Understanding the Linux File System
By Brandon Sherwood

The way Linux organizes its files on the hard drive is vastly different from how Windows handles this task. New Linux users coming from Windows sometime have a hard time maneuvering though directories or come with notions that Linux should manage its files in the same vain as Windows.

This article was written to help new users get a grasp on moving through directories on their new installation. One key point to make is Windows deals with “drives” as in your C: drive or D: drive, Linux deals with something called ‘mount points’. These are locations where other hard drives, CD/DVD burners, etc… connect to the root partition. Don’t worry it will all make sense latter on.

It All Begins With Root: /

The root directory known simply as ‘/’ is the starting point. Without getting to technical, the root directory acts like the ‘C: Drive’ in Windows. A Linux system can not fully boot without a root partition, in the same way as deleting your C:WINDOWS folder will make your Windows computer inoperable.

It’s In: /bin

The /bin folder holds important system programs. The ‘bin’ is short for ‘binary’. Some of the popular programs: date, less, more, cat, dmesg. These programs are essential in order to start and have a complete operating system. While you may never use one of these programs personally, the system relies on some of them.

Where Everything Starts: /boot

As the name implies, /boot is where the crucial files reside, mainly the kernel. Without the kernel, you don’t have a system. Another crucial program located in /boot is the bootloader. Just like Linux needs the kernel to function. The bootloader is there to actually locate the kernel and begin running it.

Every Device Is A File: /dev

In Linux, every device is a file. What this means is, when you connect a hard drive to your system it gets a ‘device file’ that allows the system to interact with it. When the kernel locates a new hard drive it is assigned a file like “/dev/sda”. The /dev part is the directory and the ‘sda’ part is the file that connects to the hardware. So if you wanted to format your whole drive you could type in the command ‘dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/sda’. This would copy /dev/null into your hard drive. /dev/null is a “bit bucket”. Meaning that everything that gets sent to it gets deleted.

Configuration-ness: /etc

Linux, being a customizable system keeps all the programs config’ files in this directory. Most programs come with a sensible and secure default behavior. But what happens if you want to change it? The /etc holds a slew of text files for you to open and customize how your programs operate. An important note to make is /etc manages global defaults. What this means is if you change a file this directory, it will affect the whole system.

The Shared Libraries: /lib

The /lib directory is a way to keep all software libraries in one central location. Most (if not all) files here have a file extension of ‘.so’ to let you know they are ‘shared object’ files. These files are code that can be used by multiple programs. This helps prevent a problem known as ‘software bloat’. Windows also has these files; they are called ‘Dynamically Linked Libraries’ or DLL for short. As a regular Linux end user, you will most likely never have to change anything in this folder. Depending on how you install software on your computer, you might come across a ‘missing shared object’ problem if your software “depends” on another program to function. The Windows equivalent is ‘DLL hell’.

When You Don’t Shut Down Correctly: /lost+found

This directory is used when the user does not shut down the system correctly (turning it off when the system is still up and running). Upon the next boot, the system will try and correct itself by scanning the hard drive for corrupt files and try to correct any problems that arise. If anything is found, it will be placed in the /lost+found directory for the systems administrator (you!) to see and look over.

Where The ‘Mount Points’ Live: /mnt and /media

The /mnt and /media directories are for ‘attaching’ other devices to the root directory. In Windows, when you insert a USB thumbstick, you will see the system gives it a drive letter (E:). Depending on which Linux distribution you use, the device will either ‘auto mount’ or the user has to mount the device manually. Most newer, newbie friendly distros will auto mount the device and place it in one of these directories. You will be able to browse the files within your thumbstick at /mnt/usb or /media/usb. Each distribution is different, so my example could not exactly match your results.

/media is the newcomer to the Linux scene. Most older distributions exclusively used /mnt to manage these devices, but /media is gaining ground as the default location to mount devices. Linux allows you to mount any device anywhere (as long as you have the permissions). So it is completely feasible to mount one device under ‘/bin/mount’ or ‘/var/log’. This is usually not a good idea and the /mnt and /media directories where put in place to make this easier.

