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Linux: What You Want To Know

There are some problems that Linux users have that Windows users do not. Fairness demands that we share them:

• Device Drivers
• Web Sites
• Windows Only Applications
• Configuration
• Summary

Device Drivers

Device drivers are software programs that are used to control hardware devices like printers, scanners, cameras and so forth. When manufacturers bring these things to market, they provide drivers to the distributors of operating systems or via an install disk included with the device. The box may have the Microsoft logo with the inscription "Designed for Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98, Windows NT" and it may have a MacIntosh logo. These notices indicate the drivers included. Some devices will include a Linux driver (and a notice), but many do not.

Does this mean that Linux users can't use the device? A few years ago many manufacturers wouldn't provide device support on Linux. (Some older devices still are not supported.) Programmers would write the driver programs and distribute them free on the Internet. Some manufacturers wouldn't release the specifications for their devices, so Linux drivers couldn't be written. The manufacturers reasoned that they supported the vast majority of the market with Microsoft and Apple drivers and Linux was bound to fail anyhow, so why spend the money to support it?

Linux didn't fail. Today, there are enough installations of Linux that most manufacturers do support it. However, users are advised to check sites that list hardware drivers for Linux before making a purchase. What are most likely to be missing are the very newest devices, where Linux programmers haven't written the drivers yet and devices designed to work with just Windows, like WinModems. Red Hat, Mandrake and SuSe have sites that list devices supported on Linux. It should be noted that whether a device driver will work on your machine has to do with the version of the operating system, not the distribution. The author has purchased devices labeled only for Windows and Mac, plugged them in and had them work, but it's a gamble.

Web Sites

A good web site is designed to work with many different web browsers. Most users run Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Some Internet sites are designed just for that browser, which most Linux users don't use. (If it is used, it must be run with WINE.) The author opened some bank accounts when he moved to a new town. The bank supported the latest versions of Internet Explorer, but supported Netscape only up to version 4. He was using version 6. They refused to upgrade their site. He moved his accounts rather than to downgrade his software. He wouldn't have had this problem if he'd been running Windows.

Windows Only Applications

There are many applications that are written only for Windows. Others are written only for MacIntosh. Most popular software today has a Linux version. It is seldom "just like" the Windows product, just as MacIntosh software seldom, if ever, has the same look, feel and features of the Windows product that performs the same task. You may not find a given product on store shelves, because it's often free. You may need to learn to use the Internet to find it. Linux user groups (LUGs) usually have discussion lists. Their members will help you find the software you need. You don't even need to live near a group. They're on the Internet. If you must have a Windows product, more and more of them now run with WINE.

Configuration

Besides needing a driver, most devices must be configured. The different Linux distributors provide configuration programs. Like Windows and MacIntosh, most Linux configuration is done with with a graphical user interface (GUI). If a device isn't supported on your version of Windows, you're out of luck, because there are few who know how to do configuration directly in the Windows Registry. If a device isn't supported on Linux, you may still be able to use it by using a text editor to edit the configuration files. You may usually get help to do the configuration on the LUG lists.

The author struggled to get a device (a particular wireless network PCMCIA card) working for literally months. He should have checked the hardware compatibility list before making his purchase and he could have replaced his device with one that was supported, but he's stubborn and cheap. He got some solutions from the LUGs that didn't work, but he finally got one that did work.

There is one thing, in particular, that we should note. The caveats one must take into account with Linux are not because of the design of the operating system or the sophistication of the distributions, but because hardware manufacturers and software writers don't choose to support Linux like they do other operating systems.

This lack of support was one of the things that killed another good operating system, OS/2. The little software that was written for it was very expensive. Linux can't have that problem because of the philosophy that gave birth to it. Most of the software written for Linux is free, although that is not a requirement. Another factor that killed OS/2 was that IBM had to license Windows 3.1 for use with OS/2. When Windows 95 was released, IBM needed to upgrade its Windows license. Microsoft put such a high price tag on doing so, that IBM didn't think it cost effective to pay it. (Maybe that's one of the reasons why IBM has invested a billion dollars in Linux.)

The continued success of Linux is not dependent on any one vendor. All that Microsoft has been able to do to Linux is to throw FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) at it. In fact, the Linux community owes Gates and company a debt of gratitude. Microsoft has provided the Linux community with one of its biggest boosts. Their newest licenses for Windows XP and the accompanying upgrade requirements have raised the cost of ownership for Windows more than what many companies can absorb. Many of those who would not otherwise have looked at Linux are now doing so, and many have made the switch.