So here comes in Linux, the operating system that was originally built by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish hacker, to enhance the original UNIX systems that were currently in place at the time (Petreley). While it originally served a purpose for servers, Linux has been developed into a desktop platform as well, taking on the look and feel of any current Windows environment. Not many people have heard about Linux, unfortunately, and those who have are under the misconception that Linux is something for “geeks” to use, meaning it takes a lot of time to adapt and learn it. However, this misconception along with many others, are the reason why this operating system isn’t heard about or used more today. So why should Linux be used instead of Windows?

Linux is easier to use.

One of the main driving forces behind Linux is the implementation of many distributions of Linux – different looks, different functionality, and different computing purposes for each version. This may not seem easy at first; with many choices of Linux spread around on the internet, choosing a version that best fits your computer can be daunting. There are distributions of Linux suited to be a media center, a server, a graphics developing desktop, or just a plain and simple Windows look alike. “Ease of use in Linux is typically custom created by the user, to the user’s specifications” (Short). Not sure which one is best? Try them out. Most Linux distributions actually have a live version of their software for you to experiment with; plug the CD into your computer, play around with the distribution of Linux, and if you don’t like it, simply take the CD out and try another – without harming any data you currently have on your computer in any way. To compare, there is no trying out with Windows – you either have it installed on your computer or you don’t, so you never really know for sure exactly how well it would run on your computer before you take time to install it. Using Linux is just as easy, and if not easier than Windows. Most Linux distributions have a graphical environment similar to that of Windows – there are folders you can open up, there are applications you can open up, etc (Petreley). Anybody who has been able to use the basic functions of Windows could easily use Linux.

Linux is more secure than Windows.

The initial argument made behind Windows security is the fact that because there are more installations of Windows worldwide, it is therefore the prime target of attacks by hackers (Petreley). That being said, if Linux was to undergo the same amount of scrutiny in numbers, the operating system would show many inherent flaws that would have been otherwise unseen. This type of thinking is, of course, somewhat faulty. The Apache webserver, a native application of the Linux environment, is used by over 70% of all internet hosts, including Yahoo and Google because of its stability (Petreley). Yet, being the most popular webserver on the market, it doesn’t have a lot of security issues – while the issues it has are fixed almost immediately. This same sort of security applies to all of the Linux distributions, where a security issue is brought up and then fixed usually within a day (Petreley). Compare this to Windows which will fix a security issue the same day only if it is critical, otherwise updates and patches to the operating system are only released every second Tuesday of the month (a.k.a. “Patch Tuesday”). Furthermore, this also proves that Linux was built right the first time around, since it was built by security experts who knew exactly what they were doing. “Linux is security oriented and Linux users enjoy that inherent security” (Short). On a related note, the words anti-virus and Linux are rarely used in the same sentence – there just isn’t a need for Linux to have those kinds of programs when the security on it is already implemented well.

Linux is free and will always be free.

This compared to the current prices of the latest version of Windows, which ranges anywhere from $100 to $220, is quite an incentive for people who are looking to save money or who are on a budget, especially schools or organizations which have a lot of computers to maintain (Horowitz). An average computer lab which uses Linux instead of Windows ends up saving about $7,000. Linux is free to download, free to copy, and free to share with your friends, unlike Windows which forbids any of those actions. Ubuntu, an independent Linux distribution, steps the idea of “free-ness” up a notch and actually offers premade CD’s of their software shipped to your house at absolutely no cost to you (Ubuntu). Along with that, the company behind Ubuntu, Canonical, also provides full commercial support for the operating system, so you’re not left to fend for yourself if you do decide to switch from Windows (Ubuntu). Sure, you may get what you pay for, but you get so much more when you don’t have to pay anything at all.

Linux is not only free, it is open source.

This allows the person who is using Linux to take the source code of the operating system, change whatever they want to change in terms of functionality and features, compile those changes, and then redistribute the new operating system however they want to. The idea behind this is to customize a system based on the type of computer you have. For example, if a person has a five year old computer, they will have to buy a new computer to be able to run the latest version of Windows on it. However, they can also choose to save money and have the latest and greatest by switching to a custom designed version of Linux that runs on little resources to the computer itself – distributions of Linux such as Xubuntu (a lightweight version of Ubuntu) and DSL (Darn* Small Linux) which run with a simpler interface to save memory but still have the latest programs and features needed in a common operating system.

Linux is simply a better alternative.

Microsoft most certainly does not enjoy the idea that there is competition for their operating system, mainly that the competition is literally giving away their product. Or that the product given away is easier to use, more secure, and more customizable than their product. So why isn’t everyone switching to Linux now? As mentioned before, the standard for the operating system lies heavily with Windows at the moment. However, the standard can always change.

Works Cited

Horowitz, Michael. “Linux vs. Windows (a comparison).” 22 September 2002. MichaelHorowitz.com. 21 May 2008. <http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/Linux.vs.Windows.html>

Petreley, Nicholas. “Security Report: Windows vs. Linux.” 22 October 2004. The Register. 21 May 2008. <http://www.theregister.co.uk/security/security_report_windows_vs_linux/>

Short, Chris. “Linux and Ease of Use.” 10 June 2003. Lockergnome. 21 May 2008. <http://www.lockergnome.com/chrisshort/2005/01/04/linux-and-ease-of-use/>

Ubuntu. 20 May 2008. Canonical Ltd. 21 May 2008.
<http://www.ubuntu.com/>

Do you know HTML?

