GNU/Linux - an alternative to MS-Windows?
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Geeky Glossary
 Back Door - a secret way in: a way for someone else to control your computer
Distribution - Linux
comes in many flavours, called distributions. These use different installation
techniques and have different software included. Some you have to pay for, but
most can be downloaded from the internet.
Crack (cracker, cracking) - usually (and inaccurately) called
hack (hacker, hacking) by the media - cracking is malicious hacking, or
malicious use of software. See Hack.
Free Software - software that is made available under a copyright licence that permits holders to do certain things to improve it and share those improvements.
GNU - GNU's not Unix, the Free Software project.
GPL - The GNU Public Licence which
guarantees the freedom to share and change software.
GNU/Linux - An operating system using Linux and GNU Software, commonly called Linux. The easiest way of getting GNU/Linux running on your computer is to use a Distribution.
Hack (hacker, hacking) - usually confused with cracking by
the media, hacking is merely the tinkering with computers or code, and is not
necessarily malicious. See Crack.
Open
Source - software for which the code is available. Often confused with Free Software - Open Source isn't necessarily as 'free' as Free Software (but Free Software is always Open Source).
Operating
System (OS) - the OS is the basic programme which helps other programmes to work with your computer. Think of DOS, MacOS, Linux and MS-Windows - these are the
operating systems. The programmes you use (like a web browser or Office) run on
top of them.
Software Audit - a periodic check of computers in an organization to see if all the software installed is licensed.
Source /
Source Code - the instructions written by a human for a computer to follow;
also called a computer program or script.
Virus
- A program created for the sole purpose of replicating itself on your
and other people's computers, often causing great damage. If you are running MS-Windows you should have a virus
scanner - a programme which looks for and tries to get rid of viruses.
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Most of us have a copy of MS-Windows on our computer - that's what it came with and what we're used to. And anyway, does it really matter what we have running on our computers?
We'd argue that it should matter, especially to people campaigning for social
change.
Microsoft is one of the biggest corporations in the world, and a major
driver of the globalisation process. They are a supporter of Bush's Republican
Party, and have been implicated in Human Rights Abuses
in China, and recently, funding the pro-GM
lobby. Most people
have contributed to Microsoft's coffers, one way or another. Even if you haven't
ever bought any new software directly, when you buy a computer it will usually
have MS-Windows on it, whether you want it or not and you pay for it (the so-called Microsoft Tax.
Microsoft's interest is to maximise profits. Many feel that to do this they
cut corners, producing unstable and insecure software. Constant
crashing, acute susceptibility to viruses and the need to
continually 'defragment' hard-drives are just a few examples.
Another more sinister aspect of Microsoft's drive for profit is the control of
users' data and hardware - not to mention extensive data collection. The new
licencing terms that Microsoft has introduced has made the company even more of
a hate-figure than before. Things looked bad enough in the past with reports of
schools being raided
and local government and other institutions being put under tremendous pressure
to conduct 'voluntary' costly software-audits, then being presented with bills for 'unaccounted software'. The new licences however are going even further
and are binding businesses and institutions into costly (sometimes several
hundred percent increases) new licences which variously commit the users into
using exclusively MS software and upgrading at regular intervals. If the
hardware requirements for MS-Windows Vista are anything to go by, then the hardware manufacturers are certainly rubbing their hands too.
Another tactic to cause the obsolescence of perfectly good hardware was Microsoft's unbelievable claims in early 2002 that it is illegal to remove MS-Windows from a computer that it was originally shipped with i.e. almost all computers. Had the claims been believed,then it would have had terrible implications for all those receiving or using donated and recycled hardware: the threat of Microsoft audits would require recipients to have all disks, authorities, proofs of purchase, licenses,handbooks etc etc etc or to purchase new licences (in effect MS would be paid twice for the same software). MS seems to have removed these claims from the page on their
website. (See this article for more
information on MS' claims, and here for info
about MS' campaigns against the retailing of computers without a preinstalled
operating system).
