FOXNews.com – Getting Started With Linux – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
It’s been a while since I posted anything new and I felt somewhat inspired to touch on a news article from a little over a year ago. For anyone who knows me it should not be a shock that I’m somewhat of a computer security buff. I don’t consider myself an expert by any means but I do try to stay up with the latest news. I’m also a Linux user.
I will admit right up front that I don’t use it exclusively, as a matter of fact I’m using Windows XP to write this article, but it is my preferred operating system. My perspective is that Microsoft has tried to do so much with Windows that they’ve really spread themselves too thin on the quality control front. The result is that quite a few security vulnerabilities make it through to our computers and diligence is required to keep them updated and safe.
Linux does also end up with vulnerabilities however there is a much larger and more diverse pool of eyes pouring over the code. I think problems are discovered and corrected more quickly as a result. Linux is also somewhat safer as a result of the permissions model applied to user accounts. Microsoft has finally started to work on this problem with the introduction of their Vista operating system but it is far from perfect.
Better security and lower operating cost however don’t really seem to be the key factors in grabbing market share.
We HAM radio operators need to encourage authors to port their software for use on Linux systems. True there are some great programs already available but many have stagnated. A free OS that we can tinker with should be a perfect fit.
If you have never used Linux before, please read the article above and consider it. If you have used it before but don’t anymore then please consider trying it again.
Source: FOXNews.com – Getting Started With Linux – Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
