Linux

I’ve done it! Start all the clocks; make the dogs bark by taking away their juicy bones…etcetera etcetera.

“What have I done?” You cry and then feel a bit bad because you’re at the birth of your first child.

What I’ve only gone and done, is migrated my PC over to Linux.

“Huh?” Say you, as the umbilical cord is snipped.

It’s quite simple. Linux is an operating system like Microsoft Windows, but get this, it’s totally free. Yip gratis; however I would recommend you donate something somewhere. It’s only polite. The other good thing is the choice of applications; there are hundreds, which are also absolutely free. There are alternatives to Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Photoshop and many more.

Right I’m going to stop myself there. This is beginning to sound like the copy for a JML advert.

Anyway it wasn’t easy. The problem with Linux is that it comes in so many versions which are called Distributions. Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Mandrake and Open Suse are just a few. All of them are Linux, but all go about the business of being Linux in a different way. For the beginner, Ubuntu is probably the best choice. However I use Debian, only because I’ve been trying to get it for work for about ten years.

Now don’t let me put you off. The reason that I have been successful now is that the Distributions of Linux are now nearly as simple to install as Windows

However this is not the spoon fed world of windows. Some tasks are still tough to do. Setting up your soundcard is an utter biyatch and the installation of some programs; require knowledge of the system beyond those of a beginner. However when you’ve finally set everything up, you can sit back and feel proud that this system is yours. Then soak your fingers in warm water to ease the ache of typing commands into the thing to make all the packages work.

This is the point I’ve now reached. In fact the next podcast will be edited using only free Opensource software. As will this site, the website for The Gentleman’s Review and Brainjam.

So why not join me in this brave new world. Granted, I still have Windows Vista on my other hard drive, just in case.