When I encourage people to consider using Linux their first real question (after “Is it compatible with Windows?”) is: “Will I be able to run my software?”

Beginners can easily be directed to Linux, especially with a user-friendly distribution. Seasoned Windows gurus are intrigued by Linux, finding the latest Windows release quite disappointing. Dual-booting becomes a guru favorite.

We have to focus on the defining and understanding of various PC user profiles. Example: gamers, office users, art and graphic design, music and sound editing (low-latency kernel required), video editors, children’s games (some PCs have dozens of the these) and so on. Once they turn on their machines their computer runs… what… two? three programs? Then it’s Starts > Shutdown. End of story.

Apple’s ad campaign is doing a lot to put it into people’s heads — before they upgrade — that they’re in for a rough ride with Vista. It becomes increasingly difficult to point a Windows user to Linux after successive investments in upgrades, time (re-learning the interfaces) and updates.

I needed a lot of convincing before I believed it was worth losing the software I purchased. I bought XP. I bought games. I bought music software. (Not all gurus are pirates.) The transition began when friends pointed to OpenSource versions of the software with which I was familiar. Firefox for Internet Explorer, Thunderbird for Outlook Express, Inkscape for CorelDRAW, Asaph for SongBase, OpenOffice for Microsoft Office, Pidgin for MSN Messenger, etc. Once I made the transition the rest fit fairly easily into place: K3B for Nero, KTorrent for Bittorrent, KolourPaint for MS Paint, Leafpad for Notepad, etc.

I’m not here to make a list comparing as much Linux software to Windows software. I find Windows users often retreat to Windows when just thrown into Linux. They need to know that something familiar resides there. So before pushing Linux weaning them from proprietary software should be job 1 — unless they’re raring to go. Once the software has been replaced with OpenSource equivalents then switching the underlying structure of the O/S isn’t as huge a shock.

Also, choose Linux because it does no harm. M$ has been found in court to illegally harm competitors due to its monopoly and the way it excersizes that monopoly.

see http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_findings.htm

Billions of dollars are flowing from all over the world to the US to support the M$ monopoly. Many countries like China and Brazil are actively supporting Linux because that money can be put to better use in the local economy. In Germany, for instance, Munich hired local businesses to migrate thousands of desktop systems to Linux.

You should also list that additional software is usually in one place (a repository). So, you do not have to search for it on the internet, then pay for it.

It’s a major part of the article three: Installing software in Linux.

Also, you can get Linux for no cost.

This will be in article 10

Also, you can get Linux for no cost.