Linux plays Pied-piper with home PCs
Tuesday, 28 December 2004Retired government worker Robert Biggs uses his computer mainly to get recipes and check e-mail. Public relations consultant, Phil Gomes uses his to maintain an elaborate personal Website.
The two have little in common -- except that their computers both run on the Linux operating system.
This fast-growing alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows has taken off in the corporate world. Not only is Linux free and easy to customize, but it is also regarded as safer than Windows because fewer viruses are designed to attack it.
Now the platform has attracted a small but growing number of consumer enthusiasts.
Gomes, who lives in California's Silicon Valley, likes Linux because it is virtually virus-free. He also enjoys some of the free software that works on the platform.
Meanwhile, another sophisticated user helped Biggs make the switch from Windows to Linux.
The Columbus, Ohio, resident began using the newer operating system when his son John, technology editor of Laptop Magazine, installed it on his $129 Pentium III computer after it was attacked by viruses.
"John inspired me," Biggs said. "He loves Linux."
Biggs said he himself is happy with Linux, particularly with the browsing features of Mozilla, an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Mozilla's Firefox browser has tabbed browsing, which allows multiple pages to be open on one screen, and has a reputation for blocking pop-up ads better than Internet Explorer. Experts also said Mozilla, which can be downloaded for free, is more secure than the Microsoft browser.
Linux, developed by volunteers around the world who coordinated their efforts using the Internet, looks quite similar to Windows and offers computing power similar to that of the more costly Unix operating system, which is used mainly by businesses.
Source: CIOL
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