The ‘Optional’ Directory: /opt

This is where users can install software if no other suitable location can be used. Most software from major Linux distributions have ‘software repositories’ which allow users to easily add and remove tons of programs. But what happens when you need a program that isn’t in the repository? In order to separate repository software packages from ‘external’ packages, sometimes the best way to install them is putting them in /opt. This practice is rarely used though and each distribution is different. Some will place the popular KDE into /opt, while other distributions won’t.

My personal rule of thumb is to use /opt when the software you are installing defaults to this directory (The Google Earth program does this) or I am installing a program that I didn’t get in the software repository.

The Kernel’s Directory:/proc and /sys

Both of these directories hold a wealth of information about the status of your system. Files like ‘/proc/cpuinfo’ contain information about your CPU (speed, vendor, cache size). The /proc directory is slowly being faded out in favor of /sys.

You Were Here And Now Your Gone: /tmp

The /tmp directory is short for ‘temporary’. So with that in mind, I am sure you can deduce why this directory is used. You got it, to manage temporary files. Programs can generate a lot of ‘junk output’ or need to write to a file to handle a task; but the file can be deleted once the task is completed. This directory provides a central location to do this and not fill your other directories with these files.

Where The Programs Live: /usr

The /usr directory is a monster. Articles could be written just to explain it all. But to keep things short and sweet, the /usr is where all of your ‘secondary’ programs are stored. Granted you love your music player, but it’s not crucial to your operating system actually functioning. So instead of putting all the executables in /bin, we break it up a bit. We place crucial system programs in /bin and non-critical programs into /usr/bin. The /usr directory could be seen as the Windows equivalent as C:Program Files .

The Not So Temporary Files: /var

/var (for varying or variable) acts like /tmp in the sense that the files located are ‘temporary’ but less ‘temporary’ then those in /tmp. What this really means is the /tmp directory will most likely be deleted every time the system reboots, while the files in /var will not. /var is a place to keep ‘persistent’ files. An example would be log files. Most system administrators wouldn’t want to delete their log files on every reboot, but the files could be removed or ‘shrunk’ to a more manageable level at the administrators whim.

Another example would be ‘/var/mail’ directory. It contains the mail being sent to users on the system. Some users will have hundreds of messages, while other users will have a few or none. The directory is growing and shrinking depending on the usage by the users. So in order to keep the disk usage under manageable levels, we place this activity under /var. On large systems, the system administrator will use a separate hard drive and ‘mount’ the hard drive at /var. This allows the frequent disk access to remain on one hard drive and keep the overall system speedy.

Conclusion

Well I hoped that this article has better acquainted you to how files are stored on a Linux system. If I left anything out (or for general praise), please feel free to comment on the article.

Brandon Sherwood

http://www.newbtopro.com – Howto’s and Tutorials

How to Use Private Keys For SSH Authentication From Windows to Linux
By Don R. Crawley

Take one look at the / var / log / secure directory on an Internet-connected server and you’ll immediately understand the need for securing your root account. The bad guys are constantly attempting root and other usernames to attempt to login to your server using SSH or some other protocol. If you use a simple password, it’s only a matter of time before your server is compromised by a password-guessing attack. Best practice is to disallow SSH logins by root, thus eliminating a big part of the risk. The problem is that doing so also eliminates a lot of convenience for sys admins and complicates the use of tools such as WinSCP for file copy from your Windows desktop or laptop to your Linux or UNIX server.

A fairly simple solution is to use public/private keypairs for authentication. The public key is stored on the Linux/UNIX server and the private key is stored on your local Windows computer. When you attempt to connect to the Linux/UNIX server from your Windows computer, authentication is done with the keypair instead of a password. Password authentication is actually disabled for root, so no amount of password guessing will work for authentication.

