So Bart’s Computer broke down, and it seems to be a windows error. It sounds all too plausible. Who hasn’t seen a bluescreen ? Nobody, apparently. Everybody knows the Blue Screen of Death. Microsoft is charging a lot of money for products that are not working properly. About 10 years ago Bill Gates said how wonderful the world would be if Microsoft was building cars. The automobile industry answered with a funny but true list you can read here.
So why is everybody using Microsoft products ?
Because they are good ? No.
Because they are the best available products (this is different from the previous point) ? No.
I think it is as with your favorite football team. You probably watched some matches with your father, and since then you are a devoted supporter. At least that was the case with me.
When you buy a computer, you have Windows installed, and you know some friends who have Wndows. So it’s kind of familiar, and you stick to it and the programs that come along, like Internet Explorer, Outlook (Express), Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Windows Media Player etc. But there are alternatives, which are (in my opinion) better and safer:
- Instead of using the Internet Explorer, who has a long history of security holes, you can use Firefox, which is more secure and very expandable by various add-ons.
- Instead of using Outlook (Express), you can use Thunderbird.
- Instead of the Office-programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), you can use Openoffice.
- And now comes the biggest of all: instead of using Windows (or beside), you can use Linux. This is an operating system which has the advantages of viruses-free-ness and stability. It is so reliable, that it’s a front runner in the server market.
All the mentioned alternatives are free, which means you can download them legally and use and copy them. They are not only free as in free beer, but as in freedom, but that is another story. But the point is, you can and are allowed to download them and give them a try.
Since an operating system is something very special, you can download a CD image, burn it, and test the OS without changing anything on your hard drive. If you choose to install it, you can later easily install more programs. Check out Kubuntu and/or Ubuntu for the downloads (I prefer Kubuntu, but that’s only me).
The September has also been declared the month of the screencasts by the community, so there are some videos to introduce you to the world of Linux. Visit the screencast site to watch them.
You don’t have to use them, but I think it comforting to know that there are alternatives.