Consider the Penguin

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Consider the Penguin
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OS Platform Statistics
Current trend is that Windows XP is growing fast
The Windows family counts for more than 90 of
the market
http//www.w3schools.com
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Current Windows List Prices

• XP Home Edition189.95
• XP Professional
• 289.95
• Windows XP together with Office XP
• 560
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
• Client Access License Quantity 5
• 999 
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Client Access License Quantity 25
• 3,999 

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WindowsA Security Nightmare?

• Windows is a favorite target of worm and virus
  writers
• Worms and viruses are stunningly effective on
  Windows because Windows provides atrocious
  functionality which makes it easy for worms to
  strike.
• Windows Registry
• Windows Update

TechUser.Net
How often do you see this?
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Typical Windows Lifecycle
Programs Installed
Clean Windows Installation
Windows Registry Accumulates more and more residue
Quality Deteriorates
User Forced to do Clean Reinstall
System loses all the previously applied security
updates, and becomes a sitting duck for worms and
other malware.
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Even With a Clean Installation

• The Internet Storm Centers values for amount of
  time it takes to be hit by a virus probe have
  been cut in half since one year ago from 40
  minutes to 20 minutes!

http//isc.sans.org/
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Even With a Clean Installation

• The upper limit download of a Windows XP SP2
  upgrade is 272391 KB.
• On a 1.5 megabit (T-1) connection, this takes
  approx. 24 minutes.
• A probe will hit your computer every 20 minutes
• Dont forget install time! Theres another 20
  minutes alone!

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If You Choose Windows

• Plan for downtime
• The average rate of failures requiring a system
  reboot has been
• measured at around 8 per session. http//solu
  tions.journaldunet.com/0409/040915_etude_postedetr
  avail.shtml
• Expect Insecurity
• We're fundamentally changing the way things
  operate, to help to make software more resistant
  to attacks. We're two and a half years down a
  much longer road it's more of a 10-year
  timeline.
• Stephen Toulouse, Microsoft Security Program
  Manager, http//www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09
  /view.html?pg3
• Inform Customers of Potential Instability
• State driver's licenses and identification cards
  won't be available for the remainder of the week
  because of a virus that has crippled the computer
  system since Friday.
• Wednesday, September 22 news http//www.denverp
  ost.com/Stories/0,1413,36257E33257E2417722,00.ht
  ml

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Linux

• Linux is a free Unix-type operating system
  originally created by Linus Torvalds with the
  assistance of developers around the world.
  Developed under the GNU General Public License ,
  the source code for Linux is freely available to
  everyone.
• Recently Celebrated 13th Birthday

http//www.linux.org
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Open Source

• Computer programs or operating systems for which
  the source code is publicly available are
  referred to as open-source software
• Inherent in the open source philosophy is the
  freedom of a distributed community of programmers
  to modify and improve the code
• Linux is the best-known example
• Others include the Apache Software Foundation
  (www.apache.org ), who produce the dominant
  software (64 of web servers in 2003) for servers
  that dish out corporate web pages.

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Pros of Linux

• Inexpensive
• Most Linux copies are free. This is the beauty
  of open source!
• Secure
• Even with source code freely available, Linux is
  one of the most secure operating systems
  available
• Reliable
• Its not uncommon to have a machine up for more
  than a year without a reboot
• Multi-User Centric
• Unix was built intended for many users. Linux
  adopted this many systems have hundreds of users

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Pros of Linux

• Internet Community. Always willing to help with
  problems, and anybody can write a patch to modify
  source code. A worldwide team of developers is
  at your fingertips.
• Example
• The Gainesville Linux User Group runs a
  mailing list with many
• Linux experts, including UF faculty that run
  systems you use everyday. Holds monthly
  meetings. Expect help within minutes!
  http//lists.ufl.edu/archives/linux-l.html
• Low system requirements. Linux doesnt require a
  top of the line computer.

