Consider the Penguin

OS Platform StatisticsCurrent trend is that Windows XP is growing fast

The Windows family counts for more than 90% of the market

* http://www.w3schools.com

XP Home Edition$189.95 XP Professional $289.95Windows XP together with Office XP $560Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard EditionClient Access License Quantity: 5$999 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise EditionClient Access License Quantity: 25$3,999 

Current Windows List Prices

Windows…A Security Nightmare?

Windows is a favorite target of worm and virus writersWorms and viruses are stunningly effective on Windows because Windows provides atrocious functionality which makes it easy for worms to strike. Windows Registry Windows Update

* TechUser.Net

How often do you see this?

Typical Windows LifecycleClean Windows

Installation

Quality Deteriorates

User Forced to do Clean Reinstall

Programs Installed

Windows Registry Accumulates more and more residue

System loses all the previously applied security updates, and becomes a sitting duck for worms and other malware.

Even With a Clean Installation…

The Internet Storm Center’s values for amount of time it takes to be hit by a virus probe have been cut in half since one year ago – from 40 minutes to 20 minutes!

* http://isc.sans.org/

Even With a Clean Installation…

The upper limit download of a Windows XP SP2 upgrade is 272391 KB.

On a 1.5 megabit (T-1) connection, this takes approx. 24 minutes.

A probe will hit your computer every 20 minutes

Don’t forget install time! There’s another 20 minutes alone!

If You Choose Windows…Plan for downtime

“The average rate of failures requiring a system reboot has been measured at around 8% per session.”

http://solutions.journaldunet.com/0409/040915_etude_postedetravail.shtml

Expect Insecurity “We're fundamentally changing the way things operate, to help to make

software more resistant to attacks. We're two and a half years down a much longer road; it's more of a 10-year timeline.”

Stephen Toulouse, Microsoft Security Program Manager, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/view.html?pg=3

Inform Customers of Potential Instability “State driver's licenses and identification cards won't be available for the

remainder of the week because of a virus that has crippled the computer system since Friday.”

Wednesday, September 22 news http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E33%257E2417722,00.html

Linux

Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License , the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone. Recently Celebrated 13th Birthday

* http://www.linux.org

Open SourceComputer programs or operating systems for which the source code is publicly available are referred to as open-source softwareInherent in the open source philosophy is the freedom of a distributed community of programmers to modify and improve the codeLinux is the best-known example

Others include the Apache Software Foundation (www.apache.org ), who produce the dominant software (64% of web servers in 2003) for servers that dish out corporate web pages.

Pros of Linux

Inexpensive Most Linux copies are free. This is the beauty of

open source!Secure

Even with source code freely available, Linux is one of the most secure operating systems available

Reliable It’s not uncommon to have a machine up for more

than a year without a rebootMulti-User Centric

Unix was built intended for many users. Linux adopted this; many systems have hundreds of users

Pros of LinuxInternet Community. Always willing to help with problems, and anybody can write a patch to modify source code. A worldwide team of developers is at your fingertips.

Example: The Gainesville Linux User Group runs a mailing list with

many

Linux experts, including UF faculty that run systems you use everyday. Holds monthly meetings. Expect help

within minutes! http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/linux-l.html Low system requirements. Linux doesn’t require a top of the line computer.

Cons of Linux

Program x doesn’t run on Linux. Many program vendors don’t support Linux

SOLUTION Linux provides lots of alternatives to common programs

– and likely at a much lesser cost Try http://www.sourceforge.net . With over 80,000 free

project downloads, it’s worth a visit Or, try Wine: “Wine is an Open Source implementation

of the Windows API on top of X and Unix.” http://winehq.com/

Cons of Linux

Hardware y doesn’t run on Linux.

Many hardware providers don’t write drivers for Linux

SOLUTION Most older hardware is supported by Linux, even if the

manufacturer themselves did not provide the solution Save money and purchase older hardware. Linux

doesn’t require a high-end PC, and your hardware will work as expected

Also, the Driver on Demand (http://driverondemand.sourceforge.net/ ) project aims to have your system automatically download and install drivers from the Internet

Cons of LinuxI have to download multiple CDs worth of setup disks.

