An introduction to Linux for Windows users

Transcription

1 An introduction to Linux for Windows users By David Robinson Linux might not have found a comfortable home on the desktop, but for backend services, it's everywhere. Here's a guide to Linux, showing why intermediate and advanced Windows users might want to take a look at this open-source operating system. Innovative technology versus marketing brawn First released in 1991, the Linux operating system now powers much of the Internet, runs on the world's fastest supercomputers, and in its guise as Android OS is the foundation for the majority of mobile devices. But after nearly two and a half decades, its use as a desktop OS remains limited mostly to highly technical users even though the user experience on a modern Linux desktop differs little from that of Windows or OS X. Far from being a Windows or OS X knockoff, Linux possesses strengths that could make it useful to many users who would scarcely consider themselves "technical." Before listing a few of those strengths, I'll offer the two reasons Linux has been shunned by most consumers: Apple and Microsoft. In the early years, Linux was hampered by a substandard graphical user interface and poor usability. It wasn't until 2004 that Linux vendor Ubuntu (site) released a version that was acceptable to an average personal-computer user. But even then, its enhancements were well behind Apple's rapidly developing OS X. While Microsoft struggled with antitrust issues, security concerns, engineering delays, and product flops through the 2000s, Apple positioned itself as the safe and stylish anti-microsoft. With innovations such as the ipod and iphone, Apple's market capitalization surpassed Microsoft's in Brilliant advertising campaigns defined consumer choices as being exclusively Windows versus Mac. And though Microsoft continued to dominate business computing, Apple clearly won the pop-culture battle. Google eventually made Linux aka Android the leader in the mobile market, but there was no deep-pocket champion for Linux on the desktop. Equally decisive was Microsoft's aggressive marketing strategy against free and open-source software especially Linux. During Microsoft's bad old days, when many in the computing industry viewed it as an abusive monopoly, the folks in Redmond had good reason to fear Linux's zero-cost licensing and early dominance on Web servers. Linux threatened Microsoft's enterprise-software strategy, which envisioned tightly integrated Microsoft products on every computer, from servers to the desktop. Microsoft responded with a so-called "fear, uncertainty, and doubt" campaign (see Wikipedia page) targeting businesses that might be tempted by lower-cost Linux options. Microsoft was accused of buying off a major UNIX vendor, as recounted by Eric Raymond on his site. As reported in another Wikipedia article, Microsoft quietly backed UNIX vendor SCO in its intellectual-property battles against several Linux distributors and customers. Although SCO eventually went into bankruptcy, the disputes cast a very public shadow over the legal status of free and open-source software for much of the 2000s. Meanwhile, the fight for the enterprise market was accompanied by a lot of intemperate language. As reported in a July 31, 2000, The Register article, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer equated Linux with "communism" and was quoted in a June 1, 2001, article, declaring that "Linux is a cancer."

2 Ostensibly, those terms might translate into: Communism: Linux and other free software are developed outside normal business models by volunteer developer communities. Cancer: Open-source code, if incorporated into any Microsoft product, would transform it into an open-source product as well a possibility counter to Microsoft's business model. These characterizations simply aren't true. Much of the development work on the Linux kernel was and still is carried out by for-profit businesses such as Microsoft's old nemesis, IBM. The view of Linux as a "cancer" is based on disputed interpretations of the operating system's license. But that concern is mostly unfounded, according to a SitePoint article. (Under less restrictive licenses, Microsoft could incorporate open-source code into its products and still maintain its closed-source intellectual-property rights.) Ultimately, much of the invective against Linux disappeared with advances in server virtualization, which brought much-needed flexibility to IT operations. To be taken seriously in the enterprise, Microsoft's own Hyper-V virtualization technology (more info) had to support alternative operating systems and open technical standards. The concept of locking in businesses to one technology vendor, famously espoused by IBM, is now a pipe dream especially with the recent rise of cloud computing. Microsoft must now compete in a platformindependent market. Today, you can deploy a Linux system on Microsoft's Azure cloud in minutes and never give a thought to Microsoft's own server products. Why you might use Linux on the desktop Before we delve into Linux, here are some basic facts: Linux is a "UNIX-like" operating system, modeled after the influential UNIX OS developed by Bell Labs in the early 1970s. The OS is named for Linus Torvalds (Linus + UNIX), a Finnish college student who in 1991 wrote the first Linux kernel. Assisted by a wide range of corporate and community contributors, Torvalds still leads Linux development. Linux is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL; more info). The GPL requires the source code to be available to all users; allows modification, redistribution, and sale of the code or compiled versions; allows private use of modified code and compiled versions without restriction; and requires public release of modified code (also under the GPL) if modified and compiled versions are sold or given to the public. Linux itself is only a kernel the core OS component that controls memory and other computer hardware functions. To be usable, it's generally packaged together with the GNU (site) system libraries and utilities. It's also combined with the X Window System (site), which provides a graphical environment similar to that of Windows or Mac OS X. Ready-to-use Linux packages are called distributions or "distros." These are developed, maintained, and marketed by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Some of the best-known distributions are Red Hat, Debian, and Ubuntu. Though Linux carries no licens-

