Just looking around found this forum. Pretty surprised to find no topic about why and what type linux you should choose. As you notice I'm a complete newbie and don't no nothing about this.

I want to try linux and already got a suse version from a friend. But what are the main resons you should choose linux? I don't mean all the reasons windows sucks, i know that! Please give me some better reasons.

I now mostly use my comp for: photoshop, text editing, web editing, maple, asp developing, excel modelling, etc.

Thanks!

what type? there are DOZENS of threads here asking for recommendations for distros and such.

I'm not quite sure what you really mean by "type" though. maybe you're not really sure what linux "IS", maybe my head isn't working right... but any modern linux distro can happily run any linux program as well as the next, it's just little things like how each distro configures itself and such like.

main reasons.. well, it mkaes so much more sense than windows. you have cmoplete control over what goes where. sure some newbie distro's like mandrake let you ignore it if you want but you still can always fine tune whatever you want. there are dozens of other reasons... net serving is a piece of piss, it's free, it's more stable, basically all the opposites to why windows sucks.

OK, there aren't as many apps, but i VERY rarely use windows anymore, i use gimp for grpahics, kword for essays.... It's not really surprising that the apps haven't realy ben developed yet tho... they're certainly on their way tho

linux was written by developers for themselves, whereas microsoft wrote windows to make lots of money. Consequently the pretty config guis and stuff didn't exist till recently, and some distros reject them anyway. Linux was built from the ground up all the time, while windows just built one narrow lump of an operating system, that was always easy enough to configure, but generally did sod all. The underneath stuff of linux is extremely advanced, and generally much much better than windows...

oh and of course maple is originally a *nix app anyway...

To add to what Mr. Kewpie so well said, since the apps and OS are built by the developers FOR the developers, the quality of the apps are just outstanding compared to Windows. The GIMP rivals photoshop or printshoppro anyday and koffice is just as functional as MS Office. I'd rather use a beta version of almot any app in Linux over a buggy retail release by MS anyday! The asp development support is just amazing along with the web development. Give that SuSE a go or try RedHat. Can't lose really.

The question why to choose Linux and what to use it for is in fact put up here from time to time.
However, I would not blaim Newbies for asking those questions.
I would rather set up a page here, where they can find the answer or direct them to such pages with a link.
Please consider that most of the newbies are only newbies to Linux, while they possibly have a full-flavoured machine using an other operating system.
They simply want to find the counterparts of the applications they got used to there as easily as they can.
As for myself, I was very devoted to Linux just because my dislike of a certain company (and my short of money), yet it took me several months to find almost all applications that I now suppose to be the best for my needs. Why not to spare that time for the newbies? They will have enough trouble afterwards, when trying to install those somehow...
Thus those questions would probable never beasked here any longer.

Hey mrmamba,

Some of those replies were pretty zealous, as many Linux advocates are! Judging from your question, I can give you a few opinions/answers.
Linux is hands down the best operating system available for desktops right now. It gives you Unix power, is more stable, flexible, and cheaper than anything available from those other companies. I switched away from Windows years ago (well before '95) to OS/2 because I needed a better platform for the desktop, but then switched to Linux 5 years ago when I discovered that I could have an advanced Unix system, on my PC, and it didn't cost a fortune (Solaris was also available briefly, but it was watered down and costly).
There are equivalent packages for any bit of software that you use underWindows. I would agree that most of these packages are also superior, simply because they are programmed better, and they really have the user in mind. Check out the Gimp, StarOffice, Octave, Quanta, Bluefish, etc. And these are the free packages. Powerful commercial packages are also available, such as Applixware, Stata, Mathematica, and so on.
Install your copy of SUSE and enjoy!!!

For me,

If you want to use photoshop etc.... Live the Linux. Linux is not ready for that

If you want to setup a Server for your house or your company, choose Linux. The next generation (Linux) maybe.

In reply to Mithiko, I really have to disagree, but I do so noting that this is applicable really only for specialized users. Windows is a prefectly viable platform for many people.
I do a lot of advanced image processing, analysis and preparation, for both research and publication, and tools such as the Gimp and TnImage match anything available for Windows, Photoshop included. Call Adobe and ask them if Photoshop is available for Linux and see what they tell you. They're likely to recommend the Gimp! No kidding.
As for mathematical, statistical, programming software, etc. Some of the Windows packages come with GUI goodies that are not always available in the Linux equivalents, but pound for pound, a Linux-based system will kick ass everytime. I work on everything from Macs (not if I can help it; not for scientific work), NT, to Unix mainframes, and Linux wins in almost all categories. And if it doesn't, you can program it yourself, or talk to the project team. As a small example: last year shortly before a conference my research group discovered that we could not find a particular image function in any of the Linux packages. The normally excellent Windows equivalent was struggling with our image sizes. I e-mailed the TnImage team, and suggested that they look into adding this functionality, and they agreed to look into it for the next version. Five days later, in advance of the conference, we had a new version of the software!!! Sorry, that won't happen in the Windows world.

