[penlost]

Companies with a Monopoly over others. Don't you just hate them? I resent the fact that the only supermarket in my town is Asda (Walmart) and that I am forced to buy all of my burgers from McDonalds. The thing is, I still use them because it is easier than travelling out of town and I guess that is what they rely on – lazy people like me who can't be bothered to put the extra work in to go somewhere else.

So, I am a self confessed lazy person and my computer it is no exception. I have used Windows seemingly since I was old enough to type, well aware that Microsoft basically own the software industry and therefore have an obscene amount of power. I was happy, windows is easy to use and reliable (at least I tried to tell myself that as I restarted my computer for the tenth time!). However, the worst happened. My computer died after contracting a virus and to my dismay I could not find that little Windows XP disc anywhere. Thanks to Microsoft's new 'anti piracy' laws I could not borrow my mates disc any more and image my shock and disgust when I found out that the nice people at Microsoft offered a new disc for £200.00 !!!

It was time for the lazy man to become activated, time to make a stand for computer users, time to draw the line and take a stand for all of mankind. Well, myself at least !

What I really needed was a community developing an operating system together for the good of the user, not in the pursuit to make vast profits. A community that worked together to develop software for everybody to share – freely. I needed an operating system that was easy to use and virus free, something that with a little bit of extra work and learning would eventually benefit me. I soon came to find out about Linux.

Linux is what the industry describe as 'open source software'. That just means that it is transparent, everybody can use it, amend it and distribute it. Because of this Linux has literally hundreds of different 'flavours' or as the industry calls them 'distributions' (or if you really want to look like you know what you are talking about, 'distro' for short!) so the biggest problem you may have is finding a distro that suits you. In my pursuit to find a nice Linux 'distro' I tried no fewer than 7 on my computer and I have to say that by the 6th they pretty much looked the same as each other ! The bigger distributions looked a bit 'bloated' though, with loads of applications included and this made them slow to load and use on my ancient computer. But coming from the Microsoft world where everything costs money, I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Office programs, email clients, media players were all here, and all free to use – it is an incredible world just waiting to be discovered and guess what, Microsft don't tell anyone about it !

Let me tell you straight - The bad news first. No Linux distribution will do what you want, when you want it straight out of the box. In fact, if you remember when you first installed windows it took ages to tweek it, buy programs for it to install and get it looking like something you can use. Linux is no different, (except it is free). In fact Linux will be harder because it works differently from Windows so you will need , in my best Star Wars quote, to 'unlearn what you have learnt' . Clear your mind of all of that Microsoft stuff and be prepared to put in some work to get Linux how you want it. If you are not prepared to put in the effort then stop reading right now and continue being the lazy person I was ! If you want to break the mould, and perhaps learn something new as well then read on ....

Because the good news is once you have mastered the basics then Linux is an absolute joy to use and even better when you find the right distro. The distro I found was a little gem called 'Ark Linux'. As yet it is little known in the Linux world but do not let that put you off. The big advantage to using Ark Linux in particular when coming from Windows is:

1.It is written just for people like you and me who know nothing about the Linux world. However as you learn and use it, it's more powerful side becomes obvious.

2.It is fast – and it includes all that stuff that you usually have to pay Microsoft loads of money for including a comprehensive office suite called open office (which you can save documents in Microsoft format!), email clients, web browsers, some nice games etc etc. The list goes on ! But it is still fast, even on my old computer. Even better, any additional software can be downloaded from the Ark 'repository' which is kind of a download bank for software. Yes, no more going to the computer shop to spend hundreds pounds on software. This is free and accessible from your internet connection just by typing a few words.

3.When windows goes wrong, wouldn't it be great to have a community of people you can chat with on-line who are friendly and help you out with any problems you may have? Don't get that? even though you spent hundreds of pounds?! Well, with Ark you get a dedicated bunch of volunteers who literally fall over themselves to help you. Believe me I have tested them with the most stupid questions you can imagine as a newbie but they help you with good humour and without question. You really begin to feel you are part of a community as the whole Linux world opens up to you and help is just a click away.

There are other advantages to using Linux in general, such as the the fact it is much more secure, does not give you the 'blue screen of death' and you do not have to 'restart' the computer every time you sneeze in the wrong direction. But Ark combines this with the other benefits. So, if you are in my situation then save yourself the time and energy loading up countless distros – Ark will do what you want, when you need it for free.

