With Obamacare, and this governments attacks on its citizens. Massive taxes and charges for everything, you are trying to save a few dollars here and there.
Well, lets look where we can save a few bucks:
You could get rid of Cable. Some people have and relay more on Internet.
You could get rid of Internet. Some people have done this too.
You could get rid of your land line phone. Most people have cell phones today
You could get rid of your car. Without public transit it’s kinda hard to travel without a car.
You could get rid of your pets. But they bring so much joy to your life.
You could get rid of your computers. Some people have, use their cell phones as their computer.
You could get rid of your cell phone. Almost everyone needs one of these.
How about you keep your computer but just change the operating system?
Yep, instead of Windows you could get a different operating system.
Let’s look at Windows. Any version. Windows only support their operating system for a few years and then come out with something different.
What does that mean for you? You have to get a newer computer in some cases, you purchase the new operating system, you have to purchase new Anti-virus to run on your new operating system,. You have to purchase new programs to run on your new operating system.
Windows Operating system comes with almost no software. You have to download and/or purchase software to run on your computer and operating system.
You are talking big bucks. $100 + for a new operation system.
$300-$500 for a new computer in some cases.
$30-$100+ for anti-virus program.
$30-$1,500 for a program to run on your new operating system.
X how many programs you want on your new operating system.
It adds up fast.
You will soon be spending $500-$10,000 for your new computer.
How about an alternative?
You could go to Mac. But that is more expensive then Windows.
Then theres Linux.
What?
Linux.
It is a open source version of very expensive version of Unix. Now Unix has been around for 40 years. Still going.
Linux has been going for over 20 years.
Open source is just that, open source.
You can get the source code and compile your own operating system.
You don’t need to anymore. In the early days of Linux you pretty much had to compile everything from the source code. Could take weeks to get your operating system and programs running. Well, see like Windows, programs depend on other programs to run properly. But in the early days of Linux that was not bundled together. You had to find the source code to all these programs and compile them.
Today, you have CD’s and DVD’s where Linux runs from the disk. Just put it in and restart the computer. If you like it, you can get a thumb drive (flash drive) and install the operating system to the drive and you can have YOUR computer wherever you go. With a large enough thumb drive you can install a couple of versions of Linux, and store your files there as well. In other words, carry your computer wherever you go.
What do you mean versions of Linux?
Linux was developed over 20 years ago, Many people have compiled and offered versions of Linux. The older ones around are Slackware, Debian, and Red Hat. There are many, many more. One thing about Linux, you can change the way your Operating System works.
Example, Windows has 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 8. Each one is a little different. Well, say you use Mac and really like the way Mac works over Windows. With Linux you can have your Operating System look like Windows, Mac, or something completely different.
Well, lets look where we can save a few bucks:
You could get rid of Cable. Some people have and relay more on Internet.
You could get rid of Internet. Some people have done this too.
You could get rid of your land line phone. Most people have cell phones today
You could get rid of your car. Without public transit it’s kinda hard to travel without a car.
You could get rid of your pets. But they bring so much joy to your life.
You could get rid of your computers. Some people have, use their cell phones as their computer.
You could get rid of your cell phone. Almost everyone needs one of these.
How about you keep your computer but just change the operating system?
Yep, instead of Windows you could get a different operating system.
Let’s look at Windows. Any version. Windows only support their operating system for a few years and then come out with something different.
What does that mean for you? You have to get a newer computer in some cases, you purchase the new operating system, you have to purchase new Anti-virus to run on your new operating system,. You have to purchase new programs to run on your new operating system.
Windows Operating system comes with almost no software. You have to download and/or purchase software to run on your computer and operating system.
You are talking big bucks. $100 + for a new operation system.
$300-$500 for a new computer in some cases.
$30-$100+ for anti-virus program.
$30-$1,500 for a program to run on your new operating system.
X how many programs you want on your new operating system.
It adds up fast.
