Linux is an operating system for working in the office or for a home computer. Programs for Linux

Windows XP is very good operating system. It is stable, supports almost all the currently existing devices, a lot of programs are written for it, and anyone who has ever seen a computer, which certainly saw Windows XP. She has disadvantages. The first and main of them are: a Windows XP disk is not a ready-made "starting package" for a computer.

Having installed an operating system to a new computer you will receive only a shell for installation required programs. You will not be able to watch movies because of the lack of codecs, you will not be able to communicate in ICQ, since the client is not included in the delivery of Windows, you will not be able to view excel documents or PowerPoint presentation, because Microsoft though released spacers for these formats, but they do not apply them to XP. After installing the OS, the process of setting up and preparing a computer to full work only begins. Another minus system from Microsoft is the presence of a large number of viruses under it and vulnerabilities directly in the system - very many inexperienced users suffer from them. It is enough to remember the large-scale epidemics of Lovsan and Sasser, and it becomes clear that with security in Windows XP is not all right.

Recently, Microsoft has released its new operating system under by the name of Windows Vista. She was waiting for her, she was hoping, but she did not cause the storms of delight. At the moment, we cannot call Vista with a full-fledged replacement for old good WinXP: Many have too many problems caused an attempt to go with XP on Vista. First of all, the irrevocability of the drivers of many devices for Vista is to blame. This is added to the inoperability of many programs and highly high system requirements.

Is there an alternative to Microsoft operating systems for a home user? Immediately I note that if you play all the freshly haired games or you can not imagine your life without professional products like AutoCAD or Photoshop, then nothing except Windows is suitable for you. But if you need the computer to show movies, allow you to "walk" on the global network, work with email, communicate in ICQ, view and create documents, and at the same time spend the minimum effort to search and configure software, then one of the Linux distributions oriented on homemade use It may well come up.

"Difficulty" Linux for development has long been in the past: command line Added many different graphic shells, drivers most devices are installed automatically, the Russian language is widely supported. Linux's strong parties have always been high security and a large number of software that comes directly along with the system. In this review, we will find out if it is possible to have only one DVD disk with the Linux distribution to turn a lifeless set of iron and silicon into a multifunctional home computer.

The heroine of our today's article wears a beautiful, but very unusual Russian ear name Mandriva. This is one of the most popular distributions currently, his distinctive features The URPMI package manager, which allows you to conveniently install, delete and update programs and the Mandriva Control Center system settings utility.

Installation

We will try to install Mandriva Linux on the computer next configuration:

ELITEGROUP 945G-M3 motherboard
. Intel processor Celeron 2.53 Ghz.
. 512 Megabyte RAM DDR2 Patriot PC-4200
. HDD Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 120GB SATA
. CD-RW / DVD-ROM drive TEAC DW-552GA.

The Mandriva bootloader offers the user a few options for further work: loading from a hard disk, "rescue" loading directly from a DVD, a test of RAM and installing a new OS.

Directly the installation process begins with the selection of the language and keyboard layout. Especially note the fact that Mandriva allows you to switch the layout with a plurality method, and not three, as in Windows. What is called: a trifle, but nice, after all, personally, I like to change the language of the button with the right key Control, and in Windows it is impossible without installing additional programs.

Further, the disk markup is entering, which automatically stated the disk on the 3 partition: boot, swap and working. If the user does not suit the work of the automation, then the markup provides a large set of features for manual marking. After all sections are formatted, the Linux installation on the hard disk begins directly.

After installation, the system offers to enter the ROOT user password and select the authentication method. I especially note the fact that the login is supported in the Windows domain.

In the System System "after installation displays information about the configuration of the computer and installed services. Right from this window, you can configure video mode and network. After that, the primary setting can be considered completed. From the beginning and until the end, the installation took about 30 minutes.

After rebooting, the orange desktop KDE 3.5 appears before you. Access to programs and settings is similar to Windows and is carried out from the menu called button in the lower left corner of the screen. So, what brought us to the Linux hard drive?

Programs in the kit

Office and documents

The standard delivery includes almost everything you need. Firstly, this is the package Open Office version 2.0.3, which includes programs for working with text, spreadsheets and presentations. Open Office has built-in file import and export tools. Microsoft Office. and can almost completely replace such proposals as Microsoft Word., Excel, PowerPoint. In addition to OpenOffice, there is a simpler text editor KWRITE, PDF files, calculator and various organizers. The whole rich set of software products makes it possible to conclude that the computer with a freshly installed Mandriva is fully prepared for the performance of a variety of office tasks.

Music and video

Everything is not so rosy here. Yes, there is a universal KMPlayer player and AMAROK audio player, but for some reason they refused to play files over the network. If you copy the file to a local computer, then no problems occur. DivX, Xvid, QuickTime, WMV video is played without installing any additional codecs, no problems arise with various audio formats, such as MP3, OGG Vorbis or Flac. In addition, the default DVD player is installed by default and RealPlayer. It should be recognized that Mandriva is almost completely ready to take on the role of a home media center and will not leave the user to miss the inscription "It's impossible to find a decoder."

