The answers to these questions are ““maybe’’ and ““not exactly.’’ Netscape and WordPerfect, for example, make Linux versions of their software. But if you want to use Microsoft Word or Excel, you’re out of luck–Bill Gates and Co. are in no hurry to jump on the Linux bandwagon. There are plenty of games, word processors and office applications written for Linux–but they’re in general not as slick or feature-rich as the ones you can get at the local software store.
And the apps you can get won’t work until you have the OS ““properly configured.’’ Linux is bewilderingly complex, requires a steep learning curve and often demands a willingness to get down and dirty with arcane text-based ““configuration files.’’ Only very recently have a handful of small companies begun selling computers preloaded with Linux and aimed at the consumer market–and even then there’s no guarantee that a Linux newbie coming straight from the world of Microsoft or Apple will enjoy a smooth ride getting it to work.
There isn’t even a consensus on what a Linux-based operating system really is. Properly speaking, Linux is just the ““kernel’’–the heart of code that connects directly to your computer’s hardware. Layered on top of the kernel is a vast and ever-changing array of software applications and utilities, including the basic GNU programming tools and editors developed by Richard Stallman’s Free Software Foundation and, most recently, fancy Windows-esque ““desktop environments’’ with names like KDE, Enlightenment and, soon, GNOME.
Installing a program like KDE on your own can be an immense headache. But even if you are lucky enough to have someone else configure your system for you (and the Linux community is nothing if not obsessively helpful), there’s still no avoiding the reality that, underneath the hood, Linux is fundamentally the technically challenging UNIX operating system. Familiarity with UNIX concepts is essential for would-be Linux users. The file and directory system operate under different conventions, and new users can bang their heads for hours against simple problems such as learning how to ““mount’’ or ““unmount’’ a CD-ROM drive. Bottom line: most home users have little reason to try Linux.
Linux was originally designed by programmers for programmers. Only in the past year has the Linux movement begun to dream of ““taking the desktop’’ from Microsoft. And even now, for many Linux devotees, ease of use isn’t the point. Freedom is Linux’s great lure. Freedom from the proprietary code of monopoly corporations, and freedom to delve as deeply into the innards of your PC as you want. It isn’t always easy, but as most Linux fans will tell you, it can be a whole lot of fun.