You will soon be spending $500-$10,000 for your new computer.
How about an alternative?
You could go to Mac. But that is more expensive then Windows.
Then theres Linux.
What?
Linux.
It is a open source version of very expensive version of Unix. Now Unix has been around for 40 years. Still going.
Linux has been going for over 20 years.
Open source is just that, open source.
You can get the source code and compile your own operating system.
You don’t need to anymore. In the early days of Linux you pretty much had to compile everything from the source code. Could take weeks to get your operating system and programs running. Well, see like Windows, programs depend on other programs to run properly. But in the early days of Linux that was not bundled together. You had to find the source code to all these programs and compile them.
Today, you have CD’s and DVD’s where Linux runs from the disk. Just put it in and restart the computer. If you like it, you can get a thumb drive (flash drive) and install the operating system to the drive and you can have YOUR computer wherever you go. With a large enough thumb drive you can install a couple of versions of Linux, and store your files there as well. In other words, carry your computer wherever you go.
What do you mean versions of Linux?
Linux was developed over 20 years ago, Many people have compiled and offered versions of Linux. The older ones around are Slackware, Debian, and Red Hat. There are many, many more. One thing about Linux, you can change the way your Operating System works.
Example, Windows has 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 8. Each one is a little different. Well, say you use Mac and really like the way Mac works over Windows. With Linux you can have your Operating System look like Windows, Mac, or something completely different.
You can go to http://distrowatch.com/ and see which distros have the most hits.
The top 35 are the most active. Most of those I have played with.
My first adventure into Linux was when it was a year old. I had one big problem. Linux would not work unless you had a 386 processor and my computer had a 286.
When I did get a computer large enough to run Linux, I was busy with school and had no time to pla y with Linux.
Over the years Linux was there in the background but I was trying to find any way I could to get cheap software for Windows that did what I wanted without spending several hundred dollars at a time.
Then I went through a divorce, some alone time and then I was found by my current wife. I moved and got back into my computers.
Then the day came when Windows no longer supported the operating system I was using. It cost much more than I was willing to spend to upgrade to a newer operating system.
A friend gave me a copy of Red Hat. (by the way, that is legal with open source software) and I put it on my computer. It ran better than Windows did.
I went Linux crazy. I downloaded Debian, Suse, Knoppix, PCLinuxOS, Fedora, Ubuntu, Mint, Slackware, FreeBSD (Not Linux but open source Unix) Puppy, Sabayon, and a few more.
Just starting off I had problems with flash players, movie players, music players. Then I found what they are calling Windows type. There were a couple of versions of Linux set up just like Windows, the creators thought many people would pay them instead of Windows. They were wrong and went under.
But if you stick with Mint, PCLinuxOS, Ultmate Edition, all have the software installed when you install and will be able to watch movies, listen to music. Basically everyting works out of the box.
Most of the others you have to install flash player, Java, Libraries to watch movies and listen to music.
One other feature of Linux, you can change the Desktop. KDE, GNOME, UNITY and many more.
Then theres software. You can download software from repositories, thousands upon thousands of programs to download. Games, Office, utilities, Graphics, Sound, Video. Just about anything under the sun you can find.
One huge problem with switching to Linux. You have to spend a little time learning how to use Linux. Some programs have their own language. But if you are learning computer languages you can use Linux. Almost every language out there, there is an open source for Linux.
So you can just use your computer like Windows, and just surf the Internet write a few emails, play a few games. You don’t need to learn how to use Linux. Just start and go.
Oh did I tell you, you can run Linux without anti-Virus.
So to sum it up you can switch to Linux, get programs for Linux and use Linux without any anti-virus software and without much cost to you. You do have or purchase a computer that you can burn a CD or DVD (Most computer today have that ability) and purchase some blank CD's or DVD's. Have Internet access and time to download ISO's.
You do need a cd burning program that will burn ISO's.
Good luck and most of all, have fun.
