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It's free. It's fast. It's reliable, and not that hard to use once you have it installed. It is Linux''extremely'' is a fast, free, highly configurableoperating system that runs on many servers and increasingly on desktop systems. See the entry on [[Wikipedia:Linux]] for details.  ==Students running Linux== * [[Daniel Klein]]* Aaron Schwartz* Ted Wiles* Sandy Nandagopal* Arjun Narayan (Dual boots Windows)* Jerry He* Andrew Lorenzen* Andrew Triska ==Pros and Cons of running Linux on your computer== If PC spyware is ruining your life, or if you're serious about doing more with computers--with web pages, with programming, or with scientific computation--Linux is the way to go. BUT--you don't have to be a computer expert to find that Linux is a desirable alternative. You don't even have to commit to it all the way; you can use part of your hard drive to try out Linux, and if you don't like it just keep using Windows.

# No viruses, spyware, or weather bugs.

# Linux is open-source, and so a lot of people have built cool extensions to the software that's out there.# There are free With the most popular distros, there's frequent updates to ensure security and decent clones of Microsoft Office products. You save $$$usability.

# There's a slim chance your [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-L-0s-7-Z0&NR hardware isn't supported. Really, it's slim. I've installed a half-dozen Linux computers on laptops and desktops and never had a problem].

# It's not as purty as Mac OS X. However, with a bit of tweaking (and Beryl) it really can look better.# There are a lot of choices, making it daunting to [http://www.distrowatch.com choose] one at first glance. With that are two competing interfaces, KDE and GNOME. GNOME strives for simplicity while KDE is geared towards user customization and control (as well as effects).# Installations are more involving than a simple double click.

== So where do I go? Linux Install Parties==

Step one: Come to [[Williams Students Online|WSO]] hosts a Linux Install Party! The next one every month or so. Like other parties, there is Sundayfood and drink. Unlike other parties, October 9 from 1:30-5 pm they take place in [[Jesup]] basementthe afternoon, right outside the [[WSO Cage]]and everyone sits around installing stuff on their computer. Here's what you need to knowto attend one:

* Back up your important files first. If you don't know how, stop by the [[WSO cage]] between 1 and 5 on Saturday, October 8. We have a few gigs of space you can use.

* Decide if you want to keep a Windows partition so you can boot into Linux or Windows, or if you want to go whole-hog Linux. If you're dual-booting, decide how much of the hard drive that you want to dedicate to Linux, and how much to save for Windows. Remember: The number and type of partitions on your hard disk will determine how you can exchange data between Windows and Linux. If you store your data on a Windows NTFS partition you will be able to access your Windows files from Linux, but not the other way around. A lot of people leave space for their music on the Windows partition, so they can listen to it from either operating system. However, if you create a separate FAT32 partition for data then both Windows and Linux will be able to read from it and write to it.  ==Listserver==

Step two: Join the Linux listserve: [http://wso.williams.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux]. We're here to help if you have problems, and if you're willing to spend time trying to figure them out.