With my Windows PC fast approaching that depressingly regular state of instability where only a complete reinstallation can correct it, I was only too happy to try an alternative. But my experiences as a first time user indicate that the truth about Linux is more complex than the enthusiasts would have us believe.
As nobody actually owns Linux, various distributions are available and I sampled two. To see whether "free software" could be financially as well as intellectually gratis, I obtained Mandrake 7.0 from a magazine cover disk. The other, shrinkwrapped and boxed, was Caldera OpenLinux 2.4. Costing around £30, it's still a fraction of the retail price of Windows and contains a comprehensive - and generally commendably clear - printed manual: something Microsoft seems to consider a luxury nowadays.
Linux was once notorious for the complexity of installation. But recent versions boast streamlined setup routines to automate the process as much as possible. While neither of those I tried was quite as smooth as Windows, they weren't overly daunting, with Caldera offering an impressive range of hardware choices.
One problem common to both was that during setup, my PS/2 mouse wouldn't work. It finally came to life when Mandrake booted for the first time but in OpenLinux it remained resolutely frozen. Caldera's email technical support was impressively swift to reply but unfortunately it couldn't provide a solution before this article's deadline.
I was also left without an internet connection as my internal Winmodem is Windows specific and beyond Linux's capabilities. A permanent transfer would see me buying an external model.
Setting up the PC-to-PC Ethernet link I use to transfer files to my laptop also had me stumped. This is fairly simple with Windows, using IPX/SPX, but the only protocol that Linux appears to offer is TCP/IP, which requires establishing a server with an IP address; a far more complex process than I was prepared for.
As befits its new, friendly reputation, Linux boasts a graphical user interface (GUI) similar to Windows or Mac OS. In fact, it boasts several, from near-clones Gnome and KDE to more exotic variations such as WindowMaker. Most distributions have a selection.
The differences go far beyond the cosmetic options of Windows' themes, though. In fact, there's almost an embarrassment of riches, which probably presents the everyday computer user with more choices than they want to consider.
Despite the surface similarities of the GUIs, I discovered I couldn't simply leap in. There are crucial discrepancies between Linux's approach and its commercial rivals. For example, you can't immediately read a floppy or CD in Linux; they have to be specifically mounted first. With just an undocumented cover disk, Linux proved inscrutable; I really needed Caldera's manual to clarify the basics.
KDE and Gnome's task and active program bars seem to take up an inordinate amount of screen space, at least at 800 x 600 resolution. In fact, the look and feel of the whole system seemed fairly "chunky", rather like an application developed with a rapid development system compared with one coded from the ground up.
It's also worth remembering that you're not just changing operating systems; you'll have to learn a whole new selection of programs. Star Office, probably the best known business suite, is perfectly competent and can import and export many standard file formats.
For graphics, Gimp seems to be at least as good as PaintShop Pro and Netscape is reassuringly identical. But some areas are not so well covered, such as dedicated accounting software - the Java-based money program included by Caldera is no rival for Quicken.
Despite Linux's much-touted stability, I also encountered several error messages, even in the short time I was experimenting. To its credit, the software never crashed but I wonder whether it would still be quite so robust after six months of the sort of abuse I give to Windows.
The biggest problem arose when I came to remove Linux. Both versions come with boot loaders. These are small programs which hide away on the hard disk and cannot be eradicated with a simple Format or with Fdisk, so it's impossible to reinstall Windows.
Eventually I discovered a solution, buried on Caldera's website, which required an obscure and powerful Fdisk switch, /MBR. This removed the offending programs but convinced my PC's Bios that the hard drive was half its actual size. Most alarming.
Based on this first encounter, I can see that Linux is coming of age. But there are still significant rough edges. System administration presents a steep learning curve, which may be fine for IT professionals and even hobbyists, but I can't see the small office user who just wants to get down to work being prepared to devote the necessary time and effort.
All the same, the pace of Linux development probably means that these shortcomings will be rectified sooner rather than later. And while there's a danger that a system which is put together in such a piecemeal fashion could end up like a horse designed by a committee, it may also reach maturity by a process of natural selection and in the process become a fully fledged alternative to Windows or Mac OS.
It would be a pity if the premature hype left potential users disillusioned. But for the time being, unless you're a computer enthusiast, I'd advise you to ponder carefully before picking up this particular penguin.
Look up your Linux
Main Linux site
www.linux.org
Open Source info
www.opensource.org
Linux news
www.linuxnews.com
Linux Journal
www.linuxjournal.com
Linux community
www.linux.com
Alan Cox's website
www.linux.org.uk
Intro to Linux
www.linux.co.uk
Linux user groups
www.lug.org.uk
Linux magazine
www.linuxuser.co.uk
Linux ISP
www.frontier-internet.ltd.uk