 
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The issue of control has a more immediate impact for end users too -
Microsoft has continually been suspected of building 'back doors' into their
software to gain access to all data on users' hard-drives. These range from
the so-called 'NSA-key' scandal to the way XP deals with your data when
determining your licence status. How true these theories are is
difficult to prove when the source (the human readable text of the software) is not
available to be inspected. What is undeniably true, though, are the general
security problems associated with MS-Windows. Vista, the so-called "most secure system in the world" has already had several major security problems exposed, and in May 2002 a senior Microsoft executive told
a US court that some Microsoft code was so flawed it could not be safely
disclosed - doing so could damage US national security and threaten the war
effort in Afghanistan(!)
Yet another aspect of control is the way businesses (Microsoft
and AOL chief among them) steer people to commercial aspects of the web. To
quote Noam Chomsky: They want to control access, and that's a large
part of Microsoft's efforts: control access in such a way that people who access
the Internet will be guided to things that they want, like home marketing
service, or diversion, or something or other. If you really know exactly what
you want to find, and have enough information and energy, you may be able to
find what you want. But they want to make that as difficult as possible. And
that's perfectly natural. If you were on the board of directors of Microsoft,
sure, that's what you'd try to do.
Naom Chomsky in an interview with CorpWatch.
So if you're not entirely happy to see your budget go into Bill Gate's back pocket, (and then be spent on
lobbying for globalisation and free trade), if you don't want a costly
cycle of software and hardware upgrades, then what do you do ?
(There is lots more information about Microsoft's activities on the
internet - do a search, have a look at Coporate Watch's Company Profile of Microsoft.
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Linux ?!
After years of frustration (crashing, viruses, data-loss...) with MS-Windows
we decided back in 2000 to convert completely to Linux - an
operating system that is causing a revolution in the world of computer
programming. It's now shaking even the foundations of mighty corporations
such as Microsoft and IBM.
Linux is the product of a worldwide community working together co-operatively
to create exciting alternatives to Microsoft and the like.
This is one of the reasons why we like Linux so much - it fits into our vision of how
society could be (but hopefully not as geeky!) The resulting software is revolutionary
not only because of the co-operative way in which it is developed but also
because it is Free.
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Free Software
Free Software under MS-Windows
A lot of Free Software has been written or re-written to work under MS-Windows - so users can discover the free software and Open Source world. After using Free Software on MS-Windows, it is easier to migrate to a Free operating system (GNU/Linux for instance), where the same programs are used. The following software is widely used and appreciated by Windows and Linux users:
OpenOffice.org - an Office suite featuring a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software and even database front end.
Firefox - very popular web browser.
Thunderbird - easy to use email client.
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(For a discussion on the politics of Free Software see The Free Software Movement - Anarchism in Action on Indymedia UK)
In contrast to software corporations like Microsoft and Adobe, most Linux
developers are individuals, and are not in it for a profit, but out of a passion
for computing and for fun. This is reflected in the underlying concept of Open
Source/Free Software.
Free Software supporters believe that all information on how a programme works should be freely available to all, so that others can use this for altering the software to suit their needs or to write their own programmes based on the development already done. Whereas the source code of corporate software is generally protected by copyright (i.e. you are expressly forbidden to use it or alter it, often even to view it), most Linux software is covered by the GNU Public Licence. The source code for the software must be made publicly available,so that anyone can use and change it, as long as they also make the modified sources available.
This concept of Free Software (as in free sharing of information and free
speech) has resulted in a multitude of programmes to suit every need imaginable. It also
means that most software for GNU/Linux is available for free (although you can
also buy nice, shiny shrink-wrapped boxes in the shops). This generally means
free to download - but even if you haven't got a fast internet connection, you
can quite legally and morally copy someone else's set of Linux CD's, or send off
for copies (generally about £4-10). These CD's are the equivalent of
getting several versions of MS-Windows, Office, Photoshop and lots more software
for virtually nothing!
There is another advantage to Open Source software. Because anyone can check
software for bugs and security holes, problems tend to get spotted more quickly,
and sorted even faster. This has resulted in making Linux a very stable and security conscious operating system (e.g. virus problems are virtually unheard of,
firewalls are built in).