If not, don’t even think about becoming a designer; HTML is the most essential and basic tool that this job requires. In one example, some people think that a web site made in Flash (a proprietary software made by Adobe for use in online presentations) is the same or better than one made in HTML. Quite frankly, it should never substitute an HTML site, mainly because Flash is proprietary software, which makes it less accessible to many people. The point of a site is that it will hopefully attract visitors and sell them your products, give them information, or provide them with a service. This can’t happen if the visitor can’t even access your site because they need proprietary software; this is very bad since the visitor will just hit the back button in their browser and go to the next site on their list, usually to one of the competitors’ site. Along with knowing HTML, you will also need to know XHTML (a stricter and more compliant version of HTML) and CSS (for positioning the elements, adding rendering effects, and shortening your HTML coding by abstracting your element structure to another file). This in turn, will also make your code easily changeable and configurable by your client to suit their website needs. By conforming to XHTML standards, you will also open your website up to more browser compatibility, which results in more visitors who can see your site the way it was made to be.

How good are you with art (specifically coloring)?

Color formulation is another important part of web design. When visitors come into a website, you want to catch enough of their attention to how well designed the site is, and in turn, gain the user’s respect and trust (seeing that the webmaster put good time and money into a site makes it less likely that the site is going to rip them off or do something bad to them or their computer). Color formulation is just one of those things that will make a website look good, if you choose the right colors (and by colors, this also means such things as gradients, borders, text coloring, and sometimes a little graphic design; not just background colors). This requires both an artistic outlook of the site (to match the flow of colors with the company colors for example), and a consistency with the colors that you choose and where you place them (not varying in colors from page to page as it does confuse the visitor). The hardest part of designing is choosing colors and the locations of those colors on a page that will ride the fine line of letting the visitor know that the colors exist but won’t detract their attention of the main content of the website. Basically, if you want to sell the visitor a product, you want them to be looking at the product and not at your pretty website (unless you want to sell them your web design expertise, of course). A good example of what not to do: never place blue text on a red background (there are a couple of exceptions to this rule, but only a couple). Also, never place green text on a green background, it’s hard to see unless highlighted (kind of like a white cow in a snow storm). If someone can’t read your site, they’ll move on and won’t look back, which brings up the next point.

Do you know anything about typography?

In terms of web design, do you know which fonts to use for a site, or how big those font sizes should be? There are some differing views on how font sizing generally should be on a web site, but it should come down to the question, “Can the visitor read the content on the site?” If you’re making a site for senior citizens, then you should probably change the font size to be bigger than the normal size (which is 1em at this point). Also, the placement of the text on a website is important. The text should be easily scannable for the visitor to let them find exactly what they need quickly. The more time someone spends figuring things out on a website, the less likely they will stay long enough on the site to actually buy your service. People have a short attention span and will easily go to a competitor’s website if they can find things there more easily and more quickly. Another aspect of typography is the fonts that can be used on a site. Generally, there isn’t much of a real choice here, as you can only use the standard fonts for the web (Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, etc). Reason for that is because not everyone has the fonts that you may want to use installed on their computer. Again, like Flash, some fonts are proprietary, and though they may look good in printed documents for example, they are not suited for the web. If a visitor doesn’t have that font installed, it will revert to the default font that the user has setup in their browser, which will ultimately defeat the purpose of your font. Likewise, some “bright designers” (they are neither, unfortunately) had the idea of putting text in an image, thus preserving the font for everybody to see on the internet. This was very bad on many levels: the visitor couldn’t adjust the font size, they had to download the image which was ultimately bigger than the text (which in turn put more strain on the server which served up the content), search engines could not see the “text” in the image (and thus never got indexed), the visitor couldn’t save the text as easily to refer to it later, text-only browsers could not see the content, and the list goes on.

Do you like to deal with people that are sometimes a bit…difficult?

This is probably the most important yet most overlooked part of web design – the ability to communicate effectively to your customer/client. These are the people who give you their money in exchange for a professionally made design for their site. The first part of this section is choosing those clients. The client will come to you and you will decide whether or not they’re worth your time based on a few key attributes – the money, the deadline, and the trust the client has in you to get the job done. The money and the deadline usually are made simply through a contract; the payment options are different from designer to designer based on experience, competition, and other queued jobs. The trust of the client is something you might have to find out for yourself. This is whether or not the client believes that you know what is best for the site and you will design it as such. While communicative efforts and compromises are usually made regarding placement of items, coloring, and that sort of thing, the overriding decision should be given to the designer. The designer will have to provide an explanation of why a certain feature is being implemented the way it is to the client if asked to do so. In the case that the client disagrees with the designer and still wants a certain look implemented, there can be one of two actions the designer can take. The first is to simply comply, since the client is the one paying for your work; if they don’t want the design done right, it’s their problem (and you may want to remove your name from the site design altogether, so it never gets traced back to you). Second action is a little bit more brute force, but one can choose to withdraw from the job entirely if need be. This usually is a last resort, but when all other client negotiations fail, it is just a waste of time for you to continue with them. The second part of this section is to know what your job entails – you are making a design for a site; that is it. If the client asks you to do anything else in regards to setting up their server, domain name, or even asking for some kind of technical support, politely refuse or offer those services at an extra charge (though this point could be argued upon, depending on the type of client relationship you may want to develop for the future).

Professional web design is definitely not for everyone. But even if you don’t have all the skills and talents listed here, you can obtain those skills through practice and a few good books on the subject. Visiting various sites and studying their designs will also be of good use. And remember, these are just the basics of web design.

Islam is a fast growing religion today, growing even faster than Christianity. It’s not the most dominant religion yet, but is expected to be so at about 2022 at this rate of growth. What is Islam and what does it have to offer – hope, reassurance? Or does it come with a price much higher than most people are willing to pay?

