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Page 2 of 3 When it comes to familiarity, a wizened Linux advocate can assist their friends and family by placing shortcut icons on the desktop for the most common needs – things like a web browser, an e-mail program, a folder for placing documents and even a shutdown icon. Seeing these from the onset will give the new Linux user an immediate sense of comfort and knowhow.
Even if you do not have the benefit of a sage Linux buddy, you can still help yourself. Make a list of your top five or ten tasks. What are the things you use your computer for most? Perhaps it is e-mail, web browsing and instant messaging, or maybe spreadsheets, word processing and playing movies. No matter what, determine your list for what will give you comfort. Then hammer the means of support, which leads us nicely into ....
... support. No Linux user is an island. There is plentiful advice available from all-to-willing enthusiasts. This includes your local Linux user group or the many Linux newsgroups or IRC chat rooms.
Ask questions. Linux people love talking about Linux. And everyone was new to Linux at some point, even Linus. And don’t forget ITWire has regular coverage and news.
Hardware is a different matter; efforts are being expended to address the matter. Popular distro Ubuntu has largely addressed the problem of graphics card support with a restricted drivers manager. Atheros and Intel wireless cards are known to be reliable. For best results, consult the Linux hardware compatibility how-to. This is an excellent resource and will provide confidence your system is fully supported or help you locate acceptable alternatives where a problem exists.
Additionally, the open source community can always be further advanced by vocal advocates. If your hardware isn’t supported, get in touch with the hardware vendor. Express your support for Linux drivers. You never know, it could be your voice that brings about positive change for both yourself and the rest of the community.
Finally, Windows-only software can be tackled with several different approaches. The first option is to find an open-source alternative. This won’t help with e-Tax (but happily the ATO have come to recognise Windows isn’t the only option), but you’ll definitely find a cornucopia of productivity apps, games, developer tools, media players and much, much more at repositories like SourceForge. Perhaps the Windows-only app isn’t such a deal-breaker if you can replicate its functionality elsewhere.
Or, you may find a measure of success in using a Windows emulator like WINE. This attempts to execute Windows programs within the native Linux environment. At worst, a genuine version of Windows can be run within a virtual PC from VMWare or XenSource as a last resort for those final pernickety apps.
With these in mind, we trust you are persuaded Linux can be for you if you take it calmly and thoughtfully, and that you have responses for your Windows-only friends. Yet, having made the decision to migrate to Linux is still not the same as actually executing that decision. Here’s where we advocate what we consider a gentle approach to Linux.
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