Here’s how to do it:

Start by downloading the PuTTY Windows installer from the Internet. Search on the term “PuTTY SSH” to find the installer. Run the installer on your local Windows computer.

Now, you must generate the keypairs. The PuTTY Windows installer you just ran installs an application called PuTTYgen that you can use to generate the keypairs. The installer probably placed PuTTYgen (and the other PuTTY applications) in Start>>All Programs>>PuTTY.

When you run PuTTYgen for the first time, you must generate a new keypair. At the bottom of the PuTTYgen window are three parameters choices including SSH-1 (RSA), SSH-2 RSA, and SSH-2 DSA. SSH-2 RSA is the default choice with a default key length of 1024 bits. Longer key lengths are more secure, but require more processing power. 1024 bits is an acceptable compromise at this time (late 2008), but may not be acceptable in the future as computer processing power continues to increase.

Click the button labeled Generate to produce your public and private keys. (You must move your mouse pointer over the blank area at the top of the screen to generate some randomness for use in producing the keypair. Just move your mouse pointer in a cirular motion over the blank area until the progress bar reaches the far right side and PuTTYgen generates the keys.)

You can now save the private key on your local laptop or desktop computer and copy the public key to the remote Linux/UNIX server.

Enter and confirm a passphrase to protect the private key in the two fields in PuTTYgen.

Click the button labeled Save private key and select a location on your local hard drive to save the private key. (Remember to protect your private key by storing it securely!)

Copy the jibberish text that is the public key (at the top of the PuTTYgen window) and paste it into /root/.ssh/authorized_keys on your server (you’ll might have to create the .ssh directory and you’ll probably have to create the authorized_keys file).

On your Linux/UNIX server, inspect /etc/ssh/sshd_config to ensure that RSA authentication and public key authentication are both allowed. If not, change “no” to “yes” or uncomment the lines to allow said authentication. Also, ensure that the path to the authorized_keys file is set to “%h/.ssh/authorized_keys” and uncomment the line. (I found the three lines at line 43 on a RedHat system and line 29 on a Debian system.) When you’re done, the lines should look like this:

RSAAuthentication yes PubkeyAuthentication yes AuthorizedKeysFile %h/.ssh/authorized_keys

Test the configuration by attempting to log on as root using PuTTY with private key authentication: From your Windows workstation, start PuTTY and enter the hostname or IP address of your server in the Host Name (or IP address) field.

In the left pane of the PuTTY window, under Category, expand SSH and click on Auth.

Click on the buttown labeled Browse… and find the private key file you saved earlier.

Click the button labeled Open to start the session When prompted for a username, enter “root”

If your configuration is correct, you’ll be prompted for the private key passphrase. If you enter it correctly, you should be authenticated as root and see a privileged prompt (On systems using the BASH shell, you should see a pound sign (#).)

You must also disable root password authentication in order to limit the root account to private key authentication.

Open /etc/ssh/sshd_config for editing and modify the line that reads “PermitRootLogin yes” to read “PermitRootLogin without-password”.

Restart the ssh daemon: #/etc/init.d/sshd restart on Red Hat systems or /etc/init.d/ssh restart on Debian systems

Attempt to do a password-based login on the Linux/UNIX server. It should be denied. Attempt to perform a private key-based login on the Linux/UNIX server as before. It should be successful.

You can use the private key with PuTTY and WinSCP. I ran into errors when I tried to use it with Tera Term, but Tera Term now includes a keygen utility which seems to work fine with Tera Term, if that’s your preference.

Don R. Crawley, Linux+ and CCNA-certified, is president and chief technologist at soundtraining.net the Seattle training firm specializing in accelerated, task-oriented training for IT pros. He works with IT pros to enhance their work, lives, and careers. Click here for a free subscription to soundbytes, the monthly ezine for IT pros.