What is Islam and what do the Muslims believe? The word “Islam” means surrender or submission, and in this case, it means to submit to the will of God. The religion of Islam originated at 622 AD by the supposed last prophet of God (or in Arabic, called Allah) – Muhammad. Muslims believe fervently that there is only one God, who is indivisible and doesn’t exist within a Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). They believe that Jesus was nothing more than a prophet, and definitely not the Son of God. In Islam, all Muslims are considered to be equal, despite nationality or race, and exist in a community or “umma”. They also believe that man is born without a sinful nature, and is only corrupted by his parents into sin. To become a Muslim, you can either be born into a Muslim family and automatically receive the status or just proclaim to be a Muslim. To remain a Muslim, one must do the five pillars of Islam. The first is a profession of faith where a Muslim must say “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger” several times during a typical day. The second is the five daily prayers (or salat) that must be said at different intervals of the day, preceded by ritual cleansings. The prayers must be said while facing towards Kaaba, an ancient shrine in the city of Mecca, and while standing, bowing, or prostrating. The third pillar is almsgiving which requires the Muslim to take one-fortieth of his accumulated wealth and give it to the needy or the poor (or buy them something with it). They also have to give a tenth of their harvest to the needy at the end of harvest time. The fourth pillar is sawm, or fasting, which happens during the month of Ramadan when it is said that the first revelation of the Koran occurred. During this entire month, every Muslim must fast from daybreak to sunset by restraining from food, water, and sex. Those who are sick or have another physical condition preventing them from fasting can choose not to participate but must make up for the days they missed when they are able to. In a certain sense, this pillar works with the third one in the way that one remembers about the poor or needy when they are fasting and becomes more sensitive to their needs. At the end of the fasting, there is a three day feast. The fifth pillar is a pilgrimage (or hajj) to Mecca at least once in a person’s lifetime, providing that one is physically and financially able to travel. In Mecca, a Muslim is to perform many rituals around the Kaaba and must slaughter an animal as a sacrifice for the final ritual.

Muhammad – who is he and what exactly happened with him? Muhammad was said to receive the revelation of God when he took a retreat to a cave, where he met an angel that he thought was Gabriel. This angel gave him the revelation and Muhammad turned it into a book, the Koran (or Qu’ran). Muhammad believed that he was demon possessed or insane because he had foamed at the mouth and rolled around on the floor when he met Gabriel, but his wife reassured him and encouraged him that it was God’s message. It seems that all the other times in the Bible, when an angel of God appeared to a person, the person would be fearful because of reverence – the case of Muhammad and his experience seems more like an angel of a darker nature, with a slightly different agenda than that of God’s. Some Muslims say that the Koran did come from an angel of God because it contains information that was yet to be uncovered by man, such as the earth being egg-shaped. But it could also be explained by the fact that a demon knew that information as well and just delivered it to Muhammad as such. For further support of this point, the Koran has no mention of anything prophetical or revelational – only simple information that could be obtained from “another” perspective. Muhammad is said to be the last prophet of God – “Mohammad… is the messenger of God and the Khatam [seal, closure, end, or last] of the prophets…” (Koran 33:40) How very convenient for him.

The Koran is accepted by all Muslims as the inerrant and divinely inspired book from God. They also believe in the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, but believe that it has been altered and is now corrupt in some ways. So they take what verses are consistent with the Koran and the Bible and say that the other verses got corrupted. It’s like taking an already put-together jigsaw puzzle or painting and ripping parts off that you don’t like. Furthermore, the Bible is historically accurate, highly prophetical, revelational, consistent, and the meaning has not been altered whatsoever as seen by the Dead Sea Scrolls. That much cannot be said about the Koran, as it is not prophetical, not revelational, not consistent, and many various textual variations of the Koran are used today. Here are a few examples of inconsistencies that were found:
Creation: The biblical Genesis account says God created all in six days (see Genesis 1:1 – 2:2). The Quran, however, has a real problem here as Surah 41:9, 10, 12 have a total of eight days of creation (4+2+2=8) Meanwhile, Surah 10:3 gives the total number of days of creation as six. This is a problem of self-contradiction. Pharaoh: According to the Quran (Surah 7:120-125) Pharaoh used crucifixion in dealing with the sorcerers – a practice which historical evidence gives no precedent to before the Babylonian Empire. This is once again a problem of historical compression. The Golden Calf: According to the Quran (Surah 20:90-100) a Samaritan helped the Israelites build the golden calf, and it mooed after coming out of the fire. In reality, Samaritans did not exist as a people until at least 1000 years after the time of the Moses and the Israelite exodus from Egypt. Again a problem of historical compression. Judaism: According to the Quran (Surah 9:30) the Jews believe that Ezra is the Son of God – the Messiah. This never has been a tenet of Judaism. This is a clear problem of distorted knowledge of other religions and historical fact. According to the Quran (Surah 18:89-98) Alexander the Great was a devout Muslim and lived to a ripe old age. Historical records however show that Alexander the Great died young at 33 years of age (b. 356 B.C. – d. 323 B.C.), and believed he was divine, forcing others to recognize him as such. In India on the Hyphasis River (now Beas) Alexander erected twelve altars to twelve Olympian gods. Once again the Quran shows errors in historical and religious fact. According to the Quran (Surah 5:116, 5:73-75) the Christians believe in “three Gods” – Father, Mother, and Son. This shows the influence of heretical ‘Christian’ sects in central Arabia at the time of Muhammad. In contrast, Christianity has always distinctly stated that the Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The teaching of the Quran on the Trinity has undoubtedly led to confusion among many Muslims on what the Bible (and thus Christianity) teaches about the Triune God. Mary: According to the Quran (Surah 19:28, 3:33-36), Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the daughter of Imran or Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron. Mary is also said to be the sister of Moses and Aaron. Clearly Muhammad confused Mary with Miriam. (Rim.org)

