Penguins at the equator
By Duncan Drury
You may not have heard of it yet, but there is a growing buzz in the ICT
community about Linux that has reached deafening volumes. Linux is said to be
the savior of a world threatened by computer viruses and malicious crackers, and
the only credible threat to Microsoft's monopoly on operating systems. While
this is debatable, Linux has revolutionized the development, marketing and
distribution of software. Probably the most visible benefit is price Linux is
free.
The buzz has reached Arusha, with at least two large ICT businesses poised to
make Linux available in the near future. I spoke with David Erickson, Operations
Manager of AFAM, about Linux and Arusha Node Marie's plan to help interested
parties get hold of Linux at the price of a CD.
Originally released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, Linux was
designed to be a free version of UNIX, the operating system of choice for
powerful super computers. Linux grew in popularity amongst students, scientists
and engineers, because it brought the power of UNIX to desktop machines.
"The fact that Linux is Open Source' the code that Linux is written in is not
secret like Windows' means its' hundreds of thousands of users are free to
write improvements to Linux, adding new features and, more relevantly, fixing
bugs and security holes rather than waiting for corporations to release fixes
according to their own schedule" says Erickson. "This is a powerful force!"
Another important benefit Linux has is that it is legal to install it from
copied CDs. The philosophy behind Linux encourages you to copy and distribute it
further. "Most of us are forced to break the law because we cannot afford to pay
the price Microsoft is charging us" says Erickson. "Linux provides a cheaper,
safer choice."
Of particular relevance to Arushans, Linux has proved itself to run well on
older computers with less memory and slower processors than Windows requires
reducing the hardware costs as well.
Because of its Open Source philosophy Linux has grown from an obscure operating
system suitable only for hardcore computer geeks into a fully featured graphic
user interface (GUI) operating system easily used by the average computer user
without special training Linux now looks and works very much like its more
expensive rival.
While Linux itself was being developed, thousands of programmers developed
applications to be used on it, many of them also Open Source and available for
free. OpenOffice is a suite of typical office tools similar to Microsoft Office
it includes programmes similar to Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. I wrote
this article using it I barely noticed the difference from working in Word.
OpenOffice even allows you to open Word documents and save them so you can
continue working with people using Microsoft's products.
Software written for Linux spans the full range, from powerful database
management systems like MySQL to graphics tools like The GIMP and games. Many of
these are also available for free.
Where Linux really comes into its own is as a server operating system. Linux is
used around the world as the backbone for office systems. It is well suited to
file sharing, serving web pages and databases, securing office networks and
managing email. Arusha Node Marie, like many ISPs, runs its servers exclusively
on Linux because of its reliability and low cost.
So what are the drawbacks? Installing a new operating system can be tricky. I
have had problems installing Linux on my laptop and ultimately had to give up.
However, each new version of Linux is easier to install installing the latest
Red Hat Linux is said to be easier than Windows 2000. Desktop users should have
no trouble at all.
Another drawback is that people used to working with Windows may be a little
confused when faced with a slightly different interface an internet cafe
running Linux can offer everything a Windows based one can, but may have to
assist perplexed customers more than usual.
Support is also an issue Linux typically comes on a CD without printed
manuals. Documentation that comes on the CD is often aimed at advanced computer
users, but leaves the average person scratching their head. This is improving
a number of web sites provide clear well-written documentation on all aspects of
using Linux The Linux Documentation Project is a notable effort in this
direction.
So where can you find Linux? Arusha Node Marie is planning on making copies of
Red Hat 9 available at cost. A&A Computers are considering installing new
computers with Linux rather than Windows. It is also available for download from
a number of sites, although at 650Mb per CD, this is a long download. In time,
Linux and other open source software should become as easily available as
pirated copies of Windows are today.
Those who wish to test Linux without committing to installing it might try
Knoppix, a version which runs entirely off CD without touching your hard drive.
I have a copy of Knoppix and will copy it for anyone who sends a blank CD to
find out more about this, and getting hold of a full version of Linux, contact
me on duncandrury@yahoo.co.uk
Useful Links
www.redhat.com distribute Linux under
the name Red Hat
www.slackware.com another distribution
of Linux, called Slackware
www.habari.co.tz Arusha Node Marie
www.tldp.org The Linux Documentation Project
www.knoppix.de no risk Linux on a CD.
www.linux.google.com dedicated Linux
search engine
