Hi Bob !
Linux is a free, open source operating system that is replacing
WinDoze at an increasing rate ! It comes in various 'distros'
(distributions), each with it's own extra features... Some say that
Linux is more secure than WinDoze, others say it just hasn't been targeted
as much - but there's no question that the basic architecture of Linux
(related to UNIX) is much stronger than the swiss-cheese that M$ sells !
There are no viruses that affect Linux (so far !), and the Mozilla
browser blocks pop-up ads by default, so there are a lot fewer
aggravations !! :-)
I've been running Linux since about 1995, and it is maturing
at a great rate - new, improved versions come out in months, not years.
There are add-ons that will let you run most popular WinDoze programs
under Linux, if you can't find better equivalents in the Linux world.
My favourite distro is Knoppix, which is available for download
in .iso format - you just d/l the file, then burn it onto a CD. The nice
thing about Knoppix is it is self-booting, and can be run completely off
the CD !! No need to install, and it won't touch your hard drive or affect
your existing system in any way. If you like it, it can be installed
to the hard drive, either by squishing WinDoze down, & installing next
to it, so you can boot up in either system, OR by wiping WinDoze out
& replacing it. Considering that it runs off the CD, the speed of
Knoppix is impressive - definitely useable, even if a bit slow loading.
Knoppix, like most Linux distros, comes complete with tons of free
software, like Open Office, Mozilla web browser & email, graphics programs,
viewers, and even CAD software.... and you'll never have to shell out $$$
to buy an anti-virus program !! ;-) :-) Open Office can read & write
files from Micro$haft Office, but its native files are at least HALF the
size of WinDoze, and faster, once you get away from the ugly old M$ formats.
You can also print directly to PDF files from Office Writer, with no extra
software. There's lots of networking s/w included too, so you can connect
to WinDoze networks, and, of course, the internet. (Not surprising,
considering that well over half of the internet runs on Linux - including
biggies like Google !) If you have a router, or an existing network
that is connected to the internet, Linux will automatically connect on
boot up, and away you go - no settings to fiddle with !
To learn about Knoppix, go to:
http://www.knoppix.org
From there, you can go to one of the download mirror sites, and d/l the
.iso file you need. Although a new release JUST came out, for now,
I would recommend d/l'ing: Knoppix V3.3-2004-02-16-EN.iso
I have used this since it came out, and it does a good job on a wide
variety of hardware. (The latest is V3.4, but they have dropped
some software for space reasons, so I'd go with 3.3 for now ...)
If anyone wants one, I'll burn a few copies and bring them to
the next Rebel Builders Meeting, on Sunday, May 16th (moved to miss
Mothers Day - and our IBOS !). Please let me know off-line -
beep@sympatico.ca if you want me to burn one for you.
For those who want to use Open Source software on WinDoze,
there are versions of Open Office and Mozilla available for Win98 &
2000, (and XP ??) .... on The Open CD, d/l's from :
http://theopencd.sunsite.dk/
See you at the meeting !
......bobp
----------------------------orig.-------------------
On Friday 07 May 2004 01:33 pm, you wrote:
Bob P; I have seen you refer to Linux several times. Please advise what and
where to get this. Sorry to tie up this site for this, but I have a feeling
we may all benefit. Thanks - Bob Johnson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Patterson" <
beep@sympatico.ca>
To: <
murphy-rebel@dcsol.com>
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 1:16 PM
Subject: Re: Site Access
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