Islam seems right in a lot of areas, but when you get down to the core of the religion, you can see it for what it really is – hate, murder, and fear. By the strict interpretation of the Koran, a Muslim is to make war with unbelievers, Jews, Christians, and anyone else who is not Muslim. “Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah’s religion reigns supreme.” (Koran 8:37) “Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High. And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So no friend hath he here this Day. Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, Which none do eat but those in sin.” (Koran 69:30-37) “For them (the unbelievers) garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in their bowels and skin shall be dissolved and they will be punished with hooked iron rods.” (Koran 22:19-22) Any true Muslim who says that they are peaceful is either lying or they haven’t bothered reading their own book. Others say that a Muslim has to be a true fanatic to make jihad and kill unbelievers, and that there are fanatics for each religion who hurt people. “Believers, when you encounter the armies of the infidels do not turn your backs to them in flight. If anyone on that day turns his back to them, except it be for tactical reasons, or to join another band he shall incur the wrath of Allah and Hell shall be his home: an evil fate.” (Koran 8:12-17) “A so-called Christian who bombs an abortion clinic or shoots an abortionist and says God told him to do it does that act against the Bible…but the Muslim who commits acts of violence in jihad does so with the approval of Muhammad.” (WorldNetDaily.com)

Jesus, by Islam, was only a prophet and was in no way divine. “And they say, ‘The Most Gracious Has betaken a son!’ Indeed you have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are bout to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin: That they attributed a son to the Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of the Most Gracious that He should beget a son. Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to the Most Gracious as a servant. He does take an account of them [all], and numbered them exactly, and everyone of them will come to him singly on the day of judgment.” (Koran 19:88) The verse seems like poorly written propaganda in itself, not to mention how the whole book is written that way (with each 7.9 verses talking about hell). Yet the Bible clearly states that Jesus is not only the Son of God, but He is God as well. “He was God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16) The “same” angel that appeared to Muhammad happened to drop by Mary first: “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Muslims also believe that Jesus never died, but merely ascended into heaven. “They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. They declared: ‘We have put to death the Messiah Jesus the son of Mary the apostle of Allah.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did… They have no knowledge thereof but the pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain, but God took him up to Himself.” (Koran 4:154-158) The Bible’s position is clear on this topic: “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” (Romans 6:9) In Islam, people do not have free will as dictated by the Koran. “Thou causest to err thereby whomever Thou pleasest and guidest whomever Thou pleasest…” (Koran 7:155) Therefore, there is no purpose to life if all you do is dictated and guided. “…so whoever is willing, he may take a path to his Lord. And you do not will unless God wills…” (Koran 76:29, 30) By these terms, if one is going to be “saved”, they’re going to be saved no matter what. There is no choice, and therefore, there is no real reason to live except a hope that you might randomly be chosen out of a group to experience paradise instead of a horrid, painful, and everlasting afterlife.

Then there’s the fact of how Muslim’s treat females. Sure, Muslims believe that all nations and races are equal if Muslim, except if they’re female. “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the others, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them.” (Koran 4:34) Women who disobey their husband will go to hell. (Koran 66:10) “Thou mayest decline for the present whom thou wilt of them, and thou mayest take to thy bed her whom thou wilt, and whomsoever thou shalt long for of those thou shalt have before neglected; and this shall not be a crime in thee. Thus will it be easier to give them the desire of their eyes… and to satisfy them with what thou shalt accord to each of them.” (Koran 33:51) Basically, the females in the Muslim culture could be considered half of a person and are treated as such. “The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females; then if they are more than two females, they shall have two-thirds of what the deceased has left, and if there is one, she shall have the half” (Koran 4:11) “Good women are obedient…. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them.” (Koran 4:34) This isn’t just some random saying, it is hard-pressed into the Islamic every-day culture.
“It’s simply a matter of quoting [Islamic] sources. If we are wrong in our understanding of the Islamic scriptures, we would be happy to be corrected.” (WorldNetDaily.com) And that is what Islam simply is – a cult filled with prejudice, hate, fear, and an overwhelming sense that things just might get better with a little more violence.

Works Cited
Encarta Dictionary Tools 2006, Microsoft
Encarta Encyclopedia 2006, Microsoft
King James Version of the Bible, March 26, 2006
<www.biblegateway.com>
The Koran, January 7, 2000
< http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/>
Diane Dew, Islam and Christianity, 2001
< http://dianedew.com/islam.htm>
The Sabr Foundation, Islam 101, March 26, 2006
<http://www.islam101.com>
B.A. Robinson, Comparing and Contrasting Christianity and Islam, December 14, 2005
< http://www.religioustolerance.org/comp_isl_chr.htm>
P. Newton, Islam Challenges Christianity, March 26, 2006
< http://debate.domini.org/newton>
Jerry Falwell, Muhammad, a ‘demon-possessed pedophile’?, June 15, 2002
< http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27975>
Rim.org, Quaran Problems Page, March 26, 2006
<http://www.rim.org/muslim/quranproblems.htm>
Speaker Alaa-edin Aamer “Muslims”, March 17, 2006
Speaker Evan Birds “Christian View of Muslims”, March 20, 2006

