The Origins of Linux - Linus Torvalds
I've used Linux since the late 1990's. The Linux distributions have improved dramatically over the years to the point that I no longer run anything else on my home computers. Linux can do anything that windows can do, and most of the time can do it better. The choices of software applications are simply staggering, and part of the difficulty of using Linux is that there is so much choice and freedom it is hard to choose/customize the optimal configuration. The power of Linux was on display recently when IBM's Watson, running Suse Linux, defeated the best human Jeopardy players in a week-long tournament. For newbies and those who want to kick the tires, Linux Mint 10 is probably the best distribution to start with.
My Desktop:
I used to use linux from Mandrake days but got pulled away by Macs!
ReplyDeleteI've heard the latest Ubuntu is really good and quite polished.
Mint is built off of Ubuntu and is even more polished from a look and feel point of view. I'll attach a screenshot from my desktop tonight when I get home.
ReplyDeleteWow! It does look very nice! Thanks for taking the time to post the screenshot!
ReplyDeleteHow are new application installs? Do we still have to recompile kernels or is it gotten better? I've heard good things about automatic but this was years ago!
Time to rollup my sleeves and give this a try!
That screen shot is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI wish I did use Linux. Then I wouldn't get that stupid blue screen of death you get with Windows...
Moneycone,
ReplyDeleteThese days you only have to recompile kernels if you want the latest and the greatest, otherwise you just settle for the distro updates. Try using Mint or Ubuntu. On my desktop I'm using the Orta theme with Faenza icons (both found at gnome-look.org) and the avant navigation bar (cairo-doch works well also).
Kris,
Burn a Mint or Ubuntu live CD and give linux a try. It will run a little slow because it is reading off a CD instead of disk or memory, but you'll at least get an idea of what linux has to offer. A lot of distros are ugly out of the box, but it is easy to customize the look and feel to your tastes.