Graphics and photos

And here Linux will not hit the dirt face. Adobe Photoshop. Under Linux, of course, did not port, but many are ready to pay for him? To view images or photos, there are 3 different viewers: KView, Kuickshow and GwenView and a program to work with a digital camera Digikam. To their advantages include simplicity in mastering, and the main disadvantage is still small functionality. There are means for changing the size of the image only in Digikam, but it does not know how to change the size of the image group immediately. Briefly saying: all this is much more convenient than standard viewer Pictures in Windows XP, but the ACDSEE does not reach. No problems with the connection of the digital camera OLYMPUS MJU 410 did not occur: the system saw the camera as a removable drive and allowed to calmly copy photos to the computer. I saw the camera and Digikam. Mustek Bearpaw 2400Cu scanner managed to configure. For this, it was not necessary to download anything from the Internet, and only the disk from the scanner scanner from the driver for Windows was needed.

The role of the raster editor is GIMP, which is not compared with Adobe Photoshop, but free and is quite sufficient for a person who is not a professional designer.

the Internet

In this part, the freshly installed system is a complete gentlemanic set. Browsers - Mozilla Firefox, Konqueror or Opera, Mail - Kmail or Mozilla Thunderbird, ICQ or other messaging system - The developers carefully put in the GAIM and KOPETE kit. Voice communication via the network is not forgotten - there is a client for Skype and the KPhone SIP application.

Games

Generally with games in Linux is bad. In the sense that modern three-dimensional games are still written under Windows and under Linux are not adapted by all of them. The creators of KDE decided to somehow fix such a sad position and put in a set of a variety of small toys that are able to brighten up a long winter evening, and "kill" a couple of "extra" watches in the office. Includes a dozen solitaires, sapper, tetris, Sokoban, Reversi and other games.

This is not all. Want to write a CD or DVD? Please, at your service K3B. The utility allows you to do everything you need: Create compilations and record them on discs, open the images of the ISO, BIN / CUE discs, clean the rewritable discs, change the recording speed, supports UDF and so on.

Want to take a screen shot? No, you do not need to press PrintScreen, and then insert an image from the buffer into any graphics editor: The creators of the KSNAPSHOT utility are taken care of you - a convenient tool for "photographing" of the entire screen or separate window.

System Setup

As early as early, one of the main features of Mandriva is the management center, where the links to all the elements of the system setup are collected in one place, which allows the user who is just acquainted with new system, do not climb the menu labyrinths, and have access to all settings in one place.

Installing and deleting packages is simple and understandable. When running the program management console, automatically search for affordable packages is made and their list is displayed. If when installing packages, there is a need to put additional packagewhich is necessary for the functioning of the desired one, then the program will make it automatically, but not forgetting to ask you permission.

The KDE graphic shell has its own control center, in which everything is configured, which is associated with this shell. In some functions, these two control centers intersect, but it does not make them use less convenient.

Using the KDE control center, each can configure the system so that it looks perfect for him. At the same time, you should not forget that Mandriva comes with multiple graphic shells - KDE is not the only one, it is only used by default. But the detailed consideration of all the possibilities of the system is already beyond the scope of this review article.

conclusions

Over the past years, the Linux community managed to move away from the concept of "Systems for Fanatics". Today's Mandriva Linux is a full-fledged starter pack, which has a user friendly graphical interface, convenient to configure and multiple useful software. Installing it is not harder than installing WindowsAnd the system itself is often often not only inferior to Windows XP, but in many respects surpasses it. One disc with the Mandriva distribution disk is quite enough to turn the computer into a universal tool that can solve many different tasks without downloading additional software.

Advantages:

A large number of applied software included;
. Convenient system settings utilities;
. Beautiful and user-friendly user interface KDE;
. Free.

Disadvantages:

Some programs in the kit are not translated into Russian in general or translated partially;
. Unreleased interaction with Windows computers through the local network.

Free and wide opportunities Linux are good reasons to try this OS, and maybe even completely go to it. Chip will tell how easy it is to install and configure.

The Linux free operating system has long been getting rid of "childhood diseases", such as poor support for equipment or lack of necessary programs. Now it can be used for entertainment, and for work. The most popular distribution is Linux Mint today. This operating system is almost twice the popularity of the nearest competitor - Ubuntu OS. According to the Distrowatch.com website, Mint 3473 transition per day against 1906 at Ubuntu. The basis of the ideology of the Linux MINT system is that all the features should be available "from the box". For example, after installing this distribution, it is not necessary to install additional multimedia codecs - it is immediately ready to perform the role of homemade media system.

