Test Driving Linux

Preface

Before you buy a car, you take it for a test drive. You do this regardless of whether the car is new or used, if you're buying it from a dealer or from your best friend. The purpose of the test drive is to make sure you feel comfortable with the car—that you can see out of it, that it doesn't have any glaring blind spots, that it handles well and performs to your expectations. It's simply a wise thing to do before you commit a lot of money.

Likewise, it's a good idea to test-drive an operating system before you switch to it full-time. The OS is at the heart of everything you do on a computer, and if you aren't comfortable with the OS, you won't be happy with your computer. Changing to a new operating system, even just an upgrade from one version of Windows to another, is never as simple as all the marketing ads would have you believe.

This book is about taking the Linux operating system for a test drive on your Windows computer. I wrote it because I believe you need to know what you're getting into before making a commitment to a new operating system. Linux is the only viable alternative desktop operating system you can run on your current Windows computer. In this book, you'll learn what Linux is, how it works, what it can do for you, and what it can't. You'll see how to use Linux for everyday tasks like surfing the Web, reading email, sending instant messages to friends, writing reports, and playing music.

Most other Linux books on the market right now contain CDs that allow you to install Linux on your hard drive. The problem is that this can sometimes be a difficult task, requiring you to make choices you may not be prepared for, such as how to partition your hard drive or configure the boot loader. And until you install Linux on your hard drive, the rest of those books are useless. You are forced to make a commitment to Linux before you even know if you like it.

But the CD included with this book takes a completely different approach. With the Move Live CD, you can run Linux without having to install it to your hard drive. There are no difficult choices to make and no risk to your Windows system. Simply pop the CD into your CD drive and boot up. After a few minutes and a few simple questions, your computer will be running Linux—right from the CD.

And that is why this book is called Test Driving Linux. You can truly just take Linux for a spin, and when you're done, just put the CD away and go back to using Windows again.

Don't count on wanting to, though. My guess is that once you take Linux for a test drive, you'll want to drive it off the lot for good.

Desktop Linux Only

This book will not teach you how set up or administer Linux on a server. It is strictly for people who want to use Linux on their desktop.

Audience

The way I see it, there are two types of computer users in the world: those who use Linux as their desktop OS, and those who are going to.

This book is mainly written for the second group—for Windows users who have heard of Linux and want to find out what all the fuss is about without committing a lot of time or hard-drive space in that endeavor. If you are frustrated by buggy software, weekly security patches, and spyware on your computer, read this book. I don't assume you have any prior knowledge of Linux at all—just a willingness to learn and the ability to click a mouse and type on a keyboard.

But this book also doesn't ignore people who already use Linux on their desktop. Though you won't learn any dirty details about compiling your kernel or setting up WEP encryption with your wireless card, you'll find out a lot more about the KDE desktop environment and programs like KMail, Konqueror, OpenOffice.org, and GnuCash. This book can turn existing Linux users into more effective Linux users.