Test Drive Linux

Ever wanted to try Linux? I'm talking about Linux for your desktop computer, mind you. I was curious about it. I knew it was an alternative to Microsoft Windows, and I knew it was somehow related to Unix. But that's about all I knew. I also wanted to try Linux because you can download it for free. That's right, absolutely free. Download it, burn it to disk, test drive it, install it. Wow! There's also Linux Distributions you can pay for, like Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop for instance, which gets you support, but I've already paid for Windows XP and Office 2007 (ouch!). No, I just wanted to try Linux. I had to try this totally free operating system to see how it holds up against Windows XP, and now Windows 7. Notice I didn't mention Vista. Windows 7 is Vista fixed.

I knew I could test drive Linux on my existing Windows XP machine, but I decided that since I was going to try many different Linux Distributions, I would throw together a machine exclusively for that purpose. Somewhere along the line, I had heard that Linux runs surprisingly well on older hardware, so I started digging through my old hardware and pieced together this system:

Pentium III 1.2GHz Processor
DFI CA64-TC Motherboard
1GB of Mushkin PC133 RAM
120gb Western Digital IDE Hard Drive
D-Link 10/100 Network Adapter
GeForce2 MX400 PCI Graphics Card
DVD-ROM/CD Burner
Floppy Drive
250 Watt Power Supply

One of the really neat things about Linux is that some of the Linux Distributions offer you the means to test drive them before you install them. They call it a Live CD. Boot your machine to the CD, and when prompted, select the option to run Linux from the CD. Very cool. Keep in mind your machine will be a bit sluggish when running off the CD. but it's a great way to check out the distribution without installing it. If, after playing around with it for a while, you decide to install it, there's an Icon on the desktop that launches the installation process.

Did I mention the graphics used in many Linux Distributions are simply stunning to look at. Check out these wallpapers at right.

Here's are some links to some of the top Linux Distributions featuring Live CD's:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

http://www.kubuntu.org/

http://www.xubuntu.org/

http://fedoraproject.org/

http://www.opensuse.org/en/

http://linuxmint.com/

Depending on which Linux Distribution you download, you'll have to burn a CD or DVD. Ubuntu, for instance will burn to a CD, while Fedora will require a DVD. Linux Distributions are downloaded as ISO Images. I have used a number of CD/DVD Burning Programs over the years, but ImgBurn is my favorite. It's simple to use. Nothing unnecessary here. It works perfectly every time I use it. I suggest you burn your disk at a slow speed to guarantee a successful burn.

OK, you've picked out a Linux Distribution to try, you've burned it to disk, and now you're ready to give it spin. Pop the CD/DVD into your optical drive, restart your machine and boot it up to the CD/DVD. I highly recommend running it from the CD/DVD the first time around so you can get a feel for it. If you decide you like it, then go ahead and install it. You'll be guided through the installation process, much like a Windows installation. This is the route I'd go the first time around. Do it on a machine with a blank, raw hard drive. Later, as you get braver, you can install it again, using some of the more advanced installation options. It's fun. No product keys to bother with here. You can do this over and over again until you've got it just right. I did. I've got three different Linux Distributions installed on the machine pictured above: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Fedora. No kidding, and it's not that difficult to do. If you screw up, just do it again. You'll get better at it each time around. What's truly amazing is how these Linux Distributions are able to load all the drivers needed to make your machine run properly. On the Pentium III machine, Linux loaded the motherboard, audio, network, and videos drivers all on its own, and the machine runs perfectly.

Well, not perfectly. You see, Linux loads drivers that originate with the Linux community, as best as I understand it. These drivers work, but it seems that they can't deliver the kind of performance that vendor drivers offer. The Linux community can't modify drivers that originate with hardware vendors. For instance, when I installed Ubuntu on the Pentium III machine, Ubuntu installed a video driver that worked, but only in a limited way. Sure the screen looked fine, but the old GeForce2 MX400 PCI Graphics Card I used was still capable of better graphics than the Ubuntu driver could muster. Thankfully, because Ubuntu is a very polished Linux Distribution, it knew, for lack of a better term, that in order for me to enable visual effects, I would need to install the vendor's (proprietary) driver, and Ubuntu prompted me to take this action. It was a totally automatic process.

This is where it goes a little bit sour for me as an end user of Linux. Other, less polished Linux Distributions aren't as thoughtful as Ubuntu. You really have to jump through hoops to install drivers. For instance, when I first built the Pentium III machine I used an ATI graphics card, but when I found out what I'd have to go through to install the driver, I replaced it with an nVidia card. Is it ATI who is making it difficult for me to use their card in a Linux machine? I don't know. I don't care. I just know that when I installed the nVidia card, Ubuntu downloaded and installed a better driver that allowed me to get better visual effects. And this brings me to the second thing that irritates me about Linux in general. It seems that the Linux community still leans toward the hardcore computer enthusiasts. After all, Linux has become very successful via the contributions of untold numbers of people who do it for nothing cause that's what they like doing. But it seems to me they are protecting, in a way, the last vestiges of computer geekdom. Try and install a video driver in a less polished Linux Distribution than Ubuntu. It's like pulling teeth. I'll pick a Windows driver installation over a Linux installation every time. Double click and follow the instructions. No terminal window for me, thanks. If you don't do it all the time, it's just not going to stick. These guys and gals are very smart, these Linux contributors. But they seem to be building and improving an operating system they want to keep for themselves. It's like the Linux community doesn't really, deep down, want Linux to succeed in a big way.

I like Linux. It's cool. The graphics are stunning. It works. All the distributions I tried, and continue to use, run just fine on the old Pentium III machine I built. Someday, when I've got some extra money, I'll install Linux on a machine with serious hardware. And let's not forget, it's free! Thousands upon thousands of people contribute to its continued development for little or no compensation. You can get distributions that have everything you need for an enjoyable computer experience, and distributions that are stripped down featuring just the bare essentials. But it's not ready for prime time. The Linux community needs to go all the way with it. Let go of it Linux contributors! If you want to keep it all for yourselves, then you're not going to see the Linux logo on the computer screens as you walk through Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or Micro Center.