In the past this security consciousness has
unfortunately also meant that Linux wasn't too user friendly for those of us who
don't have geeky tendencies. However that has been changing radically over the
last few years. Linux is now definitely something that can be considered by all
who are not frightened of fiddling a bit with their computers. We believe that
once installed and set up, it is something that anyone currently using MS-Windows can use.
If you're interested in Linux then have a look at the next part Trying Linux, which has some pointers and tips for
those considering trying out Linux.
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Trying Linux
Although Linux is nowadays rated by industry analysts as being as user friendly (sometimes rated as being more) as MS-Windows Vista, we would not recommend installing Linux by yourself to absolutely everyone. Just as with MS-Windows, if you're not frightened of playing with your computer then really do give it a go.
If you want to use your computer purely as a tool, then first consider whether you want to go through the hassle of installing an Operating System, whether Linux or MS-Windows, or find someone to install it for you. Having said that it take as little as half an hour and a bit of button clicking to install Linux and all the software you're likely to need). Once you have it all installed and set up you should have no problems running office, internet etc software. Have a look at the pointers below to decide whether to give it a whirl.
If your computer is not connected to a network (other than the
internet) and you use that computer for surfing, emailing, word-processing etc,
then you'll be able to use your computer for all of these with no fiddling -
immediately after installation. The learning curve starts if you have strange
needs/tastes/hardware.
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Running Linux from a CD-Rom: Live CDs
Perhaps the best way to try out Linux is to run it from the CD-Rom. There are versions of Linux (see list below) that you put into the CD drive of your computer and switch it on. Two minutes later you have Linux. It won't touch what you have on your hard disk (unless you tell it to...) because it's running only in memory (RAM). Because of this it is safe and hassle-free to use. It will generally run more slowly than if you had it installed properly on your hard disk - the more memory you have the smoother it will run.
Running Linux from the CD-Rom is also a great way to test and get details of your hardware or to temporarily change a MS-Windows computer to Linux (e.g. for a workshop).
We recommend the following if you want to try out Linux on a CD-Rom
Ubuntu a very popular distribution. It comes as a LiveCD so you can try it out before you install. If you like what you see all you have to do is click on "install Ubuntu". See the section on Ubuntu in the Which Distribution section below.
Knoppix -
we can't tell you how impressed we are with this - Knoppix has an
amazing amount of up to date programmes (2Gb on a normal CD!)- we love
it! Worked incredibly well and fast on newer machines, but some older
machines didn't like it so much...
nevertheless highly recommended if you have 96Mb or more RAM.
Knoppix has become so popular that there are dozens of adaptations
and variants for different purposes. One of these is Damn Small Linux:
Damn Small Linux runs on older
machines (reportedly as old as 486s), and does much the same as Knoppix - but
with lighter and simpler software. This means it doesn't look as cool, but it
does run well and fast. Use this if Knoppix is too big, or you want to boot
off something small like a Business Card sized CD or even a USB Thumbdrive!
There
are literally hundreds of these LiveCDs - some are quite specialised
for different tasks (such as firewalls, medical applications, to check out a new
distribution, clustering etc), or different hardware (such as your Mac -
PowerPC) - have a look at this Live CD List if you want to try out other ones.
Support
If you want to learn all about Linux then the best way is to install it and play with it.
After a while you'll be either hooked or turned off. If you're hooked you'll
soon get to the stage where you'll feel confident enough to use Linux full
time, and can provide support to others. If spending lots of time in front of
the screen learning by doing isn't an option for you, but you still want to try
out Linux, then look around for support. By that we mean look around for somebody who knows their way around Linux and is prepared to spend some time setting up Linux and making sure that everything works for you. (If you have an IT budget then you can save lots of money by converting to Linux - even if you pay for installation and support). Most people who are into Linux are happy to help others get to know the operating system - providing they have the time. If you have someone prepared to help out then you've crossed the first hurdle to getting Microsoft off your computer.