Wireless Network Security: How to Use Kismet
By Eric Meyer

Kismet is a wireless network detector / sniffer which can give you a vast amount of information about wireless networks. Wireless network security flaws are well documented but often very hard for the common person to understand. I will be showing you how to use kismet with out even having to install Linux, or compile kismet.

First you need to proceed to remote-exploit.org and download and burn their Auditor CD. (IF you don’t know how to burn an ISO image, go to Google). This version of Linux doesn’t install or modify your hard drive; it will boot from the CD and use a Ram Drive (On your Memory).

Auditor is not only a great tool for testing wireless network security with kismet but it also has many other computer security tools on it as well.

Client Window

Next, to start Kismet proceed to the Linux version of the start menu, and press Auditor.
Now proceed to the wireless /scanning/kismet tools/kismet.

Once you click on Kismet it will ask you for a default location to place the Kismet log files for analyzing later, just press the desktop or temp file.

Now I will show you how to use Kismet. When kismet initially opens you will see a greenish box with numbers and network names (If any are near you) clicking away don’t be overwhelmed. (Also I can’t show you how to use kismet if you don’t have the correct wireless adapter, get an ORINICO Gold Classic Card off EBAY.) The Orninco gold classic card will be automaticly detected by auditor linux.

The Kismet columns will show the wireless networks SSID (Name), Type of device (Access point, gateway) Encryption or no Encryption, an IP range and number of packets. Kismet will pick up hidden networks with SSID broadcast Disabled also, Netstumbler will not.

Now Press H, to bring up the Help Menu. This will give the nuts and bolts on how to use kismet. If you tab down to the network you are auditing and press “C”, Kismet will show you all the computers that are using that wireless access point / gateway. This Kismet screen will show you the clients MAC address, Manufacture of Wireless Adapter, IP address range and traffic.

Kismet: Help Menue

Now to get out of that screen press “Q”. Tab Down on the Main Kismet Screen to another SSID and press “I”. This Kismet window will show detailed information about the wireless network. The Kismet detail screen will show the type of network (Infrastructrure / Adhoc), signal strength, channel, encryption type, and much more.

Kismet will also give you sound alerts when new wireless networks are discovered or security alerts or suspicious clients are in range. Suspicious clients would be people like you who are using Kismet or Networkstumbler. Unlike you these could be Wardrivers looking for venerable networks to hack into.

Kismet Alert Page

You can prevent War drivers from discovering your wireless network by performing a proper site survey which will help limit signal bleed off to unneeded areas. You should write down the suspicious MAC address and keep an eye on your access logs. If the War Drivers are really stupid just look out your window and look for cars with weird antennas.HA HA HA.

Kismet is more than just a tool to discover wireless networks; it can be used in conjunction with other tools to crack WEP/WPA. Many websites will claim that WEP can be cracked in less that five minutes. This is only half the truth because it could take many hours,days,months to gather enough packets to crack. Good luck and have fun learning the more advanced applications of kismet.

Keep your wireless network simple and secure. Join the most popular wireless networking newsletter on the internet http://www.wirelessninja.com

Make a Linux Home Data Server of an Old PC

By Adam Knife

So, you’ve got an old computer, and you don’t know what to do with it. Sure, it can’t play new video games, maybe can’t run the latest and greatest software, don’t fret, it’s not totally worthless. Converting your old computer in to a home data server opens a range of possibilities, and a range of new things you can do with your computer(s) and the network.

So, how do you do it? Well, if it’s already set up for Windows Networking, you’ve got the basics set up for a Windows file server, and can simply use your local area network for transfering/working with files, however, this article is going to show you the more effective, and more powerful way: setting up a Linux file server.

The first step is to pick a Linux distro, DistroWatch.com lists the most popular distributions, and reviews a range of distributions, we’re going to use the Ubuntu [5.10] operating system, with a server installation, simply because it’s the operating system this author uses for his desktop, and is quickly becoming the most popular distribution around.

