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A Microsoft guy tackles Linux

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.

Now, with the release of Red Hat 9 and the existence of bootable Linux variants like Knoppix and dyne:bolic, I believed I could start talking about Linux without being branded Microsoft heretic or Linux advocate, but simply as someone using common sense.

To evaluate the feasibility of a permanent crossover to Red Hat 9 I listed the software I use so that when I started using Linux I could weigh whether I had all the tools I needed. I created a table listing my tasks and the applications I found to satisfy them in both Windows and Linux.

Let me take a moment to have a heart-to-heart with anyone who thinks he cannot live without a particular application. Applications only aid tasks. Before Windows Notepad there was the physical notepad. Before the word processor, there was the typewriter, before the typwriter a pencil. The key for one looking to get out of the neverending cycle of paying for upgrades to proprietary software is to distinguish between the application and the tasks the application assists with. When you approach things from this angle, finding applications to fulfill tasks in Linux becomes tons easier.

The initial "application I could not get rid of even though I wanted to" was Windows Media Player 9. But once I realized my system was just too slow when running Media Player's processor-intensive super-graphics I realized Linux offered an alternative I just didn't have under Windows.

After a clean, error-free installation of Red Hat 9 I had a nice interface running, pointing and clicking just like Windows. As the interface changes between DOS and Windows 3.1 and 3.1 and Windows 95 demonstrate, interface changes happen even with Windows. Using the need to learn a new interface as an excuse to not consider Linux is just an uninformed opinion. Looking at Red Hat's GUI, aside from the lack of a Program Files menu, I could imagine I was running an upgrade of Windows XP (and I am sure my friends in TTLUG would argue I am).

However, I now hit a snag. I couldn't get online, because Red Hat's Internet setup wizard couldn't find my Conexant Winmodem.

Winmodems are cheap, controllerless "software modems" that come supplied with drivers for Windows only. I believe the majority of computer users who purchase generic non-brand-name machines do so because they're more affordable. I know I'll probably buy a new computer within a year or two anyway, so the less I invest now, the less it hurts in two years time when I want a new system. Then I'll look at the specifications from several brand-name manufacturers, do my homework on what parts I really need and what I can reuse from my old system, and build my own system using wholesaled parts available at low cost. When I was buying my current system I didn't expect to be moving from Windows to any other operating system.

I was lost for a time. TTLUG to the rescue! I asked for help on TTLUG's mailing list and I got my answer. It was like having a free helpdesk. Not only that, but I'm sure at least one other person on the list saw my question and the answer and was able to either use it himself or share the answer with someone who came along with a similar question.

Without getting into too much of the nitty gritty technical detail, I got the modem working, and I was on my way with the next steps towards Linux migration. I've hit more snags along the way, but I had the Internet and my mailing list buddies to guide me where I got stuck.

Look at all this free stuff! What is it?

Many first-time Linux users get lost simply because they do not know what software does the job they want to do. That's another power of the Linux users group mailing list. If I didn't at first know what program I was looking for to do the job I wanted, there was a good chance at least one of the hundred-odd persons on my LUG's mailing list would.

Another wonderful thing about FOSS is that upgrades are consistent and free, so if I have a problem, I can fix it, or if I can't fix it, chances are someone else who has my problem can fix it. Now that I've done it a few times, I can install and uninstall software easily.

I have now migrated 90% of my tasks to Linux. I boot Windows XP just to play a game or two that I haven't been able to figure out how to migrate to Linux, or to download images from my digital camera, since I haven't figured out how to get the driver to work yet. (Anyone own a Polaroid Fun Flash 640SE and have it working under Linux ?)

I'll end this article with the table of Linux application alternatives that I have found to satisfy my tasks. Please e-mail me or leave a comment below if you want to add any information or comments about the tasks I have not yet migrated to Linux, or better yet, if you've found a better way for me to accomplish my tasks.

Nissan Reddi Dookeran is an IT professional/consultant in Trinidad, West Indies. He is an active member of the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) and Trinidad and Tobago Linux Users' Group (TTLUG), and holds a B.Sc. Computer Science and Management from the University of the West Indies. He is MCSA (Win2K) and MCDBA (SQL2K) certified.