However, some operations will still have to do. First, you need to correctly install Linux Mint. Although this process is simplified as much as possible and, as a rule, you can only press the "Forward" button, individual steps are individual for each PC. Secondly, immediately after installation, you must implement several settings. At the same time, it is not necessary to use the command line - all actions are performed through a friendly graphical interface.

Select the distribution option and creating an installation disk

This Linux distribution is distributed with multiple desktop options. On Chip DVD you will find MINT with KDE shell. This option most similar to workers windows tableAnd besides, a lot of useful utilities are installed with it. Other versions of the system you can try by downloading an image from the official site linuxmint.com. For example, an alternative wall environment for Mint is called Cinnamon. It is a continuation of the GNOME 2-working environment project, whose ideology is largely similar to the Mac OS interface. For old computers, whose performance is too small for Windows, you can recommend the Linux Mint distribution with the XFCE graphic shell.

After you take a disk image from our disk or download it from the official site, it must be written on a clean DVD carrier. Make it possible with free program Infrarecorder (Infrarecorder.org). At the same time, make sure that you write the disk image, and not the file itself. In this program, you need to select the menu item "Actions | Write an image. "

Installation: Just and fast

Install Linux is not more difficult than other operating systems. In this case, the installer itself will detect other OS on the computer and placed MINT on free disk space.

1. Preparation for installation After you inserted the installation disk into your drive, you must select the DVD bootable device list. On the first screen, select the Start Linux Mint menu item. After a while you will see the desktop of the system. At this stage, MINT has not yet been installed on your computer, but is fully functional and almost identical to the OS that you will have after installation. You can familiarize yourself with the distribution, and then install it. full version. To do this, click on the "Install Linux Mint" icon, which is on the desktop.

2. Distribution of the hard disk space In the setup window that opens, select the Russian language from the list and click the Forward button. Next, you will see the requirements for installing a distribution: the presence of sufficient volume on the hard disk, reliable power supply, etc. Make sure your computer meets all the requirements. After that, you can go to the most important step - the distribution of disk space. The choice is invited to automatically install MINT next to another existing operating system on the computer or erase the data on the entire disk and install the new OS using all the space. "Advanced" users can take advantage of the third option and make a breakdown of the hard drive alone. It is necessary to create at least two sections. The main must have a "/" mount point. The type of file system is better to leave the default - EXT4. You will also need to create a section of the paging. For him, you need to specify swap as a file system as a file system, and you do not need to specify the mount point. When creating sections, it is necessary to remember that the main partition for Linux Mint should take at least 4 GB of disk space.

3. Settings during installation During installation, you will need to answer a few questions. First you need to specify your time zone. You can do this by simply clicking on the map on the nearest city to you. Next, you must specify the keyboard layouts that you need. Both of these settings can be changed after installation in the "System Parameters" menu.

4. Security settingsAn important part of the installation is to create a new user. Enter the appropriate fields of the user itself and the name of the computer. Note that the Linux is the value of the encouraged symbol. For convenience, here you can mark the item "log in automatically" - then you will not need to enter the password each time the OS start. A good idea will update the system immediately after its installation. Click on the Start button analogue, located in the lower left corner of the screen, and enter the "update manager" in the search bar. Run the utility and click the Update button. After some time, all patches will be downloaded and installed. Alternative and more fast way Update the system - enter the necessary commands in the "Terminal" program. Open it, enter the Sudo APT-Get Update command and click "ENTER". Then, after it completes its work, type the "sudo apt-get upgrade" string.

Setup: System Tuning

As a rule, after installing Linux, everything works flawlessly - even most of the necessary programs are already installed. But if you wish, you can still improve the system and add software.

1. Selection of repositories Configuring work with repositories (sources of applications) on maximum speed, You can speed up the installation of programs and updates. Mint 15 has a built-in utility for managing repositories - Software Sources. It can be found in the "Computer | System Parameters. In the "Official Repositories" section, click on the name of the source. In the window that opens, you will see the "mirrors" repository sorted in the speed of working with them. Choose the fastest for you by clicking on it.

2. Installing proprietary drivers In Linux, it is usually not necessary to deal with the installation of drivers, and all components run "out of the box." However, for some devices, such as video cards, proprietary drivers are required, which are installed separately. This can be done using the Driver Manager utility. Open it by clicking on the button start menuand select "System Parameters | DRIVER MANAGER. Here, select the stable version of the driver (in front of it should be the inscription "Recommended"). After that click on "Apply Changes".

