Arrogance Amongst Certain Linux Users

In this blog post I am going to talk about something that has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time about several people in the Linux community. I want to be clear, I am not anti-opensource (I make use of open-source software every day), nor am I anti-Linux (I am both a Windows and Linux administrator myself and really like Linux on my phone (Android).

Many times, I have read and responded to various Linux users online who have come off as arrogant and think they know everything about operating systems “just because they use Linux”.  Of course, I do not claim to know everything about operating systems myself (there are many more people who know more than I do).

This blog post is not meant to be an attack against Linux users (because, of course, not all Linux users are this way). I am just sharing one of many not-so-great experiences I have had with various people who have used Linux.

Summery of what happened:

  1. A while back, I made a comment on a tech website. In a nutshell, I said “using Linux did not mean that you are completely secure from malware infesting your Linux box”. This is a valid statement. I did not bash or hate on Linux. I enjoy using Linux.
  2. Someone posted a reply to my comment, saying that I had made several wrong points about Linux. He claimed that I said “Windows malware would work on Linux” and I was wrong for saying that.
  3. I responded to him, telling him that his first point he said I was “wrong” about was something that I never said.
  4. I responded – using the bash shell-shocker vulnerability as an example – something being open-source does not mean that it is more secure.
  5. I also responded asking him to show me the points that I got “wrong”, since he didn’t give any valid points. All were just his opinions or straw-man arguments.
  6. He responded back and ignored my question and the issue about putting words into my mouth. He just wanted to talk about how Linux is still secure because people “fix vulnerabilities quickly” for Linux. He basically changed the subject.
  7. He also said the ShellShock vulnerability was fixed within two days.
  8. I told him that the bash shell-shocker vulnerability was in fact not completely fixed in two days. It took a little bit longer.
  9. Now the guy does not respond back.

The bug did not have an official fix until 24 September 2014 (the date when the fix was released to the public). The fix came out almost two weeks after the initial discovery.

Now of course I don’t hate the guy, but what he did was just another example of the problems I have encountered with the Linux community.

He started a technical discussion about a comment I made to someone else 3+ months ago, claimed I said things I didn’t say, and presented his personal opinions as verified facts. When he was confronted with evidence to the contrariety, he decided to “sneak out” and not reply anymore.

I know there are good people in the Linux community, but situations like this make me wonder. Also, other people who may be considering Linux will see various attitudes like this and be turned off by that alone. Not a good way to gain users in my opinion.


Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Society, Software

Do You Really Need to Use Antivirus Software?

Pretty much everyone who has used a computer knows what anti-virus software is and what is does. In case you don’t know, anti-virus software basically gives you the potential to know if malware is trying, has tried, or maybe even has successfully infiltrated your computer system.

More and more people are starting to do away with anti-virus software because “they don’t need it”. Well I personally see anti-virus software as a tool…a tool that helps secure a computer system. When someone says that they “don’t need anti-virus software”, I think of the example that I gave to someone a while back on the Internet :

Let’s say you go around telling people that you don’t need to see a doctor to test for cancer, because you do not have cancer, nor will you ever get any. How do you have the potential to know that you do not have cancer, *if* you are not checked by a doctor? How do you know that you will *never* get *any* cancer at all? You don’t!

Your logic would not make sense in that situation because you are assuming something as fact, when *in fact* you are just guessing! The same applies to someone who says that they “don’t need anti-virus software” because they “know that they won’t get any malware” on their computer system or “I know that I am careful, hence I don’t need anti-virus software”. Sorry people but that logic just doesn’t add up!

Also it seems in my experience that many Linux users believe the idea that they won’t get any malware on their Linux systems, or at the very least they “don’t need an anti-virus” program running on their Linux system.

Like I have asked several times before, how can you have the potential to know if you have malware on your Linux system, if you do not run anti-virus software on your Linux desktop / server?

You are just guessing that you will not get any malware. You are even guessing when you say that you do not have malware currently on your Linux system!

Sure Linux has a lot less malware than Windows, but that is no excuse for ignoring security! 🙂

Also, I know that anti-virus software can have (and does have) security problems in of itself. However keep in mind that the companies that write the anti-virus software do update their software to fix security problems, so this is not necessarily a big deal (depends upon your situation).


Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Software

Top 10 Uses for Linux

Many people use Linux daily for their servers and cell phones (Android), and a few desktops as well. While many people suggest to use Linux over other operating systems (mainly Windows) for silly reasons like Linux being “more secure” or “more stable” than Windows, I will give the top ten uses for Linux (my opinions, of course).