Alex C.
Senior Projects
Christianity in General

Is Christianity just another religion that people chose to believe in for hope? Is there something special about it that makes it different from all other religions? Why are we here, who created us, and can we ever find out?
Does God exist? The atheist would say there is no God, simply because there is no scientific evidence that a god of any type ever existed. The problem with that however, is the fact that there has been no evidence to disprove an existence of a higher Deity. “When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” (Mere Christianity) Agnostics believe that there is no way of disproving or proving a god, so they are left in the middle of the issue, clueless of any truth. “All that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” (Mere Christianity) Yes, there really is no scientific way of proving that a god of any sort exists, but there are other facts pointing to the same conclusion that cannot be overlooked. Firstly, the existence of morality within each human is an undeniable fact that the morality had to come from somewhere. (Mere Christianity) Furthermore, the fact that morality (or a conscience) had been set universally for all humans (bendable as it is). “Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can’t really get rid of it.” (The Case for Christianity) Scientists explain this phenomenon with something called evolution, which gives reason to morality as being a “fit trait” for survival. But if the point of evolution is for an individual to be fit enough to survive, why are some animals willing to sacrifice themselves for others (humans included) even though it may bring death to the “fittest”? Another reason is the high improbability of the current design of the universe. (EveryStudent.com) The Earth is in its perfect shape for sustaining life, just the right distance from the sun, and the atmosphere has just the perfect composition of gasses for the survival of many species. Something like water, though seemingly common and insignificant, is a fluid with many unusual features that other compositions do not have. For example, water has a high boiling point and low freezing point so it can remain in a wide variety of environments to sustain life. It is chemically inert, a universal solvent, and is highly used and reused. Neither of these things could have happened by chance, seeing as how even something like creating an amino acid from proteins at random is a one in a 1×10^40,000 chance. The other fact that points toward an existence of a God is that almost every culture, nation, and tribe on earth believes in an existence of a creator or god. (EveryStudent.com) God reveals Himself through the Bible and even that mentions that God reveals Himself through nature – “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Is the Bible a myth or is it historically accurate? Many believe that the Bible may be filled with imaginary stories and fairy tales thrown together into a book to entertain people, like the Mormon bible. The truth, in fact, is that the Bible is used in many colleges and universities for the simple reason that it is historically accurate and is a great addition as a history textbook. There are many events and occasions that occur in the Bible that also are recorded in other scrolls and records. All the cities found in the Bible exist today, and those that do not were found with archeological digs. The only cities that currently cannot be found are Sodom and Gomorrah for a very good reason – they were destroyed by God and totally wiped out from the face of the earth. “The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger.” (Deuteronomy 29:23) Even though the Bible was written by over 40 authors over a span of 1500 years in various languages, the message remained the same throughout those years and then a few thousand more. No inconsistencies were found anywhere in the Bible. (Gospeloutreach.net) The Bible is also considered to be somewhat prophetical.
How can God allow evil to exist? This question is quite tough to answer. If a universe could have been created without any sort of evil, then why not have it made that way? Why is there evil in the first place, where did it come from? If God is righteous and holy, does that mean He can create any sort of evil or does it mean that it simply exists right along with God? Looking back at the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were presented with a choice – to live holy and righteous, or to disobey God and eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They could discern between good and evil after they ate the fruit and lived further on making choices of whether to be good or evil, essentially. So, the only evil they really knew of in the Garden was to disobey God, and that “vocabulary” just increased once they did disobey. What is evil? Basically, it’s something morally wrong. (Encarta) How can one create evil? Using the tools that have been made available to do good. One has a hand to pick things up, assist others, but it can also be used to kill. “Badness is only spoiled goodness.” (The Case for Christianity) Evil is simply a choice, a choice that was available upon the creation of the Earth with the tree, a choice. The simple fact of the matter is, that God will not use evil for any circumstance simply because He is incapable of it. It seems a little illogical, but it is almost like the rock question – “Can God create a rock that He cannot lift, since He can do anything?” If He could, then He wouldn’t be God because He couldn’t lift it. A better question is why should He create a rock like that? James 1:13 answers the question of God and evil: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” The other part of the matter is that God gave us a choice to live righteously through His son or give into sin. “Without sin, the universe is a Solemn Game: and there is no good game without rules.” (A Preface to Paradise Lost) The choice we can make is what brings glory to God and that is ultimately what He wants from us. (Revelation 4:11)
Was Jesus more than a man? Mormons specifically believe that Jesus was a good man who became a god – He was human at one point or another and worked His way up. Some believe that He was just a good man. Well, in one sense of the term, Jesus was fully man. He ate, drank, communicated with others, and was even tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1) Well, wait, tempted? Is God not supposed to be tempted? “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) The same verse fits into multiple situations, if Jesus was God, why was He tempted? My personal opinion on this matter is that while Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man simultaneously. Thus, He had His own identity from the Trinity of God as a human form of God as well as the Son of the Father part of God. That human part of Him was the part that was tempted, so God wasn’t actually tempted, because He cannot be. “God has landed on this enemy-occupied world in human form…The perfect surrender and humiliation was undergone by Christ: perfect because He was God, surrender and humiliation because He was man.” (The Case for Christianity) Also, Jesus performed many miracles in many cities upon many people recorded many times in the Bible. “Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” (Mark 1:34) Jesus also rose from the dead on the third day after he gave up His life (roughly 40 hrs.) – “He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” (Acts 10:41) People still claim He was just a good man verses the alternative. Yet the Bible clearly states Jesus’ position on the matter in various locations. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) “God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” He also had the authority to forgive sins. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:5) “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:48) Either Jesus is who He says, or He was a liar. There is nothing “good” about a liar, so if one admits He is good, they might as well acknowledge Him as God.
