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I know I am not going to make friends with this post, but I read an article on PC World and respectfully disagree with some of the points made in the article. The article argues that with changes in the technology market that this should be the year for users to switch to Linux. As many of you know I am a Linux enthusiast and develop with it for many of the projects that I work on, but I do not think that it should be a primary choice for business or residential workstations.

You can read the full article by Katherine Noyes here to see the reasons she listed to make the switch.

1. Windows 8

Windows 8 is a change and is not what we are used to.  The style has gone into a table like interface.  The articles author listed that the switch to Windows 8 may make computing more complicated for individuals to adjust to, but my first point is that learning an entirely different OS will be even more difficult for most home users.  Installing applications in Linux can be more complicated for inexperienced home users, who want to do simple things like install a printer and use web applications.  The end us

er will also find that most of their software like Microsoft Office will not install without using an emulator, which will make them could possibly render them incompatible with some of the software they use at work, requiring them to convert files.  LibreOffice is fairly compatible, but somethings like formatting may not carry over.

The firm I manage has sold a great deal of Windows 8 PC’s to many of our business’s employees and we have heard great feedback about its ease of use for non computer savy individuals.

2. Flavors for every taste

The authors second point to make a switch is all of the different versions Linux has to offer.  This is true Linux has multiple different versions, but will a typical home user have the time to install multiple versions of Linux to find a flavor they like and if they have an issue , will their local  tech company be able to troubleshoot the issue.  There is a great community around Linux, but the availability of support is not near as great of that of Microsoft’s and Apple’s.

3. Superior Security

It is true that Linux has excellent security, but with proper security practices like installing Window’s Updates, running a good anti-virus, and by keeping proper control of Windows Firewall and not file sharing with applications like Bit torrent there is no reason that a Windows PC cannot be secure.  Most security issues are user caused and there are still security flaws within side of Linux distributions.  There are sites full of software for script kiddies to penetrate a Linux system.  Long story short the only secure computer is one that is off.

4. Modest Requirements

It is true that Linux systems do not require as much system resources, which makes them an excellent web server for example, but a home user that likes media, internet, and a nice interactive graphical user interface will find the the resources quickly add up as applications are added just the same as with a Windows or Apple PC.

5. Open and Free

The reason why I love Linux is that it is open source and free, which again makes it perfect for when I build out a web server or ftp server, but typically when you buy a system it comes with the OS already installed and it is normally Windows.  You can opt in with some manufacturers to have Linux installed, but typically it is just as cost effective to have it come with Windows.  A system that comes without an OS is typically bare bones, which the average home user does not build a PC.

Basically I agree with the author that Linux is still relevant, but more for servers and developer machines, not home users.  I would recommend that users go out and get a Windows PC or upgrade from XP, Vista, or 7 right now.  The upgrade cost is only $39.99 and trust me, it will be much easier to upgrade Windows then to try to partition your hard drive and risk toasting you machine if you make a mistake.

However…

With the above said, I would recommend if you have a junk PC that you do not want, to go ahead and load Linux to play with it and dip your toes into the water.  I would not recommend loading it to your primary PC and diving into the water.  Linux is great in my opinion, but not for the average home user.  Windows 8 may cause you a head ache or two, but you won’t be pounding your head on the desk because of the reasons that I have listed here (primarily it’s compatibility with most commonly used software in business considering that most of us do work from home).

I want to give a shout out to Youtuber RatedRR! My intern pointed this channel out to me and due to my love for technology and gun, I instantly got addicted to this channel.  Check out RatedRR take an Assault Rife and Shotgun to an iPad in the video below and then be sure to take a look at his Youtube channel for tons of awesome videos!

I have been watching BlackBerry very closely lately.  It is hard to say at this point what will happen in the smart phone market, but wouldn’t it be interesting if RIM could make a comeback and take back the market it once dominated?  Take a look at the video and see a preview of what is to come out of RIM in the upcoming months.

The following is an address from Godaddy’s CEO.  They are stating that the issue was not due to an attack from Anonymous, but rather an internal DNS issue, which caused millions to lose access to their websites and Godaddy.

Go Daddy Customers and Community,

We owe you a big apology for the intermittent service outages we experienced on September 10th that may have impacted your website and your interaction with GoDaddy.com.

The service outage was due to a series of internal network events that corrupted router data tables. Once the issues were identified, we took corrective actions to restore services for our customers and GoDaddy.com. We have implemented measures to prevent this from occurring again.

At no time was any sensitive customer information, such as credit card data, passwords or names and addresses, compromised.

Throughout our history, we have provided 99.999% uptime in our DNS infrastructure. This is the level of performance our customers have come to expect from us and that we expect from ourselves. We pride ourselves on providing world-class service — through our products, our site experience and customer care.

We have let our customers down and we know it. I cannot express how sorry I am to those of you who were inconvenienced. We will learn from this.

I’d like to express my profound gratitude to all our customers. We are thankful for your straightforward feedback and the confidence you have shown in us.

In appreciation, we will reach out to affected customers in the coming days with a good faith gesture that acknowledges the disruption. We are grateful for your continued loyalty and support.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please call us at 1-480-505-8877.

Sincerely,

Scott Wagner
Go Daddy CEO