Mention open source to most computer users and you’ll receive a blank stare. Talk to a techie and his eyes will light up. For far too long, open source has been the province of the geeks, who havebeen eager to embrace its workings and improve it. But these days, open source is becoming something for everyone.
So what is open source, anyway? It’s software, available to anyone, where the code that makes it run is openly displayed, and often of much better quality than you’ll find in commercially availableware, as people contribute to improve it. Best of all, it’s free to download and distribute.
For several years, open source has been associated with Linux, the PC operating system that was the root of it all. These days, there are literally a few hundred versions of Linux, each called adistro. For a long time, loading it onto your machine was as daunting as the labor of Hercules for the average user, but the new generation of Linux has become very user-friendly. OperatingSystem If you’re a newbie, the place to go for your Linux OS is Ubuntu. The 7.04 version is freely available for PCs and is easy to downloadand set up. More than that, it looks — and is — easy to operate. Yes, it’s like having a car with a transparent hood where you can see all the workings, but don’t let that worry you. Infact, what you’re seeing is essentially just a fascia, and it’s quite easy to swap for another.
Unlike Windows, you’ll find the desktop very clean and surprisingly easy to navigate, and there’s a task bar where you can be notified about updates and security patches. Since open source is verymuch about community, there’s plenty of online help available if you need it.
Ubuntu Screenshot