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Cons of Linux

• Program x doesnt run on Linux.
• Many program vendors dont support Linux
• SOLUTION
• Linux provides lots of alternatives to common
  programs and likely at a much lesser cost
• Try http//www.sourceforge.net . With over
  80,000 free project downloads, its worth a visit
  
• Or, try Wine Wine is an Open Source
  implementation of the Windows API on top of X and
  Unix. http//winehq.com/

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Cons of Linux

• Hardware y doesnt run on Linux.
• Many hardware providers dont write drivers for
  Linux
• SOLUTION
• Most older hardware is supported by Linux, even
  if the manufacturer themselves did not provide
  the solution
• Save money and purchase older hardware. Linux
  doesnt require a high-end PC, and your hardware
  will work as expected
• Also, the Driver on Demand (http//driverondemand.
  sourceforge.net/ ) project aims to have your
  system automatically download and install drivers
  from the Internet

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Cons of Linux

• I have to download multiple CDs worth of setup
  disks.
• A typical Linux install is 3 CDs of contents and
  2 additional CDs contain the source code
• This is necessary to provide a vast array of
  software
• SOLUTION
• Check the home page of the distribution that
  youre downloading. Chances are that they offer
  to send you CDs at a small cost. Also, network
  installs are possible you can use an FTP mirror
  of the distribution youre installing and not
  concern yourself with CDs.
• Remember how much money youre saving by getting
  Linux!

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Cons of Linux

• Programs are hard to install
• When reading program documentation, they often
  cite how to compile the program on your own.
  This can result in program dependency issues and
  take a lot of time.
• SOLUTION
• Compiling your own programs is a key feature of
  Linux. You can edit the source code and build
  with command-line options to customize the
  software.
• However, if youre not up to this task yet, there
  are many package managers available. They
  download and install programs for you.
• Try
• RPM (RPM Package Manager) http//www.rpm.org/
• APT (Advanced Package Tool) http//packages.debian
  .org/stable/base/apt.html
• Yum http//www.abo.fi/tjunnone/yummy/
• Emerge http//www.gentoo.org/doc/en/portage-manual
  .xml

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More than 32 Flavors'

• Linux is packaged in distributions (commonly
  referred to as distros) or flavors. Select
  the flavor that works best for you.
• RedHat/Fedora/WhiteBox most common, heavily
  supported
• Gentoo known for performance
• Debian known for compatibility
• SuSe known for ease of use
• Mandrake primarily intended as a desktop
• The list goes on!
• Each flavor has its own strengths and weaknesses
  however, each is supported by the same robust
  Linux kernel.
• If youre unable to decide by Internet research,
  use a trial and error approach. Most are, after
  all, free!

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Window Managers
KDE

• Once youve decided on a Linux distribution,
  choose a Window Manager
• The two most popular are Gnome and KDE
• Look similar? They are! Try them both and see
  which fits your needs.
• Youre in luck, Linux can have multiple window
  managers installed, and lets you choose which to
  boot into
• Switching is seamless!
• All window managers respect the underlying
  directory structure of user home directories and
  programs

GNOME
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Install Programs

• Of course, youll need software to replace all of
  your Windows programs. Here are some common
  replacements.

Evolution supports calendars, address books, rich
content e-mail, indexed searches, IMAP/POP/SMTP
support, Palm device support, and much more.
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Install Programs

• Web Browsers are perhaps the easiest Linux
  transition
• Many popular web browsers are cross compatible
• Some window managers, such as KDE, are packaged
  with a browser such as Konqueror

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Install Programs

• Already Comfortable with Office? Not a problem!
• OpenOffice emulates and improves on many
  Microsoft Office technologies

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Install Programs
Winamp
XMMS
AIM
GAIM
Youll find a small learning curve on many
programs, as theyre modeled after the Windows
equivalent.
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Install Programs

• As a rule of thumb, any software that you used on
  Windows has a Linux equivalent, and most any
  software you can imagine having utility has
  probably been written in one form or another.

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Get Educated

• The University of Florida has a Linux page
• http//www.circa.ufl.edu/linux/
• One of the best ways to get informed about
  current Linux related issues is to join a mailing
  list
• The University also has a Linux mailing list
  LINUX-L_at_lists.ufl.edu

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Get Educated

• Check out the Linux Documentation Project
• The LDP is a loosely knit team of volunteers who
  provide documentation for many aspects of Linux
• There are several forms of documentation
• Guides
• HOWTOs
• Man (manual) Pages
• FAQs
• http//en.tldp.org/

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Get Educated

• Google!!!
• A simple Google search produces hundreds of pages
  dedicated to providing Linux information
• http//www.gentoo.org/
• http//www.linuxjournal.com/
• http//www.redhat.com/
• http//www.linux-laptop.net/
• just to name a few!

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Takeaway

• Windows has issues that should be considered
• Expensive (?)
• Security Flaws
• Windows is not the Only Operating System
  Out There!
• Linux is a Open Source (free) alternative to
  Windows

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Takeaway

• There are many alternatives to Windows based
  software that are often cross-platform compatible
  that run on Linux
• There is plenty of information readily available
  on the Internet if you want to know more about
  Linux

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Questions ?