Once you get started then you'll find your best sources of help are on
the web. Many distributions have help sites and discussion boards, and any
questions posed there usually get answered within a few hours by other
users. Have a look at the alt.os.linux Newsgroups, MandrakeUsers, UbuntuForums and these guides to Mandriva and Ubuntu to
get an idea of how things work, or consider a paid for support service, e.g.
from Seeds for Change.
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Which Distribution ?
A distribution
of Linux is a set of Linux and software which is
aimed at different types of users - whether beginners, experts or for
specialized purposes (e.g internet server). Below is a list of some of the
more popular distributions that we can recommend. A good place to compare the
various distributions is DistroWatch.com and Linux.org. After having a
look at the various distribution websites, chances are you'll still have no
idea which distro to go for. The best thing to do is to ask the person
you're most likely to turn to for Linux advice - they'll probably have their
own preferences and advice to give. If someone is setting it all up for you
then it's probably best to let them decide.
So once you've decided - whether by flipping a coin or after hours of
exhaustive research, where do you get the Installation CDs? If you have a
fast internet connection and a CD burner then you can download the
iso's (images to make your own CDs from) from the distributions'
websites or from LinuxIso.co.uk, otherwise you can get them
for just a few pounds (generally less than £10)
from Linux Emporium. If you want a
nice shiny shrink-wrapped box and an installation manual you'll have to pay
extra (although the manuals are usually included on download CDs so you can read
them through before you start).
Ubuntu - is a very popular distribution with people new to Linux. Very easy to install and maintain with excellent support
from many sites such as UbuntuForums and the Easylinux wiki.
OpenSUSE - a free version of
Novell's SUSE, like Mandriva it is an impressive distribution which is very
easy to install, and is easy to maintain.
Debian - In one way Debian is
definitely the most interesting distribution because it is completely 'Free' (as
in free-speech, free-code) - no companies are behind this distribution, and it
is completely run by volunteers. Straightforward to install but requires some knowledge to maintain. If you really want to use Debian we'd advise you to
start with an easier Distro (such as Ubuntu), and then try out Debian when
you're more confident.
Mandriva - Mandriva (used to be called
Mandrake) is an impressive distribution which is very easy to
install, and is easy to maintain. It has excellent support on the website
(Mandrivalinux.com and MandrakeUsers.org). We recommend this
because of ease of installation, ease of maintenance and the fact that
Mandriva provide free and very regular updates for software. This is what we're
using at Seeds for Change.
BLAG - is made by activists for activists. It is based on (and 100% compatible with) RedHat/Fedora, and runs really well on older hardware.
Vector isn't as easy to
install and maintain as the above mentioned Distros, but we've mentioned
it here because it's a full distribution that is fast, yet fits on less than
400Mb of Hard Disk space - excellent for older PCs that aren't
too happy with heavier distros.
Linux Terminal Server Project - This
is a distribution for those wanting to set up a network using one
decent computer and lots of old computers working as 'X-terminals'.
Originally developed for schools, but can be used anywhere, and easy
to install. (see Networking for more details).
Ubuntu, Mandriva, Yellow Dog and Debian all do
versions for Apple Mac hardware. Everything's the same, it's just been adjusted to work on an
iMac or anything newer. (Older Macs like Classics, LCIIs etc sort of work, but are still difficult to install).
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Installation
The installation of Linux used to be the most demanding part. This has
changed dramatically over the last few years, and we can now from
experience say that installing most distributions of Linux is a lot more
straightforward and painless than installing MS-Windows.
Each distribution has its own installation programme, and some are better than others at detecting what hardware you have in your computer. The ones we've listed above (other than Vector) are easy to install, and generally all you have to do is click the 'next' and 'ok' buttons. It is a good idea to make a note of your hardware (sound card, video card, get your monitor frequencies) just to double check that the installation programme has detected it properly. (You can check this in MS-Windows by going to Control Panel in the My Computer window, then clicking on system and clicking through the tabs at the top. This will give you a list of the hardware, just copy down the names. The monitor frequencies will be in the handbook, and will be something like 30-50khz horizontal and 50-75hz vertical). If you run into any problems that can't be solved easily then it's worth just trying another distribution.
