What's so bad about Microsoft? (Why you should be concerned) Bloat Backwards Incompatibility Perpetual Upgrading Vaporware Predatory Practices Unfixed bugs Insecurity

Bloat Bloat adds extra features to a program, making it cumbersome to use, and may even affect the speed and integrity of the program. Independent analysts have dissected a popular program, and found it to be 2000% larger than needed! RegClean, should be just 45KB, but released as 1MB in size! Old computers cannot run current MS software, and older software is no longer supported.

Backwards Incompatibility With each new software release, MS introduces backwards incompatibility, which means that new features will not work with old ones. Microsoft's solution? Shell out a couple hundred and upgrade, when MS could have spent a fraction of it's profits making an application the way it should be – backwards compatible. Did you know the latest versions of Office cannot read Office 97 files?

Perpetual Upgrading Microsoft will often release bug-ridden, incompatible software just to have customers pay. Windows 95 worked for many people, but then a MS released Windows 98, essentially a fix for Windows 95, a fix that should have been provided for free. Each new MS release requires a costly hardware upgrade.

Vaporware Whenever Microsoft sees a growing market it either buys the leading company, or makes promises of a superior product, but never releases it, impacting the sales of other companies. In 1996, Bill Gates promised 64-bit support in Windows NT. This stifled the market for Unix, a proven enterprise product. 64-bit support arrived in Windows XP 64-Bit four and a half years later!

Predatory Practices Netscape was a popular browser, and MS was out to get it. It spent millions developing Internet Explorer, and then gave it away for free, killing Netscape's market. MS then spent money on promotions, awarding users of IE. MS literally payed people to use IE. MS then made contracts with OEM's (like Dell or Gateway) that did not allow them to install Netscape or remove IE.

Unfixed bugs MS deliberately ships buggy software to get upgrades that are even more buggy. Everyone knows using a MS products is a nightmare, nothing ever works quite the way it should. Many administrators know that MS software is even harder to administer and maintain.

Insecurity Everyone knows how insecure Microsoft's products are. There are many known security holes that have not been fixed. One independent team found a security hole that allowed a cracker to take control of your computer, but MS, once aware of the hole, didn't fix it for a year! New viruses are released all the time. Remember Lovesan, Code Red, IloveYou, Netsky, Bagle, Swen, BugBear, MyDoom, PhatBot, and the list goes on....

Solution: Open Source Software Open Source means that the code can be modified by anyone Quick bug fixes Fast innovation Flexibility and Stability Low price

Open Source Software Anyone can look at or modify the code. Likewise, bugs are fixed within days, if not hours. Not months. Each release benefits the users, not the creators. An open design guarantees against bloat and insecurity. Innovation is always present.

Linux – What is it...? Linux is an Open Source Operating System created by Linus Torvalds. It is stable, runs on varied hardware (it is excellent for reviving old machines). Linux is supported by companies such as IBM, HP, Dell, Walmart, Novell, AOL/Time Warner, and others. Linux is free, as in freedom, and free, as in price.

Why you should use Linux... It is virtually free, usually costing just the CD's it is on, as well as any manuals, support services, etc. It is incredibly stable, virtually without bugs or security holes. No viruses currently exist for Linux, and any created will probably not spread, due to Linux's secure design. Includes bundles of free software, such as an Office Suite an advanced image editing tool, a secure browser, and many more.

Where to learn more about Linux... Linux.com – Linux news, and an excellent, in-depth beginners guide. Freshmeat.net – Thousands of free Linux applications Linuxquestions.org – For any questions you have about Linux. Google.com/linux – Search for anything Linux-related.