Linux. This word alone may give some people reason enough to never visit this page ever again. On the other hand, some may visit this page again and again to see when the word is repeated here.
Linux has existed with us for fourteen years now. I have known about it for the last seven perhaps, and tinkered with it on an irregular basis for the last four. It has not become something of a "cannot live without it", but yeah, given the option, I would always like to have the Tux around.
Linux is not for everyone, however much they would like you to believe. It is still tougher to configure compared to the other, more prevalent operating system that I need not name. For the average user, who browses the internet for an hour a day, checks his e-mail and writes a few documents, an introduction to Linux might even seem like a boat ride in stormy seas if the system is not preconfigured, which is really unlikely. Linux does come with a lot of preinstalled applications if one chooses a default workstation installation, but these overwhelming numbers and names sometimes might even scare away the new user.
But for those who know what they are doing, Linux can be a very efficient tool to test and boost skills. Configuration to get everything working takes some time, but not all. It is the endless customization that gives the real joy of using Linux. And if you are not able to customise something to your liking, why not recode the system into submission. This is the absolute power of Open Source Softwares. If you don't like it, recode it.
I do not have the time or the knowledge required to recode the whole operating system, or even any small part of it, but i'll happily live with the fact that some people can and do this. And i'll enjoy the freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment