Which Version of Linux Should I Use?

Many business and home computer problems can be solved by simply switching from Windows XP or Windows 7 to Linux. If you are considering trying Linux, Which version should you try?

Linux Mint LTS is the best Linux choice.

Before you fire up your e-mail client to send me a nasty-gram, follow my thoughts.

Linux offers reliability, stability, and frugality.

It has a rich range of applications, yet can run on computers considered obsolete by Windows users. The majority of software is free, as is Linux. Free in the sense of free speech (you can see how it works, and change it to suit your needs) and free as in beer. Most distribution of Linux are free, and the only cost is professional support.
There are dozens, if not hundreds of Linux distributions. A distribution (or distro) is a collection of Linux tools, utilities, drivers and applications assembled as a single CD or DVD that contain someone's idea of a perfect Linux install. Many have a specific target in mind. It may be specifically designed as a web server, file server, firewall, Proxy server or a desktop PC like most users and businesses want.

Some Linux Versions are More Equal than Others

A visit to the Distro Watch web site reveals that a few distributions rule.

At the moment the top distros are: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Debian and Open Suse.

Here is a quick summary of each:

• Ubuntu - Designed for the desktop user, and very popular


• Linux Mint - Based on Ubuntu, but focusing on getting users moving from Windows working quicky.


• Fedora - Popular and well supported, but it is the guinea pig for new ideas before they are incorporated in Red Hat Linux.


• Debian - Reliable, and the base for many other versions, including Ubuntu. But it is not beginner friendly


• Open Suse - A reliable desktop, but now quite main-stream and perhaps lacking is support.

So my choice is Linux Mint. It is easy to install, has lots of support and is new user friendly. Because it is based on Ubuntu, both the Ubuntu and Mint community can help with problems. There is a wide range of software available. It looks nice.

But notice that I said Linux Mint LTS. Ubuntu and Mint each release a version every two years that they promise to support for three years. This means you can install one of these versions and not have to worry about updating it for at least three years. This is perfect if you want a computer that just works, and works, and works.

That describes the average business and home user.

So I recommend installing Linux Mint 9 LTS. It will be supported until the middle of 2013 with patches, updates and fixes. After that time it will be relatively simple, and free, to upgrade to the next version.

angry-linux-tux - by oddsock, Mint logo by ghostcero.

Why Switch to Linux #1 - Linux is Eco Friendly

Use Linux and help save the environment

Discussing using Linux instead of Windows PCs or MAC computers tends to quickly dissolve into holy wars and name calling. But one real advantage of using Linux on your PC is that it is eco-friendly.

The simple truth is that the computer industry contributes large quantities of material to landfill. Recycling efforts are being made. But computers and peripherals contain a number of highly toxic elements including lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. Even in Australia recycling or disposal of e-waste involves significant risk to workers and communities.  Charities and schools may use older computers, but most computers don't die, they just fade away.

Linux can help save the world by keeping older computers running long past what is normally considered there life expectancy.

Windows and built in obsolescence

Windows needs to be updated regularly because of security issues. Years ago I paid almost $4000 for a Toshiba laptop with 64Mb of RAM and a 200Mhz processor. It did what I needed it to do. It is still running, but I cannot connect it to the Internet because Windows '98 is far from secure. It is a white elephant. Each Windows PC needs to be upgraded to the next version of Windows, and is rarely able to cope with the minimum requirements of the next version. More RAM can rarely be found, drivers are non-existent. trying to upgrade becomes and expensive nightmare.

Enter the Penguin - Linux
I am writing this article on an old laptop a Toshiba Tecra A4. It was built for Windows XP and will not run Windows 7. It is, to the Windows world, EOL (End of Life) or Obsolete. It runs Mint Linux 9 perfectly. It is secure, reliable and surprisingly fast.

It is talking to a server based on FreeNAS 8.0 running on a 1.2Ghz AMD PC given to me by an old customer who had purchased a new PC. It is fast and reliable. I just added some RAM I bought on eBay for $16 and a decent disk drive. Some of that RAM has also refurbished another old PC purchased from the Mission Shop for $40 that now runs Suse Linux 11.04.

My constant companion is a Asus EeePC 702, the first real net-book. It has a 600Mhz CPU, a 4Gb SSD and a 4Gb SD card. It works perfectly with Ubuntu 10.04 Net-book Remix. I use it constantly for note taking, web browsing, reading e-Books and watching videos. Windows XP will almost run on it, but if you add all the security patches it runs out of disk space before any software is added. Another win for Linux.

And Finally - The Cost of Windows Upgrades
Microsoft lost my vote forever with the WGA fiasco when they slipped anti-piracy software onto users computers as a "security update" and then shut tens of thousands of innocent users down because they had fixed their broken PC with a disk other than the one they got when they bought it. Many well meaning sons and grandsons fixed Mom or Grandma's Windows XP PCs with their own disks (because you could) and then the computer died in a burst of piracy notifications that forced honest people to pay again for something they could not PROVE TO MICROSOFT that they already owned.

As a result upgrading a Windows PC is an expensive option - cheaper to just buy a new one, and dump the old one at the tip. Moving to Linux costs NOTHING more than the possible cost of a few computer bits like some RAM that can probably be purchased for $5-20. The computer then goes on to a new, long life.

Linux does not become obsolete
A working Windows computer requires constant patches and security updates to keep it safe. Linux also has issues, but at the present, the average desktop user can stay with the current version of Linux for years with little risk. If you install Linux and it does what you want it to do, just keep using it until the hardware finally dies.

The Linux "Geeks" are constantly trying the latest versions, and that is their passion. If you just want a computer that works. get someone to help you install Linux, and then just enjoy the computer. It will run reliably for years with little more that the need for a backup process to save your important files when the PC finally dies.

Long live the green Linux operating system!