Your old computer likely has enough memory, and a powerful enough CPU to run Ubuntu, however, if you intend to use this server as a major central file server, it will likely need a new hard-drive. You can deal with that on your own.

When you insert the Ubuntu CD, and boot to it, instead of just pressing [enter] at the boot screen, type ‘server’ then press enter – this will prevent it from installing any of the *-desktop packages, and not setting up any unneeded applications.

After following the steps of installation, you will be prompted with a logon screen – enter the username and password you provided during installation, and you are in your brand new Linux system. From here, you can do everything from browse the web, to set up the computer for various networking tasks, to play a range of Linux-based games.

Package management is a critical part of running a Linux system, luckily Ubuntu comes with two distinct and useful tools to aid in your package managing. Aptitude [which, is actually just a UI for apt-get] and apt-get.

A package called “samba” will allow you to set up proper networking between Linux and Windows computers (at least, we hope you’ve got your networking issues sorted out). Running “sudo apt-get install samba” in your new command line will tell the apt-get application to install the samba package, and set it up with default settings.

Once samba is installed, you’ll want to set it up to share certain files/directories, and set them up on your network – samba networking is a massive topic of it’s own, and way beyond the scope of this article, however, running “man samba” will give you the samba manual file, which lists off a series of other manuals to look at. Google’s always helpful too. :)

Now, once you have networking and samba set up, you should be able to transfer files between Windows and Linux through Network Neighborhood/smbclient – you’ve now got a basic data server set up. That was easy, wasn’t it?

For those who want to go further, Pure-FTPd will allow you to set up a fully featured FTP (file transfer protocol) server on this box, which you could use to access your files remotely from any computer set up with an FTP client (Windows Explorer has one built in!), setting up an Apache based web-server is fairly simple with Ubuntu’s apt-get packages, and OpenSSH allows the user to remotely log in to the Linux shell from any computer equipped with an SSH client.

A slight advancement to this system could allow you to set up Bash scripts combined with cron would allow you to set up scripts which immediately backup files every X days, or scripts to do certain processing to files at certain times – the possibilities are effectively endless.

Adan X. Knife is a computer scientist, entrepreneur and web developer. He currently runs a network of websites including one about High Definition Technology and a Free Games Library. He also runs a range of communication related sites including his cellular phone reviews site.

Where to Learn How to Setup a Linux Email Server
By Stu Pearson

Learning how to setup a linux email server is valuable. The more you can do for yourself for your business’ web presence and email abilities the more money you will save. There will be no need to call in a tech when the email goes down, when you need it installed, or when you need to do simple maintenance like adding addresses or setting up. When you know how to setup a linux email server you are simply giving yourself more power over your own company. If that is something you think you would like to do, then there are a few resources you should consider for educating yourself.

The first place to look for ways to learn how to setup a linux email server is, of course, online. You may be able, through a search engine, to find some free information on the process. However, you may have better look with low-cost ebooks and internet classes that will give you a better quality of education and better guidance. It is not just about learning how to setup a linux email server, but about learning Linux in general so that once it is setup you can fix small problems and make adjustments as needed. However, not everyone enjoys working through the internet on things like this, so it is good that there are other options.

The second option for learning how to setup a linux email server is to visit your local book store. With the popularity of linux, it is not difficult to find instruction books that will walk you through the process of setup as well as troubleshooting. In your local book store, go to the how to section or perhaps a technology section. You will undoubtedly find a number of quality books that will teach you how to setup a linux email server. Find the one that is best for you and take it home. The advantage to a book is that you can have it with you the entire time, at your fingertips, so that you will have a quicker reference.

Thirdly, you can try taking a class at the local tech school or community college. There are many linux programs out there where you can certainly learn how to setup a linux email server effectively. The cost is higher with a class, but you will likely get a more thorough understanding of the program as well as good support as you take on more and more with linux. Additionally, a class will actually end with you having some sort of certification in linux, which means you will not only know how to setup a linux email server, but also how maintain it for yourself and others.

