Life without Windows or OS X

GNU/Linux is quite possibly the most important free software achievement since the original Space War, or, more recently, Emacs. It has developed into an operating system for business, education, and personal productivity. GNU/Linux is no longer only for UNIX wizards who sit for hours in front of a glowing console. Are you thinking about switching to Linux and want to learn how to use it? Have you been using GNU/Linux for some time and want to learn even more? This is the place for you.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

"My" Life without Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 High Sierra


For those who don't know GNU/Linux is a free open-source operating system, which means the code is available for anyone to look at. Technically speaking, the term "Linux" refers to just the kernel or the core of the GNU operating system. However, people often use the name to talk about the whole operating system, including the interface and bundled apps.This operating system also requires fewer hardware resources than the more data-heavy Windows.

One of the common things in making the case against GNU/Linux, particularly on the Desktop, many popular programs simply aren’t available for Linux distributions. Windows simply has more software available than GNU/Linux. Windows is the dominant operating system and there is much more usually higher quality software available for it. Microsoft Windows supports a wide range of hardware and most of the hardware manufacturers support their hardware in Microsoft Windows again due to its larger user base. On the other side, GNU systems have a comparatively smaller user base and hence only some manufacturers support their hardware. There’s no standard edition of Linux. Whereas Microsoft offers several different editions of each version of Windows, there are countless variations of Linux. For those who don't know it can be confusing to find what will work best. There is a learning curve if you switch GNU/Linux. Some things you didn’t need help with when you used Windows, you might need help when you use GNU/Linux.

That's the main reason why I started this page so many years ago.I wanted to help people with problems and questions they might have.I’ve installed Linux distros a number of times over the years since 2004. Like most people using personal computers, my time is spent almost entirely in just a few applications: web browser, email, word processor. For GNU browsers I installed Firefox and Chromium, an open-source variant on Google’s Chrome. LibreOffice word processor is great. It's adequate for a light user or a student typing up a couple of essays.

Let us talk about security.If your computer is attached to a network, it's vulnerable.I'm going to preface this by saying no operating system is 100% secure.That being said, Windows' Achilles has been, for a very long time, security. With every iteration, the specter of security looms large over the operating system. Despite the occasional vulnerability coming to light, Linux is regarded as much more secure than Windows. GNU was designed from the ground up with different privilege levels that make it much harder for malware to get unrestricted access to a system, even if it manages to slip past the defenses.

If you value your privacy, in Windows 10 your privacy is mostly disregarded. A lot of aspects to Windows 10 are less than privacy-friendly. Most, if not all, GNU/Linux distributions take your privacy very seriously. You won’t find a bubbly talking assistant on your Linux desktop collecting data and information on you for financial gain.When you use Microsoft’s new operating system, you are telling them that it is okay for them to collect data on you. They harvest information on your device’s location, your calendar data, emails and texts, contact info, and the list goes on.

In closing

Even though Linux tends to suffer fewer attacks than Windows or Mac, potential dangers are not unheard of. However, the active community around GNU+Linux helps hold back the crackers (is one who breaks into or otherwise violates the system integrity of remote machines with malicious intent). Antivirus software is a must for any computer online.  Antivirus check here.

So if privacy really matters to you, you need an operating system that doesn’t snitch on you to the World Wide Web. When you use Microsoft’s Win 10, you are telling them that it is okay for them to spy on you.

GNU/Linux incompatibility with PC hardware especially networking and audio components are really no longer really an issue. If your old laptop is that slow, try installing Linux on top, and the machine should speed up. You’d be hard-pressed to find a copy of Microsoft’s Windows 10 run on something as little as 128 megabytes of RAM.

With the majority of modern computing tasks, most of us spend our time within a browser, so the underlying apps on the Windows platform have become less and less relevant.

The misconception about Linux is it is for “geeks only” is wrong. No one needs to be computer genius or master of the command line to use Linux these days.

Most Linux distros have their own ‘app store’ (software repository). You can look for any kind of program you might need from one single place and the software installed will be safe, compatible with your distro and will get automatic updates. Within Linux, you just need to stick to the repositories and avoid using Adobe's Flash (if you don't really need it. You don't need it for things like youtube).


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