Linux is quite safe, stable, and free to download and install on any computer

If you’re tired of viruses, spyware, adware, other nasties and the problems they bring, or you’re tired of paying for Windows and the same software for every computer you own (or using old, buggy versions instead), or tired of paying for Mac OSX every year when there’s a new version, Linux deserves your attention.

Linux is a throughly modern operating system that measures up well alongside Windows and Mac OSX. Once installed, it’s familiar-looking and works in the same way. But until recently, in order to set it up you really had to know something more about computers than simply how to use your favorite programs.

Linux, and many of the programs that run on it are free. Some places charge for packaging, support or optional services, but you can find it all online for free without much trouble.

Linux distributions – or distros for short – come in three broad categories: geekish, serverish and userish. While each distro, for the most part, includes the same stuff, the differences lie in the expected usage and intended audience.

One of the free and most user-centric Linux distros is Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com). Ubuntu bills itself as “Linux for Human Beings” and it lives up to that promise. In our 23 years of experience with desktop computers, we have never had such a complete install, go so easily and in so little time as we did with Ubuntu.

You can download two versions of the current 5.04 release. The “Live CD” lets you boot from the CD and run Ubuntu without installing it. It’s a great way to try things out before making a commitment. The install CD installs Ubuntu just like any other operating system, letting you boot the PC and run all its programs from your hard disk.

I installed Ubuntu on a vintage 1999 HP Vectra with a 500MHz Pentium-III, 192 MB of RAM and a 20 GB hard disk. The installer was very easy to use, explaining things and making suggestions all along the way. It took about five minutes to answer the usual questions—we chose all the defaults offered for a desktop PC—and about an hour later (it takes even less time on a newer PC), the CD ejected and we were ready to go.

Unlike other operating systems, on first boot, Ubuntu is ready to begin using. There is no need to spend several more hours installing programs or configuring settings. It installed OpenOffice, which is a replacement for Microsoft Office, Firefox web browser, both Thunderbird and Evolution email and GAIM instant messenger. It even recognized all the shares on my Windows network. All the basics needed in the home or small office were ready to use, right from the get-go.

It installs plenty of extras too. The GIMP image editor, gThumb image viewer, scanner software, BitTorrent P2P download client, Gnome Meeting VoIP and videoconferencing software, as well as CD, music and video players and recorders, CD burning and an assortment of games were all ready to go on first boot.

Not enough? Another 15,800 “packages” (about 1,300 programs) can be installed from the Synaptic Package Manager. You’re sure to find whatever you need, and all for free.

As a computer pro, when I say something is easy to use, it doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as when you say easy to use. So I looked elsewhere for comment.

A local non-profit agency resurrected two old PCs for temporary staff and office volunteers. After only the briefest of explanations about why icons look a little different than at home, people are able to use it proficiently with no support hassles.

Ubuntu has even passed the “grandma and grandpa test.” My parents wanted to try “that Internet thing.” A geek’s worst nightmare is becoming the computer support person for their parents. Holding my breath, I gave them a PC with Ubuntu. I’ve had a couple of calls relating to how to use the Internet and email—the sort of things most beginners ask—but exactly zero support calls relating to Ubuntu.

This is largely due to Ubuntu’s ease-of-use, but also because Linux is immune to typical PC viruses that afflict Windows users, and the Firefox web browser shrugs off Adware and Spyware as if they didn’t exist.

Ubuntu runs in as little as 64MB of RAM, but slowly. Like Windows 98, it’s happier with at least 128MB of RAM. Unlike Windows XP, it doesn’t need 256MB to run smoothly. It will run on that old Pentium-I stashed in your attic, but it’s happiest with at least a Pentium-III (also runs on Mac G3, G4 and G5) and, not counting space for your music and video downloads, Ubuntu fits on even the smallest hard drives. When installed on up-to-date equipment, it runs faster and with less fuss than Windows XP or Mac OS X.

In short, Ubuntu is a good choice for economical and hassle-free computing. It costs nothing to own and it just plain works — with no geeks required.

Bruce has been in the computer business since 1982. He began writing content and code for corporate intranet web sites in 1994. He’s had his own dot-com since 1998 and has been working as a freelance web designer since 2000, doing business as The Secret Labs.