Learning how to setup a linux email server can be of great value to you in your company. You will save money from having others do it, and will likely make yourself more valuable to clients, no matter what your true business is. In order to learn how, you should consider three main sources: online information that you can find for free or pay for, hard copies of books at your local library or bookstore, and classes you can take locally. No matter what you choose, you will be happier once you know how to setup your linux email server.

Stu Pearson has an interest in Finance & Business and Linux Email Server, for more FREE information and articles please visit Linux Email Server Resources

The Benefits of Linux Dedicated Servers
By James Koh

Money is one of the most important factors for anyone who is considering to use a dedicated web server host regardless of the scale of business they own. Cash is the utmost determinant of all businesses. The best Linux dedicated server statistical distributions no not require any amount of money which gives an advantage over separate licences for each and every software package that Microsoft introduce. Thereby, you can invest your budget on the hardware which forms the backbone of your project.

One of the better things that you need to know about is that of course, trustworthy and safety are really well documented when talking about Linux servers, and this is really one of the more important things you need to talk about when concerning finding out as much as you can on the benefits of the Linux server. They are well known to be running for months on end, giving reliable performance without any need for maintenance at all.

When you are talking about normal servers that run on popular servers or even talking about coded software, one thing you need to realise, when you are talking about comparisons is that Linux always runs for much longer then any others, and this is one of the main reasons that you should think about when you are talking about being able to get something that will stand the test of time. For someone who uses their computer at home, and uses a in house server, an occasional crash and a need to reboot is something that is not much of a big deal for them, and what you need to understand is that when you are talking about someone who is running a business online, this can be catastrophic and they could lose thousands and thousands of dollars on a single day when their website is not up.

Sometimes, they route the problem by having a ghost server running an exact duplicate of their website on the same server but with a different backbone, but what if the main webhost and all its pipelines are affected, and if your ghost secure server is built on the same backbone, what you need to think about is that there could be a universal crash and all the data that is inside might actually disappear together with any transactions or any financial information as well and this is really important. So you really need a server that is really reliable, able to actually give some security to the customers on your e-commerce site.

This is why you need to think about why you should be using a Linux server. One of the things that you need to also know is that the Linux server is able to actually communicate with a host of operating systems with some really good ease, and this is actually an advantage when you need to connect the server with other platforms to form a network where complementary businesses can actually operate.

Vodien Internet Solutions provides all-in-one web hosting packages. Find out more details about their Singapore web hosting packages at their website.

Linux Dashboard Solution With Opera Widgets and Compiz Fusion
By Sam Miller

Many users who have migrated to using some form of Linux from Apple’s OS X, and even many who have not used OS X before find themselves looking for a Linux Dashboard solution. That is, many users look for a way to replicate the functionality of the OS X dashboard on a Linux operating system.

What is the Dashboard in the first place? It is an application designed for OS X systems that supports small applications known as widgets. These widgets are single purpose interactive virtual applications that are used, for example, to display the latest information, the time and date, the weather, online sites, and so on. They are small and simple, and allow for a great degree of customization since the user can select which widgets to use and which not to use. In a sense, they allow users to put together their own interface for performing their own kinds and mix of activities on the computer, both off and online. They are especially useful for power users and web developers who would need access to a wide variety of small apps over the course of their day.

This function as a widget engine is not unique to Dashboard, however. There exist several different engines that Linux users could also possibly use, if they just wanted to have widgets on their systems. What would probably be the more unique feature of Dashboard is the fact that these widgets are placed on a semi-transparent layer that is invisible until called up by the user. This layer can be activated by clicking on the appropriate icon, pressing a user-selected hotkey, or even moving the mouse to a specified corner of the screen. The widget layer would then be displayed with the actual desktop faded in the background. This means that the widgets are out of the way until the user needs them, providing an elegant solution to the clutter that inevitably became a problem with the use of widgets.

