For the last four months, I have been using SUSE (soo-say) Linux 9.2 Professional, learning its features, how Linux works, and all the nook and crannies in this highly stable and powerful operating system. And there is much to be said about this mainstream Linux distribution. For Windows fanatics who are not familiar with the Linux world, here is some terminology that will familiarize you with Linux. Because the operating system is open source, meaning the source code isn't hidden and you yourself can modify the code, there are dozens of Linux distributions, or versions. The most popular are Ubuntu Linux, Debian Linux, Xandros (formerly Corel) Linux, Gentoo Linux, Red Hat Linux, and of course, Novell SUSE Linux. Novell has the most powerful united development front as far as distribution is concerned. The company releases new versions of SUSE Linux every six months with new features. I bought SUSE Linux 9.2 Professional back in March. The most recent release is 9.3, but I'm waiting until October to upgrade to 10.0.

Here are some definite pros about SUSE Linux. It's easy to install, and detected all of my hardware. Even though I don't have a 64-bit processor yet, SUSE has already been configured for it, a good six months before Microsoft released Windows XP x64 Professional. The box I pruchased came with two thick educational books to teach me the about the operating system and what you can do. And, the CD booklet came with 3 CDs for installation, and two DVDs for installation if I preferred DVDs. Alongside the OS itself, there are hundreds of software applications it came with, as well as two desktop environments. It came with Open Office, of course, as well as a whole slew of multimedia applications. My favorite features in SUSE Linux include a pop-up free web browsing environment. In the six or so months of web browsing on Linux, I still have yet to get a pop-up, or spyware. Also, I absolutely love Kontact. It is an interactive address book with a to-do list that alerts you that its time to address your errand when you boot up Linux. Say for instance I have a meeting to attend. I add it to Kontact's To-Do database, and the day of my meeting, I recieve an alert, with sound if I prefer, that the meeting is today. I can also link Kontact with my e-mail account where all my inbound and outbound e-mail is in the Kontact folder, without having to go to my internet e-mail account. Another good feature is Kopete, an instant messenger service that you can configure with more than a dozen popular IM accounts, from AIM to Yahoo Instant Messenger. And, I love the sleek GUI of KDE. The default fonts are nice and smooth as well. And, SUSE automatically creates a dual boot environment with Windows (I have Windows XP Professional on the larger partition), providing a menu of operating systems for me to select and boot. Plus, Plug-N-Play detection is nice.

Now, here are the cons. Linux is struggling to catch up with Windows and Mac OS. As a consequence, the popular software we love to use and the powerful 3D games we love to play cannot run on Linux. Since the PC hardware you buy was designed for Windows, the bundle software is only for Windows. My SB Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card is detected in SUSE Linux, but its graphic equalizer, making my music sound crisp and clean, applies only to Windows XP. And, since Windows XP is the most widely used operating system, the applications I use for video editing are more powerful. Driver support is also a big plus for Windows, especially driver updates. And, software installation is difficult in SUSE Linux if you don't know what you are doing. If you download software from the internet for Windows, the application comes with a Windows Installer, which easily installs istself via Installshield Wizard, and creates a desktop icon. In Linux, you either have to a) download the source code and compile it, or b) downloard the rpm file and install it through YaST, Linux's software installation program. But YaST doesn't create desktop icons. You must go to the start menu to find the program. Even worse, there could be more than one rpm file for a single program, so installing it may be time consuming. And finally, SUSE Linux's DVD player application is facing legal issues, so the plug-ins have been removed. Thus, you cannot watch DVDs on SUSE Linux. Boot up Windows for that.

So, what's the verdict? Both Windows and Linux have great advantages. So what if Windows' stability is spotty. If you know how to secure Windows, there's no need to fuss. If you're irresponsible about uploading music (which can put wear on your hard drive) and surfing the internet (which is the greatest problem), then yes, your Windows operating system is doomed to corruption and failure. Secure Windows properly, and your OS will run just as good as Linux. But powerful software applications that conflict with Windows is another problem. However, reinstalling the application is the best approach. Linux has demonstrated awesome performance, and great reliability, but it lacks powerful applications to accomplish professional work. But it's awesome for web browsing and web site design, as well as a good office OS. My suggestion is, keep Windows if you buy Linux, and keep Linux if you have Windows. A dual-OS computer is your greatest option so that you'll have more to utilize. I have a dual-OS system, and it have served me well.

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