The genesis of this article is the editorial “Why Linux Sucks as a Desktop OS” over at vBrad.com. While the author had some valid points about Linux, and I have shared his frustration, his approach was one that lost a large part of the audience. I have a little experience with Linux (I have played with Red Hat, SuSE and Mandrake, and have installed and used Linux in four or five flavors over the years) and have followed Linux as an interested observer.Editorial Notice: All opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of osnews.com
I find the responses to the “Why Linux Sucks as a Desktop OS” informative in understanding how many Linux users view Windows, and how many Windows users view Linux. (for the record, my personal favorite OS of all was BeOS 5 PE; it appealed to in ways that no other OS has, before or since).
My work requires me to Use Windows, which I have used in many forms since the 3.11 days. I now work as a Network Admin and do some end user support, in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Here are some reflections on Linux, mainly in terms of the “new user” in no particular order.
1. The entire tone of the debate between Windows vs. Linux is so shrill, with people shouting past one another, rather than talking with one another. People act like this is a zero sum game, with success by one side has to be balanced by loss on the other side. Reminds me of the Windows vs. Mac debate. For new users coming to fray, this sort of acrimonious debate is such that it simply turns them off from even considering moving to Linux.
2. Getting help from Linux experts. I used to work as tech/customer support for an ISP, and we had a lot of Grandma and Grandpa types; they had trouble articulating what they were trying to do and needed a lot of help. Some Linux experts are wont to fall back on the RTFM refrain. In some newsgroups I have even seen people attacked for being so stupid for even daring to ask such a basic question. The problem is some of the help on the web, or manuals that are available might as well be written in Aramaic. If people want Linux to expand onto the desktop, there has to be a higher tolerance for stupid or obvious questions. No one started as a computer expert. Everyone who came to this site had to start at page one. It might be useful to remember this, especially when the goal is to get people to try out Linux. (At the same time, there are many Linux users who are very helpful and supportive with new users)
3. The number of distros can be overwhelming for new users. People don’t even know how to start choosing or what separates one distro from another. Even with the user friendly GUI installers, the choices can be overwhelming, and the descriptions of the packages can be confusing. Having a number of distros is great for the Linux community, but can be hard for the new user to deal figure out.
4. Choosing between KDE vs. Gnome. For many beginning users, they are not sure which to choose or why, or even what they do. Many “causal” users will not understand that Linux, by itself, does not have a GUI, and that you need to choose one, such as KDE or Gnome. The separation between the OS and GUI can be confusing for many. It also becomes a question of why should I choose KDE or why should I choose Gnome?
5. For some problems, the solution is to recompile the kernel. This, quite frankly, is beyond the ability (or more precisely, the patience) of many new users. Granted, this does not have to be done often, but the very idea can be daunting for the new user.
6. The Windows Sux! Mantra. This is a turn-off for some people. There are many moral and ethical issues that people have with Microsoft, but virulent, all M$ is evil and all their programs sux does not cut it. Windows XP (and 2000) is complex, involved system that works well for many people. Is it perfect? No, far from it (security is still a major issue), but a lot of people like it. Denigration of the Windows OS in such harsh terms will turn off many people; some will see it as an attack on themselves (i.e. “you like Windows? How can you be so stupid?”) and be turned off of Linux. Telling people that Windows crashes all the time (for some people it never does) or that Windows is just for games just looses you new converts. If the goal is to get more people to Linux, then it should be done by not tearing down Windows, but building up Linux.
7. Out of the box. The Lindows boxes, while sneered at by some in the Linux community, may be the way to go. I had one of my former ISP customers by a Lindows machine, and he was very impressed. It worked out of the box, had Internet, WP, etc, all ready to go. This was someone who had never used a Linux machine, and was productive within an hour of unpacking it. A person like this buying a Windows machine (such as an E-Machine) will find that they have Internet, a “light” suite for WP, and can also be productive soon after unpacking their computer. This is where Linux needs to fight head to head with Windows.