3 ing fees, for-profit Linux companies make money by selling support services, primarily to business customers. While Windows reigns as the business PC of choice and Apple still claims the hearts of many writers, artists, and musicians, Linux is now the favored desktop system for programmers, IT professionals, and others who have very specialized requirements for their computers. Some of their priorities might overlap with yours. Here are some examples: Price: Yes, Linux can be acquired for free. A popular Linux-community saying is "Free as in freedom" or "Free as in beer." Linux is both. That means you can download a Linux distribution and modify it as you like. Also, Linux distribution sites let you download it free of charge, burn it to a CD-ROM, install it on as many computers as you like, and make copies for friends. (The situation is somewhat different for enterprise users, who will in many cases also purchase a support contract.) Look and feel: Just as Windows and OS X appear and operate somewhat differently (they're more alike than not), so do Linux distributions. Although each flavor of Linux has its own default user interface, most distributions also let you choose freely among alternative desktop designs. Depending on your personalcomputing skills and tastes, this is either confusing or liberating. To greatly oversimplify, there are three broad approaches to look and feel in the Linux world. Microsoft/Apple clones: Macintosh begat Windows (arguably), and Windows begat desktop frameworks GNOME (site) and KDE (site) plus dozens of other interfaces riding on them. Essentially, they all resemble what we thought of as Windows before Windows 8 came along. The native UNIX design tradition: Before Linux, this group of interfaces was used by UNIXserver admins and rarely seen in public. Stuffed with widgets, they offered useful ideas (such as virtual desktops, my favorite) that Microsoft and Apple have mostly deemed too confusing for their users. Mobile-inspired, touch-ready, cross-platform desktops: That was the mantra of Windows 8, but Linux got there first. (Apple is probably headed there, too.) You can see an example of each in the following screenshots. Figure 1. Linux Mint: For those who dislike Windows 8, the Cinnamon desktop updates the classic Windows look. Figure 2. Bodhi Linux: The Enlightenment menu option offers Unix specialties such as application docks and virtual desktops. Figure 3. Ubuntu Linux: Like Windows 8, the clean, blocky, touch-ready Unity desktop reflects the impact of mobile devices on interface design. Versatility: Linux is much more modular than Windows; you can install only those components of interest to you. You don't have to accept a mass of unneeded software that takes up disk space, slows the system down, and opens security vulnerabilities. You also won't have to contend with much-hated, preloaded, commercial "crapware" (all those trial versions of programs that pop up and nag you but which won't truly work until you pay a license fee). Linux also runs happily on older hardware. If you have a working Windows XP computer that you want to update to something modern, chances are that a newer Windows version will run poorly if at all. Linux will run just fine. Using older hardware also avoids one of the Linux limitations: possible lack of support for the latest cutting-edge hardware. Applications: The sketchy selection of popular consumer Provided applications by: is still an issue for Linux. Web

4 browsing isn't a problem because Firefox and Chrome are fully supported. support has improved, in part due to the wide adoption of Web-based mail managers such as Gmail. But in most other application categories graphics programs, word processors, spreadsheets, audio/video applications, and many others familiar programs are missing. Fortunately, most of those apps can be replaced by satisfactory often excellent free/open software. Many have all the functions you're expecting, but the severity of the learning curve will depend on your specific software needs and skills. (If you're interested in programming, Linux's tools are second to none.) Open-source code can be more secure Security is a complicated issue for any operating system. However, the consensus among security researchers and consultants is that the best software security tools are open-source. That's not a slam on developers of closed-source apps; rather, the most certain way to judge the effectiveness of security features in software is to let a bunch of software engineers poke through the code. In judging closed-source products, the best you can do is to take the word of the company selling it (inevitably, a conflict of interest). Open code can be examined by any competent person, and you can decide whom to trust, according to your own common sense. The proof is in the implementation. People who depend on secure communications for their safety or the safety of others human rights workers, political dissidents, journalists have in recent years flocked to Linux and open-source security tools. For example, the journalists working on the Edward Snowden materials use a variety of tactics to protect themselves for example, air-gapped computers isolated from the Internet, encrypted chat, and encrypted . But they rely heavily on Linux systems to provide a secure and auditable foundation for everything else. Often lacking computer expertise, they depend on the recommendations of security researchers, cryptologists, and other security experts. That said, Linux's long-standing reputation for being more secure from viruses, malware, and criminal intrusions than Windows is only partly deserved. Microsoft has brought Windows largely up to par with competing operating systems. Competently managed, a Windows system that's kept behind a firewall, has fully up-to-date virus protection, is run with non-administrative user accounts, and is operated by someone who doesn't click on weird attachments or install obviously disreputable software, is probably about as secure as an equivalently managed Linux system. In truth, Windows continues to be compromised more frequently than other platforms primarily because most of the world's computers run Windows. Criminals figured out long ago that the biggest targets offer the best returns (which explains why corporate hacks have become extremely popular of late). Broadening your personal-computer horizons I regularly use all three major platforms: Windows, OS X, and Linux. In my experience, the differences between any one of these operating systems and the two others are rapidly diminishing. The Linux desktop arguably took the innovation lead a few years ago, presaging most of the "new" features in Windows 8 (for better or for worse). If this story has piqued your interest in Linux, it's easy to get started. Simply download and install the distro of your choice to a spare system or a virtual PC. A future story will go into more depth on Linux installation and use. But if you can't wait, here are links to the three distributions illustrated above. Each of them takes about 15 minutes to install from a CD. I chose them partly for their ease of installation and use especially for Linux non-experts. I also threw in Red Hat's Fedora Linux because you never forget your first distribution. Linux Mint

5 Bodhi Linux Ubuntu Fedora Project If you'd like to comment on your Linux experiences and applications, click the Windows Secrets Lounge link below and join the discussion.