Why am I leaving the Windows world?

So the day eventually comes when Microsoft stops sending out security updates to my ancient Windows 2000 Professional. Actually, that day will start as of July next year. Not being able to open newer Office files or update to the latest DivX version, I "realize" my nine year old operating system is out of the game. While it is continuing to run like it has always done, working with computers is also about keeping yourself up to date with security, stability and features.

Since I know I'm not the only one who's been running Windows all my life and am growing tired of it, a lot of us ask: So what else is there? There's the over-priced, "artsy" Mac, which doesn't interest me for various reasons. Then there are, as I see it, two main competitors on the open market: Linux and BSD. I have used Linux before but BSD has been suggested to me, said to be the world's most stable operative system. While Linux and BSD in the past have been nerdy, complex command line systems, today's graphical environments have made these systems popular among novices and professionals alike.

Being a student myself with a limited economy (and time), but an above-average skilled computer user, I want to try out something new. I want a stable, secure, fast and customizable system where I can write and print documents, surf the web, read email, listen to music, maybe watch a movie, and install the occasional application. I want something that's cheap and simply works out of the box. So a week ago I installed PC-BSD, which is a system running FreeBSD together with the desktop interface KDE. This is my experience after a week's work.

Installation & Configuration

The idea behind PC-BSD is to offer "a complete desktop operating system, which has been designed with the 'casual' computer user in mind," e.g. they've taken a complex system (FreeBSD) and made it simple enough for anyone to use. This means you get the power, stability and security of the BSD system, running in an environment similar to that of Windows. Better yet, PC-BSD is free of charge and can be downloaded from the PC-BSD home page. To learn how to install and configure the system, please follow this excellent guide.

PC-BSD vs. Windows 2000

Stuff I like

• The desktop environment looks like an elegant Vista install. Very nice-looking, easily configurable interface, and a powerful start menu system.
• It's less resource intensive than W2K when running software, and so as a result feels much faster.
• There's a lot of software out there, and almost of all the things I need are ready to be installed on PC-BSD, simple and fast like it'd be on a Windows machine.
• Automatic software and system updates while working, very smooth.
• The security is obviously superior to Windows, since BSD won't let you install anything or make any important system changes without entering the root password.
• It costs me nil, while Windows 7 is likely to ruin me.

Stuff I don't like

• The desktop environment runs a bit sluggishly on my machine, meaning it doesn't respond as fast as Windows does. I suspect the KDE desktop environment is way more powerful and thus more power consuming than Windows is.
• If something goes seriously wrong with the system, I have no idea what to do, but then again, how often do you fix Windows system errors?
• Microsoft Office is awesome, whatever version you run. OpenOffice, the leading Linux/BSD office suite, not so. In other words, while you have top-of-the-line software available on Windows, the Linux/BSD family will offer less selection.
• Hardware support can be hell. I could not use my ordinary (but ancient) mouse, so I had to manually make edits to system files, which is just the kind of stuff I was hoping to escape. I ended up buying a newer mouse, which worked out of the box. So, no ancient hardware unless you want trouble.
• No DirectX support, and no way to run Adobe Flash except on Firefox and the native browser installed on the system = no YouTube etc. on Opera. Will probably change in the future.

In summary, PC-BSD is an ambitious, powerful and impressive operative system that would perfectly suit and satisfy most average users - given it runs smoothly without any bigger problems on the machine. Installing and configuring the system might require a handy tech guy or someone like me who's been playing around with computers since their early teens. It's a bit like a newly invented car model: there are bound to be a few problems not fixed yet, but if it works, you'll like it. I definitely recommend this system and am now running it in parallel with Windows, until I can finally migrate for good.

Resources worth checking out

PC-BSD home page, including an active forum community where you can search for common problems and get help from professionals.

PBI dir, where you download software for free to your PC-BSD system.

FreeBSD FAQ guide for learning to master every inch of the system, if you so please.