My Linux

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There are frankly not many good reasons to run Linux.
The only ones that come to my mind are:
You want to be on the bleeding edge.
You are deeply pissed off at Microsoft.

Those said let's consider Linux.

Here I am primarily talking about Linux with the Mandrake.
The code number for this release is Mandrake Linux 9.2.

Mandrake Linux 9.2: Getting Started
Networking on Installation	Almost everyone wants an internet connection. Linux has gotten much better at setting up a network connect when you install it. Once connected to the World Wide Web the next thing folks want to do is to browse and chat.
Desktop - KDE	The desktop is where most users return to in order to launch applications. KDE is a powerful Free Software graphical desktop environment for Linux and Unix workstations. Site for KDE Desktop
Browsing - Konqueror	This application seems to be quite functional. As it comes it will read Adobe documents. Site for Konqueror
Chatting - GAIM	My favorite chat program is Yahoo Instant Messanger. I have not been able to get GAIM to connect to yhe YIM server. Site for Gaim
HTML - Quanta	If you create web pages you want to be able to do is create pages locally for uploading to your home page. This application seems to work well for page creation. Site for Quanta
FTP - KBear	This application seems to work well. Thus far I have used it to only view directories on my server. Site for KBear
Images - Gimp	The GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. Site for Gimp
Kmail - Email	This code works almost identically to Outlook Express. It is so close that my notes on Outlook were used to configure Kmail. In fact Kmail did an even more complete job of setting itself up than did Outlook Express.
Open Office 1.1 - Major Application Suite	This suite of programs include word processing, spreadsheets, and a presentation manager. The suite is much like the Office97 suite under Windows.
Notes: Mandrake Linux 9.2	All of the above application code comes with Mandrake Linux 9.2. I am sure there are other elements to this release but I have not found them yet. Mandrake Linux 9.2 on eBay
CDs - CDtools	CDtools is the new name for CDrecord. This code must be downloaded and installed. Site for CDtools
FireWall - Astaro	Protect your network against hackers, viruses, spam and other risks with Astaro Security Linux, the comprehensive security solution that combines firewall, VPN, Spam Protection, Virus Protection, and Surf Protection in one software solution. This code has to be downloaded and installed. Site for Astaro

Linux Updating and Compatability
Updating	Linux changes much more rapidly than Windows. Staying current with all applications is a full time job. In fact Mandrake Linux 9.2 has already been superceded by version 10.1
Compatability	I want to be able to run Windows Applications under Linux. The soon to be released version 2.0 of CrossOver Office will install and run Adobe Photoshop CrossOver Office for Linux
Codeweavers Mission Statement	Wine is an Open Source implementation of the Windows API on top of X and Unix. I wonder if code written for one operating system can and should be ported to a different operating system. While I think that doing so means that the strengths of the native OS are ignored it does allow compatibility and compatibility may well be the over arching concern.
Ghosting	Once a working and stable configuration of Linux is made backing up that configuration is essential. I use Ghost 2000 to back up my Linux and applications hard drive to a Ghost image.
Start Button	There is no start button on the KDE desktop. There is a small gear looking thing that serves the same purpose. Lacking a series of quick menus this is the way applications are launched. There are sub menus the same as there are with the Window's Start button.
Installing Downloads	Installing downloaded code does not seem to follow set rules. I have a number of downloads saved in a folder called D:\downsLinux. More to come ...