Chris Barton: Praise the PC god and Linux open-source apostles, I'm a believer

Three days ago I accepted Linux into my life and while I'm not yet a convert, the experience has shaken my faith in Windows. It's hard to reconcile because for nearly 20 years I've mostly stayed on the one true Windows path.

In my early computer years I had a brief flirtation with the Apple Mac, which I liked a lot. But I turned my back on that religion when I took a job editing a PC magazine. Ever since, I've stuck to the Windows creed - growing in my belief as its power and influence spread.

I was a disciple from the beginning when it was called Dos, and kept the faith through the buggy, painful years of Windows 1.0 to 3.11.

IBM's OS/2 tempted me briefly, but Windows 95 brought me back from the wilderness, then 98, the Millennium Edition, Windows 2000 and today's XP. I was, like most of the computing world, a follower.

So why is Linux turning my head? Mainly I suppose because it's free. But also because for the first time there is a realistic alternative to Windows that runs on Intel-based PCs.

The gift came to me via David and Roger, two very nice, not pushy, Linux missionaries who are involved with the coming Linux Installfest. I told them I wasn't ready to give up on Windows, but wanted to try Linux and some "open source" applications equivalent to Microsoft's Office suite.

"Fine," they said. "Just defrag your disk." (If you don't know how to defrag, you're probably not ready for the Linux experience.)

They also asked what "distribution" I would like - Debian, RedHat, Mandrake or something else? I understood what the question meant, but had no real knowledge of the difference between these shades of Linux, so I went with their advice - Mandrake.

Roger and David can give away this software with no fear of breaking copyright law because that's how the licence for Linux software works. Unlike Windows, you're free to make and give away as many copies as you like.

I know it sounds mad, but it's a fundamental tenet of this new religion. Here, software is not made by armies of "Microserfs" employed by a giant corporation, but by armies of volunteer programmers who "donate" their code to the public domain. By making underlying source code available to all, many hands and minds work on the software to improve it - hence "open source".

What it means for consumers is more choice and much cheaper PCs - such as the $1097 Terminator you can buy from Dick Smith's.

But what's it like? Surprisingly, it looks and feels a lot like Windows.

Setting it all up can, however, be a little daunting - so it pays to have good missionaries enlightening the road. That's what events like the Installfest on July 5 at AUT are all about - helping newbies through their installation fears. You can also get a lot of information online from sites such as Linux Newbie Administrator Guide.

My own installation was a breeze - at the beginning. Mandrake "partitioned" the PC's disk so it could "dual boot" to either Windows or Linux. David then dropped a disk into the CD drive and after following a few on-screen instructions - some of which aren't exactly intuitive - Linux was in place. It took 10 minutes. Roger was able to get the printer working quite quickly, but the modem was a nightmare taking an hour or so to resolve.

But after that it was sweet. I was amazed by the number of applications that came with the installation. So many that I felt spoiled for choice. Not only could I choose the graphical interface - from odd names such as KDE, Gnome and IceWM - but there was also a sea of applications. Word processors, spreadsheets, imaging software and just about anything else you could think of was installed to explore - all for free. It's quite liberating to try out three different web browsers - Galeon, Konqueror, or Mozilla - until you find one you like. I think I'm becoming a believer.

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Major Linux Distributions

Open Source

Dick Smith Electronics

2003 Installfest

Linux Newbie Administrator Guide