Giving Windows the Boot: Why You Should Switch to Ubuntu!

In just a few months, support for Windows XP will come to an end. No more system updates means your Windows XP machine will be completely vulnerable to virus attacks and other types of malware. Unfortunately, switching from XP to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will more than likely require quite a bit of hardware overhaul. Because newer operating systems are more resource-intensive than old Windows XP, your eight year-old desktop more than likely doesn't have the processing power to run these more recent operating systems. 

And even if you can or do upgrade to Windows 8.1, the tile interface on the new Microsoft operating system has left many users confused and irritated.

So, what can you do with that old machine? Sure, you could donate it to a local nonprofit or let us recycle it for you. Or, you could eek out a little more life out of it by getting rid of Microsoft Windows all together and installing Linux.

What is Linux?

Linux is a computer operating system, much like Windows or Mac OS X. It has its own suite of tools and programs, most of which are free and open source. (All Star Computer Service is a contributor and developer for LibreOffice, a free office suite available for Linux computers.) Though there are several variants of Linux available, our favorite is Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a free operating system. Whereas it costs $119 for a license for Windows 8.1, you can download and install Ubuntu onto your computer absolutely free.

The good news? Ubuntu isn't anywhere near the resource hog as Windows or OSX, and the system can be installed on computers with older components.

What's the catch?
A lot of people will tell you that when you switch to a Linux OS from Windows, you'll have to replace all the applications you currently use. That's merely a half-truth, and I'll tell you why:

In the past, people relied a lot more on local applications (programs actually installed on the computer) to do most of their work. But now, many people simply use web apps to get work done. Facebook, email, even Quickbooks are all available online. The most popular third-party web browsers Firefox and Google Chrome are available for Linux. In fact, Firefox comes preloaded as the default internet browser in Ubuntu! LibreOffice, the default productivity suite in Ubuntu, is compatible with Microsoft Office and can read and write Office documents, Excel spreadsheets, even Powerpoint presentations. 

The Ubuntu desktop, with the Firefox web browser loaded.

As you can see, whereas it was once taboo to forego the walled garden of Microsoft Windows, open-source operating systems like Ubuntu are today a real, user-friendly alternative.

The kicker:
Want the best perk? Well hold on to your pants, because with Ubuntu you never have to worry about computer viruses. Never. Ever. Because most computer viruses and trojan horse malware are written for the Windows operating system, those files can't run on Linux. And, most of the programs that are available for Ubuntu are vetted through the Ubuntu Software Center, which is regularly checked and updated.

If you have further questions, or want to take the plunge into Ubuntu linux, contact us today. We'd love to help get you set up and extend the life of that old computer.