A typical Linux install is 3 CDs of contents and 2 additional CDs contain the source code

This is necessary to provide a vast array of software

SOLUTION Check the home page of the distribution that you’re

downloading. Chances are that they offer to send you CDs at a small cost. Also, network installs are possible; you can use an FTP mirror of the distribution you’re installing and not concern yourself with CDs.

Remember how much money you’re saving by getting Linux!

Cons of Linux

Programs are hard to installWhen reading program documentation, they often cite how to compile the program on your own. This can result in program dependency issues and take a lot of time.

SOLUTION Compiling your own programs is a key feature of Linux. You

can edit the source code and build with command-line options to customize the software.

However, if you’re not up to this task yet, there are many package managers available. They download and install programs for you.

Try RPM (RPM Package Manager) http://www.rpm.org/ APT (Advanced Package Tool)

http://packages.debian.org/stable/base/apt.html Yum http://www.abo.fi/~tjunnone/yummy/ Emerge http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/portage-manual.xml

More than ‘32 Flavors'Linux is packaged in ‘distributions’ (commonly referred to as ‘distros’) or ‘flavors’. Select the flavor that works best for you.

RedHat/Fedora/WhiteBox – most common, heavily supported

Gentoo – known for performance Debian – known for compatibility SuSe – known for ease of use Mandrake – primarily intended as a desktop

The list goes on! Each flavor has its own strengths and weaknesses; however,

each is supported by the same robust Linux kernel. If you’re unable to decide by Internet research, use a trial and

error approach. Most are, after all, free!

Window ManagersOnce you’ve decided on a Linux distribution, choose a Window ManagerThe two most popular are ‘Gnome’ and ‘KDE’

Look similar? They are! Try them both and see which fits your needs.

You’re in luck, Linux can have multiple window managers installed, and lets you choose which to boot into

Switching is seamless! All window managers respect the

underlying directory structure of user home directories and programs

KDE

GNOME

Install Programs

Of course, you’ll need software to replace all of your Windows programs. Here are some common replacements.

Evolution supports calendars, address books, rich content e-mail, indexed searches, IMAP/POP/SMTP support, Palm device support, and much more.

Install Programs

Web Browsers are perhaps the easiest Linux transitionMany popular web browsers are cross compatibleSome window managers, such as KDE, are packaged with a browser such as Konqueror

Install Programs

Already Comfortable with Office? Not a problem! OpenOffice emulates and improves on many

Microsoft Office technologies

Install Programs

Winamp XMMS

You’ll find a small learning curve on many programs, asthey’re modeled after the Windows equivalent.

AIM GAIM

Install Programs

As a rule of thumb, any software that you used on Windows has a Linux equivalent, and most any software you can imagine having utility has probably been written in one form or another.

Get Educated

The University of Florida has a Linux page http://www.circa.ufl.edu/linux/

One of the best ways to get informed about current Linux related issues is to join a mailing list The University also has a Linux mailing

list LINUX-L@lists.ufl.edu

Get Educated

Check out the Linux Documentation Project The LDP is “a loosely knit team of

volunteers who provide documentation for many aspects of Linux”

There are several forms of documentation Guides HOWTOs Man (manual) Pages FAQs

http://en.tldp.org/

Get Educated

Google!!! A simple Google search produces

hundreds of pages dedicated to providing Linux information http://www.gentoo.org/ http://www.linuxjournal.com/ http://www.redhat.com/ http://www.linux-laptop.net/

… just to name a few!

Takeaway

Windows has issues that should be considered Expensive (?) Security Flaws

Windows is not the Only Operating System Out There!Linux is a Open Source (free) alternative to Windows

Takeaway

There are many alternatives to Windows based software that are often cross-platform compatible that run on LinuxThere is plenty of information readily available on the Internet if you want to know more about Linux

Questions ?