Friday, October 30, 2009

What is Linux?

For those of you who don't know already, Linux is an operating system (like Windows or Mac OS-X), that is built by the public and it's free.* If you know how to use Windows or OS-X, You can install Linux and be using it with no training in about 30 minutes. It's made entirely of programs donated to the public good and many distributions come with office applications, games, and web tools already installed.

There are hundreds of companies, causes, and individuals who package Linux into a "distribution" consisting of the Linux kernel (the guts of the operating system) and a set of software designed for a specific purpose. For example:

- Easy-to use desktop: Ubuntu
- Corporate web-server: RedHat
- Free (GNU) software purity: Debian or gNewSense
- Minimal hardware: Puppy
- Run from a CD: PCLinuxOS
- Repair your computer after a crash: SystemRescueCD
- To be just like another distribution: CentOS (like RedHat)
- To protect networks: IPCop
- Breaking into other computers: PHLAK (Professional Hackers Linux Assault Kit)
- Christianity, bible study, and parental control: Ubuntu Christian
- Online learning environment, suitable for classroom use: Edubuntu

That's a random sampling taken mostly from Distrowatch. There is a lot of crossover between the goals and included packages of various distributions, but this gives you a sense of what's out there. Because the source code for the entire operating system and most of the software generally distributed with it is free and/or open-source, a programmer can compile their own version and alter it to work with custom hardware such as a new phone, or a robot.

Interestingly, no-one told anyone to create Linux. In 1989, Richard Stallman, a visionary programmer who could be called the world's first software activist, created a new kind of software license - the GNU Public License, GPL, or "copyleft. The GPL guarantees everyone's right to copy, share, modify, and (re-)distribute software. In 1991, A programmer named Linus Torvalds started working on a version of Unix that he could use on his own computer. He published it under the GPL and released it on the web and soon many other programmers (or "hackers") contributed changes and improvements. The work of untold numbers of programmers, writers, graphic artists, testers, and other largely self-selected volunteers, under the GPL and other "open source" licenses, has created Linux in all its flavors - and it continues to evolve.

Who uses Linux? We all do. At least half of all web sites run on Linux servers. Mobile phones such as the Android run Linux. 443 of the top 500 supercomputers run Linux. Increasingly, personal desktop computers run Linux. If you aren't familiar with Linux, I encourage you to get yourself a LiveCD of any distribution and give it a try. Ubuntu is currently the most popular for non-techies.

For your entertainment, here's a brief history of Linux through advertising (and one spoof):

Mac Spoof: Upgrading

I'm a Linux

The Heist

* Thanks to DigitalMan for helping me come up with a one-line explanation of Linux.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Settling in to Ubuntu Linux

I'm surprised at how much I like Ubuntu Linux better than Windows! The UI is basically the same, only everything is faster. Especially when you do anything to a file (write to it, read from it, move it, or delete it), Linux turns hours into Minutes. When you consider that doing anything useful on a computer generally involves changing a file, that says a lot!

Printing to a network printer was actually easier on Linux. Our vendor-supplied proprietary Windows driver hangs the printer every second or third time you try to print a PDF! I've got my complaints (a few sound limitations and a few software packages that I still have to run in a Windows VM). But whenever I have to fix someone's Windows computer I pity them. Even Windows runs better on Linux (in a VM). That way you can keep working while you reboot, reboot, reboot...

As I'm writing this, I can hear my wife downstairs using Windows... "Network Problems!?! I can't have network problems right now! Operation failed???" I feel sorry for her, I've been there myself, but I have to laugh at the background to this blog post.

I encouraged some people I know who are absolute beginners with computers to buy Macs. But now I'm not so sure. Ubuntu Linux is actually easier to navigate in some ways than a Mac.

Update 2010-04-01: I spent 2 hours trying to copy some pictures from a camera to the hard drive on a Mac and it was awful. In Ubuntu, your camera gets mounted as a drive and you can drag and drop the pictures wherever you want them.

The only drawback to running Linux is that some programs only run on Windows. Screen sharing programs (except for TeamViewer) all require Windows or Mac. The latest version of Microsoft Office only runs on Windows, Photoshop only runs on Windows/Mac, and Proprietary VPNs only run on Windows. Most people don't need those things, but I do, so I have to run Windows in a Virtual Machine. But I only have my VM running about 25% of the time.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Windows in a Virtual Machine

My Windows XP SP3 CD came in the mail yesterday. This time around I did a more-or-less default install in VirtualBox with 20GB expanding drive, 1.2GB memory, 24M video memory, and audio disabled. Instead of Symantec Antivirus, I tried ESET NOD32. I also disabled Adobe Drive this time because I got some weird messages. The install and all setup took about 8 hours, much of which was waiting, which is much more reasonable than the 3 days my previous attempt took.

The new image uses only about 6GB of disk space instead of 15, presumably because it doesn't contain any junk from my old hard drive. It is immeasurably faster than my 140GB image of my previous hard drive, half-of which was unreadable. Not sure how much was VM settings, Symantec, or other junk, but I think everything helped.

I deleted the old virtual hard drive image. It took hours because I had a dozen huge "snapshots" I had taken in VirtualBox, each of which took 1-20 minutes to delete. Before I started, my new 1TB drive was 60% full. Now it's only 7% full! What a disaster that was.

I currently use Windows in VirtualBox a few times a week for the following, but I work mostly in Linux:

Photoshop CS4
I use this a lot and it requires 1024x768 resolution for some of the dialogs to work properly (to show the Save button). Takes a lot of resources, but as much as I love GIMP, it's not a substitute for Photoshop for professional work.

A couple of proprietary VPNs
The nice thing about running these in a virtual machine is that it lets me check email and access the web from my primary OS while the VPN is connected.

Citrix GoToMeeting
Works great

Remote Desktop Connection
Necessary for work.

Internet Explorer
Necessary for work (for testing)

Microsoft Office
Open Office is a fantastic substitute. It changes the layout only slightly I think because the available fonts are different on Linux. I still need the real thing for presentations and testing for work.

Firefox HTML Validator plug-in
I really wish there was a Linux version of this!


Hopefully, over time, things like GoToMeeting and the Firefox HTML Validator will work on Linux. I'm still looking for a secure backup strategy for my entire drive.