I do not mean to be critical of Linux or the Linux community. What they have achieved in recent years (especially the last four years or so, is phenomenal. There has been deep penetration in the server market, and there is strong growth in the desktop market. However, I think that some changes in how Linux is viewed, and how the novice end user is viewed, will be necessary in order to get a larger share of the desktop market. I believe Linux has a bright future, and will prove to be a worthy competitor to Windows, both on the desktop and on the server. I also think that Windows is not going away anytime soon. In a sense, that is a good thing, as having both Linux and Windows as an option for users will only foster competition and lead to better products.
The tone of the debate really does turn people off. It’s unfortunate. When I try to convert people, I do try to focus on why Linux is good…unless they’re extremely frustrated with Windows, in which case I tell them why Linux is better. But it always pays to be honest, and I also tell them about things they’re likely to find difficult given their background.
btw…where are all these RTFM people? I hear about them all over the place, but I can never seem to find one. I’ve had really good experiences with other Linux users; they always try to be helpful. Maybe I’m just lucky?
heh…I met up with a guy today who was wearing a t-shirt that had “RTFM” printed on the front of it…I thought I’d found an honest-to-god RTFM person, until I asked him a question about graphics card drivers, and he politely told me everything I wanted to know. The search continues…
Are articles that are non truthful, as was the VBRad article. Had the author spent even 30 minutes researching, he would have been able to write a truthful article. In my mind, it was an intentional FUD document. There’s no other reasonable explanation. IE: The author managed to get to http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/, yet he didn’t even read the instructions before claiming he had to replace the kernel! Truth be told, all that is necessary is to install the package containing the module, and load it. http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/info/redhat.html#inst2
Honestly, if the persons writing this garbage would tell the truth instead, you would find less arguments. I’m not here for the “weekly world news”.
I wasn’t trying to say OSNews hates linux. I was just making a statement about the linux good! linux bad! linux good! linux bad! routine that seems to never end.
> btw…where are all
> these RTFM people?
Me too, I’d like to know where they are. It seems people are always constructing linux straw men so they can have something to whine about.
I appreciated this article as it cuts to the heart of the emotional debate over whether or not Linux is a desktop OS or not. I have to question why OSnews posted the “why linux sucks as a desktop os” article in the first place as it was inaccurate and did not prove anything. I’m all for constructive critisism but that article needed more research. Linux news must be slow these days becasue most of the sites i read latley are regurgitating press releases and calling it a feature article or are stating poorly informed opinions
I want to know who are all those folks are that are recompiling their kernels for fun?
I have not re-compiling a kernel in about three years now. I have compiled a kernel mod or two in my day but that was fringe stuff to be sure.
There is also this idea that you have to recompile a kernel to get hardware working which is just nutty since that is the point of kernel mods.
Also, where are these people going for help. Redhat-lists (no RTFM not even as a joke), SuSE-en list (no RTFM and if anyone dares they get blasted like mad), and Gnome Support Forum (no RTFM). Where are they going to get help? IRC for God’s sakes?
Sure, when some pundit waxes on about how Linux sucks crap because it can’t do A but it can do A if the person had just looked up the docs on it then you see RTFM not when people ask “How do I do A” in a help list.
Geez don’t like it? Don’t use it. There is one thing in the universe more useless than this and it is one of those articles that go something like — I am a Windows user and I hate Apples and Macs are toys and now that I have said that I am going to tell you what I think of OS X articles.
I’ve been using Linux since 1993. I’ve used Yggdrasil (remember them??), Slackware, Debian, Redhat, Mandrake, Gentoo, beta tested for Stormix and Stampede. I’ve been answering complex questions and obvious questions.
The fact is, Linux is not a replacement to Windows. Linux is an alternative. No you can’t keep all your old hardware, and no you can’t open all your files, and no your old software won’t run, and no the interface isn’t the same, and no the technical support is different, etc, etc. Linux is not for everyone, as a matter of fact it comes from a culture historically demanding of its members. It is an OS for people who need more power and flexibility than Windows/alternatives provide, not a free operating system for Mom or Pop to run programs on so they don’t have to spend as much money.