Is there a life after death? If there is no type of afterlife, then another question arises – what is exactly the point to life? Sure, to procreate and make new life, but what does that in turn do? It gets you right back to where you were. “Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning…” (Mere Christianity) The only point to the life you live would be to live and make sure not to die at any means or cost necessary. “100 per cent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased.” (The Weight of Glory) Ironically, in the end days, “men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.”(Revelation 9:6) Until then, the purpose we serve here is to glorify God, and according to the Bible, there will be eternal life after death – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Quite a few other religions have beliefs about an afterlife, and while it cannot be scientifically proven, it is somewhat logically derived from the fact that there must be something after death, or else what are we living for? “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” (Mere Christianity) Furthermore, there have been quite a few reports of people who clinically died and later came back to life with experiences of “another” life. They could move around and see what was going on around them, but they couldn’t be seen by anyone else. When they came back, they could tell the doctor what went on in another room while they themselves were “dead”. Scientists have done a few controlled studies with near accurate results, signifying that there may perhaps be a spiritual world of some sort that can be accessed when the physical body can no longer function properly. (NewsNet5.com)
Are miracles possible? Most people believe that miracles are merely unlikely, scientifically explainable events. A miracle is described as an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God. (Encarta) The Bible is filled with examples of Jesus healing people, casting out demons, and resurrecting people from the dead. “When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.” (John 6:19) The question is, do miracles still occur today? Here is an incident:
A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife and then buried her with their infant baby and 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids. 15 days later, another family member died. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand ALIVE! The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed. The older girl was asked how she had survived. “A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister,” she said. (BibleProbe.com)
No human could live without food and water for 15 days. Neither could a human live with that kind of oxygen deprecation for 15 days and still survive. Another incident tells of a pastor that had been dead for more than 48 hours and came back to life. There are also thousands of other incidents and they occur daily. What’s more is that life, by the definition of a miracle, can be considered miraculous. Though it may seem like a common thing now, the distinction between a group of organized cells and a living organism is just that, life. No human can replicate life, no human can create it; it is only God who has the power to create a life. Miracles do happen because God didn’t just create the world and left it to run without any sort of involvement.
Is Christianity the only true religion? Taking a look at Mormonism again, their basic fundamental belief is that there is a God, and that with enough good works, a person can become a God themselves. The Mormons believe in the Bible, as well as their Book of Mormon. Christianity believes only in the Bible, and believes that there is only one way to get to heaven – through the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) This verse brings a self-contradictory statement towards the Mormon belief, seeing as works will not save a person. Furthermore, Christianity is the only religion in the whole world that says there is only one way to heaven, and it is one of the religions that stood through 2,000 years of scrutiny, persecution, and martyrdom. The extension of the Old Testament Jewish beliefs incorporate itself into the Christian belief, adding another good 3 or 4 thousand years to that figure. The Bible also was put under scrutiny and has endured through those years as true and prophetic. So much so, that there were 48 prophecies about Christ written that actually came about to be real. Imagine this scenario: The whole state of Texas is covered with silver dollars, two feet deep. One of these dollars is marked. The chance of 8 prophecies about Christ becoming true is the same chance that a person could pick out the marked dollar from the two foot deep, Texas wide pile on their first try. There were 48 prophecies fulfilled – do the math. (Carm.org)
Why has Christianity survived this many years? It’s plainly because it’s the only religion that really makes any sort of sense. There was a design to this universe, the Bible is historical and prophetical, evil exists as a choice for us for God’s plan, Jesus is God, there is an afterlife, and miracles are possible. “Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn’t have guessed. That’s one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It’s a religion you couldn’t have guessed.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Works Cited
Encarta Dictionary Tools 2006, Microsoft
New International Version of the Bible, February 16, 2006
<www.biblegateway.com>
Matthew Slick, Is Christianity the Only True Religion, 2003
<http://www.carm.org/questions/onlytrue.htm>
Bible Probe, Real Miracles and Angel Visits, 2004
< http://www.bibleprobe.com/miracles.htm>
Christian Courier Publications, Is the Bible Historically Accurate, February 2, 2006
< http://www.christiancourier.com/questions/historicalAccuracyQuestion.htm>
Robert Carroll, Miracles, February 13, 2006
< http://skepdic.com/miracles.html>
Harinder Sandhu, Life after Death, July 05, 2005
< http://lifeafterdeath.info>
Assembly of YAWEH, Is Jesus God, January 8, 2003
< http://trueisrael.tripod.com>
Thaddeus Williams, Evil; Just Whose Problem Is It, 2001
<http://www.gto.org/question/evil.htm>
Matt Perman, Why the Bible is the Word of God, March 14, 2006
< http://www.gospeloutreach.net/bible3.html>
Marilyn Adamson, Does God Exist, March 14, 2006
< http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html>
NewsNet5, Scientist Claims Proof of an Afterlife, March 04, 2004
< http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2893543/detail.html>
C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1943
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1952
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1952
C.S. Lewis, Preface to Paradise Lost, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1941

