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Linux is easier to install and use than ever.
We’re usingUbuntu 14.04as an example here, butLinux Mintis very similar.
Other Linux distributions have also improved, although they aren’t all quite as slick as this.
Modern Linux distributionsare typically about the size of a single CD.
You don’t need a writable disc anymore, either.
You cancreate a bootable USB drivecontaining the Linux distribution.
In fact, this is a better, faster alternative.
You also don’t need specialized hardware to run Linux, as Linux supports more hardware than ever.
This applies even to laptops, which were a weak point for Linux at one point.
The Installation Process
The installation process used to be more complicated.
Linux couldn’t reliably resize NTFSpartitionsand many people who tried experienced data loss.
After your Linux system installed, you’d boot it up to test it.
Is the Linux distribution stable, does it support your hardware, and do you like it?
you could see whether your hardware works properly and whether you like it without installing anything.
If you just want to play with Linux a bit, you don’t even need to install it.
The installation process is much faster.
You don’t have to resize any partitions ahead of time, as Linux can reliably resize NTFS partitions.
(You should always havebackups of your important files, anyway.)
Autodetection now handles all this stuff on the fly.
could also be a hassle.
Linux distributions tried to automatically “mount” removable media when it was inserted.
This didn’t always work properly, and you sometimes had to mount things manually.
it’s possible for you to just write to your Windows drive normally.
Modern Linux distributions take a different approach.
They venture to do as much automatic configuration as possible.
The Web
There was a time whenInternet Explorer 6 ruled the web.
The web is a very different place today.
Websites use either the Flash plugin or HTML5 for web-based video, and both work on Linux.
When you wanted to install a program, many Linux distributions installed it from their discs.
A distribution like Mandrake or SUSE Linux at the time might come without any Internetsoftware repositoriesconfigured.
Good luck dealing with that!
An update to the Linux kernel might break drivers you installed from a third-party.
Today, most of this stuff is available in the distribution’s standard repository.
No more research or additional configuration required.
(The one big exception here is commercial DVD playback support, which isarguably illegal in the USA.
The vast majority of hardware drivers are included, so you won’t have to go looking for them.
These are officially supported by Ubuntu as much as possible, so kernel updates won’t break them.
Not every Linux distribution is Ubuntu.
Fedora believes inopen-source softwareand won’t help you find that patent-encumbered stuff or closed-source drivers.
Some people will want those sorts of Linux distributions, but they aren’t the only option anymore.
Image Credit:francois on Flickr
