Just Works
Occasionally, someone asks me if I think they should get rid of Windows and install Linux on their machine. People seem to think this might be a good idea because Linux isn't made by Microsoft, a company that a lot of people perceive as an EVIL CORPORATION, and because Linux is free.
Ubuntu Linux is a pretty good operating system, and the latest version has an interface that mirrors OS X. You can request a free CD of the operating system here. But, how to get your mitts on it is not the question at hand. The question is: should you get it?
Simple answer: no. No, you should not.
The other day, I went to burn an audio CD for my car from some MP3 files. The burn process went just fine; I used RhythmBox, which is Linux's version of iTunes. I put the CD into my car's stereo system and the thing choked. The digital readout on my car's panel read, "Error!"
Yes, it's 2011, and you can't burn a CD on Linux so that it just works. Now, I'm sure if I posted this on a Linux forum someplace, some avid user will tell me, "Oh, you just need to go into 'Preferences' and update the CD burn settings, blah blah...." And they're probably right about that point...there's probably a manual out there I could read and then everything would work great.
But if things don't "just work", if there are things that have to be tweaked and learned, then the Linux crowd really can't ever expect a mainstream audience to adopt a new operating system.
Here's the essence of the situation: people don't use computers for the operating system. They use them for the software that comes installed on the operating system.
There's a critical distinction here. The fact that Linux is free, and that it now comes with a slick GUI, is cute for about the first 5 minutes. After that, the novelty wears off and the average user starts to notice that you can't install iTunes, Photoshop, IE, Microsoft Office, or a bunch of other programs that make people lead productive lives at their computer.
For me, the trade-off is worth it. As a programmer, I'm actually less productive on a Windows machine, because once I'm there, I'm using looking for the Terminal so I can whip up some on-the-spot wget magic to suck down some data from Twitter, and if I can't find it right away I get a little frustrated. But I'm in the minority, and a very small one, so I don't think that Microsoft Windows is in any danger because of Linux.
Maybe if you have an old Dell desktop sitting in the corner of your basement, and it needs a more up-to-date OS, and you don't want to pay for Windows, and you're curious...go ahead and throw Linux on it. Just don't expect a whole lot.
Ubuntu Linux is a pretty good operating system, and the latest version has an interface that mirrors OS X. You can request a free CD of the operating system here. But, how to get your mitts on it is not the question at hand. The question is: should you get it?
Simple answer: no. No, you should not.
The other day, I went to burn an audio CD for my car from some MP3 files. The burn process went just fine; I used RhythmBox, which is Linux's version of iTunes. I put the CD into my car's stereo system and the thing choked. The digital readout on my car's panel read, "Error!"
Yes, it's 2011, and you can't burn a CD on Linux so that it just works. Now, I'm sure if I posted this on a Linux forum someplace, some avid user will tell me, "Oh, you just need to go into 'Preferences' and update the CD burn settings, blah blah...." And they're probably right about that point...there's probably a manual out there I could read and then everything would work great.
But if things don't "just work", if there are things that have to be tweaked and learned, then the Linux crowd really can't ever expect a mainstream audience to adopt a new operating system.
Here's the essence of the situation: people don't use computers for the operating system. They use them for the software that comes installed on the operating system.
There's a critical distinction here. The fact that Linux is free, and that it now comes with a slick GUI, is cute for about the first 5 minutes. After that, the novelty wears off and the average user starts to notice that you can't install iTunes, Photoshop, IE, Microsoft Office, or a bunch of other programs that make people lead productive lives at their computer.
For me, the trade-off is worth it. As a programmer, I'm actually less productive on a Windows machine, because once I'm there, I'm using looking for the Terminal so I can whip up some on-the-spot wget magic to suck down some data from Twitter, and if I can't find it right away I get a little frustrated. But I'm in the minority, and a very small one, so I don't think that Microsoft Windows is in any danger because of Linux.
Maybe if you have an old Dell desktop sitting in the corner of your basement, and it needs a more up-to-date OS, and you don't want to pay for Windows, and you're curious...go ahead and throw Linux on it. Just don't expect a whole lot.