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Linux-based Desktop Operating Systems
Linux-based Desktop Operating Systems
Linux is an operating system that is the basis of many operating system flavours, that carries its name.. hence the penguins everywhere. It's relatively recent that it's appeared on desktop computers, tablets an phones. It is and has been the backbone of the internet as key software controlling many devices that make up backroom infrastructure that keeps the internet alive. Big companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, TESLA and others use it because it can be used on so many different types of devices, it's stable and secure, they can modify it for their own purposes.. and it's free!
Not long into it's development, Linux enthusiasts began to develop Desktop Operating Systems, to take advantage of all these features so anyone could use it on everyday devices, as users of Microsoft and Apple had for many years. Only these Linux systems are free. It's an important distinction. For the first time people could download a system complete with applications and install it on any hardware, especially laptops and desktops. They included many applications with non-free equivalents in the closed-source, Microsoft and Apple world (especially). Today Google is big precisely because it took the free components of Linux and built it's Android/Linux systems and later ChromeOS and ChromeBooks. Something like 85% of mobile systems (phones & tablets) in the hands of ordinary users today, are Android. It would not have been possible without Linux and the open-source license applied to its distribution, modification and use.
Linux Desktop Flavours
Linux Desktop Flavours
So how is this relevant to me.. why tell me all this? Perhaps I can answer this by asking a few questions of you myself
Are you fed up with spending a lot of money for software.. Operating Systems (MS WIndows & MacOS primarily) and applications?
Are you fed up with buying Antivirus and internet security software and still getting infected or hacked?
Have you had to buy new computers because your were told to upgrade your software but your computers weren't up to it?
Are you concerned about privacy and how when you browse the internet, adverts seem to follow you across sites that seem to have something to do with things you have bought in the past or liked on Facebook.. or like someone is reading your email?!!
Do your systems, including phones and tablets, steadily getter slower in response times and you spend the time waiting by making a coffee while it's booting up?
Do you keep getting spam mail and SMS's purporting to be from some service that you are subscribed?
Does it drive you nuts trying to keep a track of all these things and end up throwing money at someone else or something else to relieve you of the stress, but it keeps coming back to bite you?
Does your current setup give you some or all of these headaches and keeps you bleeding money?
I can say with confidence that Linux and open-source desktop systems can leave you with zero costs in terms of software licensing and better security. I can also say that even a basic user of Microsoft or Apple, can transition to these systems with limited pain. I've been helping users for 20 years make such transitions.
If this is a serious consideration for you and your business, call me. I'm happy to discuss the options available for any requirements. I am also happy to setup demonstrations of these systems, if you'd like to have a look at what's available for different applications. In the meantime, below are some links to popular Desktop flavours for you to look at to help you understand what I am talking about. There are many flavours but I'm going to outline a few only that are the basis for many derivatives that provide a wide array of features for the different computing needs out there today. You can read more about the options out there here in this online article for 2024. You can also look at this article for business and government adopters of Linux around the world.
Debian/Linux
Debian/Linux
Debian is the basis for a lot of Linux-based hardware from routers, wireless radios, servers and of course desktops. Please read their "social contract" from their website when you have time and see why it has become such a prominent player in the open-source world.
It's most popular derivative is Ubuntu for Desktops and servers and more recently features in Elon Musk's TESLA cars. From Ubuntu there are many other spin-offs providing users with a variety of experiences in interface and applications.
The links below take you to the relevant sites, which includes downloading their systems and instructions on how to install them
Fedora Workstation
Fedora Workstation
Like Debian, Fedora is used on a wide range of hardware and is the basis for a lot of spinoffs. Here is a link to their vision and mission, with similar aspirations of "Freedom" when it comes to software.
The Fedora community and it's code contribute to it's big brother, commercial or enterprise version of Linux - RedHat Enterprise Linux. There are many spin-offs from Fedora that are also free and will look and feel similar to those spun from Debian and Archlinux. One thing to note is the the more you move away from the original Debian, Fedora or Archlinux standard, there maybe less adherence to the vision of the respective projects (sometimes) and this can lead to performance or stability issues. So it is wise to start with the "vanilla" versions (as they say) and then build up what you need from there. Spinoffs which try to be everything all at once to everyone, tend to suffer from stability and performance issues on older hardware, and just feel and look bloated in terms of all the software that is installed.
Archlinux
Archlinux
Archlinux is my system of preference because it allows me to build a system up from scratch and avoid all the bloat of software, that can dominate in other systems which install everything, during an initial installation process. But the installation is not for a beginner or average user of Linux. I prefer it because I end up with a fast machine utilising the minimum of resources (Memory - RAM, Disk space and processing power) and only the software I need. Whenever you get a new phone, it always has too much going on that you don't use and in time it becomes slower as you add more. With Archlinux I can build a system for any type of application, with the absolute bare minimum, enabling me to do so on old computers that would otherwise collect dust in a back room. But also on new computers and make them superfast at doing everything.
There are however other spinoffs that make the whole process easier and like the others, you end up with a system with office, internet, multimedia and graphics applications, installed in one process. Most of the time you end up with a system ready to go in 15-20 minutes after you start the process of installation. If you like the sound of Archlinux then Manjaro is what you are looking for.
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