The UNIX operating system was created in the lab of AT&T Bell Labs and came out

in the early 70's. Originally the UNIX operating system was free and the source
code was released so people that wanted to use it were able to edit and make cha
nges to the system as fit their needs. In other words you could freely use the U
NIX system as a foundation for creating your own version that fit your specific
purpose.
The UNIX system is still used today though it is no longer free. Now however we
have the Linux operating systems that were based on UNIX. Most forms of Linux ar
e free and open source meaning like the original versions of UNIX someone that k
nows what they are doing is free to use the base operating system as a foundatio
n to create their own version.
Many people have never even heard of these operating systems, whereas others may
have heard of them but think that they are extremely hard to use and only for c
omputer programmers and "geeks". I believe otherwise. I am not an expert on Linu
x but I have used it a little bit for a couple of years now. It has been my excl
usive operating system for 8 or 9 months now and I have been pretty happy with i
t.
I really don't think that using Linux is inherently harder then using a Windows
operating system. Problem is that most people these days have grown up using Win
dows and can't really remember ever having to learn how to use it because it is
something that they have always done. Most of us haven't grown up with a Linux s
o it can be a little intimidating at first.
But there are several reasons for giving a Linux operating system a chance. One
reason is that many people get frustrated with their Windows systems. It seems t
hat Microsoft is so popular that they can get away with a system that doesn't fu
nction well because they just don't have enough competition. I know I originally
used a Linux system for running a program that I had on my Windows, but it kept
crashing. But it worked fine under the Linux system.I started using Linux exclu
sively with another computer that kept crashing under Windows. I found that it w
orked fine with Linux and have used nothing else but on this computer for almost
a year.
Another benefit to Linux is that Linux users don't have to worry as much about c
omputer viruses. There is a misconception among some people that computer viruse
s are only an issue for Windows and can't affect other systems. This isn't compl
etely true, in order for any system to be worthwhile it must be able to run prog
rams and if it can run a program then it is possible for someone to create a "ba
d" program. So theoretically you could create a malicious program for any type o
f system. However due to the fact that Windows is the overwhelming most used ope
rating system in use, they have by far the most malicious programs designed for
it.
If you were going to write a computer virus would you design it for the most com
mon system with the most novice users who are likely to take security risks, or
for a less common system where most of the users are going to be a little safer
and not as easy to attack? This is why Linux users don't face as many computer v
iruses etc...
Another benefit to Linux is that there are many open source software choices for
it. Open source means that something is both free to use and also that you may
freely edit the program to fit your needs, this is different then freeware as fr
eeware is free to use but you aren't allowed it edit it. Most users will never h
ave the ability to edit their own open source software but you just might find t
hat someone else needed the same feature as you and already did it as opposed to
commercial versions of software where they company only makes a change if there
is a huge demand.
There is a lot of open source software available for Windows as well. Many progr
ams such as the Open Office suite are available for both Windows and Linux syste
ms. However since the Linux operating system its self is open source it inherent
ly leads to its users being more aware of the concept of open source and since o
pen source is created or at least edited by the people I believe that this means
that the open source community for Linux is more active and helpful then for Wi
ndows. This means lots of free yet powerful software options as opposed to payin
g huge sums for relatively simple software simply because of licensing fees like
is often seen with Windows software.
These are some of the reasons that I encourage you to look into a Linux operatin
g system. I really don't think that they are as hard to use as some people may b
elieve but since we use computers so much today struggling with a learning curve
can be a big deal when it comes to something as important as your pc. The good
news is that it is very easy to experiment with Linux without disturbing your Wi
ndows operating system. One option available is to dual install Linux on the sam
e computer that you run Windows on and have the choice of which system to use. B
ut for beginners I recommend something else.
It is very easy to download a version of Linux for free and put it on a cd or us
b stick. Then boot your regular Windows computer from this. Your computer will l
oad up the Linux system, you are free to play around in it. Learn about Linux, s
ee if you like it and then when you restart your computer without the cd or memo
ry stick it goes right back to your normal Windows computer with no harm done to
your system or files.
This is a nice "safe" way to experiment with Linux and see if it is right for yo
u. Since the download is free all you need to do is buy the cd or memory stick a
nd a lot of you probably already have an extra one of those on hand so this can
cost your nothing at all. I believe that some Linux systems allow you to persona
lize your system and download new software when running from a cd or memory stic
k. Whereas others will only let you run the default system from a memory stick o
r cd because every time you restart it all changes are lost. But this can still
allow you to learn a lot and if you like it then dual installing it on your syst
em so that you can make permanent changes (such as installing new software) may
be the next step for you.