Connecting To the Internet And Community

If you've been reading this blog for some time now, you know that I've been talking about two Linux distributions. The first is Freespire. Freespire is a really terrific Linux distro. It comes from the folks at Linspire. Linspire has been touted as the "World's Easiest Desktop Linux." And I have to admit, Linspire made my transition to Linux very easy. Not only are Linspire and Freespire both easy to use, the community of people surrounding this distribution (The Freespire Forums) are welcoming and very helpful in answering any questions you have.

The second Linux distribution I've been talking about is Kiowa. Kiowa is installed on my laptop. I've found it to be a wonderfully stable and secure Linux distro! And wonderfully easy to use, as well. That's why I talk about it (and Freespire) so much.

Kiowa is based on Mandriva. Now, I've used Mandriva in the past (back then it was known as Mandrake), but I found the learning curve to be a bit too steep for new users. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that Mandriva assumes that a new user is already up to speed on certain Linux functions and features.

Kiowa changes all this. Kiowa take Mandriva and makes it quite user friendly and adds in some really nice extra touches and features (particularly in installing fonts, managing software, and playing multi-media files).

And the really great thing about Kiowa Linux is their technical support. Matt (the man behind Kiowa Linux) and crew really go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to technical support. Just last night (Saturday evening), I needed to adjust my wireless router settings for my Kiowa laptop. Matt was right there on the phone with me talking me through the settings. Couple this support with all the help the folks on the Freespire forums gave me regarding this issue and the solution fell right into place.

Yes, I paid for a year of technical support from Kiowa Linux, but the charge was quite affordable when compared to that of Windows. In addition, Kiowa also has its own forums where you can log on to ask other Kiowa Linux users questions about the OS.

The point is, because I'm active in Linux forums and (have Kiowa technical support) the problem was solved in a timely fashion. That's why it's so very important to become an active member in the Linux community through forums like Freespire and Kiowa. You make friendships and establish associations with other Linux users who really do care about your having a successful Linux computing experience. (And it also helps to obtain paid technical support.)

Freespire, Linspire and Kiowa. All three are wonderful Linux operating systems. When you connect to the Internet, make sure to connect to their respective forums and technical support venues. You'll receive terrific support. In the process, you'll learn much more about Linux so you, too, can help the next new Linux user.

(By the way, KiowaLinux.com is having a sale where you can purchase a system with BOTH Kiowa Linux and Freespire Linux installed!)