merged into Xandross OS, which is based on Corel Linux. This is a Debian-type

version, and can be installed without much fuss after resizing the Windows

partition. Xandross contains Crossover office, which is a refined retail version

of WINE that lets you install and run many Microsoft apps.

Windows

applications in Linux

Some applications

have been ported over to Linux, other run with a program called WINE (Wine is

Not an Emulator). Crossover, commercially available software also lets you use

your Windows programs on Linux. VMWare is another program that lets you run

Windows under Linux. Now many software companies have started developing high

end software for Linux.

Bottom Line:

The cool thing

about Linux is that most software is free, and you can legitimately use them

without worrying about piracy. If you’re worried that Linux won‘t look as pretty

as windows can, all you have to do is check out some of the cool Linux

interfaces and Window managers. But you don’t find a lot of multimedia titles

for Linux. And if you’re into a lot of these, Windows is in the way to go. So if

you have a PC that runs both, you can easily switch between the two, and get the

best of both worlds.

About The Author

Pawan Bangar, Technical Director, Birbals, India.