So, the bottom line about whether or not Microsoft will crush Linux is that a fight is brewing, but
the jury is still out. It seems, however, that the free and open source community is ready to protect
its rights and values.
Are You on Your Own If You Use Linux?
If you are new to Linux and are concerned about support, several companies are offering well-
supported versions of Linux, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (from Red Hat, Inc.) and Ubuntu
Linux (from Canonical Global Support Services), as well as a number of other smaller players. In
the corporate arena, add IBM to that list.
As noted earlier, there are also many community sites on the Internet that offer forums, mailing
lists, and other venues for getting help if you get stuck.
Is Linux Only for Geeks?
It doesn't hurt to be a geek if you want to fully explore all the potential of your Linux system.
However, with a good desktop Linux distribution, tremendous improvements over the past few
years relating to ease-of-use and features have made it possible to do most things you would do
on any Macintosh or Windows system without being a Linux expert. The great thing is that, if you
ever want to dig deeper, the opportunity is there and the education is free.
Start with a Linux system that uses the KDE or GNOME desktop. Simple menus enable you to select
word processors, Web browsers, games, and dozens of other applications you commonly use on
other operating systems. In most cases, you'll get along fine just using your mouse to work with
windows, menus, and forms.
With Linux distributions that offer graphical tools for basic system administration (such as config-
uring a printer or network connection), you can be led through most tasks you need to do. Fedora,
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Mandriva are good examples of Linux distributions that offer sim-
plified administration tools. With a basic understanding of the Linux shell (see Chapter 2) and
some help from a Linux forum, you should be able to troubleshoot most anything that goes wrong.
How Do Companies Make Money with Linux?
Open source enthusiasts believe that better software can result from an open source software devel-
opment model than from proprietary development models. So in theory, any company creating
software for its own use can save money by adding its software contributions to those of others to
gain a much better end product for themselves.
Companies that want to make money selling software need to be more creative than they did in the
old days. While you can sell the software you create that includes GPL software, you must pass the
source code of that software forward. Of course, others can then recompile that product, basically
using your product without charge. Here are a few ways that companies are dealing with that issue:
Software subscriptions -- Red Hat, Inc. sells its Red Hat Enterprise Linux products on a
subscription basis. For a certain amount of money per year, you get binary code to run
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Starting with Linux
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