For years I've touted (and recommended) Linux, the Free Open Source Software (FOSS) that is the heart of Internet servers, Internet routing nodes, and Android. I have a lot of experience with Linux, having run it since kernel version 0.99 back in 1994 or so. Slackware on 25 pounds of 3.5" floppy disks FTW.
One question that comes up regularly is what non-technical people can do. While Linux has become a lot easier to install and run, there are still the occasional weirdnesses that some up, link the Brave Browser's refusal to print to anything other than PDF. This means that if you live in a Linux world, you regularly have to come figure out workarounds.
And thus, the questions. It's pretty easy for someone like me with 30 years of Linux experience* (good Lord, can it really be that long???), but for everyday folks who don't dig kernel versions and package dependencies, it's a daunting prospect.
As it turns out, there is a ton of high quality FOSS software for Windows and Mac users, and as your current computer ages and falls out of support, these can be a great way to extend the life of your computer.
I highly recommend this article from The Register on where to find high quality, non-malware FOSS packages. It's very long and information-rich, so if you have an aging computer and you really don't want to load Linux on it, it's worth 10 minutes of your time.
Strongly recommended for normal computer users. Techie users will stay with sudo apt-get install foo but that just sort of proves my point.
About the only thing you won't get for your old Windows or Mac computer are security updates once the OS is end of life. That's a big issue these days, and while it is possible to lock down a (say) old Windows OS to minimize your risk, it probably takes more tech savvy that installing Linux. But if you are still getting security patches, FOSS can help you adapt to your apps demanding you upgrade the OS.
* Interestingly, each year for the last 20 years has been "This is the year of Linux", and it really hasn't because the workarounds haven't ever gone away. I'd argue that the only place where Linux is truly easy to use is Android, because Google invested a ton of money smoothing it out.
3 comments:
Excellent points! I'm looking at converting an out of OS Mac to Linux.
Way beyond my abilities to understand. I will stick with the Mac.
I've been running Fedora since Windows 7 went end-of-life. Been very pleased with it, and have had little to no "techie problems". Any occasional issue that I have come across can usually be remedied after a bit of searching on the web. For anyone that needs a basic computer, with internet/email/office capabilities, Fedora and the other mainstream Linux distributions is the way to go.
I do keep an old Win 7 machine around on my electronics bench just to handle a couple of old proprietary programs, but I rarely have to use it anymore now that I am retired.
Post a Comment