FAQ

1. Could you recommend an operating system?

A: Linux

Why ?

• Open (the code that is used in it is public www.kernel.org, licensed under the GNU GPLv2) and modifiable (a programmer can alter it, to create a personal custom version) – No vendor lock in.
• Free – as it is open source and there is no charge for usage, with thousands of supplementary open source applications ready for use on it (e.g. LibreOffice, KDE, GNOME, Firefox, VLC Media Player).
• Security – The code has been scrutinised by many people and bugs are found and removed. When one does appear it is common for a fix to be released, within hours, not a month or even months as with some other operating systems.
• Supports different users – Various types of Linux (distros) are available which are designed for different types of users. For example,
  • Linux Mint or Mageia – Ease of use
  • Arch Linux or Gentoo – Total customisation
  • CentOS or Debian – stability and designed for networking, businesses, or web server, but also work for home usage.
    Note: The distros mentioned are only a tiny subset of the of all the Linux distros.

Why is Windows® used so much in comparison?

It comes ready to go on the vast majority of personal computers. Therefore very few people request that the computer comes without Windows®. When that is done up to £100 can be saved. So few people know that Linux exists, or that Windows® is replaceable that it barely ever happens.

A side effect of being widely used is that most software is available for Windows (like games), but not necessarily for Linux.

Documentation on installing a variant of Linux is readily available in the internet.

2. Is there an alternative to Microsoft® Office?

A: Yes, LibreOffice (www.libreoffice.org) is the best alternative,  it is free (as well as open source). Any Microsoft® Office documents can be opened with it and saved or resaved in another format (primarily Open Document Text, the alternative to .doc and .docx). It also supports other formats such as WordPerfect, Palm (.pdb), Lotus WordPro, Lotus 1-2-3 and several other obscure formats.

It provides presentation, spreadsheet, database and a diagrams creator/drawing software. It is also the only major office suite that runs on all major desktop operating systems (Linux, Windows and Mac OS X).

3. What is the best programming language?

There is no programming language suited for everything, each language has its advantages in certain areas, pick the language that suits your needs and preferences.

Some common languages are C++, Python, Haskell, Java, ML and JavaScript.