Cheetah

I've always been a supporter of the Linux OS. This is not because I'm an expert, but rather because I believe in healthy competition. Users need the freedom to choose.
I've been using M$ Windows myself for a couple of years now, mainly because I've started out using DOS then on to Windows 3.1 (the DOS with icons ;-) ), 98, 2000, XP.
During this time, I've accumulated a number of tools and utilities on Windows which I use for software development. I got so used to the tools and environments that I consider myself to be more productive on the Windows environment than on others.

I've always had a dual-boot on my laptop, but I basically just "checked-out" latest versions of Linux distros. Last week I installed OpenSuse 10.0, the opensource version of Novell's Suse Linux distro. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and effort these guys make in order to get Linux mainstream for end users. I still feel that it would be ok to introduce Linux to a normal end-user if it is the first OS they see (first interaction with a computer), but if you have someone who's been using Windows for a while, they could still find it frustrating to take the plunge. I'll justify this statement through a couple of blog entries as I share my experience to (possibly) migrate to the Linux environment.

I'll start this experience with my installation and setup on my Dell Inspiron 5150 laptop.

I installed OpenSuse 10 from a DVD. The installation went fine (and I'm really impressed with the installer), until the first reboot to configure the system. The OS failed to boot, with a number of error messages. I do not really have the experience to find the problem in detail, but using the "trial-and-error" mentality, I re-installed but chose the installation without ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) support. This time everything went fine.

I then started to use my new installation a bit. I was impressed with the interface and applications they ship with the installation, but there was something wrong with the whole interface. The text was blurry, making it difficult to read. I started playing around with some settings, but could not really improve the situation. It's not that I want my Linux installation to look (and work?) exactly like my Windows, but I must admit that Windows has a very clear and crisp interface. I'm using a 1400 x 1050 resolution on both Linux and Windows.

My first attempt to improve the situation was to install the latest Nvidia drivers for my graphics card for Linux. This did not really improve the general visual experience.

I then started playing around with the fonts and read something interesting on the web. It has to do with the rendering of fonts on Linux. You need good TrueType fonts, which renders well for lower resolution media (like screens). You also need a good renderer for these fonts.
The best way to render TrueType fonts are by means of True Type Byte Code Interpreters
(BCI). Most of this technology is patented by Apple, but Linux supports a FreeType interpreter which implements this technology. Luckily, this interpreter (freetype2) is bundled with OpenSuse 10.0, which means that it should be able to interpret the fonts, I just need to get good TrueType fonts - and what better place than Windows itself. Because I've got a license for my Windows installation, I just copied (imported) all the Windows TrueType fonts into Linux.
I then followed the instructions on the OpenSuse site to change the default fonts of Linux windows to match those of M$ Windows (Windows makes heavily use of the Tahoma font).
I also had to switch off anti-aliasing for small-sized fonts, as this make them look bad.

I must say that after this, I'm one step closer to start using Linux. I can at least sit and work with X for more than an hour without my eyes hurting!

In the next blog I'll tackle my next obstacle (not sure what this is yet ;-) )