I hate supporting new users. I’m tired of it (esp. because when I started no one supported me). Linux is for the hardcore, just like FreeBSD and OpenBSD. I’ll tell you what they told me, learn to use the man pages, the linux documentation project, O’Rielly books, and Read the Fucking Manual. If that isn’t for you, please use an operating system that meets your needs like Windows or OS X. Linux doesn’t need you and you don’t need Linux so move along, there is nothing to see here.
Not that I don’t appreciate this article (I found it an entertaining and interesting read), but I’m beginning to wonder how much information is being recycled and reused from article to article. It seems everybody wants to leave their comment on the desktop linux matter, so they fill a document with explanations of issues they’ve already heard and then have about a paragraph or two of their view in between. Sure Linux has a way to go before ordinary people can use it, sure it is heading the right way, sure it is useable for those willing to take the time to learn it better (not quite the average person yet). Perhaps the free tech support isn’t always the friendliest, but come on! You get what you pay for! Pay somebody to answer your question and no matter how simple it is, you’ll probably get somebody to nicely answer it without making you feel dumb.
My comment on the matter (I’ll try not to regurgitate):
Deep inside, I think most Linux users feel a form of synical elitism for taking the time to learn their system and solve the issues that arose in making it useable. I know I sure felt that way when I installed Gentoo. Nobody feels that way after installing Windows XP. That’s why you have the one side of the Linux community that praises the customizability and simplicity of manually editing config files and the power of the comand line, while the other side wants a simple gui installer for everything Windows has one for because that’s what they’re used to.
The traditional crowd begins despising the gui everything crowd because it takes away the sense of accomplishment when Grandpa asks what’s so hard about installing Linux. Perhaps that exact situation isn’t here yet, but it seems to be the underlying mood.
My guess is that the reason the Gentoo forums are so widely acclaimed for friendliness is the fact that all the users have taken the time to read the install documents, learn the basics of the command line and editing text config files, and had the patience to overcome the “install initiation.” These are the Linux recruits that the old techies are happy to take the time to help out because they are easier to relate to. Also, this is probably why a lot of Gentoo users are against a gui installer. They like the level of achievement they felt for passing the install and they know that Gentoo users at least know the basics when they try to ask a question.
> btw…where are all
> these RTFM people?
>Me too, I’d like to know where they are. It seems people are always constructing linux straw men so they can have something to whine about.
You’ll find a lot of them in the various usenet groups.
One of the problems Linux has is that there are unfortunately too many Linux users who *don’t* want Linux to extend to the masses. We’ve seen some of that elitism on this site. In their view if you can’t pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and figure it out on your own, then they don’t want you using Linux.
I’ve seen people issue out the RTFM, and I think I’ve dished it out myself. It is good that many of you haven’t seen it, but you need to understand a couple things. When it comes to Linux, you need to (1) Know where to ask the questions and (2) you need to know how to ask the questions. If you can do those two things you probably won’t have someone say RTFM. RTFM is a response for inappropriate questions in the wronge place, or in response to something that was found offensive.
Linux people who can help new users usually willingly look to help out. People who are tired of helping simply don’t go to the places where help for simple things would be posted.
I have places on the net (OSNews is one of many) where I occasionally look to see the discussion in the forums, and I help when I think I can. I have other places (certain mailing lists) where I look for more technical discussions and knowledge.
It is all about the environment. So, the question is, which type are you (no one specific, just whoever reads this) looking for?
Where are all these linux people who supposedly disdain
the use of the gui?
They aren’t over at KDE or Gnome that is for sure. Those
two DE’s are all about the GUI. It’s been awhile since
I read anyone saying Linux should be just command line.
Just a few pointers to the Linux crowd from a Windows user who has basically heard every point that has ever been made in favor of Linux.
1. First of all, stop trying to ‘convert’ people – Linux is not a religion, it is an operating system.
2. If you really feel that you must ‘convert’ people, please be as honest as you can about what Linux currently does well and what it does not. When talking to a Windows user about Linux, inform them that Linux is not Windows, doesn’t work like Windows, and making the switch may have advantages, but there might also be some headaches when making the switch. This way, you don’t have poeple mislead into thinking that Linux is a freeware clone of Windows, and therefore you’ll have much less ‘Linux sucks on the Desktop’ articles and you won’t have to wonder why so many people are complaining about a free OS.
