Dear Mr Reddy:
Like you, I hesitated for a for a year-and-half before being able to take the leap. What was worse, I had GNU/Linux installed on my PC, but just didn't dare to change. To add to my discomfort, I was a founder member of the local [GNU]Linux Users Group in Goa ;-)
Today, I use Free Software for 95% of my work. The other 5% is in a cybercafe or at some other office, over which I simply don't have any choice. My main complaint is that my old systems simply go on and on and on working, without giving any major (or, often, minor) problem either. The only time I fidget with the PCs (often getting someone else to do so, agreed Free Software isn't as easy as the click-on-the-exe-file usability... but then, that's compensated by security and that fact that a virus also finds it tough to get control) is when there's some upgradation done.
For years (since 2001-02), my computers have not been hit by a virus. The only time a Trojan actually got in -- all my data was restored, nothing lost -- was when I stubbornly clung on to Redhat 6.2, inspite of repeated warnings that it was too long outdated and that security flaws had been reported.
My suggestion is get someone else to do the installation. Changing over to a new OS can be rather frustrating, since everything "seems different". For sometime, one doesn't even know where to start searching. But that is soon done with. As Stallman says, even if Free Software was an inferior product, I would still continue using it... just because of the principles behind it. FN in Goa.
From: Rammanohar Reddy To: "Tarun Gaur" gaur_tarun@hotmail.com CC: KG Kumar kg@tug.org.in Subject: Re: Pleasure to help you Sir Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 12:12:26 +0530
Thanks, Tarun
Perhaps we should think of the next weekend -- it may otherwise be very diffficult.
But I must warn you that right now I am terribly disappointed with Linux -- my attempt toload Mandrake for the 4-5 weeks have failed. And right now I can say more Windows' reliability!!
best
Ram Reddy