3. System Optimization After exceeding a certain Linux value, it places processes from RAM into the Swap section of the hard disk, access to which is slower. The parameter responsible for this is called "swappiness". When it is zero, it means that only rAM. If you have more than 2 GB of RAM, it makes sense to set the value "swappiness" equal to "20". To do this, open with administrator rights system file. The "sudo kate /etc/sysctl.conf" command and add the string "vm.swappiness \u003d 20" to the eas end. Save the changes and close the file. You can also speed up the system by installing the Preload program. Working B. background modeIt determines which applications are used most often, and stores them in the cache, from which they start faster. Install this software can be installed through the "program manager", finding it by name.

4. Use "cloud" repository "Cloud" services enjoy many people. But if a client for Dropbox can be easily installed from the repository, then until recently there was not official software for the fans of Yandex.Disc. Now you can download and install it yourself. To do this, open the repo.yandex.ru page in the browser. Download the necessary file with the DEB extension depending on whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit system. Then click on it in the window file Manager. After the application is set, you must configure it. The developers have not yet been done for the graphical interface program, so run the Terminal program from the start menu. Here enter the "Yandex-Disk Setup" command and answer a number of questions by entering data account on Yandex. Please note that the terminal commands are supported by auto-compliance: for example, to enter "Yandex-Disk" sufficiently type "Yan" and press the Tab button.

Entertainment in Linux: Running Windows-Games without problems

Specially under Linux are not developed as many modern games, but it is compensated by the fact that you can run a lot of Windows games through the PlayonLinux emulator. Before it installs it, you will need three additional programs: 7z, Xterm and TTF-MSCorefont-Installer. Find them in the program manager by name and install. These utilities, by the way, are in any case it is useful to have on the computer. 7z will allow you to open archival files of different types, and the latter - use the usual Tahoma fonts or Times New. Roman in Linux. After installing PlayonLinux, you will see a list of supported games. Select the desired and click on it. The program downloads and installs all the necessary libraries and prompts you to specify the path to the installation file of the game or insert the disk. Next, everything will happen in the same way as with normal installation in Windows.

Safety OS and Accounts

There are no viruses in Linux, so the main vulnerability of the computer is the unreliable password of the user account. When creating this combination, use at least eight characters, and the capital, and uppercase letters, as well as numbers should be among them. The password should not coincide with your name or your personal data, such as, for example, the city of residence. Do not use words with numbers added to them. You should not use the same combination for the system and for various network services. Good rule is to change the password every six months. It is more convenient to follow these recommendations using any special software. Generate reliable passwords for all accounts and reliably store them will help the KEEPASS program. It exists in versions for Linux, Windows and Android, and it is convenient to store its database in the cloud. If your current password seems to you unreliable, you can change it by performing the command "Sudo passwd user_sername" in the terminal. Then you need to enter the current and new passwords.

Moving with Windows: Applications

Although Mint is completed with dozens of programs for any needs, some of the popular utilities will have to be installed independently. However, in Linux this process is even easier than in Windows. For this operating system, thousands of applications are written, most of which are free. They are installed from repositories specific for each distribution. It is very convenient because there is no need to look for them separately on the Internet - it is enough to find the desired program in a single database using a special application manager. For most Windows-utilities in Linux there are analogues. If you are new to Linux, then you can find a replacement for your usual software.

In addition, many original Windows programs are available in Linux. They can be installed through the PlayonLinux emulator. In addition to games, it also helps to run a lot of Windows applications - office, multimedia, packages for working with graphics and many others.

If you want to replace the default program to work with a specific file type to another, more convenient for you, you must report this system. Then the next time the specified type of file will be opened in a new application. Make it can be in the "System Parameters | Default applications. So, you can make, for example, to open documents immediately in word program Instead of a regular Office Writer.

At some point, Linux has become a familiar tool for me. There was Red Hat, was SUSE, and then a new distribution appeared, which was not before - Ubuntu. This distribution was for me the first Linux "with a human face." Many because the developers put a clear and clear task: to create a distribution that can establish a housewife. Download from the Internet, click "Next", "Next", "Next" and that's it. It could be automatically installed next to Windows, while Ubuntu could (again automatically) reduce the section for Windows, allocate place there for itself, to install on that disc, where Windows is already standing, to work and do not interfere. And it was an attempt to create a Linux "with a human face", which, in my opinion, absolutely succeeded. It is precisely because Ubuntu was available not only to professionals and not only people from the academic environment (as an answer to production or working needs), but also to ordinary people.

