My use of the Windows operating system has been on the wane for many years. I have instead opted for Linux as my primary OS. Debian is the Linux distro or distribution that I have chosen to serve and guide me into the Linux universe. Admittedly I still dual boot with Windows Vista but that particular relationship is almost over. The predominance of Windows in the computing market tethers me to the Microsoft juggernaut but my reliance on it I keep to a minimum. At my college for instance I have no choice but to use Windows XP and Vista on their machines. Linux is no where to be found.

The lack of Linux machines on the campus hinders my quest for open source purity. As a New Media Tech major I hoped that my course would be delivered with Linux machines running open source software in keeping with web 2.0 sensibilities. Whenever I get behind a workstation I secretly hope that the sysadmins have finally sobered up and installed a Linux distro. A las my lusting fades anticlimactic as the proverbial Windows boots up. For the majority of the students this is the desired result. They just want their machine to work. Booting Linux would seem like their machine had tripped or failed. Open source have not entered their vocabulary.

Linux for sure has made tremendous strides in the last few years. I see it as the OS that will change everything. It has the potential to revolutionize the computer industry. Thousands of devices run on Linux from super computers to the new and exciting mobile computing platform. The ubiquitous inter web runs on Linux and open source. Windows domination of the PC world is slowly eroding and my college should take heed. The time is ripe to incorporate Linux into the college environment like in Macedonia and other countries who have seen the light. The opportunity must not be missed or swept into the recycle bin. Mastering Linux is a future skill every tech head must grab right this minute. Linux at its most potent and viable essence increases one’s awareness, actually weans one from brainless point and clicks of a malware driven inter web to more secure and stable web interfaces.

Linux has matured into an exquisite desktop OS. One look at the Debian based Ubuntu will leave you salivating. It’s interface rivals that of Vista and even Apple’s leopard. You can chat, surf the web and email your friends in a secure stable environment. The choices of apps are incredible. The alternatives to MSN and yahoo Messenger include Pidgin, AMSN, and Kopete. You get your pick of numerous music and video players which includes Mplayer, Totem, Kaffeine and VLC which is also ported to windows and plays every video format that I have seen. Voip in Linux is magnificent. Apps like Ekiga gives us the freedom to make free phone calls from wherever. Open Office is a complete mature office suite that includes an excellent word processor and others.

I don’t believe it is because of fear that the college sysadmins haven’t installed Linux. Might be the decision on whether to adopt open source ultimately rests with the college heads. Could be that they are waiting on other colleges and universities to make the first move. Nonetheless it is an opportunity that should not be missed. Linux on the desktop has entered the mainstream. Linux on the server is already ubiquitous. This heralds the dawn of a new exciting period in tech. It is most appropriate that the revolution begins in the colleges where fresh minds can embrace this fascinating OS.