Installing Linux onto your Hard Disk
The most frightening part of the installation process is
when it comes to 'partitioning' your hard disk. Partitioning your hard disk is
literally what it says - you divide up your hard disk into compartments - for
example one for MS-Windows to live on, and several for Linux. But why would you
want to do this? Well, when you install MS-Windows it just greedily grabs the whole
of the hard disk and doesn't leave any room for anything else. If you want to
put another operating system on your computer you'll have to make room for it by
either getting rid of MS-Windows or squeezing it up. You could of course just get
rid of MS-Windows (which you can do during the installation - there's usually a
question whether you want Linux to take over the whole hard disk), but if you're
trying out Linux for the first time you'd be unwise to do this - probably best to wait until you've worked out whether you want to change full time to Linux.
The safest way (in terms of not risking the data you have you on your
MS-Windows partition) of installing Linux onto your hard disk is to get a second
hard disk, build it in, and give that over completely to Linux. (MS-Windows has to
be on the first hard disk - it can't work out how to run off the second when you
start your computer).
But what about those of us who don't have a second hard drive, have tried
running Linux on CD and want to make use of the advantages of
having it installed permanently on our hard disk? This is where the slightly scary
bit is: we have to squeeze MS-Windows in (or in geek-speak: resize the partition).
Any operation that involves messing around with partitions risks losing your
data - so back up first!
Many Linux distributions will now let you 'squeeze' the MS-Windows partition
during installation. Remember to first
defragment the MS-Windows hard disk by using MS-Windows' own tools.
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Hardware and Peripherals
Linux will run on anything from a 386 upwards (486, Pentiums 1 - 4, Celeron
etc), including AMD (Athlon, Duron, K6 etc) systems, and there are versions
which will run on Apple Macs (PPC and Mk68), not to mention SPARCs,
Mainframe, Amigas, iPods, Xboxes . . .
More to the point, how well does Linux run on all of these? Well, if you
can do without the nice Graphical User Interface (the nice point and click
icons etc), then Linux will run great on even the oldest hardware. If
however you want the point and click at icons and windows, then you'll need
at least a Pentium1. Exactly what you'll need depends on the software you
use. If you want to run, for example OpenOffice (an office suite like MS
Office), then it would be nice to have something running above 400Mhz with 96Mb of Memory. You can run Linux with a point and click environment with less than
that, and if use lighter Window Managers and programmes then it'll be fine (see
Software below for more info). Most modern distributions
fit happily on 2Gb of hard disk, if you have
less than that have a look at Vector Linux which will fit happily on about 300Mb (but don't expect an easy installation).
The info-sheet on Low-cost Computing has a comparison of MS-Windows and Linux programmes for older machines - have a look at this to see what your
machine is capable of.
Perhaps the weakest point in Linux is the support for things like
scanners, digital cameras and some printers. The problem is
that the companies making these devices generally only release software for
MS-Windows and MacOS, and ignore other operating systems. This means that the
aforementioned community of computer geeks has to sit down and work out how
to get it going under Linux.
They're doing a great job, and many hardware
suppliers are releasing drivers for their products. Apart from scanners, almost
all of these things are now supported under Linux, but super-duper brand-new
only-just-released things, as well as more exotic things are less likely to
work. The thing to do is to have a look at the various databases (some
distributions have a database of supported hardware on their sites, e.g.
Mandriva, SUSE.
Here's some more links for you to check your hardware:
Linux Hardware Compatibility Lists and
Linux Drivers
Printers -
Linuxprinting.org
has a full listing of supported printers. Most printers work
ok nowadays, unless they're really strange. All postscript printers work with
Linux.
Modems -
so called 'winmodems' are a real pain. A lot of modems which come with the
PC are 'winmodems' which are like half a modem - they expect MS-Windows
to do some of their work, and because Linux isn't MS-Windows they won't work.
There's been quite a bit of work done on this, and about half of these
winmodems work with Linux now. As a rule of thumb, if you have an external
modem (i.e. your phone line goes into a little box, and then that box has a
wire going into your computer) then you're probably ok. If you have an internal
modem then check out Linmodems.org to
work out which drivers you need.
