Just Say No to Microsoft

©Tony Bove 2005
NoStarchPress, Inc.
ISBN 1-59327-064-X
243 pgs. Paperback

“I just want something that works.” How many times have those of us who suggest alternatives to Microsoft heard that phrase? Another statement we often encounter is, “Most of the good applications are written for Windows. Why not use the most popular operating system?”

Tony Bove advises us to “Just Say No to Microsoft”.

One major difference between Microsoft and its competitors is the initial cost of the operating system. For an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) version of Windows XP Professional, expect to pay at least $140. When Mac OS X was released on March 24th, 2001, it had a suggested retail price of $129. Most versions of Linux are available for download at no cost, though boxed sets with customer support can be purchased for around $70 (SUSE for example).

Hardware is another reason many prefer to stay with Microsoft. Macintosh is well known for being strict about what hardware is used in their computers. Many early Macs didn’t allow their owners to access the hardware at all. The operating system is tightly integrated to the hardware, resulting in zero conflicts and no driver issues. Linux, in a similar way, is picky about what hardware it can recognize. But for the most part this is a result of driver writers being reluctant to spend time and effort writing a driver for Linux when such a small part of the computing public is using it. When hardware manufacturers do provide drivers for Linux, their hardware finds its way into many Linux computers.

Applications are still the most mentioned reason that people don’t want to switch from Windows to anything else. No one can deny that the vast majority of software is written for the Windows platform. As in the case with hardware drivers, software engineers see no reason to expend time, effort and money writing their code to work with any other OS but Windows. They are in business to make money. It makes sense for them to go where the majority of users are, Microsoft Windows. The common perception is that Mac and Linux users are stuck in a barren land, using the few applications available to them. Common perceptions are sometimes inaccurate.

In “Just Say No to Microsoft” Tony Bove explains clearly and at length why making your computer MS-free is not only practical but worthwhile.

Bove begins his book by detailing exactly how Bill Gates took the concept named Micro-Soft and within fifteen years (1983-1998) turned it into the giant we all know today. He did more than just drop the hyphen.
“Before 1983, computer folks like myself already enjoyed the relative stability of using the same operating system on different hardware-we used Digital Research’s CP/M (Control Program/Monitor) on computers as diverse as the Compupro multiuser system, the portable Osborne and Kaypro machines, the desktop Zenith, Alspa, and Xerox computers, and the ground-breaking Processor Technology Sol machine. We even used it on Apple II with the help of a card (ironically from Microsoft) that provided CP/M compatibility.
In other words, in the beginning, we had freedom of choice in hardware, accessories, and software…” (page 9)

By 1990, “Windows grew to dominate the desktop PC business, leaving the Apple Mac marginalized, while Digital Research went out of business”. (page 14)

Microsoft rose to dominance not by delivering a superior product or through outstanding marketing but by pushing out or buying out competitors. It also wasn’t above copying the work of others (Windows was a virtual clone of the GEM desktop GUI) and claiming it as their own.

Bove goes on to chronicle Microsoft’s rise to near monopoly and why that status is not a good thing for the average computer user. Why tightly integrating applications with the operating system actually limits our freedom of choice rather than enhancing it. Why creating a huge target for spammers and hackers is not in our best interest.

The rest of “Just Say No to Microsoft” details the alternatives that can restore our freedom of choice, free us from the restrictions and weaknesses of poorly written code and make computing fun and productive once again.

Chapter 2 examines the Macintosh alternative. Thanks in large part to the iPod and the Mini-Mac, interest in Apple’s operating system has enjoyed renewed interest. Users into serious music and video editing have long known that the Mac was the platform of choice for those activities. Bove calls the Mac “the quickest route to freedom from Microsoft”.

“For a single, one-stop-shop alternative to using Microsoft software, you can’t go wrong with an Apple Macintosh. From the ground up, the Mac system has no Microsoft code, and although you can run Microsoft’s applications (such as Office) on a Mac, you certainly don’t have to.”

“This test never fails. Grab hold of a mouse connected to a PC running Windows and launch Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or some other graphics program. Try drawing something with it freehand. Now, do the same thing on a Mac. You can feel the difference in mouse action the same way you can feel the difference between driving a Porsche and a Camry.” (page 30)

“Nothing demonstrates the Mac’s superiority over Windows better than the iLife package of applications-iTunes, iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, and GarageBand-that comes with every modern Mac.” (page 31)

Go to Steve Jobs’ .mac page  http://homepage.mac.com/steve/Menu8.html) and you can easily see the difference creating a Webpage on a Mac makes to the final product. This is why the Mac has long been the favorite OS for graphic designers.

Bove offers a simple example of the user interface difference between a Mac and Windows. Open 5 windows on a PC. Each window has its own File menu, and often it’s difficult to determine which File menu goes with which window. On a Mac, there’s only one File menu and it’s always in the same place at the top of the screen. Simplicity making the user experience better.

Chapter 3 discusses the advantages of choosing Linux as your operating system if you already own a PC and don’t plan on replacing it with a Mac.

