Saturday, February 18, 2012

Why Linux?

I'm well known among my friends as a power geek.  So they know I rant and rave about my new toys, no matter how geeky they may be (and they usually are!).   Lately I've been telling them about my new Linux computers.  And I invariably get the question, "but why?  What can you do with Linux?"

Well, first of all, you can do about anything with Linux that you'd do with Windows or a Mac--surf the web, check your e-mail, play games, and so on.  As a matter of fact, about the only thing you CAN'T do (at least not at the moment) is stream Netflix (what's up with that, Netflix?  Get with it!!).  There's just not a Linux version of their software.

So much for the what I can do--what about the "why?"  Putting aside the obvious "because I can" answer (which is valid!), there are several reasons to get into Linux.  First of all, you have to love the price--free.  I remember when I first heard of Linux and someone handed me a free CD back at Windows World in Chicago.  I thought I had heard wrong... a free OS?  Really?  But it is.  Of course, if you'd like to donate your time or money to the project, it would be greatly appreciated.

Secondly, it's stable and secure.  Frequent updates address security issues in short order.  I have yet to have it lock up on me, or random reboot.  Gotta like that.

Thirdly (and remember the power geek thing at the start), it's just FUN learning something new.  Better or not, it's different and I enjoy expanding my knowledge base. Some things are just as easy as Windows, some are not.  Some things are more powerful than Windows, some are not.  (Not to short the Apple fans out there--I have a Macbook, too.  It's just that I am more familiar with Windows, and so is most of the computing world)

So if you're looking for some grand, expansive reason for switching, I don't have it.   But I DO have a lot of fun, and you can too.

Penguin power to the people....

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