Busting 5 Myths About (Ubuntu) Linux

Every time I see a discussion on the forums about Linux vs. Windows vs. Mac, I’m struck by the persistence of certain myths about Linux. Reading the conversations, it seems obvious that a lot of people who have never tried Linux have seriously inaccurate conceptions of it.

I recently switched my main computer to Ubuntu Linux. With that as an example Distro, let’s take a look at some popular myths about Linux and see just how true they are.

#5. You Get What You Pay For

This is seriously off. Linux - and free open source software available for Linux - is high quality. If you upgrade to a brand new version of a distro, you’ll probably encounter some bugs. Of course, if you upgrade to a new version of Windows right away you will encounter some bugs.

The Linux community is full of individuals and teams dedicated to the success of free software. They quickly find and fix bugs, regularly update programs, and offer help in community sites. Moreover, most applications and distros are designed by users, for users, so you can be sure you’ll get something useful and usable.

In terms of pure value, you certainly get far more than what you pay for with Linux. The same can’t be said for Windows and applications developed for it.

#4. But There Are No Games!

True, there are few games developed for Linux (with the exception of Quake). That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy games on a Linux machine, though.

You can grab Wine - a program that allows you to run Windows applications - and boot up most computer games. I don’t know if I’d trust it to push the envelope of graphics and gaming performance, so this might not be appropriate for the hardcore gamers out there.

But I hear tell it runs World of Warcraft perfectly. Is there another game out there?

#3. But It’s Not User Friendly

Although this could depend on the distro, this is entirely untrue for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is designed to be an extremely user-friendly and accessible version of Linux.

Want to install a new application? No problem. Go to Add/Remove Programs and search the database of downloadable applications. In a handful of clicks, you can search for a suitable application, select it for installation, and find out if you need to install any extra libraries.

You can also browse through the System->Administration and Preferences menus to change a whole bunch of settings on your machine. Windows users familiar with the Control Panel will feel more or less right at home.

#2. What About Available Software?

It’s often suggested that there is little in the way of software available for Linux machines. Just look on the shelf at your computer store - 90% Windows, 10% Mac, 0% Linux. This argument is sheer ignorance.

The reason you won’t find many (or any) Linux applications in stores is because you can obtain them for free over the internet. With Ubuntu, you can install things seamlessly through the Add/Remove Programs dialog. On other distros, you can surf the web and find whatever application you want.

Need to listen to MP3s? Grab Amarok. Want something like Photoshop for image editing? Try GIMP. How about a drawing program like Illustrator? There’s Inkscape. Would you like a full-featured programming IDE like Dreamweaver? Quanta Plus is waiting for you. Or maybe you just want an office suite - so try Open Office.

For practically every major program you use on Windows, there’s a Linux alternative of equivalent or superior quality. You don’t even have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a license - and then pay later to upgrade.

#1. Fine. But I Don’t Know Geek-Speak!

Perhaps the worst misconception of Linux is that you have to be an uber-hacker fluent in terminal commands in order to browse the internet. Ubuntu has a graphical user interface, just like Windows.

Sure, in 1992 Linux revolved around a command line. But so did the other 90% of computers that didn’t use Mac OS. Today, Linux distros have mature GUIs just like Windows and Mac. For the average user, there is rarely ever a problem forcing you to open the terminal and enter a text command.

This of course ignores the fact that Linux commands aren’t hard to learn, and they can make some computing tasks more efficient. They are, however, a luxury at this point. Nothing is forcing you to use it if you’re more comfortable with a mouse.

Get It. Try It.

Bottom line, Linux is a great alternative to Windows.

There’s a great community of developers waiting to improve on it and help you out. You can run most of your Windows based games in Wine, and you can find free Linux alternatives to almost every major expensive Windows application. You don’t even need to learn geek-speak - you can keep on using your mouse.

Tags: linux, open source, software, ubuntu