Lighter Fare (Nerd-talk Alert)

I finally got Linux running on my old work PC. It's been nagging me since I first tried it. The computer only had 64 MB of RAM which was enough to run Windows 2000. The fact that I couldn't get even the smallest version of Linux running on it made me a little mad. I didn't want to pay for an updated version of Windows for this old machine and I've been trying to switch to free, open-source software, anyhow.

I finally decided to invest $20 in some updated RAM and it worked like a charm. In fact, I like Linux enough that I'm thinking about wiping out my laptop OS (Windows XP) and installing a 64-bit version of Linux on it. I would have an easier time recording music and working with video, I think, but some of the games I play aren't available for Linux yet. So I'll hold off for a bit and continue to learn the nuances of Linux on the machine that is now working.

My only other complaint about Linux is that it's difficult to find support for an absolute newcomer. Using Ubuntu is easy - until something goes wrong. Reading through forums give you helpful tips like "run a chmod on it". Uh, what?

That said, if you go Linux, the initial installation packages the operating system with a nice assortment of free software. Since the point of it is to be free, there's no "bloatware" or demo software for Earthlink, Adobe, Norton or the rest. Just stuff you will most likely use. If you don't see a program to address a need, you can go to the "add/remove software" wizard which lists all the programs available. Linux is at a point where there is at least one program to handle almost any need and, in some cases, a number of options.

Truth is, Vista is a system hog and is not 100% compatible with existing software or hardware. Neither is Ubuntu Linux, but it's $150 cheaper, too. If you've already made the move from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox, you'll probably dig Linux.