by Andrew Garrett

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: April 15, 2009

Chances are you're a Windows user. Windows holds over 90% of the desktop market share, after all.

But it's also incredibly likely that you're interested in being a GNU/Linux user, since you're trying to explore your options by reading this article. And good for you! It's important to know the choices available to you.

If you have no clue what GNU/Linux is, just check out the Wikipedia article, which covers its history and nature very well. I'll put it succinctly here: Linux is a kernel that was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991, released under a free software license. Since it is free software, anyone can use it, copy it, modify it, and spread it without fear of legal consequences. 'Linux' commonly refers to operating systems that use the Linux kernel. 'GNU/Linux' refers to an operating system that not only uses the Linux kernel but also contains

GNU software and does not contain any proprietary, non-free software.

Since most users do not concern themselves with GNU ideals, I will not actually write about choosing between Windows and GNU/Linux. To compare the two is like comparing apples and rocking chairs (actually, IKEA ones... ever try to build a system from scratch?). Instead, I will write about choosing between Windows and operating systems running the Linux kernel. That way, the comparison is more relevant.

So, let's think. What do you want to do with your computer? And how willing are you to try to tackle technical issues? And how computer-savvy are you?

These are the most important questions when choosing between what you're familiar with (Windows) and what you're not (Linux).

But first, let's dispel some myths: Linux is not only for nerds. Many netbooks used to run a variant of Linux before Microsoft started issuing new licenses for Windows XP which could run on those small computers. Furthermore, there are many flavors of Linux, and some are aimed at beginners and Windows users who might find a new system intimidating.

So, what are you going to do with your computer? Certain users might, because of their activities, not want to use Linux.

If you're going to play video games, chances are you're not going to choose Linux. Microsoft invented something called DirectX which is a graphics standard that most video games use. DirectX is proprietary, and therefore it would be illegal for any Linux operating system to use it. While there is something called Wine that will let you try to emulate a Windows environment to help integrate Windows programs into Linux,

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