advantages of running linux..

[Thomas Ward]

Hi, Shawn. Like everything Linux has its ups and downs. Here is a list of good and a few bad things I found about Linux.

1. Linux is much cheaper than most operating systems. Unlike Windows where you have to pay something on the level of $189.00 for a full version, or $300.00 for Windows 2000.
2. Linux has a much tighter security as far as firewalls, port scanners, and other programs to make sure that would be crackers stay off your machine. What is more many of these programs come with Linux, or can be gotten from the net for free. 
3. You get a wide range of developer tools such as gcc, kgcc, with the operating system where as in Windows a c or cxx compiler will cost you $100.00 on up.
4. ISP's usually can not disconnect you if you are online, and if you are really advanced you can setup your own dialup services without going through an ISP.Where in MS Windows the ISP sets how long you are on, and after 2 hours or so you are kicked off the net, and have to redial in. 
5. Linux has two of my favorite programs Lynx and Pine. You can read strait text messages and view the web in a text only format which works a lot faster than waiting on a Windows based brouser like Netscape or Internet Explorer to bring up pictures.
6. Linux has incredible stability. Unlike Windows 9x it doesn't crash that often. Like in x even if the app crashes an alt+backspace usually can cut the process, and kick you back into the shell. At which you just enter startx and rerun tthe program.
If any other consol program should crash usually a quick keyboard exit command like control+c will get you out of the application.
7. Using programs like screen which is packaged with Red Hat you can run litterally hundreds of programs without seeing much proformence loss, and without crashes. You can be downloading a Linux program in screen 1, building a cxx project in screen 2, and be reading programming notes in Emacs or another editer in screen 3.
8. Full user profiling. Unlike Windows Millennium which as a limited sort of user profiling Linux can have a fully customized setup for every member of your family.
You can log in as Shawn and have a text consol setup, and other family members or friends can log in and go directly into x.


A few things I don't like.

1. Having been a Windows user first I don't like not having vary good access to the x environment. X quite frankly has a few vary good programs such as OCR packages, Wordperfect 2000, KFM which are really nice. Which at some point that will be fixed once I complete my developer classes.
2. Many times people package programs differently such as tarring a program rather than using rpm which is an awesome package utility for Linux. 
3. Although it is nice getting the source code sometimes it is a pain when some programs are only in source format. Which means you have to run make, build the binary, and then install it.
For most people this is not a problem, but many people don't like it at all.
However, in most cases you can find a binary version, and just install that. If you want to change it in some way you can grab the source code, and build a new version.

Summary

In short Linux is not for everyone. If you must have a Windows environment at this point stick with WWindows until an x screen reader that is of the nature of JFW or Window Eyes can be built.
If you don't mind using text apps such as Pine, Lynx, Emacs, and entering in hundreds of command line commands then Linux is probably fine for you.
As stated before ocationally an application may have to be built before it can be installed, and for myself that is not a problem. For a newby who has never compiled an application it could be frustrating at first.
However, the stability, security,  and use of processes you will find no where else. 
 
  ----- Original Message


   ----- 
  From: Shaun Oliver 
  To: Speakup at braille.uwo.ca 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 7:36 AM
  Subject: advantages of running linux..


  Hi guys.
  I'd like to know what the advantages and disadvantages of running linux are. I am considering running it here at home and need all the information I can get before ai proceed. I realise that with speakup there's greater flexability and all but that's about all I know at this stage..
  Any help would be greatly appreciated.. 
  Shaun
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