Solution to the Worms and Viruses

[Deep Sea]

Just got Red Hat Linux up and running a few minutes ago.

Works real nice with Mozilla. The forums look spectacular as well.

Best of all, many of the attacks will not happen as they are aimed at Microsoft.

[Gene DeMambro]

I bought "Red Hat Linux 9 for Dummies" last week. I figured I'll take a look at what all the hub-bub's about. Might make for an interesting project some weekend....

Gene

[Deep Sea]

That's where you went wrong, Gene. I bought Red Hat Professional. It's got everything.

However, if you're not a developer, you may find windows a lot nicer.

[Gene DeMambro]

"Red Hat Linux 9 for Dummies" has Publisher Edition on a 2 CD set included. A book and an OS for 14 bucks. Not a bad deal....

At least what this does is get my feet wet with Linux lingo, as I really know Jack about it. And since this seems to be a hot-button topic in the computer world, I figured I ought at least learn something. And, as they trickle in bit by bit, more and more mainstream hardware devices as being supported by Linux.

As I become a Linus "power user", I'll look into all the different versions out there.

That is, until Microsoft takes this over too....

Gene

[Deep Sea]

Microsoft will never take over the UNIX world. It hasn't got what it takes. I remember a few years ago, the Navy was going to replace UNIX with a windows product as the OS of the fleet. As it turns out, one major aircraft carrier was outfitted with Windows -- no UNIX backup. One day, in the middle of the Pacific, Windows crashed causing most everything, including sophisticated electronics stopped working. The carrier went dead in the water for a whole day and would have been a sitting duck in wartime.

Would you trust your life with Windows?

Sounds like you got yourself one heck of a deal, Gene. Red Hat seems to be the Linux everyone is going for these days. Even many industries are forgoing SUN's expensive licensing as well as other commercial versions and biting the bullet making the conversion to the free Linux.

UNIX is cryptic and takes a while to learn. If you are familiar with DOS and getting around DOS's directory structure, then you already one leg up on learning. Good luck.

[Gene DeMambro]

I was pretty good with DOS. But in retrospect, I guess DOS was a work-in-progress, as there was a bit of a learning curve, and some of the commands were esoteric, to say the least.

My big fear with Linux is that how does one get software for it, and does the availability of software match the availability of software for the various Windows platforms? For example, can one go the local computer Superstore and buy tax prep. sotware for Linux, like you can do with Windows? Not everyone has a broadband connection, or can spend hours waiting for a free program to download (which is my biggest issue with many of the "critical"updates for XP - the files are so huge they take forever to download).

More reading today...

Gene