  1. You can modify the Linux kernel to your specifications.
  2. Run Linux on several different CPU architectures.
  3. Run Linux on small devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi).
  4. Using a variety of free software (most software for Linux is free).
  5. Running web services (like web or e-mail).
  6. Running Linux on very old, out-dated hardware.
  7. Running Linux for cell phones (Android).
  8. Media entertainment
  9. Radio broadcasting
  10. Playing with embedded devices (for things such as robots and micro-controllers)

Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Software

Response to 10 Reasons Why You Should Switch To Linux From Windows XP

This blog post is a response to the article posted here: http://itsfoss.com/reasons-switch-linux-windows-xp/. I mean no disrespect to the author of this article with my replies.

My responses are in black and direct quotes from the article are in red.

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1. It’s free

Microsoft will force you to upgrade to Windows 8.1 which mean you’ll have to spend around $120 just for the OS.

Linux OS on the other hand is completely free. If you choose to switch to Linux, you save at least hundred bucks. Sounds good enough a reason, ain’t it?

Technically Microsoft is not forcing anyone to upgrade their OS. People can still use Windows XP if they choose to, but it is recommended to upgrade to a supported OS now.

Remember not every OS is going to be supported forever. There will come a time when an OS will be end-of-life.

Also, Linux is not really free to anyone. It still takes time and money to develop it (why do you think Linux organizations ask for donations?).

Plus, if most average computer users switch to Linux, how would the openness of Linux really be a benefit to them, since a lot of them would not know how to program and probably will not want to ever learn?

2. More Secure, no need of any antivirus

In Windows you cannot live without an antivirus. Even with an antivirus product, your system is continuously at risk of catching virus. If you had a premium antivirus, it would keep on alerting you of a possible threat detection.

In Linux you don’t need an antivirus. Virus and malware are alien to Linux world. Linux is known for its security features. Switching to Linux will save you some more as you won’t have to buy an antivirus.

With all due respect, this reason is really silly and gives people a false sense of security. The idea that Linux does not get viruses is a myth. Windows may have more malware, but that does not mean that Windows is guaranteed to get a virus, nor is Windows necessarily easier to infect.

If you open e-mail attachments from people you do not know, run programs without scanning them first, setting insecure root password on your computer, no amount of Windows or Linux can help you there! :)

Linux can get viruses just like Windows (http://scalibq.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/hand-of-thief-commercial-linux-malware-kit/).

Remember since most of the world uses Windows, the hackers are going to target the most used OS (Windows). If it were the other way around, Linux would have the same problem, and worse, so many people would be feeling secure “because they use Linux” (a false sense of security), that they start to think they cannot get hacked. That is a dangerous road to go down.

3. Compatible with lower end hardware

A good reason why you have been running Windows XP for such a long time could be hardware constraints. Upgrading to Windows 7 or 8 requires at least 1GB of RAM. Running Windows 7/8 on the minimum configuration will be a real painful experience as it will be extremely slow and almost unusable. And if your system configuration doesn’t meet the minimum criteria you will have no option other than buying a new PC.

Welcome to Linux world. There is a Linux OS for everyone. Most of the Linux OS does not require a heavyweight computer system. But even if your system is one of those of late 90′s or early 2000′s, there are plenty of extreme lightweight Linux distributions. In other words, hardware is no constraint for Linux OS.

Really to do anything effective on Windows XP – other than check e-mail and browse the web – you really need 1 GB of RAM. I can run Windows 7 on a slow netbook (about 4-5 years old) decently. It has 2 GB of RAM.

True, Linux can work well on older computer systems. However I would argue that if somebody was going to do serious work with their computer system, they would already have a fast system, and not be using a 1999 desktop.

4. Ease of use

The one misconception about Linux is that it is “geeks only” and one needs to be computer genius and command line ninja to use Linux. No, it is not true. It is not late 90′s where Linux was a complicated operating system. These days desktop Linux OSes run out of the box, have GUI tools and have all the functionality that you look for in Windows.

True, Linux has become much more user-friendly than it was 10 years ago. However, Linux is still not yet as user-friendly as Windows or MacOS X.

Things in Linux are not uniform and organized (e.g., 50+ Linux distributions available to the public who has no idea of which one to choose, graphics support on Linux is bad when compared to Windows, etc.)