“Your neighbor is a propeller-head engineer with years of experience in the computing industry, and every time you ask him about PC viruses, spyware, and other annoyances, he mysteriously smiles, points to his contraption in the garage, and whispers ‘Linux””. (page 43)

To use its proper name, GNU/Linux and Open Source software are beginning to make an impact on the desktop, both at home and in the office. Governments, who always have an eye to the bottom line and have the most to loose to invaders and data thieves, are starting to look to Linux to replace Windows on their networks.

Networks are where Linux got its first widespread use. An Open Source application, the Apache Web server, runs on more networks than Windows. It is the server software of choice on those machines that make up the backbone of the Internet. Low deployment costs and ease of use are often cited as reasons for Apache’s success. Most major Linux distributions come with Apache preinstalled.

When Linux was still new, and installation required a precise knowledge of your hard drive and all the hardware on your system, Linux was considered the OS for geeks. The only early adopters who grasped the concept of Linux easily were those who came from a UNIX background. For the rest of us former Windows users, it was an often frustrating experience just to get Linux onto our hard drives. Trying to get hardware recognized or open an application could take a day to accomplish.

These days, distributions like Xandros Desktop, Mandriva and Linspire have made the transition from Windows to Linux nearly painless and hassle-free. The look and feel of those desktops are amazingly familiar to anyone used to Microsoft’s product.

The Open Source software movement has given the end user nearly the same options as Windows users have enjoyed when it comes to selecting an office, graphics or audio application. Many Open Source applications have been ported to Windows due to their popularity and functionality. Still, they work best in their native system, Linux. Film GIMP, the motion picture version of the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program, included in most Linux distributions), was used to create Scooby Doo for the Warner Bros. film as well as the films Babe and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. According to Computer World (Dec. 24th, 2004), Pixar, DreamWorks SKG and Disney have moved a combined total of 2400 of their technical workstations to Linux. K3b will burn a CD as well or better than any closed source application. Open Office provides much the same user experience as MS Office. There are even Open Source applications like WINE and CrossOverOffice that allow you to run Windows applications from within Linux, should you ever need to.

While applications are important, the stability of the Linux system is more often cited as a reason to switch to it from Windows and even Macintosh.

“Consider the anecdotal evidence. A complete stranger sitting in the airplane seat next to me, noticing that I was reading a book about Linux, offered his own test results. ‘When I used a Windows laptop, I averaged about two to three crashes a day-you know, the blue screen of death…I switched to a Mac PowerBook, and I could go for weeks without a crash…But this year I switched to Linux on a cheap notebook PC, and I can go for moths without a crash.’” (page 47)

That stability, and Linux’s resistance to viruses and worms, can be traced directly to its layered approach to the file system. On Windows, the average user runs as an administrator all the time. Any bad thing that attacks has easy access to the entire system, since the administrator has full system access. On a Linux system, the user is restricted from casually accessing administrator, or root, functions. To run as root, the user must log off as a user and back on as root, entering a password to allow this. Malware can’t enter a password, thus protecting the root system from corruption. And the structure of the file system prevents the conflicts and lost file problems endured by Windows users. The hardware is used more efficiently in Linux as well. Memory usage is optimized, as is processor power. Hung applications can be killed much easier in Linux than in Windows.

“Just Say No to Linux” was written in Open Office and laid out in Adobe FrameMaker. This review is being written in AbiWord. In chapter 4, Bove talks more about replacing MS Office with alternatives like AbiWord and Open Office. While proprietary file formats occasionally make saving and opening documents created in other operating systems awkward, it’s not impossible. With suites like Open Office, you can put together a slide show, publish a Webpage or even write a book just like you can in MS Office.

Need more than just an Office suite? In chapters 5 and 6, Bove explains how other Open Source applications can do anything you might need, from spreadsheets to music recording. You can even run a podcast from Linux.

The next section, chapters 7-9, discuss your computer and how it relates to both the World Wide Web and your local home/office network. Networking with Microsoft alternatives is just as easy, if not easier, than with Windows. For example, when I installed SUSE 10.0 on my laptop, both my wired and wireless networks were detected automatically. All I had to do was enter the security settings for my wireless connection, no wizard required.

Browsing the Internet is a rich experience in Mac and Linux. Both offer browsers unavailable in Windows. Mac even comes with its version of Internet Explorer, though why anyone would prefer it over Camino, Firefox, Konqueror or Opera I can’t imagine.

Bove wraps up this comprehensive look at Microsoft alternatives with two chapters devoted to summarizing the major points of the book. He starts with “Twelve Steps to Freedom from Microsoft” for those willing to break their addiction to all things MS. He urges users to determine what is truly important to them about their daily computing, then looking at all the possibilities to find which platform gives them what they need. He discusses tech support available to Mac and Linux users, something of value to those new to either operating system. This is not a change you have to brave alone.

He ends the book with an appeal to all who have dumped Windows for a better alternative to tell their friends and bosses. Let others know what you’ve discovered. Chances are they aren’t even aware viable alternatives exist.

Better yet, buy them a copy of “Just Say No to Microsoft” and let them decide for themselves.

[tags]microsoft,hardware,drivers,linux support,macs,zero conflicts[/tags]