Is Linux 'green'?

The simple answer is yes. Ever since a study conducted in the U.K. in 2007 confirming this fact, there's been a new buzz around the lightweight, speedy operating system. The study indicated that computers running Linux lasted twice as long as those computers running Windows, that is, you would more likely keep your Linux computer for twice as many years as you would a Windows computer, before considering a replacement. The average Windows PC lasts three to four years, whereas the average Linux PC lasts six to eight years. And why is this? It's because, to perform the same operations, Linux requires significantly less hardware; it all comes down to good, practical programming, and the Linux community has the best people in the world, people who still tirelessly work on their code to remove bloat.

Why isn't Windows 'green'?

It's not in Microsoft's best interests to be green. They are and always will be a huge, mega corporation concerned with the bottom line. They're an operating system developer and software distributor; they are tied in with hardware manufacturers, particularly companies like Intel and HP; it doesn't serve them if people are able to wait twice as long before an upgrade, twice as long before buying the newest hardware with the newest Microsoft operating system. Not to mention, despite their nearly unlimited resources, Microsoft cannot compare with the open source community. Open source has become what the Japanese car maker is to the American auto manufacturer; open source developers have found a way to churn out their product faster, with less bugs, and with greater performance, and get this - for free!

Will Linux save the world?

Probably not, but it's a step in the right direction. Even if a corporation isn't concerned with going 'green' and fundamentally helping to improve the environment; a corporation has to look at the other worldly benefits of moving towards Linux. It's cheaper to only upgrade your hardware half as often; it's cheaper to use software that's free; it's also cheaper on the old electric bill (the Linux PC requires less powerful hardware, thus less power in general, and so cheaper, more energy-efficient processors can be used with the same payoff and performance as high-end processors running Windows). In the least, companies are taking a close look at Linux in order to virtually run Windows; why not use Linux for all your essential needs and only have Windows there for the applications that absolutely, positively won't run on Linux? Virtual Machines are easy to install, easy to reload, easy to implement, and they will keep longer (or replace more easily) than just having a stand-alone Windows box.

How can i make the switch?

I run into people all the time who are flabbergasted at how slowly his/her one-year old Windows PC has gotten (in fact, quite a few Vista users never experienced a time when their PC was ever fast). These people are already considering buying a new PC, after just one year. Booting up is taking them forever; they may as well take coffee breaks between launching applications. These people never bought a high-end PC; they bought a cheap PC in order to save some cash, and now it's hurting them, because Windows doesn't like cheap hardware; it downright loathes the inexpensive processor chips and low-grade motherboards, and it's going to let you know it every time you try and boot up your favorite word processor or check your favorite website. So how do I help these people? Well, a lot of them are frankly afraid to switch to Linux (the great and powerful Oz has scared them witless when confronted with change); so I tell them I'll set up their system to dual-boot with Linux; they'll have the choice to stick with Windows, but this gives them the opportunity to play around with Linux. I'm being honest when I say not a single one has gone back to Windows.

Change the world

Change the world by changing someone's thinking. If someone can't imagine a Window-less world, show them how much fun and how much faster Linux is. Show them that their older PC isn't a piece of junk, but that it's still worth the price they once paid for it. Show them that no one should be coming along to bully them into dishing out more of their hard earned cash on a new computer when the one they've got will get the job done. 

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