Note: this paper was somewhat satiric because the class was ..well, interesting to put it mildly.

Work is an every day event that occurs within each person’s life, whether they like it or not. It takes work to breathe, it takes work to move, it takes work to eat, it takes work to sleep, and it even takes work to work! What is working anyways? Why should we work for others? What are the consequences of not working? Does work always have to be hard? Would writing pages upon pages of words into a keyboard using fingers and thoughts, having those pages all due on the week after thanksgiving, and then having to revise and edit all those pages because you might have missed something “crucial” be considered as good work or as pure evil sadism? The Bible is full of references about work and what should be done with it. In fact, there’s actually a whole book that has “Job” written all over it (Job).
Work is not an evil resulting from the fall, rather the labor of work was part of the curse inflicted upon mankind. Work itself came from God; He worked for six days to create the world we now live in (Gen 1), and all the inhabitants thereof. The nature of God was to create, and through that, work is about creating or cultivating something. God created man in His image, and so if He works and continues to work, so should we. Within the work, we are to honor God, as seen with the word “Abad”; we should have jobs that don’t require us to sin, because nothing that Adam did was breaking a commandment. The word “shamar” indicates that we are to take care of things that have been created as well.
Sacred and secular work – is there a difference at all? Work is what it is – work. As long as the work isn’t sinful or causes us to commit sin, it’s just work – it is valued the same to God whether you are a carpenter or a missionary – or both (Like Jesus, kind of). In Genesis 2, God put Adam to work on taking care of the garden – in the same way, God will put us to work in the area which He wills, and is pretty much the area of work with which one is skilled at or best used in (1 Cor 12:4-6).
Work was affected by the fall in that it took labor to produce results. The labor was not easy and enjoyable, but it was necessary to live. Work after the fall was needed to make things grow so that one might have food to eat (Gen 3:17-19). That is, except for Cain, because he killed his brother, so he just wandered around for the rest of his life (Gen 4:12).
The obligation for a Christian to find work is mandatory if they want to live. To get food, one must work, and one must work to get food for their family as well (Prov 12:11). 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 says that if a person refuses to work, then other believers are not to associate with the person – not to treat them as an enemy, but warn them as a brother.
Within work, you should make sure to take care of your own family (1 Tim 5:8), take care for the poor and weak (Rom 12:13; Gal 2:10), and set a good example to all others (Titus 2:7-8).
The attitude that should characterize the Christian should be full glory given to God, not to be prideful of what one can do by one’s own means (Deut 8:11-14,17-18). A Christian must also do their job the best they can (Col 3:23), even if they do not like doing what they do, or working with whom they work, or working in the environment they work in, or working for the wage that they work for, or working through holidays which they think they should have off (that aren’t Sundays or similar), or working while someone is out to literally kill you, or working to kill someone before they kill you (think “drafted”). They are not to get stressed (Phil 4:6) and should help others without losing focus (Gal 6:1-5). You are also not to complain about your agreed paycheck (Math 20:13).
A Christian is supposed to develop respect for authority (Rom 13:1-8) in their work, do their work wholeheartedly and respectfully (Col 3:22; Eph 6:5-8), and honor their bosses / employers / supervisors / managers / superintendents / administrators / overseers / directors / superiors / controllers / masters whether or not they’re Christian or pagan (1 Tim 6:1-2). The Bible doesn’t really talk about placing Dilbert comics in various workplaces while no one’s looking, though.
The Christian employer needs to make sure workers receive fair compensation (1 Cor 9:7-14), needs to value people highly (Gal 5:14-15), treat and motivate employees with respect rather than threats of certain random layoffs that the company may be performing within the next fifteen seconds (Eph 6:5-9 – goes only to the threat part, FYI), make sure one’s communication is gracious and truthful (Col 4:6), and must help each employee / underling discern the best thing to do in a particular situation (1 Thes 5:14-15). Employers need to set a fair wage to the employees and pay them something for their work (Luke 10:7) (Rom 4:4), even if it’s one or both of your daughters (Gen 29:15-18).
“You should find your greatest fulfillment in your work, or something is wrong.” Something is always wrong, it seems. But God made other things to enjoy in the world for the reason that we are to enjoy them. Work is part of your life, but it isn’t your life (Eccl 2:17).
“Don’t expect to find any fulfillment in work. You must put up with it and look forward to the weekend, your yearly vacation, and your retirement, when you’ll be able to do what you want instead of working.” Again, work is part of your life, but it isn’t your life, and you do need the rest on one of the days (Exodus 23:12). Sure, it’s nice to have a vacation and retire, but you still need to work to eat. Or you can skip the work and go on welfare or die or something (Prov 14:23) (Prov 21:25).
“Blue-collar work is demeaning and beneath your dignity.” Stop complaining and start scrubbing (Col 3:23). If you don’t do it, then someone else would have to do it, and that’s below their dignity because they don’t scrub things well enough. If you complain, you may also incur the wrath of an Egyptian Pharaoh who will make you work harder (Exodus 5). And if you have skill, you won’t really have any blue-collar work, whatever that is anyways (Prov 22:29). In essence, see 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
“You are what you do. Your identity is found in your work.” If you’re a computer nerd, you are always going to wear thick glasses and talk like you had a nasal cavity swell up. You will also not have a wife and you will not live past thirty because you’ll die in a nuclear reaction meltdown. Your identity comes from work, true, but it also comes from what God made your identity to be, and like said before, work is part of your life, but it is not your life. What is Paul known for? A better question would be, why isn’t Paul known more as a tent-maker more than he’s known as a great teacher of God’s word? (Acts 18:1-3)
“Do the minimum you must to get by. Don’t give any more than you absolutely have to.” True to some extent, but in the other spectrum, don’t be lazy. If you can, do something above and beyond and set a standard for the rest of the workers, work your best (Col 3:23) (Exodus 36:5). Be like Mary (Rom 16:6).
“Work hard when the boss is watching.” Why not work hard when the boss is watching? Would you rather be lazy when the boss is watching and then work hard when he’s not? Kind of hard to get promotions that way, unless you consider working at home without pay a promotion. Point is, work your best at all times (Col 3:23) (Exodus 36:5). Who do you want your brother to be? (Prov 18:9)
“Make any sacrifices you must to get ahead at work.” Sure, go at it, as long as you aren’t committing a sin while doing so (neglecting your family would probably be a sin) (1 Tim 5:8). Then again, don’t think too highly of yourself, but also think of the weak (Acts 20:35).
“Any successes you have at work are solely due to your own drive, ambition, initiative, and tenacity.” Let’s finish that statement, “…and all the other stuff God gave to you for His glory.” Or finish the statement this way: “and your appetite” (Prov 16:26).
What should churches do to stop secular vs. sacred job views? Preach that there aren’t any, one might guess. Making all the church members write a six-page report about the true meaning of work might “work”, too (Job 19:2). The church must definitely need to change its attitude on sacred vs. secular attributes on most things and issues – being a missionary and saving souls is just as important as working as a janitor and cleaning up a fast food restaurant – “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” (1 Cor 12:4-6). And work hard wherever you are (Col 3:23).
Work is for everybody, it is a part of life. If you don’t like work, then you’re going to die and rot in a grave while the microbes do their work on your body. To live is to work, but to live is to do other things besides work, too, if at all possible. Whatever doesn’t kill you builds character, and it takes work to get character. All people are different, therefore, all work is different to better suit those people. If you hate the work you’re in, look for something else or tough it out, there’s not much else left for you to do. We were made to work, we were made to have fun, we were made to live, and we were made to give full glory to God alone.

