Linux is Not Windows

For anyone considering switching from Microsoft Windows to Linux (Ubuntu is a "flavor" of linux), I would recommend reading this excellent article titled, Linux is Not Windows. It is a very long article and most of it applies to Linux as it is today but some of it appears a bit dated (i.e. 2004 and earlier based on his own personal use of linux timeline). Ubuntu, which came out in 2004, has matured a lot in 4 years and has simplified the usage of Linux to make some of what the article addresses, not such a big concern anymore.

I like the articles use of analogies to help explain the differences between Linux and Windows. I plan to highlight and summarize the main points and update this post as I go. So check back soon.

In the mean time, here is the outline of it:

#1: Linux isn't exactly the same as Windows.
#2: Linux is too different from Windows
#3: Culture shock
... #3a: There is a culture
... #3b: New vs. Old
#4: Designed for the designer
#5: The myth of "user-friendly"
... #5a: Familiar is friendly
... #5b: Inefficient is friendly
#6: Imitation vs. Convergence
#7: That FOSS thing.