• Ease of Installation & Use. An odd statement but true practically, reason being again same, "We are born in Windows World", where we see people around us installing and using Windows, so we just consider Windows as being the only way of using computers. But in fact, both Windows & Linux are equally easy to install & use.

• If your computer doesn't fully support Linux. What I mean here is that there may be a chance that one of your computer hardware components may not work on Linux. The most frequent culprits are Modems & Graphic cards.

Since Windows occupies 90 % of desktop market and most of the hardware manufacturers make drivers for their hardware only for windows because developing drivers is a tedious and money requiring task. These manufacturers don't see the need or demand for producing drivers for Linux, but the scenario is changing:

1. More & more hardware manufacturers have begun supporting their hardware on Linux
2. Lots of big companies are coming out in support of Linux, recent examples being Dell, Lenovo and some big ones like IBM, Intel, HP etc.
3. Linux developers keep on working to support most of the latest hardware available as well as the older hardware. In fact Linux is the most widely implemented Operating System on various platforms other than desktops, such as Servers, Mobile Platform, Supercomputers etc. This proves the wide applicability of Linux.

• If you are so lazy enough to bring a change in the way you use computers, and consider that learning/using/switching to [L/U/S] Linux is new & difficult than you use Windows. Let me tell you [L/U/S]Linux is no doubt different from Windows, but not a bit difficult or new. Just ask yourself, "Did you know how to use Windows when you had used computers for very first time ?"

• If you can't use computers without the official support and help provided by Microsoft & other companies producing Windows softwares. No doubt Windows & softwares come with really good technical support & a guarantee, but even with Linux you have extensive support and help available from forums and technical support from companies who charge for this support like Novell, Red hat, Cannonical.

• If you work with some software which is either available only on Windows or is the best on Windows. This is true, some softwares on Windows are really good. But there is always a good enough corresponding software available on Linux, though it may require you to make some compromises in functionality or require some learning. I won't give examples because it depends on different user.

• If you don't have an Internet connection. You must be surprised by this statement. But I will explain. Linux software installation usually requires installation of various dependencies (files required for installation for a particular piece of software). Its not like windows where you simply double click an EXE file and your software is installed. So if you are not connected to Internet, it becomes a difficult task (namely compiling) to install software on Linux, though not impossible. I feel that Linux developers should work on this and in fact, there was a discussion on this aspect in some previous Linux developers meetings & summits.

• If you consider Linux insecure, as there is not much discussion about anti-viruse and anti-spyware software being used on Linux then my friend, Windows is definitely your choice. (You must have got your laughter dose here.)

• Free (Or technically speaking, Open Source) in contrast to Windows. (But paying for softwares does exists in the Linux world, in the form of getting official support and help from various companies, or their enterprise software, like Novell, Red Hat, Canonical etc.

  {This may not be an issue with people using PIRATED WINDOWS & SOFTWARES.}

• Very fast development cycles, so you remain updated with the latest, most efficient software technologies available. This is sharply in contrast to Windows, because Windows development is done only by Microsoft, while Linux development is something,done by thousands or even million of Open Source developers and support of so many companies coming on the Linux front I mentioned previously. Consequently Linux updates come on a very regular and short period, while Windows development is undoubtedly slow. And yes in Linux, the update is for whole system rather than just operating system. So you don't have to update each of your applications. One more Linux magic, whole system update doesn't require you to reboot the system (except the kernel update) unlike windows where even an application installation or update may require you to reboot system.

• Linux comes in various forms, so called distros, which are produced by different people/companies by combining the Linux Kernel, GNU Software and their own specific software. Each distro is good and better than others on some fronts, and less good than others. Some famous ones are:

  
  PCLinuxOS, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Mandriva, Linspire, Knoppix etc. These are just the most famous ones, there are thousands more!!! You can even produce you own distro if you know how too.

• And finally, 3-d Desktop. (You must have been stunned hearing and seeing the too hyped "THE AERO" Interface and "LIVE THUMBNAILS " of Windows Vista. Then just wait for the lethal dose of Linux.)

