Windows viruses are getting more sophisticated and much more difficult to deal with. Each form of malware being brought to light is more malicious than the last, harder to detect, and even harder to remove. I’m still astonished at how many home users are still using Windows, especially Vista, which has not at all improved even after its latest Service Pack release.

I’ve always touted the benefits of a Mac, but today I’d like to discuss a free operating system, that even looks like the Mac OS, and is both easy to use and inherently far more secure than Windows. Yes, it’s Linux, but you’ve probably never heard of this version. gOS is the name of this Linux version, and after trying it out for the last while, I highly recommend it to Windows users who are sick of dealing with all the Microsoft nonsense. If you’re looking for an alternative that can be easily installed as an addition to your Windows computer (as a dual boot system – so you can still keep Windows) then this distribution may be for you.

As you can tell from the graphic accompanying this article, the desktop shares a lot of similarities with Mac OS X, which is never a bad thing. Using gOS is very easy, and does not require too much of a learning curve. I’ve been following the many faces of Linux for years and I’ve got to say that this one has probably got the greatest chance of attaining mainstream acceptance.

Back in November in 2007, Wal-Mart began selling a 200-dollar PC with gOS under the hood, and they were sold out in a matter of hours! It was a huge hit. The hardware running the PC was not exactly great, but people were still impressed – in all likelihood the hardware on your PC is more robust and will run gOS very well. The system requirements are incredibly low. Almost any PC made in the last eight years will run it.

From a security perspective, gOS, like any other Linux distribution, is far less of a hassle than Windows. I’m not suggesting that Linux is infallible, but it is not nearly as susceptible to the overwhelming malware issues that plague Windows. And did I mention it’s free? Yes, there is a learning curve, and for novice users it will likely never outright replace your Windows experience. But, why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose. And much to gain – like being able to rest easy knowing that if your Windows installation gets hijacked by malware (and it’s only a matter of time), you will have a reliable operating system on your PC that will keep you working and keep you on the Internet.

Good news: you don't have to make any major commitment to try out gOS, since it comes in the form of a bootable Live CD. Go here:

thinkgos

Download the Live CD image, then burn it to a CD. If you’re not sure how to burn it to CD, this program will help:

imgburn

After ejecting the burned CD, reboot your computer with the new CD in the drive and gOS will automatically boot up. You can now get a feel for whether or not you like the look, feel and idea behind gOS. It’s also time to find out if gOS supports your hardware. I’ve found that almost all configurations work fine, but Linux is known for its quirky hardware support. (Vista, anyone?) gOS will run significantly slower off the Live CD than it would if it were installed on your hard drive because it has to read everything from the CD, which is like those snails on the Shaw commercials – very slow.

But when you decide that you’ve had enough of waiting for the CD drive, and you’re ready to install gOS on your hard drive, just double-click the Install icon on the desktop and follow the simple installation instructions. The installer can create a new partition for gOS when you install it, which will allow you to boot into either Windows or gOS upon turning on your PC. Once you’ve completed the intuitive setup, gOS will start copying files and the installation should be complete in about 15 minutes or so.

I realize this may be quite a huge step for many, but I promise that the experience is time well spent. The security picture for Windows is getting gloomier and gloomier, and the more we do to minimize our risk by embracing other operating systems, the better off we’ll be.