Linux at home: Surfing online and home video

In 2008, I chose Ubuntu for a home for several reasons: first, there were very facilitated by installing multimedia codecs (audio, video, mp3, DVD, XVID, etc.). A person presses "install" - everything was established and works. Secondly, unlike many well-known, established and conservative distributions in Ubuntu was a fresh set of software. Yes, he was not always stable, something could "hang" or break, but he was often updated, these problems were solved and, therefore, the set of Always was fresh. This constant freshness attracted me strongly at that moment. Because I personally always be buried for something new - and "Eternally new" Ubuntu this traction very answered. And on this moment - In 2015 - answers exactly the same way as in 2008

Today, Ubuntu - Distribution No. 1, which I as IT Director of a mature system integrator and as an advanced IT specialist, I am pleased to use everywhere where I can. At home stationary computer, on a laptop - for surfing on the Internet, editing, installation and viewing of a home video, as there is a dozen comfortable, decent, free editors (Pitivi, Kdenlive, OpenShot), which are completely satisfied with me as convenient tools for simple home video editing. By the way, especially a lot of video, I began to do before the birth of a child and after him. We and my wife gave the camera, I began to shoot a lot. I must say that when shooting, I basically used AVCHD format. And so, except on the hardware players and in Linux, it has not been reproduced humanly anywhere. At least in Linux, it certainly did not make it possible to buzz, so much when playing a video, so much and smoke my home computer.

Generation Windows VS. Generations Linux?

At some point, completely mastered Linux at home, I began to seriously think about the use of this OS at work. Unfortunately, the bulk of Russian IT professionals is focused on working with Windows. They are "sharpened" under this OS. You can say, they are born with her, grow "inside it." What contributes to both the high popularity of Windows at home PC and the orientation on the Windows educational process - starting with a school bench and ending with higher education.

And naturally it turns out that even developed IT professionals working with system integrators, specialists with a wide, deep-quality expertise are often more comfortable to come and work mainly in Windows. This is a huge success of Microsoft, which created the system. A holistic closed cycle that grows up Windows users from childhood. These users, becoming professionals in IT, in turn, successfully grip the next generation of users of this OS.

Linux at work: Project Performance Monitoring on SPO

Unlike them at some point, I realized that I could not only use Linux in the service, but also to receive additional advantages. Working at the moment on average, but already a mature integrator as a leading specialist of the IT outsourcing department, I began to actively look for tasks that could be effectively solved using the SPO.

And almost immediately I drew attention to the development of the monitoring system of his company. The main thing was to provide a rational substantiation of these changes to the head of the IT outsourcing department and tie it with our main priority - a constant increase in the number of clients with a high level of management culture (medium and large business) and an increase in the quality of their service.

Fortunately, the head of the Department turned out to be susceptible to a new person who think primarily about the benefits for customers and benefits for us as for the IT service provider. He gave good to testing free analogues, realizing that for an IT outsource that makes a bet on good long-term relationships with customers, the SPO has a much greater advantage compared to paid products than for any other IT company.

Nagios, Zenoss or Zabbix?

For testing, we chose three SPO-based systems: Nagios, Zenoss, Zabbix. After careful testing and analysis, we decided to change the Advanced Host Monitor monitoring system for our profile, built on Windows, to a significantly less resource-intensive and appropriate Zabbix monitoring system based on Linux and SPO. And for more than five years, having passed along with us a difficult path, changing several versions and processes now two orders of magnitude more data, this system helps us provide equally high quality Customer works throughout Russia.

Now our monitoring system and clients, and in our company is configured in automatic mode. That is, as soon as it is added or turns on new server (Whether it is Windows or Linux), it is configured fully automatically. In other words, we have excluded manual settings: Here is the mail server, here the database server - their place occupied automatic setting. Translated into the language of business, these are zero labor costs and a serious decrease in the influence of the human factor (for example, a specialist forgot that there is a disc, forgot that there is some specific service, I forgot that an important program is installed, and as a result, an IT outsourcer may fail Or affecting the availability of the service service.) Now, thanks to the system of monitoring on the basis of Linux of all these things, the rest of the unfortunate are deprived.

VYOS for customers: without "rake", please!

I will give another example of the successful substitution of the proprietary product on the SPO. A significant part of our clients was used by the Microsoft TMG firewall, which provides companies with access to the Internet, protection against invasions, etc. At some point, Microsoft stopped his support and we had to look for an alternative. Of course, we have become and here to look in the direction of the SPO and quite quickly found what we need: a specialized Linux distribution kit, designed to configure Vyatta firewalls, and now VYOS. I like customers. And all the more - we can build a network without regard to the need for licensing deductions, creating fault tolerant systems, rationally divide the functions between individual routers, to transfer successful solutions between customers, etc. The success of this solution has contributed to the fact that we did not "come On rake ", and, given our previous experience with the SPO, initially approached the issue of selecting and using the distribution system system. At first we conducted thorough testing and analysis of the product, then transferred their test laboratory on it, then a productive environment. We developed a holistic concept, typical solutions and regulations for its use, trained personnel.

From point decisions to the development of the direction on the SPO

Now, looking back, I understand that these projects brought us much more benefit than we saw at first. Due to the lack of license payments and high features to adapt to our tasks (due to the open source code), these decisions from the system ensuring the main activity of the system turned into a separate project direction. And also significantly expanded our capabilities when carrying out integrated IT audits from most customers.

