Linux Info

You may have noticed that there's a topic I tend to write a lot about... but this time, I want to give some information about the other topic I tend to write about: the Linux operating system.

Linux is an operating system that is free in both senses of the word. Were I writing in Spanish, the confusion wouldn't be there: Linux is both libre and gratis. English forces us into the circumlocutions "free as in speech" and "free as in beer" respectively.

Free as in beer is nice... but it's the "free as in speech" part that's more important. Linux gives you control, which is contrary to the trend of proprietary operating systems. Above all in the field of audio and video, today you are assumed to be the enemy; an incorrigible who will steal if given any opportunity to do so, and who must be prevented from doing so by having control over your computer, your TV, etc. taken away from you, including the "time shifting" capability that you might have thought the "Betamax decision" assures you. (That seizure of control comes at a hefty cost in resources; see Peter Gutmann's analysis for details.)

Let's keep away from the issues of so-called "digital rights management" for now, though. (If you want to pursue them, head for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, defectivebydesign.org, or the Open Rights Group.) Instead, let's stick to something that matters to you as a Second Life user.

If you have the misfortune to be using Windows Vista, you know that it has a reputation as a serious resource hog, especially if you turn on the fancy "Aero" GUI. Some will say "No matter; computers these days are fast, and graphics cards capable"--but the SL client is also a serious resource hog. Wouldn't you rather your computer spend its resources running the SL client?

Linux, like Unix before it, isn't inextricably linked with a particular GUI--or any GUI at all. Compiz Fusion provides fancy graphics effects at far lower cost than Aero, but one can happily use Linux without it, or even eschew the relatively ornate GNOME or KDE in favor of minimalist window managers like Xfce, IceWM, or Fluxbox.

So, where can one go to learn more about Linux? linux.org is a good place to start. distrowatch keeps track of, and describes, the various Linux distributions one can choose from. These days, Ubuntu is getting quite a bit of attention, and via Wubi, can be installed on a Windows system without having to deal with hard drive partitioning.