5. Drivers included

As a Windows user, you must have struggled with drivers. Finding the correct driver for your system was a difficult task. I remember, I had several drivers folder in my external backup disk as I did not want to waste time looking for the audio, video or wireless drivers. But with Linux, most of these drivers are supported directly by the Linux kernel. Which means its more like plug and play for Linux, no struggling with drivers, largely.

Not really. All my current desktop hardware works out of the box on Windows 8.1. Windows and Linux are almost the same in regard to “plug and play”.

6. It’s sexy and I know it

When it comes to looks, desktop Linux rules over Windows. Be it Unity, Cinnamon, Gnome 3, KDE or even low end desktop environments like Xfce or Lxde, they are much more good looking than the Windows desktop. So if you think Linux desktop to be a plain boring and dull looking, you are definitely wrong. Best of all, you can choose a desktop flavor according to your choice.

Actually from using a little bit of GNOME, KDE, and Xfce, I really do like Windows’ interface much better (Windows 98’s interface I would prefer over one of these) Of course, that is just my opinion.

7. Software repository

Most of the desktop Linux OS have their own ‘app store’ or ‘software repository’. You can look for any kind of application, libraries at one single place without the need of Googling all over the internet for it. Moreover, the software thus installed will be safe, compatible with your OS and will be getting automatic updates.

The software repositories will not necessarily have all the software that you need. Also, what if you installed something via RPM or DEB manually or compiled a piece of software from its source? How would you get the package manager to automatically update the manually installed software, assuming the software didn’t update itself?

8. Better updating process

Windows updates are real pain. First Windows will notify that you have system updates. When you install them, it will be configured at shutdown time at a pace that even a tortoise can beat. You will be told to “preparing to configure Windows, do not shutdown your system” and the wait is eternal. And that’s not the end. At the next boot, it will again be configuring the updates. Moreover, the software and applications installed in Windows provide their updates separately. Remember Java, Adobe or iTunes updates pop up?

Updates in Linux is a like a cool breeze. You will be regularly notified that updates are available. And these updates include not just system and security updates but available updates for different applications installed. Unlike Windows, you won’t have to wait at shutdown or start time. Updating in desktop Linux is a matter of one click.

Updating Windows is not hard. Windows does not have updates “every single day”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Tuesday).

Also, a typical Linux install, which has a kernel update, will need to be rebooted anyway.

Switch from Windows to Linux just to save a reboot or two every month, is not worth it in my opinion.

Switching to a different operating system is similar to moving to another house. You don’t just “move”. You have a ton of planning, packing, etc. that goes into moving.

If you move to a different operating system just because you do not want to reboot once a month, then in my opinion you are wasting your time.

9. Gaming on Linux

One of the major constraint one face while switching to Linux is gaming. While Linux had some native games, thanks to Steam, it has now a wide range of games available. GOG.com will also be bringing around 100 games by the year end. Apart from these, we always have PlayOnLinux, which lets you play ‘Windows only’ games on Linux.

Any serious gamer would either use Windows or a game console. All my friends use Windows and/or game consoles. Linux just is not a good OS to build games for (many distributions doing their own thing, video support is not on par with Windows, no native DirectX support, etc.)

10. Community support

Probably the best thing about Linux is the Linux community. You will never feel alone in Linux world. Apart from numerous Linux how-to blogs, just drop by any forum for any kind of problem you are facing with your system, someone will always try to help you out. Such is the support of Linux community.

In my experience, a lot of Linux users feel elite and superior about using Linux. There is nothing wrong with liking (or disliking) an OS, but please do not exaggerate “facts” about Linux just to get people to switch to an OS that has no real support outside of a few companies and community boards that someone may or may not get help on.

I think that if the Linux community came together and built on one distribution, did not come across as elite, and made Linux user-friendly (just like Windows and MacOS X does), people (and companies) will take Linux much more seriously than they do now.

Think these 10 reasons are good enough for you to switch to Linux from Windows? If yes then you might be wondering which Linux OS is best for you. In a previous article I had written about best Linux OS to replace Windows XP, you may take a look at it.

I hope this post makes your decision of switching to Linux easier. Time to ditch Windows and embrace the freedom has come. Welcome to Linux.

Linux is only ‘freedom’ to people who know how to modify it and use it (e.g., computer programmers). If you are a casual computer user, Linux would not really give you any more freedom than Windows would.


Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems

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