This is a tough question that while some may disagree, is not all that easy to answer. In my humble opinion, it really comes down to the needs of the individual user.

Can the ordinary computer user ditch Windows for Linux?

The question came up when I decided that my six-year-old version of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system had to be replaced.

My Sony Vaio computer was still too young for the trash heap. And I was hesitant to spend $200 on the Windows XP operating system, especially with Microsoft planning to launch XP’s replacement, Vista, in January.

So, I decided to give the operating systems that run on Linux technology a try. The Linux-based operating systems are said to be faster and more secure than Windows — and are usually available free. They also are said to work well with older computers. And the publishers of the most popular systems say they can now be installed and used by anyone.

What I found was that for some people, Linux systems may do just fine. But they still are largely more appealing to computer hobbyists who would like to see Microsoft face more competition. Specifically, while the installation and simple functions worked well enough, the systems couldn’t handle all the multimedia applications I needed. And getting some of the systems to work required more time and effort than I was willing to exert…. Source: WSJ

[tags]microsoft,linux,computer hobbyists,multimedia applications[/tags]