Who doesn’t need something from a computer? Who wouldn’t mind to be able to install almost anything without paying for it? Where can we find such an option, what do we need to do? Well there is an answer to these questions and it is within the Linux operating system. Linux is a term that describes to a Unix-Like computer operating system, which is based on a Linux kernel. The base of this operating system is to enable free and open source (system codes opened to the public) software and works under the GPL (General Public License). The Linux operating system can be installed on a wide range of computer hardware.

Thus, it is a recommended option for a free operating system that anyone can use, and of course since it is free of charge, it is cheap. The Linux OS has many applications from almost any type you might need, from monitoring systems, FTP server, WEB servers, E-mail servers, all sorts of GUI applications, which can run on Linux client systems. You can choose from either a Linux server system (which usually comes without a GUI) or a Linux client system, which also has a GUI that resembles the Windows operating system interface.

The basic of Linux is pretty simple, and it just lets you install almost any kind of service you might need. Linux operating system usually doesn’t need much, a very old computer might suffice and so in total you have a very cheap computer as a base, a free of charge operating system, with free of charge applications, So what can I say ? This is the cheapest option you can get for your computer needs.

I always say that I prefer the UBUNTU Linux operating system, it has a major command called “apt-get” which does all of your needs automatically, which means that you can use this command to install the programs you need. It has a repository of known programs, which it knows to discover if you have it installed or not and in case you haven’t installed them, it offers you to download them from the web, and install them automatically. This tool is a major feature that makes the installations really easy.

The problematic issue, is that you need to have some programming, technical computer sense, since after you install the program, most of them require a set of configuration changes, directly made into their configuration files (*.conf). That issue requires some inquiries being done on the web (internet), to learn how to configure the tool/program your installing to fit your requirement and your environment. But, even though I specified that last problematic issue, it is doable, and there is much information on every tool/program on the internet, including others that have installed and configured their programs and of course forums, where people asked questions to their problems while installing, which might resemble the problems you encounter.

Summarizing, The Linux operating system, combined with a regular simple computer (either PC or Laptop) are the cheapest option out there. Those computers with the Linux applications will be able to perform the process you need, with ease, and without much effort. All you need to do is to practice, play around with some simple installation, try to configure them, to use the internet for assistance, and you will discover that it is not as tough as you thought, it require some basic Linux knowledge, but it is something that can be done and in the long term, you will be able to enjoy the open source life, and even save some money.