Part II: A Choice is Made
A Letter of Introduction
Part I: Birth of a Nerd
I decided in my second year of college that it was time for a new system. Price was clearly a major concern, both due to my status as a student and the occasional unpleasantness of running software on a slow system. Coupled with the recent advances in Linux usability on the desktop, my growing familiarity with Unix-like systems and an unpleasant experience reinstalling Windows XP on my parents’ computer, I decided that it was time to give Linux a shot – after all, if it didn’t work, what would be the harm? An hour and a fifty cent CD-R down the drain was no big deal.
* Taking Linux for a test run costs very little in terms of time and out-of-pocket costs. A Linux LiveCD gives you a great sneak-peek at Linux without installing anything onto your computer. If you don’t like it, eject the CD, reboot, and you’re back to normal.
After doing my due diligence on various distributions (more colorfully called “flavors”) of Linux, I had amassed a list of candidates with pros and cons for each one. This was not an easy process. There are literally hundreds of distributions. Each one may have several different releases or versions varying in age and stability available for download. My strategy was to focus on the best-known distributions, which I researched on Wikipedia and different distribution-specific forums.
* At some point, you just have to pick a distribution and run with it. I personally would recommend Ubuntu. Here is a great online quiz that will help you narrow it down.
Once I had settled on a distribution and release, I then had to choose how to acquire it (bittorrent? download from a mirror? if so, which one?) and how to install it (download one large install file, or download off the net during the install process?).
* Linux means choice. Being comfortable with winnowing down a large field of choices, researching the remaining ones, and making a decision is crucial to enjoying and fully utilizing a Linux system.
I should note how helpful it is to have someone experienced to help you when you are switching to Linux. I made the mistake of not having that someone. Instead, I used online forums as my surrogate local computer guru. Although forums and mailing lists are fantastic resources, and I have tremendous respect for those who populate them, remote troubleshooting is inherently more difficult than in-person troubleshooting simply due to the time lag and potential for miscommunication. In any case, as time progressed my self-sufficiency increased. However, I do not recommend such a path for anyone not willing to put in blood, sweat and tears in order to get something to work.
* A local expert is key for a beginning Linux user. Google, online forums, bug tracking websites, and mailing lists are invaluable resources. Consistent use of these resources will lead to self-sufficiency in troubleshooting.
In case you were wondering, I settled on Debian as my distribution, “testing” as my release (which struck a nice balance between stability and cutting-edge software), from a direct http download for the install using a mirror hosted on a nearby university; I chose to download software packages on-the-fly during the install (a “net install“) so I would download only what I wanted.
Even an advanced window’s user with the help of an expert is at some point going to have to “put in blood, sweat and tears”. I mean the expert can only help so much, you have to be willing to spend the time in order to benefit from the system or else you might, if not will switch back (or change) to mac or windows. And I think thats probably why the general census in the linux community is so positive as they are reaping the rewards of their hard work. I mean if you’re not really into it what’s the point in changing when everything becomes so much more difficult. And pertaining to cost either mac or windows now comes bundled with pretty much every store bought pc…so linux seems more of a hassle albeit it is “free”.
Fair point – but I think that having a local expert alleviates a lot of that, perhaps to the point of just “sweat and tears.” Of course this is highly dependent on your particular hardware, what bugs are present at the time you install your system, and your specific skill and experience, but as a general matter an expert helps a tremendous amount – which is the point I’m trying to get across.
You also make a good point about the nature of the person switching – I think that someone who’s not really into it more than likely is not benefiting from the increased power of switching, so they’re getting all the costs without any of the benefits. You just have to know what kind of user you are – and this is why I focus the site on power users who care a lot about their system and interface.
As far as bundling, Windows and OSX are “free” insofar as there isn’t a separate line item on your bill for them (although you could buy Dell systems with Ubuntu on them…). My audience really isn’t people who buy prebuilt systems, and for those who do build their own systems, neither OS is free at all. Plus, if you’re building your own system, you’re clearly not worried too much about the “hassle” (personally, I find it quite enjoyable) or even the opportunity cost of the time. But that’s the key – if you find it a “hassle” to spend a lot of time on your system, with a few exceptions, then, again, you’re probably not in my intended audience.
As far as the general linux community goes, my impression is that with the exception of a few dissenters (some reasonable, some not quite so much), there is a general sense of satisfaction. Perhaps one day you’ll join the club 🙂