Linux has many advantages over other operating systems as people who actually like to use their computers can attest.

This is a list of the most notable reasons why Linux is the King of the operating system world:

• This OS is supported by thousands of folks dedicating their time and resources all over the world from the kernel level all the way up through the layers, right up to the desktop manager of each distro
• There is no bureaucracy or politics involved every time a bug or security enhancement is needed
• Since the software used is FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) the emphasis is placed not on how much money can be made by the corporation behind it, but rather how great and functional it can be made for the end user
• You have far more choices for the latest technology with Linux than you do with Windows or Macintosh — Have a 10 year old PC? No problem, distros like Puppy Linux will let you plug in that brand new USB memory stick without having to go out and try to find a driver for it.
• You don’t have the virus and malware problem on Linux machines as you do with Windows
• You can make the Linux desktop look as fancy or not as you want, with Linux the choices are up to you
• With the major Linux distros downloading new software is a snap- most distros have literally thousands of packages available in just a mouse-click or two
• Feature-to-feature comparisons of Linux and Windows show Linux is the most secure OS out there

As this list shows, there really are many important reasons why these days Linux is what we all should be running on our computers!

Buy Linux on disc today

I am currently trying to find the best live Linux CD for an old notebook computer I have, a Compaq Presario 1700 XL260. This computer has a 500 MHz Pentium III processor, 192 MB of RAM, and over 5 GB of hard drive space. It looks like it also has a DVD-ROM, two USB ports –One currently used by my mouse, the other buy either a USB memory stick, or a USB wi-fi adapter.

Initially I tried to get the PC working with a Linux distro that would allow me to get online wirelessly with my router using that USB wireless-G adapter mentioned earlier. I was pretty sure that I’d have to use a lightweight distro since the dearth of RAM would be probably the biggest limiter in my distro selection choices.


My first try was with …. DSL — Damn Small Linux. Weighing in at 50MB, the highly-regarded, extremely light weight distribution proved to live up to its billing, however it certainly wasn’t as user friendly as I would have liked. It comes with JWM and Fluxbox, no Gnome, or KDE with this one, obviously. One big problem I encountered with this version as I occasionally did with subsequent ones is that getting Linux to talk to a USB wi-fi adapter is much tougher than I would suspect a PCI wi-fi adapter. Not to mention I’m sure all distros will connect to a network with no problem these days using a hard-wired ethernet.

My next Linux distro to try was Puppy Linux, the 100MB powerhouse. This was truly an exciting version to use since it had so many advanced elements for such a small size that it really seemed like that could be a daily user that could keep up with the big fellas in the Linux world. It was really fast, too, since it booted itself entirely into the minuscule RAM on the computer! The distro ships with JWM / IceWM + ROX Desktop user interfaces for your convenience. So, it’s still a small distro but it has more modern desktop environments than the previously mentioned DSL.

I eventually tested around a dozen distros, and understandably the more “packed-with-features” distros like the Ubuntus and the Arch Linux types were really too much for the mature system. Unfortunately since the system doesn’t have an ethernet port, it really limits the functionality of the networking aspect.

It’s certainly true that there are some modern albeit light-weight distros out there today that can certainly bring life back to this baby. It still has Windows 98se installed on its hard drive, and I certainly wouldn’t consider trying XP but it’s a lot of fun looking at the latest in mini-Linux and seeing what this machine is still capable of.

Buy Linux today

Milestones in the creation of Linux

+1960s No one can argue that with the introduction of Unix in the 1960s we would not have Linux today. It was originally developed by AT&T employees at Bell Labs

History of UNIX systems

+1983 The GNU project was started with the purpose of creating a free UNIX style operating system consisting of free and open source software (FOSS)

+1980s BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) was a free operating system project developed from AT&T’s 6th edition of Unix.

+1991 Linus Torvalds realized his terminal emulator based on Minix was turning into an operating system, and this was the makings of today’s Linux kernel

Linus Torvalds

+1992 Linus suggested releasing the kernel under the GNU General Public License. He first announced this decision in the release notes of version 0.12. In the middle of December 1992 he published version 0.99 using the GNU GPL.

Linux and GNU developers worked to integrate GNU components with Linux to make a fully-functional and free operating system. Torvalds has stated, “making Linux GPL’d was definitely the best thing I ever did.”

I have been looking for the best Linux distro to install for a small child. He’s quite handy with the PC already and I would like to find something that lets him use age-appropriate software easily. Qimo may just be the best Linux for kids.

I happened along Qimo 4 Kids today, and this looks very exciting! As their website explains, they are forked from Ubuntu:

Qimo is a desktop operating system designed for kids. Based on the open source Ubuntu Linux desktop, Qimo comes pre-installed with educational games for children aged 3 and up. They also point out they are the best Linux for kids.

