[Geoffrey G]

I am not a new computer user, but an inexperienced one. I have no knowledge of programming, hacking, ect... The information on the net 'bout linux confuses me. Exactly what are the advantages of linux over windows, and (if i decied to use it) how do i use it?

[sosguy]

Why? 1) Because it is free!! I would recommend sending for a copy of Ubuntu - unless you have a fast broadband connection to download. If you order the CD (free) - you can "test out" Linux by booting from the CD - this will not install it on your hard drive and will give you some experience with this cool operating system. Also, as the other gentleman said, "No viruses."If you decide you like it - there are two ways to do a full install - you can reformat your hard drive and use Ubuntu exclusively - or partition your hard drive with Ubuntu on one and Windows on the other.

[ice_man01@sbcglobal.net]

Linux is Popular because it is more secure.However if you are not a programmer you will find it hard to utilizes.Windows is much easier to use and you can do things faster in windows.My uncle is a programmer and uses Linux and can use it well, but some things which I can do in 5 minutes he has to program the functions and a lot of stuff and it take several hours.so to sum it up if you need things fast I would stick to windows even though you may hate it.

[Jim C]

The advantages are, no viruses (yet), and absolute control over installing any program or running any application. (VISTA has now graduated to this format). In addition, there is no spyware etc. It may take a bit to get all the programs you are looking for, but TUCOWS is a great site for free, and shareware. You would use LINUX just like windows, except some of the new terminology and location of files are a bit of a challenge at first. But EVERYTHING you can do with windows, can be done with LINUX. I also find it operates quite a bit faster, does not need to be rebooted when a new program is installed, and LINUX can run on a 64 based chip if you have it.

[archolman]

Linux is the name for a group of operating Systems that have a completely different internal structure to Windows. They are inherently more secure. It's not so easy to make malware that has a big impact on Linux systems.They are what is known as 'Open Source' products, that is, the source code is there for all to see, (unlike MS products where they won't tell you what to hack & why.) This means that many, many people around the Globe are developing Linux stuff.You do need a bit of experience to install & setup, as it's not as plug n play as MS stuff, but well worth the effort.Google 'Ubuntu', & look at their site, it'll give you an idea what the Linux community is all about. They give away free CD-rom's of their latest OS, which has long term support. Good luck

[arppt01]

I have switched over to Linux recently. From my experience I feel it's safe, Free for use, it has matching tools (in comparison to windows) and it's not very difficult to get adjusted. You just have to choose correct distro.

[Tom Tiger]

Safe, better security then Windows, fast, excellent community support. And it is Free, as in Freedom not as in free beer (nothing wrong with free beer :-)

Ubuntu is an excellent distro, it also has excellent support (pure uncut debian on the inside) also look at Mepis (which is Ubuntu on the inside)