3. I know that some people (myself included, even though I am not guilty of doing it on purpose), spread all kinds of bullshit about Linux, keep in mind that two wrongs don’t make a right. I’ve heard things from the Linux camp such as “If you’re using XP and upgrade your memory, Micro$oft will turn off your operating system.” To those that are a little more informed, this kind of thing sounds about as intelligent as people who say you can’t install apps in Linux without compiling first. You know how stupid people sound when they spread FUL about Linux, right? Well, the opposite is also true from a Windows user’s point of view.
4. Similar to the #3 above, be careful about what you say when you critize Windows. Don’t make blanket statements like “Windows crashes all the time” unless you’re talking to somebody that you know who’s Windows box crashes all the time. You have no idea how moronic you sound when you’re talking about how unstable Windows is to a person who’s Windows boxen are rock solid. And yes, I know Windows trolls do the same thing – but ask yourself, how intelligent do they sound to you when they do it? The best thing to do is not to stoop to their level.
5. Keeping in mind #4 above, don’t use politics as your main thrust for a Windows vs. Linux debate. EULA, TCPA, Product Activation, etc sounds really good to an idealist, but to the average ‘consumer’ who is already owned by Corporate America anyway, this isn’t going to make a damn bit of differents, not at the OS level anyway. Keep the political debates in Washington and in political arenas where it belongs. (I know you’re just itching to argue this point, but TRUST ME – most of us Windows users just don’t give a shit, and insulting us isn’t going to help your case one iota.)
Instead, talk to a Windows user in terms of what Linux has to offer on a technical/practical/productivity level. Talk about its security, it’s lack of hidden spyware apps, and the cost comparison to Windows. Talk to a Windows user about what kind of apps he uses, and when appropriate, tell them about apps in Linux that are functional equivalents to what he is already using, or at least has all the features he needs. More articles like “101 reason to use Mozilla over IE” are real gems – you need more of those. In general, tell him about what Linux can do for him that Windows can’t, and DON’T make up shit just to make Linux sound good.
And for the love of god, DO NOT offer up some half-assed ‘alternative’ to a Windows/commercial app that simply does not measure up – this goes back to the honesty part. If he’s using apps in Windows that are currently better than anything Linux has to offer, admit to yourself that this person is better off using Windows, and move on. The world isn’t going to end if every man, woman, and child isn’t using Linux by 2005. Besides, it’s supposed to be about choice, right? Or is choice only important as long as that choice doesn’t involve MS products?
6. On a technical level, stop trying so hard to be an MS clone. I’m not saying that MS is the innovator of anything, but I’m really not impressed by an OS that is trying so hard to be like something I am already using. Despite what some might say, it IS possible to build something intuitive without being Windows. You don’t have to look any further for an example than OSX. And you don’t have to BE Windows to attract Windows users. As I’ve said before, you just have to make Linux do more things that Windows can’t. If you can do this and build modern-day the equivalent to Napster, you won’t have to worry about converting anybody anymore
7. Do realize that if you truly want ‘Linux for the masses’, for most new users coming from a different OS, the only way you’re going to get most of them to switch over is by holding their hand and walking them through the whole setup/configuration process – man pages and howtos won’t do. Many try to counter this point by saying “Well, people didn’t learn Windows in a day”, which is true, but … Do you have any idea how most people learned Windows? I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count …
You can complain that most people are lazy and you would be right. Believe me, you’re preaching to the choir here
8. When it comes to the desktop and Joe Sixpack, simplicity almost always wins over power and flexability. Keep this in mind when trying to win the world over to Linux. Some people cite OSX as proof tha a Unix OS can be a usable desktop OS. However, with OSX, you don’t see it shipping with 3000+ window managers out of the box – that in itself should tell you someting. Sometimes, less is really more.