Fortunately, even this functionality can be had on a Linux system, and here is how. One way is to use Opera in conjunction with a Compiz Fusion plugin called Widget Layer. Opera Widgets are almost exactly the same as Dashboard widgets, offering a similar variety of small widgets for users to use with the Opera browser. These tiny web applications, however, run on the desktop by default, and are not hidden, like Dashboard widgets.

The Widget Layer plugin would allow you to specify rules for transferring regular windows from the windows manager over to a special widget layer. This widget layer acts exactly like the Dashboard widget layer in OS X, being invisible until needed and called up using a hotkey or mouse click. To make Opera Widgets run on this layer, simply set the Widget Windows field to “role: opera-widget”, and presto! This Linux Dashboard solution is just one among many, but is rather simple and easy, using only the Opera browser and the readily available Compiz Fusion plugins and configuration system.

If you are interested in Linux Dashboard Solution, check this web-site to learn more about Linux dashboard solution.

Welcome to the Linux Generation
By Jason A English

With our economy having its, well, ups and downs lately, you might be thinking “Is now really a good time to think about purchasing a new computer?” Meanwhile, software applications that once needed robust hardware to run are now moving on to the Internet. The result is an upturn in the purchase of netbooks and low powered “Internet Appliances”, most of which cost less than a really nice new shirt (well, not really, but you get the idea).

With the onslaught of relatively inexpensive PCs coming from every major manufacturer and aimed at the new “cloud” generation, many are running one flavor or another of Linux. Why? Because Linux can be a rock-stable, slim Operating System, making it a perfect choice for these “slimmed-down” machines. In short, Linux may be THE answer for lower-end hardware based computers.

When it comes to the rest of the computing world, generally you only see Windows Vista or Mac OS X – but when it comes to netbooks, low requirement PC’s, and many other digital devices (routers, cell phones, televisions, PDA’s and more), Linux is making some big headway. In short, Linux is an almost perfect fit for with lower CPU and power requirements.

For those pinching pennies (and who isn’t these days?), a Linux-based PC may be the best of all worlds. Using Linux, one can resurrect a thought-to-be-obsolete desktop or laptop with an up to date, safe, and easy to use operating system. One example – our office currently houses six PC’s being used for various tasks by our staff, all running Linux. They are all Dell GX150 PC’s with Pentium 3 CPU’s running at 933Mhz, with 256MB of ram and 20GB hard drive space each, as well as one “server” – a 2.4Ghz Compaq with 512MB of ram and two 500GB hard drives (running Linux, of course, and this is our NAS, print server, firewall/router, and more). Our entire network cost about $800. That’s less than a lot of new workstation PC’s.

The beauty of this OS is its stability, as any Linux user can attest to. Linux is stable. Like rock-solid stable. Linux machines don’t crash, they boot quickly, and are far more reliable computers than their XP and Vista counterparts. However, there are still a few folks out there who are going to go with the XP option for familiarity’s sake. Linux is new to most people, and people generally don’t like having to learn something new unless they have to. Most don’t realize all the software they’re accustomed to can (generally) be replaced by a Linux alternative, and for far less cash outlay. They don’t understand that the savings in computer repairs stemming from Windows’ vulnerabilities to virus’s and malware. They haven’t been told about the huge increase in security Linux provides compared to Windows.

All that being said, the move to Linux computing is becoming more noticeable now than ever before. Without the economic crisis to factor in to people’s spending decisions, people probably wouldn’t have considered the Linux option as strongly as they’re doing today. When every dollar saved counts, the decision to go Linux may be more about cost savings than anything else, but that might be what it takes to get people to try the OS computer geeks have been raving about for years. Give Linux a shot, and you might be surprised.

Jason English

ShopForLinux

http://www.ShopForLinux.com

sales@shopforlinux.com

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