NewsForge: A Microsoft Guy Tackles Linux

“I am not especially a Linux advocate. I go with whatever
software works best for me in terms of usefulness and feasibility.
I’m Microsoft-certified, so persons meeting me classify me as The
Microsoft Guy. However, thanks to the people I met at last month’s
Free, Libre and Open Source Conference, and guidance from the
Trinidad and Tobago Linux Users’ Group (TTLUG) mailing list, I have
learned that free and open source applications are ready for
mainstream use. Armed with my newfound knowledge, not only was it
unbelievably easy to move from Windows XP to Red Hat Linux 9, I had
fun doing it!

“With my first Linux experience installing Slackware back in
1996 or 1997, I had to do lots of homework. There were things you
needed to know including stuff most computer users would not want
to bother with, such as the correct vertical and horizontal refresh
rates of your specific brand of monitor. You had to set these
correctly (manually–there was no auto-detect feature then) or else
you would literally fry your monitor. This instantly discouraged
mere mortals from trying Linux.

“Since that time I have learned Windows 9x/2000/XP desktop and
server variants and various applications for them because they’re
what most people were using and where most people needed support. I
kept tabs on Linux, trusting that the open source community would
keep improving Linux to the point where I could confidently advise
people about using Linux as a viable alternative…”

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