Qimo’s interface has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use, providing large icons for all installed games, so that even the youngest users have no trouble selecting the activity they want.

I’ll definitely have to check it out and report my findings, to see if it really is the best Linux for kids.

Get Linux Now

He estado buscando la mejor distribución Linux para instalar para un niño pequeño. Es bastante práctico con el ordenador y ya me gustaría encontrar algo que le permite utilizar el software apropiado para la edad fácilmente. Me sucedió a lo largo de Qimo 4 Kids hoy, y esto es muy emocionante! Como explica su página web, son ahorquillado de

Linux Nino

Ubuntu: Qimo es un sistema operativo de escritorio diseñado para niños.

Sobre la base de la fuente abierta de Ubuntu Linux de escritorio, Qimo viene pre-instalado con juegos educativos para niños de 3 años en adelante.

Qimo la interfaz ha sido diseñada para ser intuitiva y fácil de usar, proporcionando grandes iconos para todos los juegos instalados, de manera que incluso los usuarios más jóvenes no tienen problemas para seleccionar la actividad que desee.

Voy a tener para comprobar que mi informe y conclusiones.

Obtenga Linux ahora

Multi boot or Multi booting (usually dual booting, but many OSes can be booted from the same computer) is the act of installing multiple operating systems on a computer, and being able to choose which one to boot when switching on the computer power. The program which makes multi booting possible is called a boot loader.

Multi booting is useful in many situations, such as those where several pieces of software require different operating systems and cannot be run on a single system. A multi boot configuration will allow a user to use all of this software on one computer. Another reason for setting up a multi boot system can be that one wants to investigate or test a new operating system without switching completely. Multi booting allows one to get to know the new system, configure all applications needed and migrate data before making the final step and removing the old operating system. This is often accomplished by using a boot loader that can boot more than one operating system, such as NTLDR, LILO, or GRUB.

Multi booting can also aid software developers where multiple operating systems are required for development or testing purposes. Having these systems on one machine can greatly reduce hardware costs. (However hardware costs are counterbalanced by system management costs, and the costs of the unavailability of the software that cannot be run at any given moment. Another solution to these problems is to use virtual machine software to emulate another computer from within the operating system of choice.)

A popular multi-boot configuration is a mixed-OS system in which Linux is one of the secondary (or primary) installations. In terms of business strategy, Windows does not facilitate or support multi-boot systems, other than allowing for partition-specific installations, and no choice of boot loader is offered. To deal with such installs requires consultation with Linux afficionados and techs, who are typically well-versed in the concept.

The basic concept involves partitioning a disk, to accommodate each planned installation, including separate partitions for data storage or backups. The partitions should be done with a Windows partitioning tool (diskpart, Disk Management), rather than a Linux tool (parted, QTparted), for the simple reason that Windows is more particular (cf. “picky”) about how the partition table is written and will occasionally complain or even show errors if its installed to a Linux-created (or sometimes modified) partition table. Linux tools are powerful, (ie. shrinking an NTFS drive) but Windows has particularities which must be considered. (See master boot record and extended boot record).

Windows should be installed to the first primary drive. Though Windows can be installed to another drive, certain particularities (drive letter assignments, expected system partition number) can make such installations problematic, while Linux installations on primary or logical drives have no such problems whatsoever.

The boot manager/loader should be installed by the Linux distribution. All Windows installations will be easily found by Linux, but Windows boot managers do not find Linux installations (nor does Windows deal natively with Linux file systems).

Get Linux Today!

Excellent resources below:

How to dual boot Windows XP and Linux (XP installed first) — the step-by-step guide with screenshots

Illustrated Dual Boot Site – Awesome site with all things Linux!

This is a great resource from linuxhaxor.net that provides links to free Linux ebooks, I found it quite valuable and I think you will too.

Last time we did a free book collection 2 years ago it was a hit among Linux users and rightfully so, who doesn’t like free books? No matter how experienced you are with Linux systems, there is always something new you can learn from a good book that focuses on specific aspects of a Linux system. While our old list was an ‘OK’ list, it wasn’t structured properly and most of the links are broken by now. This time we tried to make a list of free books by categories. “Beginners”, “Advanced” and “Administrators”.

This is the first part of the series, in the near future we will have a list for “Intermediate and Advanced Linux Users” and “Linux System Administrators”. If you have any suggestions feel free to share them with us in the comments.

10 Free Linux Ebooks For Beginners

LinuxLinks: “To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 6 high quality free Linux CAD applications. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who wants to produce professional drawings.”

Novell next week plans to release yet another tool that is the product of its three-year-old integration agreement with Microsoft, this time a plug-in for Microsoft’s management tools that lets users manage Novell’s Suse Linux.