Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 08 September 2008 16:39
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 6
Reason number 4 in support of Linux is that you can “Run an entire computer for free, without breaking the law”.
Well, whichever operating system you decide to use, you’ll still need to buy the computer itself, and that certainly isn’t free – unless you’re getting a second-hand “hand-me-down” from someone else.
But these days, Windows Vista pre-loaded onto a commercially purchased computer is only a small part of the overall cost. Yes, it does cost extra, which means it does cost something, but you’re certainly not paying the price of a retail version of Windows.
Once you get past that particular hurdle, a world of free and open source software awaits you on Vista if you want it.
Besides the cost of Windows itself on your hardware of choice, everything else can be free if you so desire, while running within an operating system – Vista – that has far more software and hardware compatibility than any other.
Reason number 5 is that you can “take all your settings with you wherever you go”. Hey, I can do this too – it’s called using a laptop! But Windows users can easily load their most important files to any number of secure online storage solutions, so their files are available anywhere.
As for taking your settings with you, there are USB flash drives and hard drives with software called U3, Ceedo, Mojo and others which can give you a customised portable Windows interface/experience that you can use when plugged into other computers, while having your files at hand.
In addition, the wide range of online services from Google and others lets you access your email and office documents from any computer.
Yes, those services are a reason why you don’t need Windows, but given that Windows Vista has, in my opinion, the nicest operating system experience (sorry Mac OS X and Linux users), I’m personally much happier accessing those online services through a Vista interface, and the reality is that most people out there are, too.
So, what are my 5 other reasons to stick with Vista and to give Linux the flick? Please read on to page 4.
