Speaking of Linux (and I've had a few questions here from my posting of
using Linux for my 'do everything' box) the question was asked in a
local LUG (Linux Users Group) of what advancements have come in the last
5 years to make Linux better.
One of the replies was quite illuminating.
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"While not strictly a desktop technology, I'd vote one of the most
important innovations Linux has brought us is SECURITY. Not having to
worry about unknown flaws in proprietary code is a relief. If correctly
configured, any linux desktop computer is safe on the internet with
maximum flexibility and capability.
Another real winner for Linux is supercomputing. Virtually all
supercomputers use Linux nowadays, Beowulf systems are what everyone
uses for movie rendering, weather forecasting, astronomy, modeling,
geological applications, genomics, search engines, large server
applications, and many more.
And don't forget the best of all: FREE computing. Linux doesn't cost
anything.
Which goes to show, the best things in life are free.
As for strictly desktop applications, I'd vote for gimp, openoffice,
KDE, the many great browsers, VNC and vmware. AccessGrid is another
killer app. And what would backups be without rsync? There isn't a
utility or programming language that doesn't work great under Linux, so
all of them are on my list. The list goes on with all the great servers,
like apache, samba, MySQL, etc."
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Some of you 'recycled teenagers' might remember that song "anything you
can do, I can do better". That's what Linux is saying to Windows, now.
There are more and more countries getting away from Micro$oft on a daily
basis becuase they don't want to be 'held hostage by the licensing
fees'. I see this as a good thing.
Another thing about Linux.. there are Ham Radio applications written
strictly -for- Linux. Native ax.25 support, kernel-level built-in
modules for all the digital modes, and the client software to run 'em,
and more.
There's just not enough -good- that could be said about the Linux
operating system. It matters not (a lot) of which flavor of
distribution you get (there's several: SuSE, Fedora, Debian, Slackware,
Gentoo, LFS (Linux from Scratch), Damn SMall Linux (fits on a floppy),
BSD, Yellowdog, and on, and on... but it's all Linux under the hood.
Kinda like running a single 4-1000 with 2000v on the plate and 500mA of
plate current is 1kW, as is a pair of 833's with 3500v @ just under
300mA is 1kW. Different tubes and voltages, same carrier.
Google "What is Linux" (with quotes), or just to go
http://www.sourceforge.net
To further educate yourself, take a look at what 'Open Source' software is.
--
Driving your AM Rig without a scope,
is like driving your car at night, without headlights. (K4KYV)
--
73 = Best Regards,
-Geoff/W5OMR
