:: Opinion Press :: Critiquing the Universe

Alternative Geek - Freedom From Microsoft’s Monopoly

I don’t use Microsoft Windows anymore unless I must, like when I’m at work. But for my personal computing I’ve broken the chains of Microsoft and now I wonder what took me so long. When I speak with those that are still hung up in the Microsoft trap, I only feel pity for them. They haven’t discovered they don’t need Windows. They are afraid to leave the arms of Microsoft. In all fairness, there are some people that love a special game that will only run in Windows and they just can’t leave it behind - but  for the rest of you there is no excuse!

There are so many advantages to using Linux distributions. Here are a few:

1. No more viruses, spyware, malware and all that malicious junk that Windows attracts like a giant magnet.
2. No more corrupted registry errors. There is no registry in Linux.
3. No more defraging. The files don’t become fragmented in Linux.
4. No boggy, slow computer. Linux will run faster, smoother, quieter.
5. No more buying software. There is an open source alternative to most all expensive commercial software programs such as Photoshop and Office.
6. No more worrying about finding a Windows CD to restore your computer. Microsoft is shooting themselves in the foot being so stingy with providing a CD with that new computer you just bought. When I  bought a new Toshiba laptop, I booted it up long enough to open the CD/DVD drive door - and using my FREE Fedora 10 Linux CD I downloaded and burned - inserted it and wiped out Vista with Fedora 10.
7. No more buying and registering your official licensed copy of Windows. With Linux, do whatever you want with your Linux CD. Install it on a million computers if you feel like it. The police will not put you in jail for such an act. You actually OWN Linux and can do whatever you want with it.

I’ve discovered that linux is a great tool for repairing computers and breathing new life into old boxes. I’ve had such success with Linux seemingly doing the miraculous. For instance, a friend acquired a really nice Gateway laptop that her daughter was going to toss in the trash. The PC repair shop told her that the hard drive was bad and they couldn’t get her a replacement. I don’t know why they would tell her that. Don’t they need the business?

I told my friend to let me try and fix it. I tried to boot it, the Bios warned the media was bad. Okay, maybe it was a bad hard drive, but I went at it, reformating the drive a few times and installing the wonderful Linux distro PCLOS 2009.1. Guess what? The laptop runs like a champ!

I’m inspired to start a little local business from the experience I’ve gained repairing computers with nothing more than Linux. Check it out:  Whittier Linux