Linux is Hard Work

I don't. Never have. In fact, for many around here, that's one of its selling points.

I'm thinking of making up a bumper sticker, Linux Ain't For Sissies.

My editor forwarded me a link behind the firewall at Tech Republic, from a writer named Steven Warren, who had tired of trying to make Linux work for him.

Well, yeah. And the news here is?

There remain a lot of roadblocks in the way of a solid Desktop Linux:

• DRM (Digital Rights Management) means content can't be open source. Makes it hard to use protected content on Linux.
• Applications are tough to install.
• Minor incompatibilities among Linux distros tend to bite.
• When bugs or viruses are found, the process of getting word and getting patches is a kludge.

Like I said, tell me something I don't know. But it's the knowledge required to install, run, and get work out of a Linux installation that separates the person capable of running a network server from the one who isn't.

Once you have this base knowledge, the advantages of Linux become obvious. There's less overhead because some of the simplicity has been stripped away. It is much easier to get close to the base code and tweak it. And if you need Windows, you can run it under Linux.

Any desktop or server Linux guys out there want to disagree with any of this? Admit it. If you're a desktop Linux person you're smart. And if you're a server Linux person you're a pro, or you could be.