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CHAPTER 1 WELCOME !

One of the biggest questions asked by most newcomers to Linux is whether it can run Windows software. The answer is yes . . . and no. Linux is completely different from Windows on a fundamental technical level. Its creators based it on Unix, an industrial-strength operating system, and deliberately steered clear of emulating Windows. This means that Linux isn t a swap-in replacement for Windows. You cannot take the installation CD of a Windows program and use it to install that program on Linux, in the same way that you cannot install an Apple Mac program on Windows. However, several current projects let you run Windows programs on Linux. Wine (www.winehq.com) is an example of such a project, and you can download a commercial and easy-to-use variation of it from www.codeweavers.com. You can also use programs like VMware (www.vmware.com) to create a virtual PC running on Linux. Then you can install the Windows operating system and, therefore, any Windows software you like. In most cases, however, you ll find that there s a Linux equivalent of your favorite Windows software. Frequently, you ll find that this Linux version is actually superior to the Windows program you ve been using. We ll discuss many of these in 11.

People have been known to exaggerate about Linux when singing its praises, and there s certainly some hyperbole around. But there are a couple of cast-iron facts about its benefits.

The experiences of different people vary but, in our extensive experience, Linux very rarely crashes. The mouse cursor has never frozen on screen. A strange error box has never appeared and remained until we ve rebooted. Program windows don t freeze and leave trails as we drag them around. It s possible to leave a Linux system running for years without ever needing to reboot (although most desktop Ubuntu users shut down their PCs when they won t be using them for a while, just like the rest of us). Of course, programs that run on top of Linux sometimes crash, but they don t take the rest of the system down with them. Instead, you can clean up after a crash and just carry on.

The next benefit is that Linux is very secure. It s built from the ground up to be secure, in fact, and Linux is based on years of proven computer science research. It works on the principle of users who have permissions to undertake various tasks on the system. If you

C HAPTE R 1 WELCOME!

don t have the correct permission, you cannot, for example, access a particular piece of hardware. Additionally, privacy can be ensured, because the files on the PC are owned by individual users, who can permit or deny others access to those files.

Another big benefit is that Linux can be obtained free of charge. Once it s installed, the latest updates for all your programs are also free of charge. Not only that, but if you want any new software, it will also usually be free of charge (and normally just a download away). Is this starting to sound attractive yet The software is also released under a license that means you can share it with anybody you want. Suppose that you find a really great image editor. You mention it to a friend, and he asks for a copy. Under Windows, copying the program is strictly illegal to do so turns you into a software pirate! Unless that image editor is freeware, your friend will need to buy the software himself. Under Linux, sharing software is normally entirely legal. In fact, it s encouraged! We ll explain why in 2. This philosophy of sharing applies to the entire operating system. You can install the software contained on the DVD on the computer of your friends, relatives, or neighbors. You can even give them copies of the DVD. All this can be done entirely legally! In fact, this redistribution is what the makers of Ubuntu want. They created Ubuntu so that it would be shared and used by anybody, anywhere in the world. They ll even send you or somebody you know free copies of the installation CD if you want; see the ShipIt page of the Ubuntu website: https://shipit.ubuntu.com.