It's almost free to relatively inexpensive.. Linux can be downloaded off the internet, which makes it free or close to it. Or you can purchase CD-ROMs for $2 or so from Linux vendors. Unfortunately, these include no manuals or support. Or you can purchase a boxed distribution (with manuals and support) from a variety of companies for anywhere from $40 to $150.

Source code is included. While this may not seem like an advantage if you aren't a programmer, the fact that the source code is available to anyone means that it would be very difficult for someone to charge you hundreds or thousands of dollars for a copy of Linux. If everyone has the source code, then you can go get the same thing somewhere else for less. In addition, if Linux didn't support some operation or piece of equipment you needed, you or someone else could always change the source code to do what you wanted.

Bugs are fixed quickly. Development in Linux is worldwide. Programmers from all over the world participate in making Linux a better and more stable product. When bugs are found, people in the Linux world don't try to explain them away or tell you to wait six months. With thousands of programmers across the globe involved, bugs are often fixed in a matter of hours or days. And when was the last time you talked to or emailed the programmer who wrote your program? On Linux, this can happen.

Linux is more stable than other modern operating systems. "Uptimes" in the Linux world are on the order of months and years, not days. Usually when a Linux machine is brought down, it is to upgrade the machine or the software. While no operating system is "crash proof", in general it is extremely difficult to "crash" a Linux machine.

Linux is truly multi-user and multi-tasking. From the beginning, Linux was programmed with multiple users and the ability to do many things at once in mind. This came from its Unix roots. Today, twenty years later, that capability is mature and stable.

Help is readily available. With programmers and users spread across the world, help is as close as the internet. You can get help via email, or directly from the various Linux vendors. No more sitting on hold for hours and then talking to someone who has no idea how to fix your problem. There are also vendors who charge for Linux support, if you want to go that way.

Linux comes with commercial-grade applications that make office work simple. Many vendors are taking an interest in the Linux phenomenon. KOffice is a full-featured office suite that reads and writes Microsoft Office files. There is also the GNU Office suite, containing the Abiword word processor, Gnumeric spreadsheet, and other programs. IBM is working on a port of Lotus Notesfor Linux. Sybase, Informix, Oracleand IBMnow have working versions of their database products for Linux. And Linux has its own set of vendors creating new productivity applications for Linux. Sun has StarOffice, an office suite similar to Microsoft Office, which reads and writes Microsoft Office files. Open Office is a free version of this product for Linux and Windows. Even game makers like Id Software are releasing games like Doomand Quakefor Linux. Civilization, one of the most popular games in the Windows world, is now in stores for Linux.

Linux has internet connectivity built in. Internet connectivity is part of Linux's Unix heritage. Every major distribution of Linux comes with tools that can immediately get you up and running on the internet. Most even include Mozilla or Firefox as their browser of choice.

Linux runs on equipment that other operating systems consider too underpowered. Linux was originally created on a 386 computer, and it still supports small systems like this. A minimum Linux installation is a 386 processor with 4 megs of memory and about a hundred megabytes of hard disk storage (though it can work with less hard disk space). In this configuration, it works well as a departmental, print or web server. But Linux also runs on high powered Alpha machines, Macintoshes, and machines with multiple processors, including mainframe computers.

Linux has superior security. This is partly because the source code is freely available. There are thousands of eyes which look over Linux all the time, so it would be hard to slip in code to purposely open security holes on your machine. In addition, you normally run as an unprivileged user on your Linux machine, meaning it's hard for a cracker or rogue program to do significant damage to your machine. Linux comes with a built-in firewall which can be tweaked to close your machine off completely from potential attackers. And Linux and its programs are continually being revised and improved. Other popular operating systems don't allow you to see their source code, and only occasionally release security fixes, sometimes long after security holes have been found.

Linux disadvantages

My ______ program won't run on Linux. Sadly, some vendors, including Microsoft, have been reluctant to port their software to Linux. And some may never do so. However, substitute programs often exist. Adobe Photoshop does not currently exist on Linux, but The Gimp, a program with similar capabilities, does. And it is also an open source program. Quicken does not exist on Linux, but a program called CBBdoes run on Linux and is similar to it. Microsoft Word does not run on Linux, but as mentioned before StarOffice's word processor and others will read Microsoft Word files. Spreadsheets exist on Linux, some of which will read Lotus and Excel files. There is also an emulation suite called Wine which emulates Windows and can run many popular Windows applications. Crossover Office is a commercial enhanced version of Wine.

Isn't as popular as Windows. On the desktop, this is true. But the fact that Chryslers aren't as popular as Fords doesn't keep people from buying them. And the fact is that much of the internet runs on Linux machines. In fact, corporate CIOs are often surprised to find how many machines in their own companies are running on Linux.

No one commercial company is responsible for Linux. Although this is true, there are drawbacks to having one company responsible for all your software needs. Support can be a nightmare. Upgrades can take too long to come out and cost too much, in additional to causing their own problems. Bugs can be redefined as "features" or never admitted in order to limit corporate liability. But Linux has thousands of programmers and millions of users all over the world who are jointly responsible for it. The Linux community is strong on support and quick with upgrades and remedies for security and software glitches.

Linux is hard to install, learn and use. This actually isn't true. Going from one operating system to another (PC to MacOS, MacOS to OS/2, OS/2 to Pick) can always be difficult, but it doesn't have to be. With the X-Window Linux GUI, programs are available to do most of the things you're likely to want to do on your computer, in a GUI environment similar to Microsoft Windows. And documentation is available online with almost all Linux distributions, if you need help. Installation, manuals and system administration tools are generally designed by the vendor you buy Linux from. And some vendors do these things better than others. Knoppix is a CD-based Linux distribution which does not alter your hard drive, yet runs a full version of Linux. And SuSE's manuals are some of the best in the Linux world.