My Desktop.. (It's not Vista)

This is a screenshot of my desktop that I use at home. To Windows users everywhere, it's not Vista. It's Linux!

Many people especially Windows users are unaware that you can have a PC without Windows loaded on it. But you can!

Linux is an operating system just like Windows or OSX.

Linux, however, is a totally free and you don't have to pay for it like you have to for Windows. Also, it's open source i.e. anyone can view the source code. This means that it is more secure as a lot of people have had a look at it's source. Windows however is closed-source so no one knows how many security holes it has.

Linux also is very much configurable, has tons of free quality software that works on it and all this comes in one package!

So, do you want to know how to get linux?

There are many linux distributions (i.e. flavors like mango, stawberry etc but it is still all ice-cream). The most easy to install is probably Ubuntu. This will get you started but wont overwhelm you as you make the switch from Windows.

Beware that since Windows has been dominant for many years, Linux is ideal for you if you use the PC only for surfing the net, playing music, movies etc, as specialized software is made only with Windows in mind. However, if you really want to run your Windows programs, it just might work on Linux using wine. Even Microsoft Office can run with Crossover Office. And games like WoW, Half-life, Counter-strike are just a click away with Cedega. Keep in mind that wine is free but Crossover Office and Cedega are not.

The Linux distro (short for distribution) I am using above is called openSUSE. It's made by Novell which has been popular for a long time for it's Netware operating system. I would recommend it to someone who is a little more technically inclined.

When installing Linux, you should dual-boot it with Windows i.e. keep both Windows and Linux on your PC (yes, two or more operating systems can be installed on a PC). This is because most probably, you are going to require Windows at some point of time.

Now, you might ask me, why Linux?

First of all, it's free!! (nothing can beat economics, right?) However, you may need to pay for getting manuals and technical support, if you really want them.

Secondly, it does not have viruses, spyware and a plethora of other such malware that plagues Windows. So it really gives you a sense of security and also increases your productivity.

Linux has a lot of excellent applications which you don't have in Windows. They are also all free! Let me list a few of them.

1. Amarok

This media player really rocks! It easily beats Windows Media Player hands down and is much better than iTunes or Winamp. Check it out and you wont regret that you got Linux!

2. OpenOffice.org

This is a free alternative to Microsoft Office and is somewhat compatible with Microsoft Office documents.. (It's not now because Microsoft does not want it to be so that it can sell it's own Office.)

3. Firefox Web Browser

This web browser is an alternative to Internet Explorer and also runs on Windows. It is very secure and web standards-compliant. You will not get any virus, spyware problems if you browse the net with this browser.

4. The GIMP

The GIMP is an advanced image editing software and can be used also as an excellent paint program. It's got tons of features and effects which you can use.

There are many more excellent applications available (all free) like Mplayer, Kaffeine, tvtime, Mythtv, Beagle Search, Apollon and more, but listing them all down here would be nearly impossible.

Linux also is a lot more configurable and if you are even a little bit technically inclined, you can make it look exactly like Vista, XP or even Mac OSX!

Now, to the fun part! The cube-like desktop which you see above is because of an application called Compiz. You can see in action in a Youtube video below. Check it out.

It is still in development and offers many cool desktop effects without sacrificing on stability and usability. And for the enthusiasts, it also offers effects which provide more eye-candy but sacrifices usability a little bit though.

Linux can be very useful especially when Windows is giving you trouble. I found it very handy to recover my data on a hard-disk when Windows refused to start and kept rebooting because of a virus problem. Just a quick boot to Linux, copy the essential files over to Linux partition or CD and it's done.

Linux is a very stable operating system and you cannot bring it down if you don't enter the root password (it's like a master key to all locks) anywhere. So you can give it to absolutely anyone to use without disclosing the root password and they wont be able to make serious changes like delete essential system files etc. Just create a new user account and you are ready to go again.

So with this, I hope to have convinced you to try Linux or even if you do not like it, just install it as a backup for your computer. Try it and I am sure you will like it.