by Lam Luu

Created on: July 11, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2011

I am kind of tired of this kind of question, you know, "Is Linux right for you" or "Is Linux ready" or something like that. Why? Because the answer is pretty complicated. It needs to take into account a whole bunch of information about how you use your computer. However, if you are just another computer user, who wants to be productive and get the job done, Linux is for you.

First reason is that Linux is fast. It is faster than Windows XP, for sure, and don't even mention Vista. Why does speed matter? How about imagine yourself working on a document? Under Linux, you would turn on the power, way about 30s to 1 minute for Linux to boot up. Then, you log in, which never takes more than 5 seconds. You fire up the application of your choice (either AbiWord, Open Office, or some text editor for Latex), and work on your document. When finishing, you order the computer to print, then turn it off. The operating system would takes less than 3 minutes of your time since you turn on the PC till you turn it off. How about Windows? You turn on the PC. Windows takes about 1 to 2 minutes to boot up. You log in. Windows takes about 1 minute. Then, other start up programs take over. You will be nagged to update something, or "Please upgrade to Pro edition for those benefits." Anyway, about 2 to 5 minutes are taken. Now, you are ready! Fire up Word or Open Office and work. After about an hour, Windows starts to notice you about its updating, and asks you to restart. You would promptly click on "Later." Continue working. Windows has finished updating, do you want to restart now? Again. Later, please, I want to finish my document. Working. Windows has finished..... You get the idea, right? After five times, you give up, restart the PC, and resume your work. Finally, you finish! Turn off the machine and run away (just kidding!). You see, speed is important. It preserves your mood for working. In Windows, by the time you reach Word, you are ready to throw away your PC, not typing your document. In Linux, no, you are still fresh. It also saves you time and attention! This makes you productive.

The second reason is that Linux is very secure. It has few viruses, few threats, few (if at all) spywares and adware. However, the best part is different from that. Linux is, actually, just the very kernel of your operating system. Hence, what you will actually end up installing is something we call "distro." It is a bundle of Linux and a bunch of other applications. Some well-known distros

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