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Myth 1: Linux is too difficult for ordinary people to use.

Myth 2: Linux is insecure.

Myth 3: It is not worth learning Linux because most companies use Windows.

Myth 4: Businesses can't make money from Linux because it is free.

Myth 5: Linux is a type of software piracy as it was copied from other OS.

Myth 6: Free software is a kind of socialism and it destroys intellectual property.

Myth 7: Linux has few application programs.

Myth 8: Linux has poor support because there is no single company behind it.

Myth 9: Linux is obsolete.

Myth 10: Linux cannot survive because it is too fragmented.

Myth 11: Linux cannot compete in quality.

Myth 12: Linux has a higher TCO than Microsoft Windows.

Ê  Linux is too difficult for ordinary people to use because it uses only text
and requires programming.

G 
 Although Linux was originally designed for those with computer
expertise, the situation has changed dramatically in the past several years. Today it
has a highly intuitive GUI (graphical user interface) similar to those on the
Macintosh and Microsoft Windows and it is as easy to use as those operating
systems. No knowledge of programming is required. This ease of use is evidenced
by the fact that more and more people, including elementary school students and
others with no previous computer experience, are starting to use it every day.
Moreover, once people become familiar with Linux, they rarely want to revert to
their previous operating system.

In some ways Linux is actually easier to use than Microsoft Windows. This is in
large part because it is little affected by viruses and other malicious code, and
system crashes are rare.
Ê  Linux is less secure than Microsoft Windows because the source code is
available to anybody.

G
 Actually, Linux is far more secure (i.e., resistant to viruses, worms and
other types of malicious code) than Microsoft Windows. And this is, in large part,
a result of the fact that the source code (i.e., the version as originally written by
humans using a programming language) is freely available. By allowing everyone
access to the source code, programmers and security experts all over the wor ld are
able to frequently inspect it to find possible security holes, and patches for any
holes are then created as quickly as possible (often within hours).

Ê   : It is not worth bothering to learn Linux because most companies use
Microsoft Windows and thus a knowledge of Windows is desired for most jobs.

G
 It is true that most companies still use the various Microsoft Windows
operating systems. However, it is also true that Linux is being used by more and
more businesses, government agencies and other organizations. In fact, the main
thing that it preventing its use from growing even faster is the shortage of people
who are trained in setting it up and administering it (e.g., system engineers and
administrators). Moreover, people with Linux skills typically get paid substantially
more than people with Windows skills.

Ê  Linux cannot have much of a future because it is free and thus there is no
way for businesses to make money from it.

G
: This is one of those arguments that sounds good superficially but which
is not borne out by the evidence. The reality is that not only are more and more
businesses and other organizations finding out that Linux can help reduce the costs
of using computers, but also that more and more companies are likewise
discovering that Linux can also be a great way to make money. For example,
Linux is often bundled together with other software, hardware and consulting
services. The most outstanding example is that of IBM, which has invested more
than one billion dollars in Linux and is already making substantial profits from it.

Ê   Linux and other free software is a type of software piracy because much of
it was copied from other operating systems.
G 
 Linux contains all original source code and definitely does not
represent any kind of software piracy. Rather it is the other way around: much of
the most popular commercial software is based on software that was originally
developed at the public expense, including at universities such as the University of
California at Berkeley (UCB).

Ê 
: Linux and other free software are a kind of socialism and they destroy the
free market and intellectual property.

G 
: No, quite the opposite. Free software helps prevent software
monopolies, which destroy the free market and result in high prices and shoddy
quality. It does this by fostering competition among products and companies based
on quality, features and service. Free software, which is also called open source
software, is software that is free both in a monetary sense (i.e., it can be obtained
by anyone at no cost) and with regard to use (i.e., it is permitted to be used by
anyone for any purpose, including modifying, copying and distributing).
Interestingly, some of the harshest critics of free software actually incorporate it
into some of their products.

Ê   There are few application programs available for Linux.