9. Stop arguing about the damn CLI and give people a GUI option. Notice I am NOT saying to replace the CLI, but simply to offer both. For example, in Redhat, I had to edit a config file to enable DMA on IDE devices. There is simply no reason why you can’t ALSO offer this in a ‘control panel’ option in the GUI – that way, you make everyone happy. The CLI for the masochists, and the GUI for everyone else
10. When someone trying out Linux has a bad experience, don’t assume it is because he was using the wrong distro. Everytime someone posts a negative Redhat review, Mandrake zealots will chime in to offer their distro as the easy fix. THen when there’s a bad review for Mandrake, the Redhat zealots chime in – it’s a vicious cycle that leads to nowhere. Of course, the Gentoo zealots will chime in on both articles, but that’s beside the point
Seriously though, in the grand scheme of things, one distro is about as good as another in the sense that you couldn’t offer up one distro for someone to try without having the entire Linux community split down the middle 50/50 on whether they agree with your recommendation.
Well, I could go on, but this is why overlong already
But there is something to see here, and not everyone has that attitude. Linux may have been only for the hardcore in 1993, but that isn’t the case today. You don’t have to be an expert to run it by any means. I’m not foolish – I know damn well that it isn’t (and shouldn’t be) some kind of Windows replacement, and I know that everything isn’t easy and simple. That doesn’t mean a fairly competent Windows user can’t be very happy using Linux on the desktop, if it gives them what they want. And they don’t have to want to be on the bleeding edge to get something out of it.
I agree with a lot of that, actually. Everything except the part about not trying to convert people. But that doesn’t mean I’m indiscriminate; I only try to convert people who I think will get something out of the experience. I’ve never tried to convert my grandfather and I never will. My roomate who’s comfortable with a command line (he grew up on DOS) and loves messing around with things and learning everything about any system he runs into…yeah, I’m working on him (almost there), not just because Linux will meet his needs, but because he’ll love the learning process involved in using it.
And yeah, honesty is the important thing. When my housemate asks me how Open Office is, I take out my laptop and show it to him — including how damn long it takes to start up, even with a 1.7 ghz P4 and 512 ram. I also don’t needlessly troll Windows.
And — yes — there are people I’ve actively dissuaded from using Linux, because they wouldn’t like it and they’d walk away from it with a headache. Better for them to wait until they’re ready for it, or it’s ready for them, so they don’t get an aweful impression of it based on false expectations.
Everyone who has something to say here should rent the movie ‘Revolution OS.’ It will give you an interesting look at RMS, GNU, the GPL, Linus and Linux, Cygnus, and the “religion” that is Linux users.
RTFM is truly dying – USENET is the last place it exists. But Linux users are “to the death” battlers, and we’ll never see any resolution to KDE v Gnome, my distro v. your distro, etc.
Well, I agree that too many people get religious over Linux. Its not the end of the world if you use Windows.
I am a Linux user, but I am also a Windows user because I like to play games when I’m not working. I find that each OS has its use. I am EXTREMELY picky about my distros and I switch from time to time, but I LOVE Linux.
With that said, I would also like to add that there is no way in hell that I would recommend ANY Linux distro to anyone that doesn’t LOVE computers and therefore want to spend hours in front of it doing things that are not related to productivity like configuring XFree86 to use the accelerated graphics features of a card, or fiddling with settings to get USB hardware working (which isn’t hard at all), or going through the “config/make/make install” process when they want to install a new program (yes, I know about urpmi and such, but their are plenty of programs that aren’t packaged our there that I install all the time).
To be honest, although I don’t mind doing these things (I’ve done Gentoo linux installs before… hour upon hour of waiting) even I get a bit fed up with some non-functionality that would take time to fix in Linux and thats when I go to Windows.
In Windows I feel confined and claustrophobic. I really don’t know what to call it, but I want to beat my monitor when I discover spyware like SaveNow and other settings I cannot change, that make me yearn for the utter freedom of Linux. Right now, I am in Windows. That is because I installed Redhat 9 and found it to be huge and annoying since I am not finished tweaking it to my liking
.