—

Do you know where kids come from? Not from an Austrian Priest who lived in complete celibacy for 61 years. Today I will be telling you about Gregor Mendel: His early life, his experiments, and the laws of heredity that originated as a result of his work. I know that I am experienced with this subject because I have researched Mendel, particularly his research (ironically), quite extensively for the past month. Without Mendel’s work, we might have never come to know about the genetic code and DNA or how it works.
Firstly I will inform you about Mendel’s early life. Mendel was born in Heizendorf, Austria on July 22nd 1822. *^As a child, he worked as a gardener and spent much of his time around plants. When he got older, he attended the Olmutz Philosophical Institution for a few years. He later entered the Augustinian Order and became a priest. He was then moved to Vienna to teach classes on Physics and Natural Science.
Secondly, I will tell you about his experiments. While he was in Vienna, he condoned various experiments on pea plants and beans. He would take the plants, cross-fertilize them, and note the resulting characteristics in the offspring (such as if the plant is short or tall, skinny or thick, etc). Unlike other scientists, Mendel was successful in finding the fundamental principles of heredity because he firstly, chose which characteristics of the plants could be more apparently seen in the offspring (how many leaves the parents had compared to how many leaves the offspring had, rather short vs. tall). Secondly, he not only studied the offspring of the plants, but the offspring’s offspring (would take and cross-fertilize the offspring). Thirdly, he counted out the different types of plants that were showing a certain characteristic and analyzed the results mathematically with ratios. And lastly, he organized his data so that it was easier to read and thus the experiment could be replicated by other scientists for verification of the results. He published two papers on the subject but his experiments were left unnoticed until after his death when a few scientists replicated his experiments and found them to be true.
Thirdly, I will tell you about the hereditary laws that originated from Mendel’s work. There’s a quote from wiki “Only a few would accuse Mendel of scientific malpractice or call it a scientific fraud” {Wikipedia.org}. This is simply because his experiments have been verified and the following principles have been developed from them. The first is the principle of segregation that states that each individual carries pairs of factors for the specific characteristics. For example, in a tall pea plant, the plant contains two pairs of factors for the tallness trait and since tallness is a dominant trait, the factors can either be both dominant, or one dominant and one recessive letting the dominant factor override the recessive factor. The short plant, thus, can only have two recessive factors and can only pass on recessive factors to the next generation. The second is the principle of independent assortment which basically states that the factors of one trait do not affect the factors of another trait. So it doesn’t matter whether the plant is tall or short, the pods it produces may be yellow or green regardless. And vice versa, the greenness of the pod does not affect whether or not the plant will be short.
In conclusion I have informed you about Mendel’s early life, his experiments, and his basic hereditary principles. Because of his work, scientists were able to continue on his experiments and discover such things as the genetic code, DNA, and other hereditary principles. Not having to worry about kids disrupting Mendel’s work might have been a very good thing.

Linux Distributions

Linux is a computer operating system originally made by Linus Torvalds and was released for public use in September 1991. Since then, Linux has been reworked, modified, and improved by thousands of developers. Today, there are many distributions of Linux floating around on the Internet that are made to do specific tasks and work on various computer models.

What is so good about having Linux as an operating system? One of the main reasons that people use it is because it is free. Unlike the Windows operating system made by Microsoft Corp., which will not allow you to redistribute or modify the contents (i.e. its main kernel or other system files), Linux is a free open-source project which will allow you to take it’s kernel, rework anything you want in it to suit your needs, and then either sell it or redistribute it freely. In addition to that, Linux is also very reliable and stable, meaning that you will not receive many unknown errors while you are working or while you are running it as a server. Having virtually no trojans or viruses that can do damage to the Linux OS, the operating system can now boast in superiority over the Windows OS, which has well over 1,000 viruses that can invade it’s system (if not more). When comparing user-friendliness of the two OS’s, Windows will stomp on any Linux distribution out there. Putting it into perspective, the Windows OS was made for the people who really don’t know anything about computers all the way to the advanced computer users. Linux, however, is mainly for people who actually know how to use a computer, run applications, and possibly know a thing or two about how to work in command-line mode. Microsoft Corp. also has a huge support center with people ready to take your questions and help you out with installation, error messages, and other computer-related topics. However, if you are using Linux, there are a few places to go on the Internet and ask questions, but generally, you are on your own. Software compatibility is yet another issue, as some products that work with Windows will not work with Linux and vice versa. However, Linux users can download an emulator that acts as an emulated OS and run programs with it. They can also install Linux on a computer with a different OS (making them coexist) and switch between them whenever they feel like it.

Out of all the Linux distributions out on the Internet, the most popular and most used distribution is the Red Hat Linux, which is now split into two distributions: Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat Linux is very easy to install, has a good user-interface (especially with that of Fedora Core), and has pretty good tech support. In addition to that, it also has a good combination of packages (software) built into it, and is fairly well sized in terms of downloading. Another popular distribution is the Debian, which has the most packages (8,710 to be exact) out of any other distribution, is compatible with virtually all hardware types, and has a fairly good support system. Unfortunately, since it is the largest Linux distribution out there, it becomes quite a hefty download. Furthermore, once installed with standard packages, the packages and kernel can take up to 800MB of space (2GB with all packages, some of which are unnecessary). Debian systems can also take a while to setup and run. The other popular distribution is known as Slackware Linux. Slackware Linux is the oldest distribution and its main focus is on security and stability. The main idea behind Slackware was KISS a.k.a. Keep It Simple, Stupid, which made this distribution into focussing on the system design instead of the ease of use. Thus, this distribution was made for the more knowledgeable computer user, not for the n00b. Some users of Slackware have stated, “When you know Slackware, you know Linux…when you know Red Hat, all you know is Red Hat.”

All in all, not including privately made/redistributed versions of Linux, there is somewhere over a hundred different distributions of Linux out on the Internet. Each version of Linux serves a certain purpose; a distribution fit for a workstation may not be very good to use as a server. A good list of distributions and their purposes can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution#General-purpose_distributions and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution#Special-purpose_distributions.

If anyone ever asks a question such as, “Is there a particular distribution that would work best with a PIII PC that only has a 4 Gig HD and maybe only 128M of RAM? If so why?” the answer that turns up is quite clear – any popular distribution of Linux is fully capable of working with that computer. Even Debian, fully packed with all of its features, will only take up to 800MB of hard drive space and a minimum of 12MB of memory. The question then becomes, “Which distribution has more cool features in it that we can play around with while the teacher isn’t looking?” Debian Linux, with all of its nice packages and customizability, is the obvious choice.