Is Linux better than the other OS's ?

Will Linux run my Windows (3.1, 95, NT) programs ?

No. Linux uses an open standard for its Graphical User Interface (GUI), called X-window. X-window was developed at MIT and precedes the development of Windows. As with Windows, under X-window you have a desktop, icons, a pointer controlled by mouse movements and various windows. Here is a screenshot of my actual Linux / X-window desktop (16kb). But Linux is a multiuser, multitasking OS and as such, I could have one window showing the results of calculations being performed on a supercomputer on the other side of the world, and another window with my favorite game (Doom, for example) running on my desktop microcomputer. Not many GUI/OS combinations are that powerful.

In fact X-window is a standard, and the best known, free (GNU-GPL) implementation of X-window for Linux is called XFree86. It recognizes most video boards on the market and provides good performance, too.

But then Linux won't run Pagemaker (Excel, Ami Pro, Corel Draw, etc.) !

Not yet ! Let me explain: right now, you can't insert your Windows/DOS floppy disks and expect Linux to install your software. Programs have to be specifically written for the Unix environment and compiled to run on Linux machines. For example, a specific version of Netscape's Navigator is available for Linux, quite similar to the Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 versions. I have prepared a Web page with a screenshot of Linux running Netscape, but it might take a little while to load (46kb).

Another example of a program adapted to Linux is ... Doom ! The Linux version of Doom is identical to the DOS version, with the same sound effects and frightening monsters ! Here is a screenshot of Doom running (at warp speed) on my Linux / X-window desktop (86kb).

Unfortunately the vast majority of commercial software has not yet been ported to the Linux environment. But everyday large software companies are perceiving this interesting new market, and boldest ones are beginning to convert their programs. The famous WordPerfect word processor has been ported to Linux, and is available from Caldera. Likewise, Mathematica, a very sophisticated package for mathematical analysis, has been ported to Linux.And the list grows everyday...

I can't wait, I need to run my everyday applications on Linux NOW !

OK, then use an emulator ! An emulator is a program that makes a Linux emulate another kind of OS or computer altogether.

The most impressive emulator for Linux is called Executor. It emulates the Macintosh computers, and can run the Mac versions of Word 5.1, Excel 4.0 and Pagemaker 4.0, as well as many other well-known prgrams for the Mac. This emulator, however, is not licensed under GNU-GPL: it is a commercial program from ARDI, an innovative company that invested heavily in the development of Linux software. If you want to see what it looks like to have the apple menu on a Linux / X-window desktop, you can take a peek at this page (47kb).

The DOS emulator for Linux is called Dosemu. If you miss your C:> prompt you may want to use it. It is licensed under GNU-GPL, runs the majority of text-mode DOS applications and various graphical mode ones, too. I have shown it on the same screenshot as the Mac emulator (47kb). Very ironical !

Then you may want to run your Windows programs. Well, there is an emulator for Windows under Linux, licensed under GNU-GPL, called WINE. WINE is still alpha development software, which means, it is not quite ready yet to be released for general use. Here is what WINE looks like on the Linux / X-window dekstop (70kb).