But it is undoubtedly, in a corporate environment there are many cons associated with local personnel issues and a common personnel crisis in IT, in places low quality code, often absent support, etc. Therefore, making a choice in favor of the SPO, any system integrator is still necessary More seriously than usual, approach the development of decisions and to make a significantly greater mode of personal responsibility for these decisions. In many ways, because he under his shoulder does not have a powerful corporation, which can be "blamed" guilt for possible miscalculations.

Community free software: You are not alone

Using and modifying Zabbix, we "felt on our skin" another major advantage of SPO: You are not left alone with the manufacturer. And it is not obliged to accept the rules of the game.

Alas, when interacting with a vendor proprietary software, the consumer rarely affect the last: if the vendor wants, he will solve the problem of the consumer, adding the functional to him. Does not want or will not be able to bring the question in the discharge of mass - will not solve. Since it will be unprofitable for it for industrial and business reasons.

Yes, refinement of the SPO is difficult, it may be "painful", and may not work. But everyone can try, each purposeful and intelligent user or company has a chance to create something independently, what will bring the most real, clean benefits to people.

Where I can by virtue of the production need I use Ubuntu Server (mainly when testing new products from internal customers). In other cases, we use a bundle from CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

To those customers who are not ready to pay for the cost of licenses, but ripened before using the SPO, and those who do not see additional benefits in commercial support, we offer to use CentOS. For the same (greater) part of customers, for which it is important to have the support of the OS or who has support for support, we offer rigid internal regulations, we offer to use Rhel.

What do CIO think about the SPO?

Often IT managers, even if there are necessary competencies, do not burn with the desire to take advantage of additional responsibility and use SPO without commercial support. And this is understandable. After all, the situation with any new IT initiatives and products in business of any scale and orientation is often as follows that, when all is well - no one praise, and when something bad, all responsibility for it inevitably falls on him. And here the phrase "We turned to the support service, they recognized the presence of an incident, we are waiting for an answer and solutions" serves for CIO and his people a kind of shield.

Although, in my opinion, in a situation where CIO on the side of the client's company really understands the subject when he is deep in the subject, he has enough resources, specialists and competencies, he can and should take this responsibility for himself. Since at the exit company has a chance to get a lot. Especially since there is a community formed around the free software, there are colleagues from the same market that are always ready to help in particularly difficult situations.

The importance of the SPO for the system integrator business: in the dry residue

For the strategic and operational development of the business of the right system integrator, the Sentos + Rhel bundle is extremely convenient because it perfectly closes the needs of both small and medium and large customers with a high management culture. And at the same time allows the IT service provider to unify decisions, reduce the number of specialists required to maintain competencies and seriously costs for the provision of services. All this is extremely positively affected by the competitiveness of the integrator and on its "vitality" on the market. This especially becomes fair in difficult economic times. However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that "Cooking Sani is needed in the summer", that is, to build systematic work with the SPO for understandable for all reasons you need to start when the market is on the rise.

Finally

When we ask how many of your customers use SPO - I answer honestly: "Almost everything, it is often not even guessing about it." And all because today it is almost impossible not to use SPO. After all, behind him the future.

Linux - the class of operating systems based on the same nucleus that extends free and having an open source. There are many implementations of operating systems whose work is based on the Linux kernel. Each such software package is called the Linux distribution.

Each distribution reflects the presentation of a specific group of developers about the "ideal" operating system. Therefore, Linux development branches differ not only as an area of \u200b\u200bapplication, a graphical interface, a set of programs, but also an ideology that often affects the final process of interaction with the OS.

Why choose Linux?

The indisputable and main advantage of Linux is official free and free distribution. However, such a licensing model has inevitable negative aspects: the lack of support service and any guarantees by an organization that produces distributional, the complexity of development, possible conflicts with applied software.

Another complexity is a large number of distributions, each of which has characteristic features. The choice of the distribution is a challenging task, but if you exclude from the search area initially complex systems, calculated on experienced technical specialists, you can consider only a few basic options.

Fedora.

Linux Fedora operating system is overseen by Red Hat. This distribution uses exclusively with free licenses - the developers deliberately refused to use proprietary software. To those, for example, you can attribute various device drivers or well-known plugins, such as Adobe Flash. and mp3. Thus, the interaction with the system is complicated by the initial ideology that excludes the use of closed developments.

Distributions - implementation of operating systems whose work is based on the Linux kernel

Custom support is absent, and the project itself is used by Red Hat as a landfill for testing the latest technologies. Refusal to use proprietary drivers can cause unstable operation of the operating system on some equipment. Thus, the distribution is difficult to name stable and convenient for use as the main system.

Ubuntu.

