Why I use Linux

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 22:07:30 -0400, Larry Qualig

I don't dislike windows because of its security problems, but because it is so bloated, and many of its applications are bloated.

In addition, you have to go out and hunt (and even pay for, in some cases) for applications that either come with the linux install, or that can be installed with a few mouse clicks using the debain apt-get.

A couple of examples:

linux has kalarm, a small, handy, alarm program. Windows does not.

linux has cron, a daemon for scheduling programs, and kcron, a small gui for it. Windows has the windows scheduler, an amazingly bloated, resource-chewing program.

linux has nvu, an excellent wysisyg html editor. windows has Front Page, which is bloated overkill for most people. You have to pay for it, too, I think.

linux has abiword, as good as Word for Windows for 95 percent of users, but without the bloat.

linux has gnumeric, an excel-compatible spreadsheet program, but without the bloat.

In case you haven't used linux, and think, as I used to, that, yes, these are probably good programs, but I don't want to spend hours typing in configuration commands, don't worry - they install as easily as their windows counterparts, they just install faster, and run faster, because they aren't as big and bloated as the windows versions.

I admit linux has a lack of good software for some things. For example, I recently bought a dvd burner and wanted to find some dvd-authoring software - you know, something that will read in a bunch of mpeg files and allow me to add menus and convert the whole thing to the set of files that make up a dvd and let me burn the files to dvd.

The only thing I can find in linux is qdvdauthor, which is in alpha state and is badly crippled. It's being put together by a gentleman in his spare time, according to his web page.

For windows, on the other hand, there are loads of programs. Granted, they will cost you $20 or $30 after the free trial runs out, and they all have bugs (at least the ones I tried did), but they more-or-less run.

Linux is still too geeky, so, for some programs, you have to edit configuration files, and actually know a little about what is going on with the OS. Since I refuse to do that, there are some things I can't do in Linux, but I'm hoping that the geekiness will be cleared away as time goes by, and the OS will get closer to the ease-of-use of windows, but without the bloat.

But the geekiness is almost inconsequential for 95 percent of what 95 percent of pc users need. Even if you are lazy and computer illiterate, like me, you will find linux easy to install and a pleasure to use.

I recommend Mepis, which I found the easiest to set up and use of all the distros I tried. You can download the iso cd from

or go to www.mepis.org.

I installed it in an unused parbreastion, keeping windows in another parbreastion, and dual-boot, using windows when I have to.