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Should you switch to Linux?

By: dmc-admin//September 14, 2009//

Should you switch to Linux?

By: dmc-admin//September 14, 2009//

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ImageAre you a candidate for Linux? Take this simple test.

  • When you have computer issues, do you prefer to seek help from the person in the neighboring office rather than an online forum?
  • Do you like your technology as “out of the box” as possible – meaning that you like to do as little as possible to get it running beyond removing it from the box?
  • Do you think “Linux” is the Peanuts character who carries a blanket and sucks his thumb?

If your answers were “yes” to all of the above, then, like me, you’re probably not Linux material. But, if you’re intrepid and cost-conscious, you might want to consider becoming a Linux lawyer.

Linux is a Unix-like operating system that was created by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish software engineer, in 1991 at the age of just 23. (What were we doing at 23? Thursday night bar reviews?) This comes from www.linux.org, which is as close as you’ll come to an “official” Linux Web site, given that it’s open source.

Torvalds likes penguins, and therefore the Linux mascot is a cute, slightly overweight penguin named “Tux,” chosen because he’s “goofy and fun [and] Linux is supposed to be goofy and fun,” Torvalds says.

Madison lawyer Mark Maciolek, of the MNM Law Firm, explains that Linux is “a very diverse platform.”

There are thousands of different “flavors” of Linux, Maciolek says. Some varieties install from a CD and are instantly ready for everyday use; others require you to download a source code and compile everything from scratch.

Let’s just go with the first variety for this article. The second type strikes me as anything but “goofy and fun.”

A popular flavor of Linux for lawyers, according to Maciolek, and one that’s easy to use, is Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system. In comparison, the cost of a license for Windows is about $100 per computer.

Maciolek says that Ubuntu is very easy to install and update, and new versions are released every six months. It can be downloaded from the Ubuntu site and burned onto a blank CD, or they’ll ship a CD upon request – although I’m having a hard time imagining someone out there who’s both interested in Linux AND doesn’t have a fast Internet connection.

Maciolek says that it’s also very easy to install open source software with Ubuntu's “package manager,” which is a program that installs and uninstalls software and keeps track of all the components each piece of software needs.

“I used Linux through law school pretty avidly,” says Maciolek, who completed his J.D. in 2005. As a practitioner, however, he’s not using it on the office computers, because he couldn’t convince his law partner to take the Linux leap with him.

Robert J. Miller, a sole practitioner with the Robert J. Miller Law Office in Green Bay, uses Ubuntu on a home computer, and on a couple at his office as well. He likes that it’s more impervious to viruses, and he, too, heralds its ease-of-use.

“I’m not a computer guru and I’ve never taken a computer class in my life,” says Miller. “I’m just an example of someone who bought a computer, put the DVD disc on, loaded the operating system and was all ready to go. It’s really possible for non-experts.”

Ubuntu, he says, is “an excellent operating system for surfing the ‘Net, word processing, scanning, making spreadsheets and things like that.”

But, he acknowledges, “to take advantage of specialized programs for the legal profession, it just doesn’t make it.”

Case in point: the popular Windows-based bankruptcy software programs, such as Best Case or EZ Filing, won’t work on a Linux operating system, just like they wouldn’t work on a Mac (unless your Mac has a Windows emulator program). So, in Miller’s opinion, becoming a 100 percent Linux lawyer isn’t do-able yet.

There are ways around this stumbling block, according to Maciolek. Due to the increasing availability and reliability of virtualization technologies, there are ways to run versions of Microsoft Windows in "virtual machines" inside Linux.

“But that's a whole other can of worms,” he says, and frankly, it’s beyond the scope of this “Linux for Dummies” piece.

So maybe Ubuntu won’t replace your Windows or Mac operating systems in their entirety. But here’s a thought: Ubuntu offers a 9.04 Netbook Remix, also a free download. This might be a great, cost-conscious option for those of you who are thinking of getting in on the whole Netbook craze and want to do simple computing at the coffee house without investing a significantly higher sum in a full-blown, ultra-light portable computer.

Maciolek says to give Ubuntu a try. Be patient, and if you get an ERROR message, copy it and paste it into Google. Chances are very good you’ll quickly find someone else who’s encountered and fixed the problem.

“Linux is a lot like driving a customized car,” says Maciolek. “If you know what you're doing with it, it can be awesome – really customized just how you like it. But if you expect to put very little time into learning how to consult forums and ask other users for help, your experience will probably be disappointing.”

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