Join the Linux revolution

You have undoubtedly heard of Linux, and as a PCW reader it’s very likely you have tried it. Only a few years ago, Linux was something largely best left to the most technically minded, to those who liked to configure and tweak their operating system and liked the idea of free software.

That’s not true any more; you will find Linux on the latest mobile phones, on desktops, on laptops, netbooks, and on servers. Pretty much anyone who has switched on a computer before can now give it a try. Things have changed a great deal –­ for the better ­ – and will continue to change.

Maybe you tried Linux some years back and found it confusing or difficult; maybe you have never really considered Linux, making assumptions about who it is for or what it can do. You may be surprised at just how suitable it is. Having lower hardware requirements than Windows XP generally, and significantly lower than Vista, it can also breathe new life into an older computer.

Of course Linux is not for everybody, and in this feature we will look at Linux as it is today, how to install it, configure and update it, and how to get the most from this free and extremely versatile operating system.

Ubuntu and other distributions
With a traditional commercial operating system, such as Windows Vista or Mac OS X, everything comes entirely from just one company and in one flavour. You effectively get what you are given, without much choice. It is very different for Linux ­ – there is no standard, single version of Linux.

Instead companies or individuals put together the various parts of the operating system and release it as an installable ‘distribution’ package of Linux, also commonly known as a distro. During the height of the dot.com bubble, there were countless Linux distributions emerging, but today there are far fewer major ones, still leaving a good amount of choice, but a lot less confusion.

The big four today are Ubuntu Linux, Opensuse, Mandriva and Fedora. All of these are freely available to download, install and distribute (you’ll find a selection of Linux distros on our 8GB cover DVD each month). There are no licence fees to pay, and no activation or compulsory registrations required; you can give as many copies as you like to your friends.

Each distribution is based on similar software. The distributions differ in the installation process, how to update and install new software, which applications are installed as standard, the general appearance, and so forth. The most popular distribution by some way outside of business use is Ubuntu, so this is the distribution we are going to concentrate on here.