G
 Actually, there thousands of application programs already available for
Linux and the number continues to increase. A lso, the quality of these applications
is typically as good as, and often better than, their commercial counterparts, and
most of them are free. Moreover, some of these applications are so popular that
versions have been developed for use on Microsoft Windows and other operating
systems. For examples, see Best Open Source Applications for Microsoft
Windows.

Ê   Linux has poor support because there is no single company behind it, but
rather just a bunch of hackers and amateurs.

G
 Quite the opposite: Linux has excellent support, often much better and
faster than that for commercial software. There is a great deal of information
available on the Internet and questions posted to newsgroups are typically
answered within a few hours. Moreover, this support is free and there are no costly
service contracts required. Commercial support is also available, if desired, from
major computer companies such as Red Hat, Novell, IBM and HP. Also to kept in
mind is the fact than many users find that less support is required than for other
operating systems because Linux has relatively few bugs (i.e., errors in the way it
was written) and is highly resistant to viruses and other malicious code.

Ê   Linux is obsolete because it is mainly just a clone of an operating system


that was developed more than 30 years ago.

G
 It is true that Linux is based on UNIX, which was developed in 1969.
However, UNIX and its descendants (referred to as Unix-like operating systems)
are regarded by many computer experts as the best (e.g., the most robust and the
most flexible) operating systems ever developed. They have survived more than 30
years of rigorous testing and incremental improvement by the world's foremost
computer scientists, whereas other operating systems do not survive for more than
a few years, usually because of some combination of technical inferiority and
planned obsolescence.

Ê  : Linux will have a hard time surviving in the long run because it has
become fragmented into too many different versions.

G
: It is a fact that there are numerous distributions (i.e., versions) of Linux
that have been developed by various companies, organizations and individuals.
However, there is little true fragmentation of Linux into incompatible syst ems, in
large part because all of these versions use the same basic kernels, commands and
application programs. Rather, Linux is just an extremely flexible operating system
that can be configured as desired by vendors and users according to the intended
applications, users' preferences, etc. In fact, the various Microsoft Windows
operating systems (e.g., Windows 95, ME, NT, CE, 2000, XP and Longhorn),
although they superficially resemble each other, are more fragmented than Linux.
Moreover, each of these systems is fragmented into various versions and then
further changed by various service packs (i.e., patches which are supplied to users
to correct various bugs and security holes).

Ê  Linux and other free software cannot compete with commercial software
in terms of quality because it is developed by an assorted collection of hackers and
amateurs rather than the professional programmers employed by large
corporations.

G 
 Almost all software, including that at large corporations, is created at
least in part by people who might have beards and look slightly unconventional.
However, Linux and other free software has been created and refined by some of
the most talented programmers in the world. Moreover, programmers from the
ofthe largest corporations, including IBM and HP, have, and continue to,
contribute to it. For more information, see Incentives to Develop Free Software.

Ê  Linux is free at the start, but the total cost of ownership (TCO) is higher
than for Microsoft Windows. This has been demonstrated by various studies.

G
 A major reason (but not the only one) for Linux's rapid growth around
the world is that its TCO is substantially lower than that for commercial software.
This has been demonstrated time and time again. Reasons that it is lower include
not only (1) the fact that it is free but also that (2) it is more reliable and robust
(i.e., rarely crashes or causes data loss), (3) support can be very inexpensive
(although costly service contracts are available), (4) it can o perate on older
hardware and reduce the need for buying new hardware, (5) there are no forced
upgrades and (6) no tedious and costly license compliance monitoring is required.
The only studies that show that Linux's TCO is higher are those sponsored by
Microsoft.

A major reason provided for the supposedly higher TCO of Linux is that Linux
system administrators are more expensive to hire than persons with expertise in
Microsoft products. Although this is generally true, it overlooks the fact that Linux
systems administrators are usually much more productive because there are
relatively few viruses to deal with, security patches to install, system crashes to
cope with and licensing issues to contend with.

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