Very Great Article! In April 2006, I've completely migrated away from Microsoft dependency. I did go to Apple Mac OS X to avoid the temptations of Microsoft products. But, I've been learning Linux since July 1997. I'm probably one of a selected few that still can use Linux without a GUI (Graphical User Interface). In Mac OS X, the Terminal is a shortcut for me... Always! I'm now 11 years into the Linux operating system, and I am thankful that Linux and Open Source still exists today. Well, Happy Holidays to Everyone... Worldwide! Marcos »

It's about time that a lawyer has moved away from proprietary software. As I'm originally from USA, now in Philippines, I only wish many businesses, including law firms, would use free/open source software. Though I'm from Seattle, near Mr. Reisler's law firm, I don't think I've met him. It was in April 2006 that I eliminated my dependency from Microsoft software, and I was living in North Seattle, too. Now, here in Philippines, proprietary software is widely pirated. GNU/Linux, though it is free and open source, is not well known to the average Filipino. I've met senators and lawyers here. They're using proprietary software, but denied it being pirated. I've exchanged data with law firms and Philippine government agencies... They commonly ask me, "Are you using Windows?" Many would ask me, "Are you using Word?" Regarding OpenOffice... I gave a Philippine Senator a CD copy of OpenOffice, when he asked me where I can get a licensed version of Office 2007 at a low price. I told him, "Try it and let me know what you think." A few days later, he asked me, "Is OpenOffice really free?" I told him, "Yes it is, and there's no worry about Optical Media Board (OMB) taking it from you." OMB is the Anti-Piracy government agency here in the Philippines. As of my data in 2006, the Philippine Supreme Court depends heavily on commercial software from Microsoft. Many people have told me that they need a side-by-side comparison of the free/open source versus proprietary software. Mr. Reisler's phrase, "Although Free Software does not cost anything, there truly is no such thing as a free lunch" is a true one. There are many way to contribute back. Their idea of contributing money back is a good one, especially to those that didn't come from the geek world. Overall, Mr. Reisler wrote a great article. And I'm glad it's on Linux Magazine... Only wish Linux Magazine was still printing a magazine... I miss those magazines. »

While this article is comparing Canonical's Ubuntu Linux with Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, I must say that with my Apple iBook G4 is having hardware problems, running Red Hat's Fedora Linux on my Compaq Laptop is the alternative solution, or a "quick fix" in technician terms. Ubuntu, though has the Tagalog language, it is still a Debian distribution. (I come from the 'Red Hat vs. Debian vs. Slackware' competition world...) This article should've been titled, Canonical vs. Apple, because that's what we're really talking about. Ubuntu, in my experience, belongs to the Newbie world. Yes, it looks nice and attractive, but it's still a Debian distribution. Before I got married, I thought I would marry a woman, named, "Debbie," because I had worked with .deb files, way too much. I used to like apt-get from the terminal. As for Ubuntu, using the terminal is a sure way of breaking the distribution packages. Mixing repositories in a Debian package, such as Ubuntu, is more dangerous than installing Unix software in Mac OS X Leopard. The "Ease of Use" segment of this article focuses specifically on Eye Candy rather than Usability. It did forget to mention that KDE and GNOME are also working in Mac OS X Leopard. The "Applications" segment of the article is too short and general. Most people are unaware that since Linux is open source, the source codes of most, if not all, Linux software can be ported over to Mac's FreeBSD Unix system... Most Linux packages has. Since Leopard can run Mac OS X and Linux applications, running Ubuntu limits you from running Mac OS X applications. »

Shortly after I moved to Philippines in late 2006, to get married, etc., my wife's nephew (6 years old at that time) found (Ubuntu) Linux more entertaining than M$ Windows. I had Linux installed for only a couple of months. Josh, the nephew, is a pure Filipino boy, that have never been outside the Philippines, never outside of Pasig City, where he currently resides. (He learned his English from Cartoon Network.) Josh found entertainment in the educational software that freely available for Linux. This goes to show, that in a world of pirated software, some good things just doesn't have to be pirated. Linux is a good example to show children. Help them excel in Math, and then teach them C/C++ programming. If many children is introduced to Linux at a young age, then more exciting games will be produced (in Linux). What 'wakes up' children, here in Manila, Philippines, is that when they hear they can program the computer without use of pirated software, they become curious at the free "stuff" available in Linux. »