Ubuntu, another choice

There are many articles written about the reasons why users may wish to convert to Linux. Frequently cited reasons include the favorable licensing terms, the freely distributable software (with source code), support from the Linux community, improved security, open file formats, the fact that Linux can run on a wide variety of platforms, etc. However, unless a desktop user is provided with real alternatives to the existing software he or she currently uses, migration to a different operating system is going to be very difficult. This collection of articles aims to dispel the myth that Linux isn't ready for the desktop user to move away from the Microsoft world. If you are contemplating switching from Windows to Linux, please be assured that many of your favorite desktop applications have Linux equivalents, often with a comparable feature set. For each Linux application, we have compiled a portal page providing an overview of the software, a screenshot of the application in acti...

Why should I use Linux? Here are lots of reasons why Linux might be the perfect operating system to meet your requirements. Here are a few: A Linux Distribution has thousands of dollars worth of software for no cost (or a couple of dollars if purchased on DVD). Linux is a complete operating system that is: stable - the crash of an application is much less likely to bring down the operating system under Linux; reliable - Linux servers are often up for hundreds of days compared with the regular reboots required with a Windows system; extremely powerful. Comes with a complete development environment, including C, C++, Fortran compilers, toolkits such as Qt and scripting languages such as Perl, Awk and sed. A C compiler for Windows alone would set you back hundreds of dollars. Excellent networking facilities The ideal environment to run servers such as a web server (e.g. Apache), or an FTP server. A wide variety of commercial software is available if your needs aren't sati...

Windows and Office work fine — Why worry about it? Restrictions A legal copy of Windows is expensive, but what do you get? Windows and Office are licensed, not sold. By using these products, we have to agree to a number of harsh restrictions . For most Windows licenses, you can't keep the software when you change the hardware. You sometimes can't even give your software away. Who can run the software? On which computer? What can you do with it? The list of restrictions is long and some items are outrageous. read our full article: Restrictions What about choice? Software should come without locks in it. Why are Office documents difficult to export? Why are the formats continually changing? Why can you not even uninstall some programs? It might be that if you look for choice, Microsoft products aren't for you. read our full article: What about choice? No source code The source codes of Windows and Office are hidden, so, no one is allowed to understand how these ...

The folks at ASUS have come up with something that I’m certain is going to go a long way in the downfall of Windows. The new P5E3 Deluxe motherboard has a Boot Rom that allows it to boot linux in an “Instant on” mode. This mode will take you from hitting the power switch to surfing the Internet in a Firefox browser in five, count ‘em, five seconds! Oh, it’ll also be able to boot windows for whatever needs it, and this linux is burned into the boot ROM, configuration changes & such can be saved between sessions. It’s the kind of thing that will give linux a lot more exposure to mainstream users. Picture this: Joe Sixpack needs to check in on his fave blogs and online news but he hasn’t got the time to wait for Windows to boot. He flips on his computer, five seconds later he’s got a browser running and is getting up to date while the guy next to him is still looking at the Windows logo, waiting for his machine to boot. This is the kind of thing that’s going to help take some o...

Bacula is an open source, enterprise level computer backup system for heterogeneous networks. It is designed to automate tasks that had often required intervention from a systems administrator or computer operator. Bacula supports Linux, UNIX and Windows backup clients, and a range of professional backup devices including tape libraries. Administrators and operators can configure the system via a command line console, GUI or web interface; its back-end is a catalog of information stored by MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite. Bacula, the Open Source, Enterprise ready, Network Backup Tool for Linux, Unix, and Windows

Dear Windows, It's over Dear Windows Professional Service Pack 2: I didn't want to tell you this in person, because I thought it might be too complicated, and might take too long. After all, we've been together for a long time, almost five years and running now. I know, i know. I know you so well; your control panel, your installation procedures, even when you get mad and go all blue screen on me; what can I say, you kinda grew on me. But to be honest, things have been going downhill for a long time now. What happened to that lean, fast OS that i first installed? You know, the one that ran Civ 4, Vice City, and even True Crimes without a problem? The one that burned DVD's, CD's, the one that shared music with my xbox without a problem? I don't know. It seems like you've let go of yourself, to be honest. You take over 20 minutes to boot up, you run Civ4 slowly, heck, you even freeze up on me now when i try to watch video. What happened windows? Did yo...

If you've ever asked for help with your Windows computer that won't boot anymore, you've probably been told to "Backup all your data and then reinstall"… but if you can't boot, how can you get to your data? That's the question we'll be answering today. One of the easiest methods to access your data is to simply boot off an Ubuntu Live CD… and it's completely free (except for the cost of a blank cd). Burn an Ubuntu Live CD If you have another computer, you can download and burn the Ubuntu Live CD using a very simple application called ImgBurn . Otherwise, you can bug one of your friends to help you burn a copy. Just open up ImgBurn, and click the icon to "Write image file to disc" Then click on the icon next to "Source", pick the downloaded ISO file, stick a recordable CD into the drive, and click burn.   Now that you have the boot cd (which you should keep in a safe place, as it's very useful), just stick it...

Both Linux and Windows are operating systems. An operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. Reduces the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome When linux is properly installed, there no longer a need to use the mouse. Chances of you using a mouse is close to zero. Use the extra cash for rewards Linux is 100% free while Windows Vista Ultimate costs $398.99 at the time of writing. Companies that pay a licensing annually could have used the money for other things like buying an additional server to reduce the load or even give a bigger bonus to its loyal employees. Formats are free, freedom is preserved Linux file formats can be acce...

If you just dropped Windows XP for Ubuntu on your machine, chances are you’re wondering how to set up automatic user logging in on Ubuntu. Setting up autologin in Ubuntu is quite easy and you can do the same in a matter of a few clicks. Here’s a quick guide on how to set up auto-login in Ubuntu: From the Gnome Menu, select System > Administration > Login Window. For security reasons, you’ll be asked to type your password. Once you’ve entered your password, click OK. In the dialog window that appears, go to the Security tab. Check ‘Enable Automatic Login’ In the box below, select/type in the username Click close to save the changes The next time you start Ubuntu on your computer, the login screen will be bypassed and you’ll be automatically logged into the account you specified.