The distribution is initially focused on inexperienced users, which has acquired a number of characteristic features:

• comes with a set of finished software, which includes the LibreOffice office and browser Mozilla. Firefox;
• does not use the highest level of user rights by default. It is significantly safety and stability of the system;
• the ideology of Ubuntu supports the presence of proprietary software (for example, Skype, Adobe Flash Player. etc.) in the official repository (program repository), thereby simplifying the setting of the operating system.

Ubuntu is one of the most optimal distributions for the development of Linux.

Linux Mint.

This Linux development branch was originally based on Ubuntu, including appropriate software repositories. Thus, Linux Mint inherits most of the advantages of Ubuntu, but also contributes to their own:

• the composition includes special programfacilitating migration with Windows;
• included proprietary drivers and codecs, as well as a set of necessary plug-ins, including Java and Flash;
• a graphical environment is used, which is largely reminiscent of the Windows interface.

Linux Mint, along with Ubuntu, you can call the most reliable and convenient version of Linux for use on a home computer and laptop. For a number of ratings, it is Linux Mint that is the most popular distribution rate as of 2016.

Debian.

Debian is one of the oldest supported distributions. The system has proven itself as extremely stable. The disadvantages can be called a huge amount of software in which it is difficult to imagine at first, the need to produce individual setting after installation and lack of proprietary software. Debian can be described as a stable and convenient system, but the use of which is worth starting after dating with simpler distributions, such as Linux Mint or Ubuntu.

Linux Ubuntu is one of the most popular distributions

How not to make a mistake with the choice?

Good practice before choosing a distribution is pre-testing and comparing several options - a kind of "test drive", which will help you finally decide on the choice. You can pre-acquaint with the system in two ways: using the so-called Live CD or using a virtual machine. And in the first, and in the second case you must first download the images of the installation disks of the distributions of interest to you.

Council. Most modern distributions are supplied in two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. It is recommended to select the 64-bit version, since it provides maximum compatibility with various software. Also, a stable version (Stable) and the latest (Latest) can also be provided. Stable preferable.

Pre-acquaintance with Live CD

Most distributive installation disks makes not only the installation of the system on hDDBut also launch an informational version directly from the disk or a USB drive. This option received the name Live CD. Running the operating system with installation disk It has a number of restrictions and is not intended for daily work, but it can be familiar with the distribution, without resorting to the installation on the hard disk.

The advantages of this method:

• ability to check the stability of the distribution in the real PC configuration.

Disadvantages:

• the need to apply additional hardware ( DVD discs, USB drives);
• the need to restart the PC between the launch of various distributions.

Pre-acquaintance using a virtual machine

Virtual machine is a special softwareallowing you to emulate personal computer. For pre-acquaintance with various distributions, you can advise free system VirtualBox.

Linux Mint - Optimal Laptop and Computer Distribution

The advantages of this method:

• no additional hardware is required. DVD discs, USB drives);
• convenient work immediately with several distributions without the need to restart the PC;
• the user can read in advance with the process of installing the operating system on the hard disk.

Disadvantages:

• high performance requirements for personal computer to ensure emulation;
• lack of ability to check the stability of work on a real configuration (since emulation is used).

After reading the various distributions with virtual machine Or Live CD, you can in practice to assess the convenience of each of them. Probably, after such a test you will make it easier for you to decide on the choice, and you can proceed to installation Linux On hard disk.

Attention! Launch Linux using Live CD or virtual machine does not make changes to file System Your computer. Installing the operating system on the PC will require formatting and / or partitioning hard diskWhat can lead to full or partial loss of information. Before installation, it is strongly recommended to back up all important data.

What distribution to choose?

It can be said that Linux Mint is today the optimal choice for home Computer and laptop. This is stable, simple in mastering, focused on novice users and a well-documented system with a numerous community around it. However, you should not consider Linux Mint as the only acceptable option. Testing various distributions is a useful practice that will allow you to gain experience with Linux and form your own opinion about the various branches of the development of this operating system.

Best Linux Distributions - Video

There is a huge number of Linux versions. On the site distrowatch.com only in the last month more than 300 distributions were noted, and in the entire history of Linux there were about 700 people. How to choose from this abundance?

The two main criteria for which attention should be paid to:

1. Popularity distribution. The more popular is your distribution, the easier it will be to find manuals on it on the network. Large community means that you can easily get help on the distribution forums if you have difficulty learning. Finally, than a common distribution, the more applications and packages are ported for it. It is better to choose popular solutions with the finished base of packages than to suffer with assembly from sources in some exotic distribution.
2. The team of developers who do it. Naturally, it is better to pay attention to distributions supported by large companies like Canonical Ltd., Red Hat or SUSE, or on distributions with large communities.

Note that even best Distributions There are analogues that are little inferior. If you didn't give you a choice of lifehaker, you can try alternatives.

For those who have never enjoyed Linux, - Linux Mint

New users who migrated with, uniquely it is worth installing Linux Mint. To date, this is the most popular Linux distribution. This is a very stable and easy-to-work system based on Ubuntu.

