Are you tired of constantly having to spend money on software to keep your computer running? Do you want to change up your computing style and learn new methods of handling your data? Or maybe you have tired of the constant need to fight off virus attacks and are looking for a better operating system. If so, it is time to take the plunge and replace your computer’s operating system and software with Linux.

Even after you switch operating systems and begin to run Linux, you will still be able to run all the software you paid for in the past. Using a program called Wine, you will be able to run many of the software programs that you find vital to your life. Wine is not powerful enough to run high end programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. In order to run high end Windows programs you should consider installing a professional virtualization programs such as VMWare. Using VMWare you can even run programs written for the Macintosh. With Linux you can get the best of all the computing platforms, you can install extensions to your Linux operating system that make your desktop look and feel like a Macintosh and still have full Windows compatibility.

Linux users already understand the need to be able to search for new software in a quick and efficient manner. Linux users have created a searchable repository of all the great software available for use. This database has been used by Linux uses for over five years now and it is constantly being improved. WIth one click, you can install new software and update the software you have installed on your computer. No longer will you need to search for hours just to figure out if you have the current version of a piece of software. With Linux’s one-click software installation program you keep up with the latest versions of all your software without hassle.

When installing software for your new Linux computer, you will be shocked on how many programs are available for free. No longer will you be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on an email program or word processor. Instead, you will find many different programs available to you that will meet and exceed your requirements. If you find a program that you like but it does not meet all your needs, it is often very easy to contact the programmer and ask that the features you need be included in the next release. Many linux programs are created by individuals or small groups of people who love to engage with their customers and improve their software. No calls to unknowledgeable customer service representatives, you will be able to talk to the actual programmers and developers of the software programs you love.

In addition to the cost savings, you will find that you no longer find yourself breaking copyright laws when you use your software. If you have ever resorted to either gray-hat or black-hat methods of gaining software because of the high price of quality software, switching to Linux and using open source software may help you to rid your computer of anything gained inappropriately. The programs you once had to get illegally have comparable Linux operating system programs that you can get for free.

Whatever your computer security concern, you will be able to find a Linux application that can solve it. It you have data that needs to be encrypted, emails that need to authentic, or instant messenger chats that you want to protect, you will find easy to use encryption software and add-ins available for free.

Overall Linux is considered one of the most stable operating systems available and there are hundreds of computer programs who work on the operating system constantly to make sure it continues to be stable. There is a large community of people who are happy to help you with any issue that you have. If you have questions on installation of Linux, you will be able to get immediate assistance through many of the Linux users forums. Linux users are a community and they want to include you in that community. Using Linux is a constant learning process for everyone and new tutorials are being produced to help new users get up to speed very quickly.

In the end there is only one reason to choose Linux as your computer’s operating system, it’s cool and fun. You can find many different versions of Linux and chances are there are at least two versions that will meet your current computing needs. Once you have linux installed on your computer, you will find that there really is no learning curve. You’ll understand how everything works very easily and soon you will be showing all your friends. Be careful, you may end up installing Linux on every computer your friends and family own as well.

Popularity: 11% [?]

If you are tired of using Microsoft Windows and want to explore the world of the Macintosh without spending the money for a new computer, you should consider porting the Mac OS to your PC. Completing a port of Mac OS X is becoming easier as more and more people want to give the software a try. You do need to be aware that this a considered hacking your computer, and could very well be considered copyright infringement. But if your willing to try and you have a little bit of computer knowledge, you may really enjoy the outcome.

You may want to try this process out on a second computer or a second hard drive instead of giving up your primary computer. While this process is relatively easy once you have the proper files, the process explained here will wipe your hard drive and that includes any personal files you have on the hard drive. If anything goes wrong and you sacrificed your primary computer and hard drive to the process, you may end up having to rebuild your computer without any support from your manufacturer or Apple.

You will need a separate hard drive to install OS X on. If you are interested in dual booting between OS X and Microsoft Windows, you need two separate hard drives. This process will not work on a partitioned hard drive. Once you have the necessary hardware, search your favorite torrent site for the necessary files. You need to find “VMWare files for patched Mac OS X” online and download the entire file. This file should end up over 6gb after your download has completed. Once you have the proper .img file, move it to an external USB hard drive and set the drive aside.

Next, download the Ubuntu Live CD from the Ubuntu website. You need to verify that you are getting the correct version of Ubuntu. Burn the Ubuntu .iso file to a CD thus creating a bootable Ubuntu disk. Place the disk in your computer and boot from it. Once Ubuntu boots and the GUI Is running, connect the USB drive that is holding your Mac OS X files. Note the path to you USB drive and double confirm the location of the drive you will be using for your new Mac OS X operating system.

It is not time to work with Linux to install OS X on your PC. Open a terminal window and change the directory of the terminal window the appropriate path for your USB drive. Then in the terminal window type “dd bs=1048576 if=./tiger-x86-flat.img of=/dev/hda” You will want to make sure that you replace the “hda” with the correct drive information for your final installation of the OS X files. And double check everything before you continue on, this command will erase whatever drive you indicate. When you hit enter, your computer will start working. This process may take several minutes to complete so be patient. After this wipe and transfer process is complete, you can remove the Ubuntu CD from your computer and shut down the PC. After your computer is shut down, you should remove the USB drive that held you OS X .img file and reboot your computer. If everything was completed correctly you will be booting into Apple’s OS X instead of Microsoft’s Windows.

If you want to move to Mac OS but do not want to use linux, you can still install OS X using public-domain tools native to windows. These tools still have the ability to completely wipe your hard drive, so again the same cautions apply. Make sure you are not using your primary hard drive unless you want to spend time rebuilding your computer if anything goes wrong and you will need a separate hard drive as the process will not work on a partitioned drive. Porting Mac OS to your PC is not an exact science and anything can go wrong at any time.

If using Microsoft Windows to handle your port, you still need to find and download the “VMWare files for patched Mac OS X Tiger Intel” but instead of Ubuntu’s Linux files, you also need to download “Forensic Acquisition Utilities”. Install the Forensic Acquisition Utilities onto you main root drive and use the command “dd if=c:\tiger-x86-flat.img of=\\.\physicaldrive” where physical drive is replaced with the appropriate indicator of the drive you want to install Mac OS X on. Once you start the process, it may appear that your computer hangs however do not touch anything, your hard drives are working away. After the process is completed, reboot your computer and set your BIOS for your preferred boot sequence. If everything worked properly and your hardware is compatible you should see OSX boot up.

Popularity: 5% [?]