Laptops can be difficult because
they often use special, customised hardware, and therefore need special,
customised software. That's why when you buy a laptop you often get a customised
rescue CD rather than a proper MS-Windows CD. Have a look at linux-laptop and TuxMobil for a database of
peoples' experiences with different models of laptops. Booting with a Knoppix CD will tell you
immediately how well Linux will run on your laptop
ADSL - in
Britain the Alcatel/Thomson Speedtouch 330 ADSL Modem is quite
widespread. Many distributions support this now, but it can still be a real pain to get working. (If you're using an older version of Mandrake instructions on getting the Speedtouch working are here). Much easier if you have ADSL coming in as an ethernet connection (RJ45 plug), eg with a combined ADSL modem/router then there should be no problems.
Scanners - a
list of supported scanners. Not all the scanners on this list work automatically
- most need some sort of tweaking. Although more and more scanners work
'out of the box', sadly some scanners can be a case for getting
someone to help, unless you can find exact instructions for your model of
scanner - do a search in your favourite search engine.
The problems with supported hardware are disappearing quite rapidly as the
number of Linux users reaches a critical mass and hardware manufacturers can no
longer afford to ignore this market.
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Software
Another 'problem' people have with Linux is that there is so much software
that for most tasks you have several possibilities! Once you have Linux running
on your computer one of your first choices will be which WindowManager?
There are literally dozens of WindowManagers and each one is a different
'environment' to work in - that is the way you deal with windows, whether
you have a bar and a 'start' button at the bottom (or side, or top, or not
at all...). We recommend you start with KDE or Gnome, because they behave most
similiarly to MS-Windows, but feel free to experiment - and have a look at the
screenshots below which show a few of the most popular window managers.
 How KDE looks. |
Another example of how KDE can look. | |
 The other big one - Gnome. |
 My personal favourite - XFCE - light and fast.
|  Windowmaker is also
a very popular choice. |
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Here's a list of commonly used MS-Windows programmes and some of their
counterparts under Linux. As mentioned above, most software under Linux doesn't
cost anything - all of the Linux programmes in the list are available for free,
and all except Acrobat Reader are free in the Free Software sense of the word too. The list is by no means exhaustive - there are literally dozens of applications for every task you can think of, this is a
small selection to give you an idea of what's available.
| Word Processor |
Word, OpenOffice.org |
OpenOffice(MS Word clone), AbiWord, Koffice
Kword |
| Spreadsheet |
Excel, OpenOffice.org |
OpenOffice, Gnumeric, Kspread |
| Presentation |
PowerPoint, OpenOffice.org |
OpenOffice, kpresenter |
| Database |
Access |
OpenOffice, MySQL with graphical front end
such as Kexes. |
| PIM, E-mail |
Outlook, Eudora, Pegaus |
Evolution, Kmail (Kroupware), Sylpheed |
| WWW Browser |
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Mozilla |
Konqueror, Firefox, Mozilla, Dillo |
| ICQ |
icq |
licq, kicq, gicq, Gaim... |
| FTP |
WS_FPT 6 |
gFTP, Konqueror |
| Firewall |
ZoneAlarm Pro |
Firewall is an integral part of Linux.
Configuration software is included in almost every Linux distro. You can tweak
it with a variety of graphical tools eg Watchdog or the distro's own tools.
