PC Operating Systems

What Is An Operating System?

The operating system is special software used to interact with the hardware within a computer.

Microsoft Windows rules the PC… or does it?

What Is Linux?

Linux is an operating system used to power pretty much any device you can think of.

When most people think of Linux they think of a desktop operating system used by geeks and techies or a server based operating system used to power web sites.

Linux is everywhere. It is the engine behind most smart devices. The Android phone that you are using runs a Linux kernel, that smart fridge that can restock itself runs Linux. There are smart light bulbs that can talk to each other all with the help of Linux. Even rifles used by the army run Linux.

A modern buzz term is “the internet of things”. The truth is that there really is only one operating system that powers the internet of things and that is Linux.

From a business point of view Linux is also used on large supercomputers and it is used to run the New York Stock Exchange.

Linux powers 94% of the world’s supercomputers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and a billion Android devices. In short, Linux is everywhere. It appears in many different architectures, from mainframes to server to desktop to mobile and on a staggeringly wide variety of hardware.

Linux can also of course be used as the desktop operating system on your net-book, laptop, Raspberry Pi or desktop computer.

Why use Linux?

I use Linux and love it. No more ‘blue screens of death’, no more crashes, no more forced upgrades, no more lost work. No more paying exorbitant prices… Want to know what I use? Read on…

Want to learn Linux for FREE? Introduction to Linux

Open Source Cheat Sheets

Use these free, downloadable PDF cheat sheets to speed your way through common tasks in a variety of common open source tools.

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

Linux Mint is the most popular desktop Linux distribution and the 3rd most widely used home operating system behind Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS.

Some of the reasons for the success of Linux Mint are:

• It works out of the box, with full multimedia support and is extremely easy to use.
• It’s both free of cost and open source.
• It’s community-driven. Users are encouraged to send feedback to the project so that their ideas can be used to improve Linux Mint.
• Based on Debian and Ubuntu, it provides about 30,000 packages and one of the best software managers.
• It’s safe and reliable. Thanks to a conservative approach to software updates, a unique Update Manager and the robustness of its Linux architecture, Linux Mint requires very little maintenance (no regressions, no antivirus, no anti-spyware…etc).

This is what I use on a daily basis. At the time of this writing there was 47,623 packages (software) available. I do all my work using open source software, not because there is no software cost but because it works better and is more powerful.

Full blown Linux!

Ubuntu for desktops

Learn how the Ubuntu desktop operating system powers millions of PCs and laptops around the world.

Complete

Ubuntu comes with everything you need to run your organisation, school, home or enterprise. All the essential applications, like an office suite, browsers, email and media apps come pre-installed and thousands more games and applications are available in the Ubuntu software centre.

Open source

Ubuntu has always been free to download, use and share. We believe in the power of open source software; Ubuntu could not exist without its worldwide community of voluntary developers.

Secure

With a built-in firewall and virus protection software, Ubuntu is one of the most secure operating systems around. And the Long Term Support releases give you five years of security patches and updates.

Accessible

Computing is for everyone regardless of nationality, gender or disability. Ubuntu is fully translated into over 40 languages and includes essential assistive technologies.

Ultimate Guide: Getting Started With Ubuntu

Lubuntu is a complete Operating System that ships the essential apps and services for daily use: office applications, PDF reader, image editor, music and video players, etc.

If you need more, you can use the Discover Software Center to download the required app that suits your needs, for free.

Lubuntu is compatible with the majority of existing file formats, such as images, songs, films, spreadsheets, text documents, internet radio stations, and much more.

Everything works out of the box. But if you need more (usually proprietary) codecs for exotic file formats, you can always install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package and enjoy all that content.

And there is more in the Software Center. Just look for the file format or application you need and get it for free.

Lubuntu is offered in many ISOs for several computers, like standard PC, laptops, Raspberry Pi, PowerPC, etc.

Our Lubuntu QA Team ensures every release works well on every architecture. From maximum performance machines to those with older and more limited hardware, Lubuntu works flawless, giving you a smooth Linux experience.

Revive that old PC by installing Lubuntu and give it a second life!

Don’t throw out that old laptop or desktop. Use this OS and your PC will come back to life and run extremely fast.

What is it?

LXLE is based on Lubuntu which is an Ubuntu OS using the LXDE desktop environment. It is designed to be a drop-in and go OS, primarily for aging computers. Its intention is to be able to install it on any computer and be relatively done after install. At times removing unwanted programs or features is easier than configuring for a day. Our distro follows the same LTS schedule as Ubuntu. In short, LXLE is an eclectic respin of Lubuntu with its own user support.

Want to take your work with you without carrying a laptop?

Linux is a free operating system, and Puppy Linux is a special build of Linux meant to make computing easy and fast.

Puppy Linux enables you to save money while doing more work, even allowing you to do magic by recovering data from destroyed PCs or by removing malware from Windows.

With Puppy Linux, you can carry your programs and data anywhere. Because Puppy is able to live in CD/DVD or USB flash, as well as save data to these same devices, you can carry your programs and data with you.

Linux is pretty exciting right? Want to learn more? Want to explore more distros? Check out DistroWatch!

Linux.com is another great source of information.