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spiraleye
regular
Reg'd: Sun
Posts: 243
Loc: Hither Green, London
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I've just gone through 3 years of grappling with two of M$'s vulnerable operating systems (XP and Vista), and 6 months experiencing Ubuntu and Mint (both Linux operating systems).
For hassle free computing (in terms of having to - or rather not having to -regularly update individual installed software programs, scan for or be the victim of endless malware threats, AND having to defragment), Linux wins hands down.
Linux Mint is my personal favourite. You can try it out without installing it (using a live CD): the same disc will offer an install folder on the desktop. Easy to follow. Good forums for help available as you try it, and once you are au fait and up and running, it really is a pleasure to surf, burn, email, organise or do what you want. Google any of the key terms above for further help/downloads.
I only mention this because these Webuser forums are so Linux free, you wouldn't think Linux was worth considering in the face of M$'s operating system monopoly and its notorious security vulnerabilities.
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Edited by spiraleye (Mon Aug 10 2009 10:21 PM)
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Joe_London
HijackThis Helper
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 11788
Loc: London
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I installed Ubuntu on an old computer some time ago just to see what it was like. Whilst it definitely works I found it very basic. I've not had time to test its compatibility with other software programmes I have but as they were written for Windows I expect issues there. I found it strange that I couldn't do a clean install and had to install it within windows giving me a dual boot system. Never heard of mint before.
Joe.
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spiraleye
regular
Reg'd: Sun
Posts: 243
Loc: Hither Green, London
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I agree Joe, Ubuntu looked very basic when I first tried it. It put me off - as did adding code to get some things done - for months. But there are customisations available to improve the GUI.
A program called Wine is designed to allow Windows programs to run in Linux. I have used this succesfully, though there are issues with it not installing everything I've tried to. However, there are so many Linux programs that do what Windows ones can do, it hasn't proved to be a permanent problem.
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, but looks much better, has more customisations options and feels a bit more like a Windows OS. It can be tried out on a CD, thus making no changes to the HDD, it can be installed as a dual boot, and it can replace Windows completely. I'm not sure if the same applies to Ubuntu.
I am very happy with the dual boot option with Mint; Windows Vista is my wife's preferred OS and she uses it to sync her iPhone (or rather I do). Last night, I booted into Vista just to check things were updated, etc. and set A squared free to do an in depth scan; this morning it flagged up 5 high risk issues. I do my best to keep on top of security issues, but it really bugs me that it still takes up my time. And FileHippo reports 10 issues with updates. And Secunia has flagged up yet more issues... Yet with Linux I'm still shocked that I have to do so little!
My Mint set up looks great; the start up menu and quick start option on the toolbar are very 'windowsy'. I have several familiar programs installed (Firefox, Opera - but not an Internet Explorer version insight!); Google Picasa and Gimp for photo management, Spotify for music, several media players and email clients. And for security, a firewall, and that's it.
Incidentally, I do have an antivirus installed (Avast!). It is a scanner only and it is recommended only to scan files, etc. that you might want to forward to a Windows user. Of course, Windows recipients should have their own safeguards in place anyway, so many Linux users don't even have a virus scanner.
I know Linux won't suit everyone, but I still think the advantages for many users - simple security and maintenance - would outweigh other issues. And you can still use your good ol' Windows if you want to if it's a dual boot PC.
Rik
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Joe_London
HijackThis Helper
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 11788
Loc: London
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Thanks Rik for all that information, hopefully I'll get back to this perhaps during the winter months when I'm not so busy. I agree with you entirely, people should try alternative operating systems. I think Mint or Ubuntu would be sufficient for most peoples use so its a good alternative for those who can't afford or don't want to splash out on a windows system. It might be worth while suggesting a dedicated forum for Linux. As to the security issues, if Linux were to become more popular I'm sure it would attract the virus writers very quickly.
Joe.
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bricat
HijackThis Helper
Reg'd: Wed
Posts: 31986
Loc: belfast
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Security issues are only a pain if you don't bother to have the right security.
a good firewall, a good anti virus, and a good anti spyware and you shouldn't have any problems.
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IF I HAVE SAVED YOU MONEY, PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING A DONATION TO HELP IN MY FIGHT AGAINST MALWARE.
 
When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail. 
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spiraleye
regular
Reg'd: Sun
Posts: 243
Loc: Hither Green, London
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I agree bricat, shouldn't have any problems...
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spiraleye
regular
Reg'd: Sun
Posts: 243
Loc: Hither Green, London
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Joe wrote:
Quote:
As to the security issues, if Linux were to become more popular I'm sure it would attract the virus writers very quickly.
I have come across lots of comment on the net regarding this issue, including:
"Windows' widespread (and often unnecessary) use of features such as RPC meanwhile adds vulnerabilities that really need not be there. Linux's design is not vulnerable in the same ways, and no matter how successful it eventually becomes it simply cannot experience attacks to similar levels, inflicting similar levels of damage, [as] Windows." (Sourced here)
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grantgv
regular
Reg'd: Wed
Posts: 93
Loc: West Sussex
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Hi all
Have recently installed Puppy Linux on a spare PC and am very impressed with it.Even managed to get wireless connection to my network using wpa2 security.
Regards
Graham
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