With Microsoft claiming 235 patents broken by Linux,not only do they not give any clues what they are,that's the point.They are not going to reveal what they are.If they would say what they were someone might fix any problem (if it really exists).Somehow the "inferior broken software" that they have been talking about (FUD) belongs to them.It's been stolen from them.They must own part of Linux now.They keep picking on small companies. It's easy for them to extort  the money.If  Microsoft is serious they would sue Google or IBM and prove their case.Talk about a company that is scared of Linux.They have to scare people not to use Linux.It's not really about the money,it's just another way to keep companies from adopting Linux. Microsoft will sue you if you use Linux.

If you are a Windows user who wants to try linux,keep an open mind and give it a little time and effort. Linux can look like windows sometimes,but underneath that gui interface lies a completely different animal.There is no registry,the whole file system is different.Everything is configured in text files.You can change anything you like.You can compile a custom kernel,create your own perfect for you operating system.Set up your own desktop window manager the way you like it.Nobody will own it or tell you what you have to do with it. You can look at all the code,learn how it all works together.That is what Free Software is all about,not just the cost but the freedom to do what you want with it.So with a little effort ,a little reading you can have a very powerful safe operating system.Run it next to windows (dual boot) and continue using windows until you get things figured out. You can  have a friend help you install or try it on an older computer.The latest Linux distros (Ubuntu,Mint and others) are pretty easy to install and user friendly so try one or several out.You can try a lot of them by booting the disc up (live disc) and see how linux does with your computer,you don't have to install if you don't like the results.Remember it will not be as fast as a installed linux.Check it out ,you may be pleasantly surprised.

The latest Linux  installs easier and faster, and comes with more software ready to run. No need for antivirus, adware remover, malware remover, and no registry to keep clean.You won't need to defrag the hard drive either. Plus it won’t slow to a crawl after 6 months.You can really install it in about 30 minutes (try Linux Mint) and have everything you need pretty much installed.In most cases your drivers will all be automatically installed and everything will just work.You can try a live disc that you boot from and see how linux runs on your computer without installing it.You can download a cd .iso image file and burn the image to a disc.
  You can use a free live disc,like System Rescue Cd to repair your Windows install,if it becomes unbootable.There are a lot of tools included.
 Free also works for me,but if you need to spend money you can spend money on Linux too,but most can be downloaded for free and burned to a cd or dvd.If you are a person who mainly just does email and cruises the internet,you should be happy with linux.There are versions for older computers with less ram and slower processors.So you can still run that older computer instead of buying a new one.There are a lot of old computers that could be reused.The hard drive does not even need to be working.You can boot off a linux live disc like Puppy Linux and make a perfectly good computer out of that old computer.
 If you need to run some special program,say Photoshop or Dreamweaver you can keep Windows and dual boot Linux and Windows.You can also run Crossover Office and it will allow you to run Microsoft Office,Dreamweaver,Photoshop,Quicken,etc.You can even buy a linux version of Nero for burning discs.But there are linux programs available which will do a lot of the same things for free.(Did I mention free is good?)
 The things I do in linux-internet,mail,watch dvd's,burn dvd's and cd's,write this web page,chat,watch tv,record tv,play music,rip cd's,photo collection,digital photograpy,scan documents,write letters,play games (Duke Nukem,Alien Arena-I'm not really a gamer),I can't think of anything I'm missing.
 Linux can be a great tool if you want to use it.Check out Distrowatch for all the latest Versions available.Also check out our Distros page.