Linux?

I'm not going to talk about linux's un-paralleled stability (my
personal machine has been working for 14 days straight at the time of
this writing), or about why windows is evil. I'm simply going to tell
you what linux means to me.

Linux stands for freedom, first and foremost. The freedom to know,
tinker and modify every last little arcane detail in how your system
works. Because the source code that makes up any computer program is
open and free, there is no stopping to how deep you can go, no limits
to what you can learn and find out.

When I first installed linux, the installation finished and I sat and
stared at the command line prompt, with only the slightest idea what
to do next. Several years later, I routinely write code to modify all
aspects of the system to suit my needs, my friends needs and my
company's needs. This can be as simple as fixing a bug in the
graphical user interface, writing a new system program or patching the
kernel, the heart of the operating system, itself.

Linux also stands for power. Because I can modify everything, I am
infinitely powerful in programming the computer to do my bidding. For
example, I built a local area network in my apartment, which provides
complete network services and access to the internet to- at last
count- a couple of laptops and three desktops. All this using only
your basic, out of the box, linux distribution and some free time and
know- how. I run a web-server I wrote myself, a mail-server to send
and deliver mail for all of my users, and a cvs (concurrent versioning
system) server for local projects. I provide seamless access to the
internet to all of those computers through a single ADSL
connection. In case you were wondering, the tools to do all this are
available on any linux installation cd, and the total cost to do all
of this was exactly 0 shekels. How come? Simple. Linux is not only
powerful, it's also free.

Another thing I want to mention that linux stands for is
community. Because we use linux, we bond together, we share success
(and horror) stories, and we help each other. when I installed Bezeq's
ADSL service and discovered that it just didn't work, and there was no
support to be had from Bezeq ("lynooks? what is that?"), I spent a
mostly sleepless week with a few other people just like me and you,
trying to to get ADSL working. We build upon the work of people before
us, and working together we succeeded. Now days, most linux ADSL users
in Israel use our work.

The result of that effort, if you're wondering, is available for all
on the internet. It took the form of the linux-ADSL HOWTO and patches
to pptp, the ADSL dialer program. Dani Arbel (the original author of
the HOWTO) and I still maintain them. That is the linux spirit,
sharing, and succeeding, together. 

Linux is also a superb tool for learning and for working. I do all of
my technion work, my work work and my play work on various linux
systems. for example, when I did the course 'matam' here in the
technion, I didn't have to spend countless hours at the computer
labs. I simply used my personal linux system to code, recompiled on t2
and submitted. when I code for work, I dont have to spend hours at the
office, I can connect from my linux machines to on any other computer
as though I was physically there.

The last point I want to mention is that linux stands for pure fun!
It's a system made for playing with, it has a million in-jokes and
easter eggs. A configuration script for a popular window manager,
called "enlightenment" shows the following prominent line when run
(paraphrased): "checking... no beer found in the refrigerator! please
rectify this situation immediately". Linux is a system written by
hackers, for other hackers. Hackers are not people who break into
computers, by the way, hackers are people who take pleasure in
understanding to the fullest how systems work, and then modifying
those systems to do their bidding. You may not be a hacker when you
start using it, but using it will take you a little closer to being
one. That's what it did for me. 

Thank you for listening!  
--
Muli Ben-Yehuda
mulix@actcom.co.il