My journey from Windows to Linux has sometimes been tough. I have thrown stuff and shouted but it is, and continues to be a very rewarding experience. One of my mothers 'helpful' phrases is 'nothing worthwhile is ever easy' and I guess that, in private at least, I would have to agree with her just this once. Linux is not an easy switch but incredibly worthwhile in the long-term and guess what? you don't have the guilt of helping Microsoft with their monopoly building empire.

Now after all that typing I fancy a Big Mac ....

[ozar]

Welcome to the forums and to the wonderful world of Linux, penlost!

(Note that I've moved your post to the Coffee Lounge, as the Linux Newbie forum is for help requests.)

Hey, glad to hear that you found a distro that suits your needs and tastes. However, it's likely that at some point in the future, you'll go on a distro hunt again. We all seem to do it, and then we stay put for a bit. I've been using Arch for about 18 months now, but if something better comes along, I'll be quick to jump on it.

Anyway, welcome once again to the forums.

ozar

[bigtomrodney]

I like your Star Wars quote, it's something I have been preaching for a long time. Linux isn't hard -it's different

Glad to hear you're enjoying the journey, and welcome to the forums.

[d38dm8nw81k1ng]

that's the long way to saying you love linux
ahh you remind me of myself when i was young. i installed SuSE 9.3 and loved it

[cousinlucky]

I keep telling people that have to get their hard drives reformatted because of viruses, hijacking etc. get a Linux distro to use on the Internet. This was the path I was forced to take as it was the path the originator of this thread was forced to take. It is my contention that more people will come to Linux simply because Microsoft will never ever be safe on the Internet.

[fingal]

Long rambling pro-Linux post
Interesting stuff! I think what makes Linux so different are its cultural aspects. It's almost a side effect from the networking culture which the internet has unwittingly produced. From this, we've all had to learn new ways to communicate, and this can feel strangely liberating and restrictive at the same time. The rise of email, forums, IRC channels etc. has allowed developers to work at home in their own time, and form networks ... 'communities' if you like.

The cultural part is the bit I love! Using Windows I felt somehow ... locked out of my own machine. I wanted to learn more but I was stuck. Now I still feel like there's more to learn. The other night I was chatting on my favourite IRC channel and someone asked me, 'What distro do you use?' We had a conversation, and from time to time he mentions it again. News spreads quickly online between interested and like-minded groups of people. My bet is he's curious and soon he'll try it out for himself. The IRC channel is a social network: it has nothing to do with computers!

In the end I think, 'This is fun, and it's interesting'. Cousinlucky is also right I think ... Who knows where this is going? Open source could be a model for future ways of working, it could take us to other planets ... Perhaps it has medical and educational uses. Imagine communities of doctors and open source programmers working together to create open source patient record systems. Once the information is out there and in the hands of all of us, provided we have the knowledge, then so many things are possible. Locked away behind share holders, board meetings and mega-corporations all that's possible is limitation, narrow thinking ... nothing much. I've been there: they have no time for people with real ideas.

We're the lucky ones - We have some time in this busy and imperfect world to play. Our basic survival needs have mostly been met so from time to time we can try out open source and wow! It's a creative act ... I don't even programme, but it still feels creative. What I really long for is to see a FOSS project make a difference somewhere: a real positive social boost for some group or other. Any ideas?

[d38dm8nw81k1ng]

Originally Posted by Redman

My brother-in-law works for a computer-related company (they sell some piece of ERP software). He said recently "well, Linux is nice, but on it's way down. Microsoft bought it and it will eventually become the same as Windows".

perhaps he should get a new job

[cousinlucky]

" Plain, computer illiterate, and old " but Enchanted with the Internet describes my personal path to Linux. I do not, and will not, ever completely understand how my computer or a Linux operating system works. However, here I am!!

The Linux community is a community I associate with the " hippie anti-VietNam culture " that swept through the U.S.A. in the late sixties and early seventies. It is a community I associate with Libertarian thought and goals. It is an Open Community desiring to better itself without money, power, or egotistical motivation driving it. It is attached to the very best part of the human soul.

Sure the computer guru's use and appreciate Linux because of their sane computer knowledge. They are the computer Elite to rightfully be admired.

May Open Source never be compromised of its Virtue is a Prayer dear to me.

My years of experiencing the human condition puts all hope for humanity in the Linux community because it is the only World Wide Community with a Soul.