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Linux (for those of you who still don't know) is a free kernel and
operating system which resembles UNIX. Unlike Windows95, Linux is a
fully-functional system which never allows user programs to run in a
privileged mode (ie, you don't get those Blue Screens of Death). I have
been using Linux for a few years now without disappointment-- it runs
everything I need as a user (although it is skimpy in the games
department). I initially installed it so that I could do my CS homework
at home instead of on the network at school, but I fell in with the whole
idea of free software and now I couldn't function without it. The image to your left is the "offical" mascot of Linux. You can read about it and aquire a wide variety of images at http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/. It was created with gimp (a free graphical photo-studio), as were many of the images on this page. |
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Here's a good example of a linux desktop. We use
XFree86 as our graphical user interface,
which is based on the X11 protocol. Basically, programs that were
written for X11 can now be compiled to work with Linux because it uses
the same standard as other unix machines. On your right you'll see an example of the AfterStep window manager. It makes X11 look and feel like an OpenStep machine (but they did their job too well -- it actually looks much nicer than OpenStep). Again, everything you see in the picture (and you can click on it to see a larger version) is free software. The GNU software foundation is actually making a free version of the OpenStep specification called GnuStep which will be able to run all the binaries that openstep runs (including all NeXT and Apple's new "Rhapsody" software). You can see the gimp running over there, it just hit it's 1.0 release (http://www.gimp.org). |
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| This screenshot shows off the mixed environment that linux sports. On the one hand, you get an incredible graphical interface which can be redirected over a network (that means that I can run windowed applications on some machine on the internet from MY machine in my office) but you also get a killer command-line interface. Gone is the terrible world of DOS, which is supplanted by BASH or the Bourne Again Shell. Once you have used it, going back to DOS is a very big pain. This screen is sporting the Enlightenment window manager with Gnome as the GUI system. |
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Many people confuse the idea of Free Software with Shareware
or Freeware. The GPL (Gnu Public License) states that you may not
redistribute software without the source code-- in lay terms, it means that
you always have the tools to fix your problems. If Microsoft Word has a
bug in it, you must wait for them to issue a "bug fix"-- GPL, or Free
Sotware on the other hand, gives you the source so that you (or somebody
else) can fix the problem without the help from the author.
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| Periodic Quote: |
I used to really like playing with computers, but lately I've begun to
sympathize with the Unabomber instead. But reflecting on it, I think it
has a lot to do with reading the damned computer trade press. Remember
when computer magazines used to be concerned with stuff like code?
Nowadays all you read is this billion-dollar company "strategically"
bought out that one, or so-and-so's quarterly profits disappointed the
stockholders so the value of the stock is down six points, or that
ordinary citizens must all be suckered into buying particular varieties
of computer gadgets in order to enhance their moronic TV-watching and
consumer-goods-shopping experiences, or there will be an umpty-billion
dollar market in XYZ systems running PDQ by the year 1999. And the
articles are all thinly veiled advertisements for stuff you can't
afford. If I wanted to read crap like that, I'd subscribe to Forbes
Magazine. Blah. I wanna hack.
- W. Kiernan
UNIX was born because the guys at AT&T didn't want to deal with IBM. The kids at Berkely and MIT gave their two bits because they didn't get a good deal with RT-11. The earliest UNIX customers contributed to BSD because they didn't get a good deal with VMS. When IBM tried to shake down their MVS customers, UNIX became a favorite in the corporate marketplace. Microsoft, seeking to protect it's desktop from a UNIX invader like SUN, started announcing Vaporware like NT, Chicago, and Plug and Play. Corporate world waited, and waited and waited. Corporate world paid $5000 to upgrade to Windows 3.0, then $5000 to upgrade to Windows 3.1, then $5000 to upgrade to NT 3.51, then $5000 to upgrade to Windows 95, then $5000 to upgrade to NT 4.0. With each new $5000 PC for each seat, Microsoft promised a better UNIX than UNIX. Each system was better than the one before, but none has come even close to UNIX in terms of flexibility, reliability, and total cost of ownership over a 3-5 year period. There are still people using Sparc 5s and IPCs they bought back in 1991. Most of those "Useless Boat Anchors" that the Corporate world sells to the "Junk Man" end up on the shelves of stores like Computer Renaisance (sic) and get turned into Linux workstations and servers. Today, Corporate world is suddenly finding themselves in direct competition with Linux powered MLMs and competitors that can provide better service at a lower price. Suddenly, AOL and Prodigy are being buried under nearly 1 Million UNIX/Linux boxes. The train is coming, you can be standing at the side of the station, or standing between the tracks. You could even assume it's not coming and get a bite to eat, but you will miss the train. When the train comes, I want to be standing on the platform. When it leaves, I want to be on that train. The nice folks at Microsoft want you to stand between the tracks and stop the train for them, so they can hijack it. If the train comes around that blind curve without seeing you, it could get messy.
- Rex Ballard Click here for a more lengthy post from Rex.
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