SWITCH OVER TO LINUX…!!

Hello everyone!! This post is to help people who want to switch over to Linux from Windows. Read on to know the advantages of switching to Linux OS…

The best thing about Linux is that it is an open-source OS. To know more about about open-source OS’s, visit http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/open_source.asp.

• OPEN-SOURCE :

Because it is open-source, you don’t have to pay for it. They can be freely downloaded and legally installed on as many computers as you want. It’s installation is very simple and also you can access the source code with which you can customize the distro.

• STABLE :

Secondly, it is highly stable. It is very rare that you see a Linux OS getting hanged, and also whenever it happens, a faded screen appears which itself gets rectified after some time.

• SECURE :

Next, it is very less vulnerable to malware when compared to windows. So much that you don’t need an antivirus in your OS..!! The reason for this is that whenever you want to run a program, you need to get administrator permission to make the program executable. This greatly reduces the chances of your system being attacked by malware. And also whenever there is any bug / virus, there are patches getting released often to rectify it.

• CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE :

It is very consistent when compared to windows, mainly because it is not affected by viruses and bugs which can greatly reduce a system’s performance over time. Also you don’t need to Defragment your hard disk at all since it uses an Ext4 partition system.

• COMPATIBILITY :

Linux OS’s can literally breathe a new life into your old pc. Linux can smoothly and effeciently run on your system, even on your old pc with low specs.

• VARIETY OF OPTIONS :

Linux comes in all sizes and flavors, which offers a wide variety from which you can choose the distro which will best suit your needs.

• DRAWBACKS :

Though not to be mentioned here, Linux has a few drawbacks. Getting used to the commands and the interface for beginners would be difficult. Also there are not many applications and softwares for linux as in windows.  Finding and installing suitable packages for your particular distro among the many available packages would be a bit difficult in the beginning.

• OPTIONS :

Now that you’ve got solid reasons to switch over, you have the option of dual-booting your pc with windows and linux or else completely using linux. The best recommended distro for beginners would be UBUNTU. Though it doesn’t have a very user-friendly interface, it is the best because of its simplicity and innovative features like the Unity Desktop. Then there’s the cross-platform and cross-device Ubuntu One cloud-sharing and file sync service, which offers 5GB of free storage space. It also has a Software Centre of it’s own. The distro has one of the easiest installation mechanisms and is released twice a year with regular Long Term Support (LTS) releases that are supported for five years.

To get the Ubuntu 14.04 iso file, click on the link and download the file : http://releases.ubuntu.com/14.04.2/ubuntu-14.04.2-server-amd64.iso

For a guide on how to install Ubuntu completely on your pc, refer to the following link : http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-ubuntu-desktop

For a guide on how to dual-boot Ubuntu alongside Windows on your pc, refer to the following link : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

After successfully installing the OS, here are some of the things you need to do : http://howtoubuntu.org/things-to-do-after-installing-ubuntu-14-04-trusty-tahr

That’s it and we’re done. Though you feel it is a bit annoying to use it in the beginning, be patient and believe me, once you get the real essence of it, you’ll really start enjoying it. That’s it for now friends, see you next time. Stay tuned for updates and please do feel free to comment your suggestions or problems regarding the installation / any other issue.