>> I have got a friend whom is trying to move away from the Windows >> environment, but is having a lot of concerns on whether he'll succeed >> or not with Linux. He believes that because Linux is being developed >> by hackers throughout the world and it does not have a certified >> authentication, it will not last for longer. > >I would not try to convert him. He won't be happy. As much as I would like to see Linux grow, I have to agree with Irv on this one. This is like trying to get a friend to dump his girlfriend and go on a blind date. The "best" operating system is the one that does what you need. I like Linux. I loved UNIX way before X-windows. I dismissed MS Windows for years until 3.11 came out. But the flat out truth is that MS Windows is pretty damned good. And taking both license costs and administration costs into consideration it's got by far the lowest "total cost of ownership" for an individual or a small to mid-sized office. While Linux is "free" there is big learning curve for most offices. That costs time, which is money. For an individual it's the same argument. If the guy really wants to be fertilizing his tomato plants instead of trying to get a letter out, then he really wants to be fertilizing his tomato plants. And pushing him into the position of having to fidget with something he isn't really interested in is a disservice to him. Of course, if he shows up at the door and says, "I've just formatted my C: drive. What do you suggest," then jump at the opportunity to push Linux. MB -- Michael R. Batchelor Industrial Informatics & Instrumentation, Inc.
