DACS General Meeting
April 6 2009
Program Review:
Linux: “Not just the Command Line…”

by Joseph Tobin

On April 6, 2009, Drew Kwashnak and Jim Ritterbush gave us an interesting glimpse of computing with Linux and how it can work in ways similar to other popular operating systems.Drew began by explaining that Linux is a complete operating system with tools and programs similar to others. Linux is the kernel which allows the hardware and software to communicate.

Linux is open source and licensed under the Gnu General Public License (Gnu GPL), which means it is both free as in “Free speech” or “Freedom” and free as in “Free Beer.” Money can be made from services such as: accessories, ordering live CDs, live service, etc… There needs to be good support or your customers will just switch services.

Linux is also one of the biggest open source projects, with potentially thousands of people working on it and improving it. People can also create their own distributions of the code and even base it off one another, as long as you allow others to base theirs off yours. This shared effort is great because, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. This leads to a collaborative environment instead of a competitive one. Updates are made with the user in mind, not profit. While Linux is only the kernel, a distribution is a complete operating system. Most distros are made to focus on a certain set of features, such as: graphics.

There is not just ‘one distro to rule them all.' There are many distros to use, and they can be as technical or as user-friendly as you would like. Fedora, Gentoo, and Arch Linux are all distros. There are complaints of too many distributions out there, but each one serves a different purpose and fits a certain set of needs. IPCOP, for example, is a router, firewall, and is an easy to set up user friendly, content filter. The advantage of having many distributions is that there is most likely a distro out there that will fit your needs.

Another great feature is the package manager. It allows you to install programs with ease, without the ‘dependency hell’ of other operating systems. It handles dependencies, downloading, and installing the program you want.

In Windows, the graphical user interface (GUI) is tightly “weaved” into the OS, while in Linux; you can even choose which desktop environment you want. The choices of desktop environments include: Gnome, KDE and XFCE. Each is built with different technology. You can completely control the look and feel of the desktop. The desktop environment holds back drops, icons, and the entire themes, which can be made to match your personality. Up to 16 virtual desktops can be open at the same time and can be switched between using 3D Cube.

KDE has been accused of looking like Windows, but recently, Windows 7 has been accused of trying to copy KDE. GNOME is the most used, in distros like: Red Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE. XFCE is a lightweight, easy to use desktop environment. KDE, GNOME and XFCE application can all work, no matter which one you choose. Because it is open source, many people are always fixing and creating updates, which make it very hard for viruses to have any effect. It can be customized to suit your own individual needs; it is not one size fits all. Linux is used in large companies and updated frequently to take advantage of new technologies.

There are various ways to try Linux; download and burn a live CD, buy a CD from a vendor, put Linux on a USB memory card, and most recently, buy a computer with Linux pre-installed.

There are many ways to get help from more experienced users. Forums exist for specific distributions (i.e. Ubuntu) or general Linux questions speaking with people all over the world. There is also a mailing list that will reply to your questions. Questions go to the inbox and are answered by more experienced users. There is also IRC instant messaging during certain times, which leads to difficulties because many people are often talking at the same time about different topics.

Next, Jim demonstrated many popular applications for Linux and how they are similar to common applications on the market today. He believes that the computer should work for the user, not the other way around. That is why he uses Linux. Programs such as Open Office can look and work similarly to programs such as, Microsoft Office, with the added feature that you can switch between the programs without having to open another program.

GnuCash is an accounting package and small business manager, resembling a checkbook register. There is also a very useful digital photo manager called Digicam, which has many features, such as the ability to export images to your Flickr account and different image effects. GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program), is a Photoshop-like image editor, with features for feathering, repairing, and many other photo editing utilities. Amarok is a very popular music manager and fully featured media application. Kaffien is another popular media application, except geared toward watching videos. Hydrogen is a drum machine used by many people, including semipro drummers who have found this to be a very professional and useful application. Eclipse is a great IDE with tons of features which can use popular programming languages, such as Java script and HTML. Filezilla is an FTP application with support for many FTP protocols. Kopete is an Instant Messenger that allows you to have different IM services open at the same time while it remains open in your notification tray even when closed. K3B is a popular application for burning CDs and DVDs; just drag and drop the files into the window and then burn. All of these programs are free and some are also available for windows.

If you are fascinated by these capabilities and want to learn more, the Linux SIG meets the third Wednesday of the month in the Resource Center at 7:30 p.m.