Linux Mint is equipped with a slight and clear interface (Cinnamon shell for modern computers and Mate for old cars) and a convenient application manager, so you will not have problems with searching and installing programs.

Pros: Easy, concern for ordinary users. You do not need any specific knowledge to install and use MINT.

Minuses: A large number of pre-installed software that may never come in handy.

For those who want to have the newest software - Manjaro

This is a popular Linux distribution based on Arch. Arch is an incredibly powerful and functional distribution, but its KISS philosophy (Keep IT Simple, Stupid), as opposed to the name, makes it too difficult for beginners. Arch is installed only through the command line.

Manjaro, unlike Arch, has a simple graphics installer and at the same time combines the powerful features of Arch, such as AUR (Arch User Repository) and a sliding release. AUR - richest source linux packages. If any application is in Linux, it is probably already in AUR. So in Manjaro you will always enjoy the freshest packages.

Manjaro comes with a multitude of desktop shells to choose from: functional KDE, GNOME for tablet screens, XFCE, LXDE and others. Manjaro, you can be sure that the first to get the latest updates.

Pros: AUR, thanks to which you can install any application without unnecessary movements. Always fresher

Minuses: A peculiar design of the desktop shells. However, nothing prevents you from replacing it.

For home server - Debian

A home server can be useful for many purposes. For example, to store data and backups, load torrents or arrange your own self-dimensionable.

Debian is good for your home server.. This is a stable and conservative distribution, which has become the basis for Ubuntu and many other Linux systems. Debian uses only the most proven packages making it good choice For server.

Pros: Stability and large set of applications.

Minuses: The need to manually configure the distribution kit after installation.

For Media Center - Kodi

If you want to arrange your media server, choose Kodi. Strictly speaking, KODI is not a distribution, but a full-featured player for the media center. You can install it in any Linux, but best to choose a bunch of Ubuntu + Kodi.

KODI supports all types of video and audio files. He knows how to play movies, music, organize your photos. KODI will turn anyone in a universal entertainment device.

Thanks to extensions, KODI can download media files through torrents, track the appearance of new seasons of your favorite TV shows, show video from YouTube and other cutting services. In short, Kodi can do everything.

In addition, Kodi is very beautiful and optimized for control with remote console or device on Android. You can easily configure the KODI interface using a plurality of visual shells.

Pros: Huge number of functions and convenient management.

Minuses: The standard interface may not all come to the soul, but it is easy to replace it.

For desktop PC - Kubuntu

The KDE graphics environment is ideal for use on a desktop, and Kubuntu is the most popular distribution with KDE. Like many other distributions, it is based on Ubuntu, which means that you will not have problems with the compatibility of applications.

Kubuntu is beautiful, functional and easy to configure. Even novice users will contact him easily. This is a stable and polished system that provides all the necessary functions for a home desktop PC.

Pros: A large selection of packages, a wonderful kit of KDE applications and a huge number of interface settings.

Minuses: Kubuntu uses a stable version of KDE, which means that newest chips This shell comes here with a getting. If you want to try out the freshest KDE, at your service KDE NEON.

For an old computer or netbook - Lubuntu

This version of Ubuntu is based on the LXDE shell, easy and modest in resource consumption. It is focused on old or low-power cars. If you have a not very new computer or a netbook that does not cope with Windows, you can easily install Lubuntu.

This Linux distribution consumes little system resources and is able to start almost any configuration.

Pros: Very fast and light system. Nevertheless, it supports the same packages and applications as her older sister Ubuntu.

Minuses: appearance LXDE not everyone will have to taste, but this is a small fee for speed.

Alternative: .

For tablet or transformer - Ubuntu

Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions on the desktop. From version 17.10, Ubuntu finishes support for the UNITY shell and migrates on GNOME. And GNOME looks very good on devices with touch screens. If you have a tablet with and you want to try to install Linux on it, try Ubuntu with GNOME.

Large elements of the GNOME interface, configurable gestures and extensions will make Ubuntu with an excellent system for touchscreens.

Pros: Ubuntu is a common distribution, which means you will easily find everything you need. In addition, most Linux sites are devoted to Ubuntu.

Minuses: The GNOME shell is convenient, but at first it seems unusual.

For laptop - Elementary OS

As it follows from the name, this version of Linux is very simple. You will not have problems with its development. It is easily launched on laptops and slowly consumes a charge.

Elementary OS interface reminds MacOS, so it will be nice to use Mac fans. Animations, window design - everything is so smooth and pretty here that the system can simply love. Nevertheless, a full-fledged Linux is linked for a beautiful shell of Elementary OS that supports all the applications you need.

Pros: Beautiful interface, own store indian applications.

Minuses: Pantheon graphic shell although it looks stylish, but not very functional.