Until very recently computer operating systems have been dominated by Microsoft. There has been no strong competitor to rival them.
This is changing.
In 1991 a student at The University of Helsinki developed an operating system as part of a student project. His name was Linus Torvalds and the basic core system he developed is known as Linux.
Linux has been freely distributed and the source code has been available for development by companies and competent individuals alike. It's stable and inherently virus resistant architecture is used throughout the Internet and the main search engines are all based on Linux.
Because Linux is freely available it has been the tool for individuals of great competence but has not always been as user friendly as Microsoft Windows users might be comfortable with.
This is all changing.
With the advent of more versions of Linux by 2012 there are at last systems freely available and much more user friendly.
Many, if not most distros includes not only an operating system that is easy to use but also have drivers for many modern peripherals such as scanners, printers, cameras, flash pens, CD/DVD burners and an office suite compatible with the latest version of Microsoft Office.
I can now offer Linux as an alternative operating system to Windows either as a stand alone operating system or running in dual boot with Windows (choose your operating system at boot). As a stand alone system it offers good basic experience to users who requirements are Internet access, e-mail, word processing, spread sheets, presentations and games - and considerably more.
This also means that computers running Linux as a stand alone system don't necessarily need to be as powerful as systems running the latest versions of Windows. Apart from my building costs customers can have the advantage of a free operating system and cheaper hardware, all reflected in prices. You will also be joining a world wide community sharing their insights into an operating system that will be claiming a greater proportion of the market than before. Some popular distros
Mint
Zorin
Ubuntu
Distrowatch - more distros
Most come with OpenOffice which can open .docx files and many versions of Microsoft Works format, an impressive CV.
There is excellent on line support for all systems, not that you will need them very much because Linux is so incredibly stable and virus resistant.
Considering that an operating system and associated driver software may account for anything from a third of the costs of a new PC or laptop (in some instances even more), shouldn't you be considering if Linux may meet your needs?
2 - 3 - 4 - 5 + computers for the price of one? Is there really no such thing as a free meal? Can you really get something for nothing?
Not quite - but nearly!
Most Linux distros and certainly have a valuable feature - multiple desktops . They can be accessed by icons on the taskbar and from the keyboard. It's possible to have multiple applications open on each desktop (providing you have the computing power to do so) and beneficially no one desktop seems confusingly crowded. It can seem as though you are running one screen from multiple computers.
I can cite one business customer who has 14 websites always open and approximately twelve documents plus at least one game. The multiple desktops handle this sensibly and clearly. Try this on other operating systems.
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