14 DAY TRIAL // Ubuntu 14.04 LTS has been released, and all the flavors based on this distro are also out. So, where are the millions of Windows XP users flooding the new platforms in search of a new home? What's keeping you? We need to clear some of the misconceptions surrounding Linux.
After the support for Windows XP was terminated by Microsoft in early April, the new Ubuntu 14.04 LTS was released on April 17. Even if the launch had been announced months in advance, the timing couldn't have been better. So, where are the disgruntled Windows XP users who no longer want to use an unsafe operating system and don't have the money? Are they considering Linux? If they aren't, why is that?
Some Windows XP users perhaps believe that a Linux OS is hard to install, but in fact it's easier to install than the original Windows version. To make things even more interesting, the Ubuntu installer will detect your Windows OS and will leave it alone. You can dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows XP until you get your bearings.
Others might think that applications are different on Linux, but they're not. In fact, most of the apps that are available in Windows are also available for the Linux platform, and most of the time they are completely identical. They are also a lot easier to install because Ubuntu, for example, features a very handy Software Center that has been around for a long time.
It's also wrong to believe that you can't play your favorite games on the Linux platform. The truth is that Linux is now sporting hundreds of new games and more are being launched each day. It's very likely that in a couple of years Linux will actually be on par with Windows when it comes to entertainment.
Getting the drivers for your devices is not an issue and it will never be one on a platform that uses an open source kernel. In a Linux OS you don't need to install anything extra (with the exception of video cards, which need their drivers from the manufacturers). All the drivers are available in the kernel. You want to use your favorite Microsoft mouse? Check! You want to use your Microsoft keyboard? Check! You want to use you Xbox 360 gamepad? Check!
Windows XP users might think that they have to operate a terminal for everything they need to do in the operating system. There was a time when you really needed to know how to compile your own applications, but that time has passed. You don't ever need to touch the terminal if you don't want to. All the apps have interfaces and are easy to use, just like on any other platform.
Windows users can safely migrate to Linux because Linux is no longer the operating system they heard about a long time ago. It's a lot more mature and it will satisfy even the most demanding people. Whatever misconceptions users might have towards the open source platform are anchored in the past and no longer apply. Linux is a friendly operating system and it's getting better with each passing day.