I've been messing around with Linux for years. I used to marvel at the potential it had. But recently I stopped looking for a Linux that just 'worked'. I'm talking about one that I didn't have to know how to program to make work, one that I didn't have to open a terminal and type in arcane commands to make something print. I stopped looking because it's here. Linux - for people that just want to use their computers and not spend their time mucking around with the system itself.

Linux isn't perfect, but easy, usable Linux distros are available now. Here's a quick look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Linux in 2010.

Follow up:

Cons:

1) Media codec support can be spotty. It isn't so much that the codecs don't exist but rather that many Linux distros choose not to include any code that isn't open source and/or free. It's simply a fact that some popular codecs are copyrighted or are not free software. Examples include Adobe Flash, MP3, DVD video, iTunes, Real media, etc. Linux often doesn't include support for these formats because doing so would entail paying royalties.

That said, there are countries where software copyrights are not recognized and there are Linux distributions that include these codecs. In the United States, using these codecs often comes down to where your conscience lies. While this is clearly one of the biggest cons out there for Linux, it is rather trivially side-stepped.

2) My Windows / Mac programs won't run! This can be a big stumbling block if you are significantly invested in Photoshop, Keynote, Microsoft Office or any of thousands of critical niche programs from DNA sequencers to audio mixers. There are ways to run some Windows programs on Linux but for the most part, if your critical app is the focus of your computing, Linux probably isn't going to be a viable computing platform.

3) Linux does not natively support Microsoft DirectX and very few (mainstream) games are designed with a Linux client.

4) Linux graphical user interfaces (GUIs) can come across as slightly amateurish. It's not that the people behind the scenes coding and compiling are not professionals, but more that the graphical glitz you can get with Windows Aero or Mac OSX costs a lot of time and money. Icons, menu bars, desktop backgrounds are all there but they often look just a hair 'flat'.

5) Linux has outstanding support for modern hardware, but some oddities can still plague it. Support for some wireless cards / chips can be hit or miss. Support for older hardware can also be spotty. But the number one annoyance is definitely support for proprietary graphic card drivers. That's still one of the quickest deal breakers out there to widespread adoption. You install and boot up but can't get the damn thing out of 640X480. They still have a ways to go on this. Sure if you persevere, you can always fix it. But not everyone is that patient.

In my opinion, the devs at NVidia and ATI need to do all of us a favor and get on board with Linux. I know they don't want to release their drivers as open source but they should write native Linux drivers themselves rather than force someone else to back engineer to make it work. I paid NVidia and ATI for their graphics cards and support for Linux should be part of the support they provide their customers.

6) Linux lacks some of the intuitive drag and drop or right-click configuration and customization we may be used to. Because pieces of the entire computing experience have been created by different authors, they can lack tight integration. Programs on your menu may not drag to the task bar. I'm honestly nit-picking at this point but you do still notice it. It's a small cost you pay for having the freedom to choose from any desktop manager or any program launcher you want.

7) Linux will probably never offer complete support for Apple devices. Many older iPods do work with Linux now, but iPod touch and iPhones do not. Apple works very hard to lock out 3rd party access to their toys. It's a game of cat and mouse and the Linux community will always be playing catch up here.

8) Linux has no central voice. There is no one person, company, or version to look at, point, and say "That's Linux". There's no one thing to advertise. It's a decentralized community made up of people, programmers, enthusiasts, and users all across the world. This gives Linux a tremendous amount of flair and diversity, but it lacks a unified face. I can say "Go try Linux", but without outside guidance, how do you know which of the hundreds of Linux distros to try?

Pros:

1) Linux is secure. Viruses and malware are (generally) not a concern. This is, in my opinion, the most compelling reason to use Linux as a computing platform. You can read email without worry. You can browse the web without nagging fear. You can do your online banking and not worry that you have a keylogger or trojan sending your password out over the net.

2) Linux is remarkably stable. Most modern operating systems have made giant strides towards stability recently, but Linux still stands out as a winner here.

3) Linux does mainstream computing flawlessly. You can browse the web, manage contacts, send emails, compose documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can take notes, listen to internet radio, browse photos, write web pages, and edit images. Linux simply does everything the mainstream computer user needs and it does it well.

4) Linux has so many free software options available that you can have as much fun as a kid in a candy store. Linux gives you access to enormous repositories of open source, free software. You get to choose your word processor; from the venerable Abi Word, the mainstream OpenOffice, or simple editors like Vi. You can choose your music player, even your web browser. You have so many options that it is a breath of fresh air in a repressive and proprietary computing world.

5) Linux lets you decide how it looks, how it behaves, what software you run. You are in charge.

6) Linux is often faster than other more bloated operating systems. Because there are often fewer background processes (e.g. antivirus) and because Linux doesn't offer as much graphical fluff, it feels faster, more responsive.

7) Linux is open source and free. You can pick from a hundred different Linux distros, download and install it free. You can compile your own distro if you want to, using bits and pieces from others. There is no 'Validation tool' watching you to make sure your copy of Linux is licensed. There is no copy protection scheme that prevents you from changing your video card or adding another hard drive. You can run Linux on your laptop, your desktop, your Playstation or your iPod - it isn't restricted to run only on 'iLinux' hardware. With Linux your computing experience is owned and controlled by you.

8) With virtualization now accessible and easy to setup, trying any operating system is a no risk proposition. Just pop it in and see how you feel. I'm running 3 different Linux distros right now, as in, simultaneously. They are wildly different. The barriers to enjoying free, open computing are dissolving. The potential is here and now. Grab it and have a blast.

If you're interested in trying out some of the truly accessible and easy Linux distributions, start with one of these two:

Ubuntu This is the most popular Linux out there. It's easy and intuitive.

Linux Mint The second or third most popular, Mint is based on Ubuntu with additional codecs and drivers you'd probably have to add to Ubuntu.

Check out DistroWatch for lists of recently updated Linux distros as well as the "Top 100" distro rankings.

Listen to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly