qptech blog

Linux allows you to make a file system read-only. That means that the OS will prevent it from being modified and give you an error if you try. I'm sure that Windows XP will let you make a file system (drive) read-only too, but it's pretty useless since windows won't run from a read-only file system - it won't even try.

But Linux can be made to run from a read-only file system with the assistance of a small read/write file system (on disk or in ram).

This means that you can protect all the important system files that the computer needs in order to operate properly. They can't be accidentally deleted, attacked by a virus or hacker, or lost by some (Microsoft) freak of nature.

I think that it would be possible to create a linux distribution designed to be run read-only and any updates, or new software would be installed from bootable cd's which would mount the system partition read/write, make whatever changes are necessary, then reboot into read-only mode again. The every-day user wouldn't have to worry about how to add software or drivers for his hardware or any of that junk... the cd's would be pre-packaged with certain software and he'd just have to pop it in and select what to install.

There'd be a writeable home directory (like My Documents in Winodws) which would hold all user data, software configuration data, and even certain software.

These days, the linux GUI's aren't any harder to learn than the Windows GUI.