Geoff Holden

I’m often asked why I use Linux and other Open Source software. There are a number of reasons, and some reasons that people assume, but are simply not true.

1. Because I hate Microsoft and/or Bill Gates — Simply untrue. I have no problem with Microsoft (or Apple for that matter) in particular. I do think the software is overpriced ($500 for an office package, no wonder most home users steal it).
   I also think the monopoly is hurting the industry. If 90% of people use Internet Explorer, web developers are forced to work around it’s poor implementation of web standards. And when the developers are working around the problems, there’s no pressure for Microsoft to fix the problems. More competition should lead to better products, both from the proprietary software companies and from the Open Source projects.
2. Because I enjoy tinkering — This one is true. When something don’t work and I can’t find a quick answer online, I like being able to find out what the problem is, and making an attempt at fixing it. (Most of the time it’s a library or something that I’ve messed up, or some problem config file, but occasionally I end up poking around in the source code.) Now, in defense of the Open Source projects on this one, I’m using a relatively new architecture (64bit Linux on an Athlon64) and use things before they’ve been totally tested and approved for the masses.
3. Because it does exactly what I need it to, without costing a small fortune. I have four computers running Linux at home all the time. One acts as a router & firewall, it does it’s job and lets me do things one of those internet router boxes won’t (i.e. it was a VPN to link a few friends’ networks for ages), and it was put together before those little boxes were as affordable and mainstream as they are now. Another is the MythTV box, once again just works–and cost a lot less than Windows XP Media Center Ed. There’s also my server, not a powerful machine by any stretch of the imagination (Celeron 366) but it serves files, web pages, a CVS repository, does domain logons, is an LDAP server, a MySQL database server and more.
4. I like the interface(s) — When I have to operate on a Windows platform, I end up installing things like Cygwin, GVim, etc. If I’m going to make Windows act like something it’s not, why not use the free software that I’m trying to make it emulate?

Now, I don’t want to be the person who says all software should be free and nobody should be paying for software, I currently work for a software company. I just like to suggest that people give it a shot. Try using Firefox, Thunderbird, Gimp, or OpenOffice.org and see if it works better for you, if it’s about the same, or don’t do what you need it to. If it does meet your needs, why are you paying for the others? Or why are you using the others illegitimately?