continuous up-times of hundreds of days (up to a year or more) are not uncommon. Leading Internet Search Engine Google.com uses Linux to power its systems.
6. Apps you need: Linux has the tools and applications you require. Programs ranging from the market-dominating Apache web server to the powerful GIMP graphics editor are included in most Linux distributions. Free and commercial applications included in most distributions are available to meet most application needs.
7. Low cost: Linux has a low total cost of ownership. Although the Linux learning curve is significant, the stability, design, and breadth of tools available for Linux result in very low ongoing operating costs.
8. The Linux philosophy: “All for one and one for all” All changes one makes in Open Source software will benefit each and everyone, all over the world. Without exceptions or constraints.
Myths and misconceptions
Here are some of the most widely held but false notions about Linux OS and its usage:
Myth 1: Linux is too hard to use for the novice user or Linux is difficult to install!
To be honest any operating system being installed for the first time always seems difficult, we think Microsoft Windows is easy to install, because we all have done it so many times. Popular distributions such as Mandrake, SuSE, Red Hat, Lycoris DesktopLX or Elx offer complete graphical installations, with plenty of help at each screen and form, it is worth noting that even popular operating systems such Microsoft Windows XP and Apple MacOSX do not have a complete graphical installations. Some distributions such as Gentoo, SuSe and Slackware have complete near automated installers where all the user needs to do is keep pressing the enter button, because the installer sets default values it self.
As of ease of use is concerned Linux began as a programmer’s operating system, written by and for those that like to get their hands dirty, so to speak, with the bits and bytes that make things happen on computers. Perhaps because of this beginning, ease of use has only recently become a consideration. Recently, thanks to the GUI environments of Gnome and KDE which have been developed by thousands of volunteers across the world, Linux users enjoy the benefit of one of the best graphical interfaces. KDE is the most popular Linux GUI; it has numerous features which surpass even that of popular operating systems, while preserving the evolutionary stability Linux is loved for.
Myth 2: Linux has no technical support!
I am astonished to hear such notions; I believe that Linux has one of the most open help systems used by any operating system. Linux support comes in form of 200MB documentation which comes with nearly all popular distributions such as Knoppix, and Slackware. A plethora of Usenet groups, IRC channels, and online help sites are available.
LinuxQuestions.org is one such site and claims the membership of one hundred thousand unique members, at an average a query, what ever the sophistication, is answered within 2 hours. See the end of the article for some help sites.
Myth 3: Linux has limited hardware support!
Modern distributions such as Knoppix and RedHat ( and its latest version called Fedora), and Mandrake have state of the art hardware detections, although support for Generic hardware, (hardware that is not attributed to any specific manufacturer) is limited.
Win-modems are another problem; win-modems are modems where the manufacturers make Windows drivers only. But branded hardware is fully supported, and furthermore as Linux spreads, USB Robotics, ATI, nVidia, Asus and other companies have started to issue Linux drivers for there respective hardware, even a Linux driver is available for Pentium 4 motherboards from Intel.
Although Most Linux systems are based on standard PC hardware, and Linux supports a very wide range of PC devices. However, it also supports a wide range of other computer types, including Alpha, Power PC, 680x0, SPARC, and Strong Arm processors, and system sizes ranging from PDAs (such as the PalmPilot) to supercomputers constructed from clusters of systems (Beowulf clusters).
Myth 4: There is not much software available for Linux
Linux enjoys multiple large online repositories of Linux specific software. As a matter of fact there is a Linux equivalent for nearly every Windows software (except for those antivirus softwares since they are not required because for Linux the number of virus which have been created is nearly null), if not it is surely being developed, even MSN Messenger, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop equivalents are available.
But most of these softwares are in the form of source codes, but this is one of the Linux advantages. Software coming in source code, or Open Source software, creates confidence of the user using the software, since he knows what the software is directly intended to do (sure you’ll have to know the language in which the program is programmed, but fake programs are never found online). Advanced user may even improve the software and send if back to the community.
User-site compiled software also performs better since the compiler compiles the source using optimizations which support only your processor instruction set. Generally, Closed Source software (nearly all Microsoft Windows software), where only the executable file is available, are only optimized for Intel processors, but people using AMD Athlon or K6 processors are at a disadvantage since there processors are not being completely supported.
Myth 5: You cannot run Microsoft Windows programs or MacOSX programs on Linux
Generally there is no need to run programs from alien operating system in Linux, however
Linux uses Microsoft Windows emulators such as VMware, Win4Lin and WINE which can run any Microsoft Windows software on Linux.
Vmware is capable of running any operating system in a window in Linux be it BeOS, JavaOS, MacOSX or Microsoft Windows. It is even possible to run four or more different operating systems at the same time, if your system hardware allows it. An extension of WINE, called WineX, is capable of running Microsoft DirectX based games on Linux at near Microsoft Windows speeds. OpenGL support in Linux is native. Heavy 3D animation software such as Maya is available for Linux and used by graphics professional’s world wide. The animation work for the movie Titanic was done in Redhat Linux, a popular Linux distribution with the help of Maya for Linux.
VmWare and Win4lin are commercial programs, with free trial downloads. WINE, however, is completely free.
Final comments
After reading this article if some of the myths mentioned above have been dispelled in your mind, try out a Linux distribution, If you need to know more about Linux before trying it, check some of the links appended at the end of the article. If you want to try Linux but are concerned about installing another operating system to your computer, try one of the distributions that runs from a cd, without installing permanent files to your hard drive. Two of these are the Knoppix and DemoLinux.
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The writer
