Linux

I installed Linux on my PC at the weekend. It was "interesting". It took a long time and a lot of effort. At each step along the way I found things didn't work as I expected, and it took me a while (and sometimes some web trawling) to find out what I needed to do.

To be fair to the Linux installer, half my problems were to do with backing up and re-partitioning my hard disk before I even touched anything Linux.

Once I'd managed that, I had to work out how to create all the correct partitions on the hard disk for Linux. To do this I had to guess the names of the appropriate Linux commands.

At times the process was frustrating, but in the end I think I quite enjoyed the challenge and the sense of achievement. I certainly haven't been put off Linux. The positive thing I've found is that pretty much any Linux question can be answered using Google (just like anything else in life, but that's another story). And it seems easier to find appropriate help than with my current operating systems.

I was surprised, though, that the installation was harder than I expected. I guess that says something about my expectations about software. I found it challenging because I didn't know what I was doing; I'm used to software which is designed to be easy for people who don't know what they're doing. Still, I think Linux will suit me. Ultimately I prefer software which just does what you tell it to, right or wrong; that's how I expect computers to behave.