|
| Anti-Virus |
Norton Anti-virus |
Not required with Linux:-) |
| PDF Writer |
Acrobat Writer |
Documents can be saved directly as PDF
from OpenOffice. Or use another program to create document and
save to file, then use ps2pdf. |
| CD-R Recorder |
Easy CD Creator |
K3b, Konqueror (KDE Filemanager) |
| Image Viewer |
ACDSee |
Konqueror (file manager in KDE), ee, kview... |
| Image Editor |
Fireworks / Photoshop / Paint Shop Pro |
Gimp |
| PDF Viewer |
Acrobat Reader 4 |
Acrobat Reader 4, xpdf, kghostview |
| Archive Utility |
WinZip 8 |
Ark, Archiver, GnoZip |
| MP3 player |
WinAmp |
XMMS, Grip, Mplayer, Amarok |
| MPEG player |
WMPlayer |
xine, Mplayer |
|
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Networking
As mentioned above networking (linking computers together to share resources -
whether data, access to the internet, memory or CPU cycles) is an area where Linux really shines. If
you are familiar with Networking in a Windows environment then you will be able
to get a similar network going under the above recommended Linux
distributions easily enough (have a look at the Salvage Server Project's Networking Computer Systems
Using Ethernet for more info). Linux is really good at doing things such as
internet sharing (one computer dials in to the internet, or uses the ADSL, and
all computers on the network can surf), sharing hardware (like scanners,
printers or zip-drives) or acting as X-terminals.
X-terminals are computers which fetch all their data and programmes over the
network from one or more central servers. The way this works is that you have
one decent computer with all the programmes your group may need, and then all
other computers can be slow old machines (486's or Pentium1s). These machines
do minimal work (take input from keyboard and mouse, send it to the
main computer, receive info back and put it on the screen). This means obsolete
computers can be used, and is an excellent, easy and extremely cheap way of
providing up to date software and fast internet access to users (typical cost -
one fairly new machine (free to as much as you want to pay), as many old
pentium1's as you have users (free to £100 each), ethernet cabling (about £1 per metre), ethernet cards (generally free second hand, or up to £3) and a hub (free to £50). Compare this to the cost of providing one fairly new machine per user (plus a hub and cabling and ethernet cards) if you chose to run MS Windows). If you are wanting to set up a network of workstations - whether just for internet browsing, or for power-users, have a look at our X-Terminal page.
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Afterword
Hopefully this info-sheet has given you a taste of what Linux is, and why it
may be for your group. If you've managed to get this far, then Linux will
probably work for you - the worst part is partitioning your disk (which can be
avoided), and the fact that some hardware is still not well supported. Other
than that, installation of the recommended installations is a snap nowadays, and
you'll be on your way in no time.
Do check out the links for other views on changing to
Linux. If however after reading all of this you decide Linux is still too tough
for you, but are still interested in the idea of getting Microsoft off your
machine, then do check back on the development of Linux in six months' or a
year's time. The pace of development and improvement is really breathtaking, and
we really believe that tasks which at the moment require some technical ability
will be much more user-friendly in the near future.
PS Another article on where to start with Linux can be found
here.
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Linux Links
 Linux Cookbook - excellent and
comprehensive guide for
those wanting to find out more about their system and the commandline.
Mandriva - (used to
be called Mandrake) an impressive distribution which is very easy to
install, and is easy to maintain. Support from lots of community sites such as: MandrakeUsers.org.
Ubuntu - is becoming a very
popular distribution, and CDs can be ordered for free from the website (although
they may take a while to arrive!). Usually regarded as easy to install and
maintain, but the lack of more advanced GUI tools puts some people off.
Excellent support from many sites such as UbuntuForums and the Easylinux wiki.
Vector Linux - Peanut isn't easy to
install for newcomers to Linux, but I've mentioned it here because it's a full
distribution that is fast and fits on less than 400Mb of Hard Disk space -
excellent for older PCs that aren't too happy with heavier distros.
Linux Terminal Server Project - This is a
distribution for those wanting to set up a network using one decent computer and
lots of old computers working as 'X-terminals'. Lots of help for all sorts of terminal-server / X-server projects. Can be used anywhere, and easy to install.
LinuxIso.co.uk - download linux ISOs (images to
burn your own CDs), or get them cheaply (£4-£10) from:
 LinuxEmporium.co.uk.
LWN's list of available Linux
distributions.
DistroWatch.com and Linux.org also have good
lists.
The Free Software Movement - Anarchism in Action - very interesting discussion about the politics of Free Software - does GNU provide us with a model for social organising?
... and we also
provide GNU/Linux training and migration
support.
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Seeds for Change: a non-profit activist training co-op
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