Well, people only ever compare photoshop and gimp, but there ARE other lniux grpahics packges, like Photogenics (which is also under windows), which just happens to be closed source, and costs $80, which is certainly comparable to photoshop. I looked at teh small demo download, and it seems pretty cool. The Gimp is great, but there are still other options.

Hi,
I use Linux because it's a system I can use in many ways. I have a Linux router, Linux web server, Linux ssh server. I also use Linuxes as workstations. I write texts using OpenOffice or a simple text editor and then LaTeX. I make graphic not very sophisticated) using GIMP, which is the most powerful one I know. There is no other graphic program I can easily add the options I need (Ok, not everyone likes programming, but for me this possibility is great). And I use Linux for development. No IDEs, just joe and 6 open consoles.

Mara

Mandrake is awesome if youre a band new newbie (because from what ive heard you can be a linux newbie for some time-not because its difficult but because there is more functionality to it to discover )... Mandrake is an easier install than Windows 9.x... You can install it then play with at as a workstation before moving on to other things...

Mandrake is awesome if youre a band new newbie (because from what ive heard you can be a linux newbie for some time-not because its difficult but because there is more functionality to it to discover )... Mandrake is an easier install than Windows 9.x... You can install it then play with at as a workstation before moving on to other things...

I'd just like to express my appreciation for J_Szucs's down-to-earth reply.

Synopsis: Linux - Just for/by developers?, Quick development of simple business apps, Learning curves compared, Costs and risks for small business

It's not good enough to roll out all the technical reasons why Linux is better. I've been an application developer for several years now - small business applications in Visual Basic, Access, SQL Server mainly. I think (and hope) we're mislead by those who say Linux is written by developers for developers. At some point is has to be for the real users in business for whom I develop quick and superbly useful (in that their effect shows on the bottom-line) but not necessarily very clever data oriented applications - forms and reports and so on. Not many of them need much maths or graphics - they just need timeliness, simplicity and accuracy.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but at least for the present, to make a success of Linux requires a much steeper learning curve, and is less well known and supported than Windoze - or for that matter Mac. And that is a severe cost and risk for a small business - the couple setting up on their own to sell fancy shoes, antique clocks or whatever need something that does the business and lets them get on with - and concentrate on - the business. The benefits of Linux and the Open-Source philosophy are clear - but let's be realistic about the down sides.

I'd really appreciate some serious discussion on this. Has anyone without a computing background started up a business with Linux, in the same way that thousands do daily with W?

Well first off, I don't run any business myself but I could give you the reasons I would choose and know I would use Linux/Open Source Software over the other guys:

1. Cost, especially for a small business. Most dont' have thousands of dollars to spend on just software and licenses. And anyone knows that most business don't have a large bank account, one reason they are making a business so they can have that large bank account.

2. Security. Security and control that you have using open source. You have constant updates and patches, unlike some companies that may take months to create a patch or just wait for the next major verison to fix. This comes along with email too, why keep using Outlook as it is the major cause and spreads most viruses that we have cause of all of its holes in the software. I used just Netscape Communicator for my mail client on one of my machines, I was sent a virus, did my machine and Netscape send it to everyone on my address book. No. So I don't understand this concept. If it keeps breaking, why keep using it concept.

3. Stability and more control of my system. Customization is good, even if its the small things.

Those are some of the reasons I choose linux over other closed source software, especially if I were to start a company or small business.

I started my business on the basis that business want something cost effective, stable and secure. I set them up with a linux box running samba.

You will find that most businesses don't try and setup a server based network themselves, they get in an expert. Alot of those experts then put in a NT solution. This then becomes too expensive for all of the usual reasons.

I have been looking for some help with the benefits of linux to make it easier, but most replies just 'roll out all the technical reasons why Linux is better' they don't seem to be able to (or want to) look at linux from a business point of view.

There are many compelling reasoins to switch your servers to linux but I am struggling for help to put them into business language. The businesses that I have been able to get a linux box into have been hesitant but loved it once it was up and running.

I have only had to visit one box and that was only because they changed from coax to cat5 and the cat5 connector on the nic inside the linux box was stuffed.

I agree..
Linux is technically and financially much better.
Linux can be d/l free as well as apps and bits n' bobs.
Security, performance and stability is great whatever the task is.

But realistically, the exposure of linux to the public is far less than Win.
In early/mid education, what is the percentage of Linux vs. Win exposure to young teenagers across the world??

In any business large/small what is the most common workstation o/s??

But at the other end you have to ask..
What percentage of web-servers out there are linux/unix?? (much much greater than Win thats all i know)
What percentage of DHCP/DNS/game servers are linux/unix??
Why is it that many servers out there are linux/unix based??
Its because they provide security, performance, reliability and stability with critical applications.

Why don't early/mid education use linux? After all, its dirt cheap and you don't need a beast of a machine to run it? (save money especially with british education system)