  Linux has the whole 3-d desktop available for you. Called, Beryl and Compiz, (& now two merged as Compiz Fusion), you have you whole desktop working in 3-d with such stunning and awesome effects that above said GREAT Vista features are literally nothing, NOTHING, in front of these.

  Here is more. To run these GREAT Vista 3-d feature, you need 2 GB RAM, and a Separate Graphic card. Did you hear that !!! 2 GB RAM.... I mean how many people have that. And even if you have or buy, what do you get, these two kiddish effects. And Linux 3-d desktop, on my own old Laptop, with total 512 MB RAM, with 128 MB Shared Graphic Memory (Intel 915 chipset) runs like killing any vista 3d effects.....

  Just check out some videos on you-tube, by searching for Beryl, Compiz or Compiz Fusion. (Now Don't blame me, if you already bought Vista....)

• Very Aggressive Marketing Strategy: Microsoft right from start, has been marketing its product on a very big scale using every medium, be it newspapers or television or Internet lately, while Linux marketing has traditionally been by means of User to User spread. Microsoft, has great earnings from its softwares right from start, whose very little fraction is enough to market any product deep down the brains of people of this world, while Linux developers were not charging for their products. They were developing these softwares, just for the spirit of humanity, the spirit of Open Source. They were not businessmen like Microsoft or Apple guys. So they didn't give attention to marketing strategies, neither they had money & resources to do that. This was one of the major stumbling block in Linux adoption. But the scene is changing now. With the entry of big companies on Linux front, Linux is gaining popularity.

• Microsoft Agreements With Various Governments. Microsoft makes agreements with various countries governments to encourage adoption of Microsoft Windows & softwares in govt. infrastructure, thus promoting its products in the whole country. While there is no such one agency to support and make such agreements in case of Linux. There do exists Open Source developer groups and promoters, but they are scattered.

• Microsoft uses its influence to implements its document formats as World standard. There is a very recent example of this. Microsoft is pushing hard to make its Open XML document as second standard beside Open Document format which already is there. Microsoft is influencing smaller countries to make them vote in its favor. No other company has software to deal with this format, and if this gets adopted as standard, people who use it (& they will have to use at sometime, being this standard), will have to buy Microsoft softwares.

• Microsoft's alliance with computer manufacturers, to persuade them sell computers and pre-install Windows. This resulted in most people having their first experience with using computer on windows. And I believe, this also somehow resulted in a "chain reaction" of people telling others about Windows, and thus creation of a "Windows World", being supplemented by the fact that Linux Developers were not telling people about their operating system by marketing their products.

  This is also changing now. Dell, no. 1 Computer manufacturer in US, has decided to sell computers pre-installed with Ubuntu. Lenovo, the Chinese computer manufacturer has also joined the line. More are coming. HP already officially supports Linux developments. Acer has been selling command line versions of Linux.

Well definitely you should start using Linux, except if you have any one of reason i gave above in "To Use Windows & Not Use Linux". To start, i will suggest, you should install Linux along with Windows (so called dual-boot), because:

1. It will make the process of learning/using/switching Linux gradual thus comfortable. If you completely replace Windows with Linux all of a sudden, you will have problems, which may make you dis-believe in power of Linux & Open Source.
2. It will allow you to use Windows for some of purposes which may not be served by Linux. (depending on individual case, like Internet connectivity, any specific software or other reasons i discussed).

Which Linux Distro To Use & How to Get Installation Cd?

• For a new user, i will suggest PCLinuxOS 2007 or Kubuntu. You can download it from an Internet. (Google "PCLinuxOS 2007 Download" or Kubuntu Download). Or you may find it in one of Computer magazine. If you can't do above two things, then you can use Ubuntu/Kubuntu. You will get it freely delivered at your home.(For this, search in google, "Ubuntu/Kubuntu Free CD Shipit")