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FREAKIN' COMPUTERS MAN!
by James Lehman
When most people think of PCs they automatically think
of some version Microsoft Windows. Almost all pre-built
systems come with MS DOS and/or MS Windows already
installed. Many people don't even realize that there are
alternatives.
DOS and Windows are examples of OPERATING
SYSTEMS or OS(s) for short. Not only are there alternatives,
but some of them are FREE! The Internet server that is
owned and operated by the publishers of this magazine,
Extra Stimulus Inc., runs an OS called Linux. If you have
ever worked on a big main frame computer system, with
multiple terminals and multiple users, then you probably
have heard of an OS called UNIX. Linux is a totally free clone
of UNIX, that has been translated to run on many different
computer types, including PCs and Macs. UNIX has been
around for about 26 years, and has been developed by
some of the worlds most intelligent and creative people. It is
about as fully functional and robust as any OS could ever
be, with a rich and interesting history behind it. Other OSs
that are out there are usually watered down, super
simplified, ripoffs of UNIX. UNIX IS THE INTERNET! All of the
communications protocols that make the Internet possible
are native to UNIX. We can all thank Linus Torvalds of The
University of Helsinki, Finland for creating the foundational
element (the Linux kernel) that made it possible for many
other generous people to build a complete free clone of
UNIX for PCs.
Why should you care about all of this? Well, if you have
a PC that currently has a Microsoft OS on it, you can install
Linux right next to it on the same hard drive, and begin
exploring a whole new way to use your expensive computer
system hardware to it's fullest potential. Or, you can skip the
MS OS all together and just run Linux! Where do you get
Linux? There are many distributions of Linux available on
CD ROM. Since the OS is free, you don't need to pay for the
license to use it, but the CDs will cost you a little bit. I just
paid $29 for an 11 CD set. Yes, 11 CDs! Not only is Linux
free, but there are TONS of software packages that run
under Linux that are free as well. So, for $29 I got as much
software as you might pay thousands for, if it was
commercial stuff designed to run under a commercial OS.
AND, if I had a hundred computers to install it on, I could do
so with one set of CDs and suffer no consequences of
violating any license agreement! All of this is available over
the Internet for free downloading too.
Why free? There are many people in the computer
community that are very opposed to the idea that Microsoft
has a near monopoly in the OS business. Also, almost any
company that writes software that runs under MS Windows
has to license chunks of MS code to make their programs
work. In the Linux users community, Microsoft is often
referred to simply as "The Evil Empire". Why should Bill
Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the richest men in
the world, have complete control over how the whole planet
uses PCs? On top of that, MS OSs are not the best, they are
just the most popular. That's why Linux is free!
Is Linux for everyone? Maybe not. Since it does make
such complete use of your hardware in a very direct and
super efficient way, you will find that to use it very
effectively, you will have to know an awful lot about how
everything really works. So if you are satisfied just knowing
how to tell time, and not being able to explain how to build
the clock, then maybe Linux is not for you. But if you have
an incredible desire to learn new things, and a knack for
tinkering, Linux offers you the widest window into your PC
that you will ever find. Do a search for "Linux" on the Net
and see what you get! JL :o)
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