My Computer

[Jill]

Seriously though, I haven't had any trouble getting software. The only thing I haven't been able to get is Webshots, because they don't have a mac version. That's my only complaint; I'm so happy I bought a mac. If anyone wants a virus ridden, whiny, malfunctioning PC, let me know, and I'll give you one out of the pile that I have!

Can you explain Linux, John? You can convert a windows platform to Linux, right? What do you like about it?

[John]

Linux is a window-fied Unix system. It's free and the source code is publicly available, which means anyone can get a copy, make changes, or whatever they want. Unlike Windows and MacOS, they've got nothing to hide, and actually incorporate popular hacks into their next versions.

It's small, doesn't eat memory or CPU power (again, unlike Windows), and stable - it just plain doesn't crash. It's not uncommon for Linux boxes to need rebooting less than once per year.

You can turn your PC into a Linux box, there are several versions of it that are designed just for that.

[Jill]

So why is Linux not taking over the world and destroying the juggernaut that is Microsoft?

[John]

Good question. Probably because you can't buy a PC with Linux installed (it's the ol' MS anti-trust thing). You can only install it after the fact, which rules out all but the most computer-geeky among us.

[Leo]

In addition, Linux isn't as easy to use as Windows is. Most people who use computers aren't geeks, they just want to use what works.