Benefits Of Linux

This site is dedicated to all those who are new to Redhat Linux.

 

Linux can give you:

1. A modern and very stable multi-user, multitasking environment on your inexpensive PC hardware, at no (or almost no) monetary cost for the software. Linux is a rich and powerful platform--don’t think of it as a "poor people" operating system. Out-of-box Linux has as much capability as MS 4 Windows NT with $5000 in software add-ons, is more stable, and requires less powerful hardware for comparable tasks.

2 Unsurpassed computing power, portability, and flexibility. A Linux cluster beat a Cray supercomputer in a standard benchmark. Linux is VERY standard--it is essentially a POSIX compliant UNIX. (Yes, Linux is a best-of-the-breed UNIX. The word "UNIX" is not used in conjunction with Linux because "UNIX" is a registred trademark.) Linux is most popular on Intel-based PCs (price), but it runs very well on numerous other hardware platforms, from toy-like to mainframes.

3. A truely great learning platform. If you are a parent, you should be really glad your daugher/son does Linux--they will surely learn something of lasting value. If you are a teacher, you should consider installation of Linux at your school.

4. Excellent networking capability built into your operating system. You think you don’t need a network? Once you try home networking, you will never be able to live without it! What about connecting the two or more computers that you have at home and sharing your hard drives, CDROM(s), sound card(s), modem, printer(s), etc.? What about browsing the net on two or more machines at the same time using a single Internet connection? What about playing a game with your son over your home network? Even your old 386 with Win3.11 may become useful again when connected to your Linux Pentium server and it is able to use your network resources. All necessary networking software comes with standard Linux, free, just setup is required. And it is not a second-gear shareware--it is exactly the same software that runs most of the Internet (the Apache software runs more than 50% of all Internet web servers and Sendmail touches some 70% of all e-mail).

5. Connectivity to Microsoft, Novel, and Apple proprietary networking. Reading/writing to your DOS/MS Windows and other disk formats. This includes "transparent" use of data stored on the MS Windows partition of your hard drive(s).

6. Dozens of excellent and free, general-interest applications.

7. Hundreds of specialized applications built by researchers around the world (astronomy, information technology, chemistry, physics, engineering, linguistics, biology, ...). In many fields, Linux seems like "the only" operating system in existence. The software in this category is typically not very easy to use, but if you want the power, it is the best software that humanity has in these areas. Doubtful? Have a look at: http://SAL.KachinaTech.COM/Z/2/index.shtml for examples.

8. Thousands of free applets, tools, and smaller programs. "Small is beautiful" goes well with Linux philosophy.

9.Scores of top-of-the line commercial programs including Word Perfect and all the big databases (e.g., Oracle, Sybase, but no Microsoft’s). Many (most?) of these are offered free for developers and for personal use. o State-of-art development platform with many best-of-the-kind programming languages and tools coming free with the operating system. Access to all the operating system source codes, if you require it, is also free.

9. Freedom from viruses, software manufactures "features", invasion of privacy, forced upgrades, licensing and marketing schemes, high software prices, and pirating. How is this? Linux has no viruses because it is too secure an operating system for the viruses to spread with any degree of efficiency. The rest follows from the open-source and non-commercial nature of Linux.

10.The operating platform that is guaranteed "here-to-stay". Since Linux is not owned, it cannot possibly be put out of business. The Linux General Public License (GPL) insures that development and support will be provided as long as there are Linux users.

11.A platform which will technically develop at a rapid pace. This is insured by the modern, open-software development model which Linux implements: "build-on-the-back-of the-previous-developer" and "peer-review-your-code" (as opposed to the anachronistic closed-software model: "always-start-from-scratch" and "nobody-will-see-my-code"). Even if the current "Linux-hype" died out, Linux will develop as it did before the media hype started.