Date: Fri 18-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Linux

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: Linux

By Bob Brand

The ground shakes. A soft rumble is heard two valleys over. The noise,

although faint, steadily increases. An army is on the move. Linus Torvalds, a

20s something Finn, leads a rag-tag determined band of mad-as-hell unpaid

volunteers. They are on the march. First we had the Browser War between

Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Microsoft won that one.

This new confrontation is called the OS (operating system) War for the

Desktop. The opposing forces are Microsoft NT and Linux.

First DOS, Then Windows

With the flick of a switch we expect the light to brighten the room. We could

care less about the hydroelectric, nuclear, or coal-fired generators, the

electrical grid or the power lines, transformers and substations needed to

deliver the energy. When we turn on a PC, we expect it to start taking

commands to connect to the Net.

We could care less about the operating system (usually Windows 3.x or 95/98)

that handles the mundane chores of connecting the keyboard, running the

printer, or retrieving data from the hard disk. Bill Gates and his army of

programmers at Microsoft have taken care of all that. When we purchased the

computer, the operating system was included. It was part of the computer -

just like the light switch on the wall.

The people at Microsoft have a plan for us. For those of us who have not yet

upgraded from Windows 95 to Windows 98, we will be encouraged to do so.

Windows 98, however, is the end of the line. As personal computers become even

more powerful, the upgrade of the operating system will be from Windows 98 to

Windows NT (New Technology). However, NT will be tagged with a new name -

Windows 2000. For now, we will call it NT.

NT's History

Most operating system software used by small to medium sized businesses are

expensive and not user friendly. They also suffer from other weaknesses.

Unable to run high volume applications like Microsoft Word (word processing),

Excel (spreadsheet), or Access (small database), companies are often forced to

install internal networks in order to perform these tasks. Many companies have

opted to use Windows NT because it fills much of their needs. However, NT is

far from a perfect solution. Compared to other operating systems, it turns in

sluggish performance, has stability problems (it can crash), and suffers

security flaws (hackers can break in). Yet, in spite of glaring weaknesses, NT

continues to grow in popularity.

Many medium-sized companies use an operating system called Unix. Unlike NT,

there are various incompatible varieties of Unix. As a result, the operating

system is not only expensive, but the hardware and application software

packages are more expensive than Intel (PC)/Microsoft (Windows) systems.

In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a computer science student at the University of

Helsinki, created a version of Unix and gave it away on the Internet. He

called it Linux. He asked for volunteers to test and improve it. Thousands

responded. The result is nothing short of a modern miracle. After seven years

of continuing refinements, many computer professionals state Linux is better

than Windows NT! As you might expect, Microsoft is not amused by this turn of

events.

7-Plus Million and Growing

Today, between seven and nine million computers run Linux. (Because it is free

figures on the number of users becomes fuzzy.) While impressive, this is small

potatoes compared to the several hundred million PCs running Windows. In its

current state of development, Linux is too cumbersome to install and use by

the vast majority of everyday PC users. Keep in mind, however, that Linux has

several years before the Mother of All Software Battles will occur. Right now,

Linux is very Internet-friendly (it is the system of choice for large and

small ISPs - Internet Service Providers). PC users can find low cost (or no

cost) popular applications (apps) like word processing, spreadsheets and

databases that run on Linux machines. More become available continuously.

Usually, Linux-apps do not have the glitzy graphics and advanced features

found in many of today's Windows programs. The Web browser that runs on Linux

systems is Netscape Navigator.

A Threat To Microsoft?

"Braveheart" Torvalds and his hearty band of guerrilla fighters continue to

face down a formidable foe in Microsoft and its legions of Windows

programmers. While it is unlikely that Linux will ever enjoy the position of

undisputed king of the desktop, it will continue to nibble away at Windows

NT's realm. Now, only the seriously geeky netsters have the patience and

fortitude to run it on their computers. However, Linux will continue to be

Microsoft's constant toothache as we move into the new century.

Given the pivotal role that the Internet plays in the development of Linux,

the day may arrive when old computers quietly sit in household closets humming

away unattended while connected to the Internet. They would keep personal

websites connected to the rest of the cyber-world for the cost of a small

amount of electricity needed to keep the memory active and to spin the disk

drives.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.salonmagazine.com/21st/feature/1998/11/12feature.html

http://detnews.com/1998/technology/9811/06/11060137.htm

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/1998/44/ns-5953.html

(This is the 133rd of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, Antiques Road Show is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until

next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info

for Real People (including links to sites mentioned in this article) can be

found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to:

rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)