Put a Puppy in Your PC
Microsoft’s PR department has been busy hyping the 2007 release of is newest operating system which they are calling Windows Vista, the successor to Windows XP. So far, based on preview articles I’ve read, I have not seen any compelling reason for moving to Vista. The primary benefit seems to be the enhancement of Microsoft’s revenue stream.
Ever since the release of Windows XP, and more specifically since the implementation of Microsoft’s ‘Product Activation’ which is designed to insure that a freshly purchased unique copy of Windows XP exists on every new PC, I have been looking for a worthy alternative to Microsoft Windows. For folks who are either building their own PC or looking to upgrade their current one, the cost of XP Home is upwards of $90, which represents a major portion of the total cost of the PC. The mainstream alternative would be Apple’s operating system, but that is relegated to Apple hardware and from a price perspective it’s no bargain either, costing upwards of $100.
The primary alternative for PC users who are determined to throw off the Microsoft yoke is Linux (pronounced Lynn’-ucks). The problem, in my opinion, is that Linux is far from being ready for prime time use by the majority of home users. I see it best suited to experienced computer hobbyists or, conversely, users with the simplest of computing needs.
The free on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia, explains that the Linux operating system grew from two independent projects. First was the so-called GNU project, begun in the early 80s with a goal of developing a totally free Unix-like operating system. Then in the early 90s, a Finnish student at the University of Helsinki, Linus Torvalds, developed what came to be known as the Linux kernel. The ‘kernel’ is the very core of the operating system, managing system resources and communication between hardware and software components. When the GNU software components were melded with Torvald’s kernel, the GNU/Linux operating system was borne.
Linux Distributions
Today many companies package different software elements and application programs with the core system to create variants known as Linux Distributions. Typically these companies offer a free public version of their distribution which most often is a pared down version of their for-sale version. The commercial version usually includes software applications or enhancements not found in the free version, and may include printed manuals and technical support.
Over the years, I’ve dabbled with several Linux distributions: Mandrake (now Mandriva), Desktop Lycoris (since consumed into Mandriva), Xandros, and most recently, Puppy Linux. Xandros has been the most complete Windows-like version I have used, but the price of their commercial version is almost that of Windows XP, though it does include a broad array of applications and a special program, Cross-Over Office, which allows the use of certain Windows applications. There are many Linux distributions available, and it seems that every Linux devotee has their own favorite. Other popular distributions include Suse, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Linspire, PC Linux OS, Simply Mepis, Fedora, and Knoppix.
To get a taste of Linux without taking the chance of messing up your Windows installation, take a look at Puppy Linux (www.puppylinux.com). This totally free distribution can run entirely from a CD - you do not need to install it onto your PC. Simply go to their website and download what is called an ISO file, which is an image file that you then burn onto a CD using software capable of expanding the ISO file into its final form. The download requires broadband, as it runs about 73MB. Once you’ve burned the CD, pop it into your PC, set your system BIOS to boot from the CD, and after answering a few configuration questions during the boot process, you find yourself running Linux. The desktop reveals the existence of an included web browser, an email program, and software applications that provide the capability to write Word compatible documents, create spreadsheets, burn CDs, play games and music – most everything that the casual PC user needs to do. All this is done without using your hard drive – everything is loaded into your RAM (system memory). You have the recommended option to create a single file on your hard drive where your settings and documents are stored, if you wish.
If your PC has 128MB of RAM (preferably 256MB or more), you can run Puppy Linux. Even old slow systems will seem quick, since everything runs from within your very fast system memory. Puppy Linux is the creation of Barry Kauler who named the system after his pet Chihuahua whose name was “Puppy”. Little Puppy must not have been flattered by this turn of events, as he has since run away from home (true story). But his legacy lives on is this extremely compact and fast operating system. I encourage those of you interested in sampling Linux to visit the Puppy homepage and see for yourself the many different applications that are included with this free Linux distribution. Contact me if you’d like me to make you a copy of the live CD.
Addendum - added since this article was published in the Taberna Tribune:
I recently added Ubuntu to my list of Linux experiences, though I have not spent much time with it yet. Like Puppy Linux, you can download the distribution for free from http://www.ubuntu.com as an ISO file which you burn to CD. You can run the system from the "live CD", or there is an option to install it to a hard drive. The desktop presentation is more akin to that of Xandros Linux, though it is designed as a minimalist desktop presentation with hardly any icons, though the option exists to change that. The other big difference between Ubuntu and Puppy Linux is in the hardware resources needed to run. Ubuntu comes with the current version of the wonderful open source "Open Office" Suite, which is the common man's answer to Microsoft Office. Puppy comes with its own collection of slimmed down applications for word processing, spread sheeting, and the like. On an old 650 Mhz PC with 256MB of RAM, Open Office took close to 2 minutes to fully load. The word processing app in Puppy was ready to go in literally about two seconds. So if you are running modern hardware, you might want to explore Ubuntu. If you're looking for an alternate operating system for lesser hardware, send for the Puppy.