Linux

The first time i tried installing linux(that's what i used to think) 3 years ago i crashed the whole system, i had to reformat the whole system and then install windows first and then linux(this was just an experimentation). but even after crashing my system i didnt give up and installed it finally after asking for tips from several others. After finally installing linux i was satisfied. then i started using it and was dissappointed by the way linux behaved(as i expected it to be another windows). To configure my system to go to net itself was a big hurdle to me. After connecting to net in Linux i was overjoyed and i am staying with linux.

After staying for this long this is what i have learned. Linux is nothing but a kernel and not the whole operating system. It is the heart of the system. Over it Gnu has built the Operating System. There are many Distros that have different flavours of Linux kernel(compiled with different param & with some modification). Linux is not at all about just another kernel, with it there is a philosophy that people should get good quality software free of cost and also the users must have all kinds of control right from various options to modifying code to behave as they want. Its like this 'linux has a lot to offer for people who really know and like to have total control and power'. In the begining i never understood this and was always thinking in the lines that linux(distro) is all about replacing windows. But after three years i can say 'If you want to just use a OS with no control go for Windows, If you really want to hack the kernel and make it work the way better go for linux(distro)'. Initially i tried doing things the windows way(like every linux newbee), but failure was the only result. Linux(distro) actually makes programmers life easier by giving them the transparency they need and all the power and control. The essence of linux is not to replace windows but to give another alternative for operating system. One can say why not make linux(distro) as easier as windows, but as i have said earlier it is not a replacement but an alternative and also it has its own flavour which is not windows like in any way. With all the GUI based Desktop System available for Linux people have made migration for Windows user easier. Even a GUI can give you full power but it has its own disadvantages of sacrificing performance(like any computer programmer, i love great performance). There are people in every corner of earth ready to help you with dealing with your problems(where can you find such a thing).
A person writes a software for solving his problem, but there are many people who face the same problem and their life can be made easier with this software. There are two options for that author of that software :
1>Sell it(You probably know them)
2>Give it to the community
the only benefit that author will get is money but he will be loosing millions if everyone on this earth start thinking the way he does. Also he can sell buggy peice of code to people and still make money(i dont want to name that company). But if he is a real nerd he will like his software to improve and be useful to every one he will give it to community. In Open source community people give their code to community and what happens is any one interested in this will take up development and improve the software. It is like you give something to community and it gives something back to you. So when you have another problem and there is another person on earth who had the same problem before you ,so what he did has made your life easier. The development process in Opensource project is kinda different, 1. it produces good quality software(very unlikely in some proprietery software firms) 2. it improves and evolves all along its life cycle.

Statuatory Warning: Linux is addictive.