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Facing problems of computer viruses? Having issues of software expenses? Stuck with your operating system by installing it once and again? Software engineers come up with an innovative solution of all these and many other problems that you might be facing...

By Mahwish Bashir

Whenever we talk about perfect operating systems, there comes number of questions in our mind such as cost, reliability, robustness, stability, performance and security along with numerous other issues. Though there are a number of solutions available but one way or other they are lacking in something but Linux comes with the possible solutions of most of the queries.

Linux, a computer operating system, is one of the most prominent examples of free software and of open source development. Furthermore, its underlying source code is available for anyone to use, modify, and redistribute freely. The software is used for a wide variety of computer hardware, including desktop computers, supercomputers, mainframes and embedded devices such as cell phones. For bridging the gap between Windows and Linux systems, Samba is the tool.

With the presence of more than a million operating systems what made software engineers develop a system like Linux?

Here are a few reasons why this operating system should be used:

- Forget about viruses

- If an application crashes in Linux, it will usually not harm the kernel or other processes. So it provides stability

- Linux protects your computer

- Don't cost you a single penny as its completely free of charge

- It provides security and freedom

- No need to install extra stuff (like Microsoft Office, PDF etc) as with Linux your system already has it

- No need to copy software illegally as your Linux provides it for free

- Update all your softwares with a single click

Can windows run along with Linux?

Yes, with "Dual-boot" one can easily have both. Dual-boot means every time one turns on one's computer (called "booting it up"), it will be asked whether to start Windows or Linux (or any other operating system the pc has). For one's amazement Windows can be run from inside Linux, using special software.

Introducing Samba

Samba is an open source, free software implementation of a suite of protocols that provide seamless file and print services to any Windows system. It was originally developed in 1992 by Andrew Tridgell to solve interoperability problems between his Linux/Unix servers and Windows-based clients. In plain English that means that Samba lets Windows clients use non-Windows file and print servers as if they were Windows servers.

Not only does Samba support all of the standard Microsoft file-sharing features, but the latest version of Samba, can also be configured to serve as either a member of an existing Windows Active Directory Domain, or as an Active Directory Domain server in its own right. You might also consider using the Samba server to keep track of your company's user accounts. Samba supports the four basic modern-day CIFS (common internet file system) services:

- File and print services - access to files and printers

- Authentication and authorisation - checking user login accounts and passwords

- Name resolution - mapping computer names to IP addresses

- Service announcement (browsing) - allowing the user to look for servers on the network from a browser window

Many small businesses think the servers they use all run Windows operating systems, but many file server appliances are Linux-based systems using Samba for interoperability with their Windows or Mac clients. By using a combination of a Linux server with Samba file sharing software, you can achieve all the desired functionality of a Windows server without the license fees and feature bloat.

(The writer is a student of BCE programme at Bahria University, Karachi Campus.)