Basically, in this overlong rant I am saying that Linux is for people that don’t mind spending lots of time on their computers using Linux. For people that just want to work and then never touch the machine except to check email, and want to but software at the store and expect it to just about install itself we have Windows.
> I hate supporting new users.
Then don’t.
>I’m tired of it
Then stop.
>(esp. because when I started no one supported me).
That is a stupid reason. Using that logic, the world will only get worse.
I could refute everything else you said, but you are not worth the energy. Grow up before you post again, please.
I wonder how many of these articles are written a day?
“Linux is not good enough for anybody’s desktop.”
“Everybody should like Linux.”
“I know what’s best for Linux.”
Is there a point to these articles, besides starting arguments? Try Linux if you want; use it or don’t. Form your own opinion, and then keep it to yourself because nobody cares what you think.
(Excuse me, I’m just venting some frustration after losing a game of Go.)
I was just curious about why anyone would care what the author thought. The source is not a major news source and I would doubt there is a large audience. If you check on the site, it is run by two VB programmers. How does their opinion have any validity? Checking their ‘news’ article archive and they have not posted anything since last year. To sum this up, why would we care about a rant on a personal website with limited distribution? It probably got more exposure, posted here, than it ever would have otherwise.
Linux is a windows replace, for web browsing, email, IM, music and movies, office apps and most other typical computer tasks. Linux is easy enough for my mom and pop. My dad uses RedHat 7.x right now and has had very little problems with it over the last year, even while replacing his printer and scanner. And he’s really happy because this new computer is more than twice as fast as his old one and cost him less than $500. It was the first computer he built himself, too. See, our parents just need a little encouragement.
We need to stop fearing these “expensive” machines. They’re not all that important. What’s important is the integrity of your data (always make backups!), the cost of maintenance and upkeep, downtime, etc. I don’t know, that’s what’s important to me. I still use Windows because I like playing games and usings all the features of my graphics and sound cards. But one day soon Linux will support all those features and run all those games. So I know Windows 2000 will be the last OS I ever have to buy.
Until I get a Mac.
But seriously, Linux isn’t all that bad, is it?
I neither want to persuade anyone to switch to Linux nor lead anyone to the conclusion that it is easy to switch. But I can say this. Once you have made the switch and properly configured your system you should have an OS that will last as long as your hardware. But I always recommend upgrading until all your hardware is supported, bug free, and the desktop is finished and complete. I would give it another year or two, but my RedHat 9 installation is very useful.
My only reason to reboot to Win2k is because Dscaler is so awesome and that stupid thing on Linux doesn’t fullscreen properly. See, it sucks so bad I even forgot its name.
michael said: (but it got modded down)
“I realize that endless OS wars topics get the post counts up and the page view counts up and help get more advertising at a better price. However, the also detract from the quality of the site, at least in my opinion. Of course, it’s not my business, but many a business has been ruined because they lost their objective view of the world. ”
and i would have to second that opinion.
posting these crap articles will get the comment count up, but it will also take away the quality osnews had. more trolling in the comments, and not a single valid argument. Go ahead and make it into a /. (which u used to despise).
This used to be a site where you could come to read something “interesting”, it has become a site where one can come to read endless rants about whatever operating system the author is trying to use (it’s been said before, if you like what you’re using don’t switch, but above all don’t go around bitching about why the other thing isn’t your taste)
secondly, not only is the content of the latest articles mostly crap, on a site of this caliber one expects the articles to be proofread. sometimes there are literally dozens of spelling mistakes in one article.
you guy’s are losing it, and if you fail to see that you will be losing your precious site
This is an already over-done topic.
I’ll just mention a few points:
1) Price: No matter what you think, economics matters – and Linux gave poor people or cost sensitive business more choices, as well as a negotiation argument against the monopoly. If you don’t mind about bootlegging at all, alright no further debate on this issue.
2) What you like vs what you need vs what can work is simply 3 different aspects of computing. Everyone will have different priority among them. Some people think usability is the king, while others think robustness and stability. However, if price is taking in the equation, to measure price/performance or ROI or TCO, then everybody should have done their calculations.
3) The fact that Linux got more and more mentioned is a sign of it going to front stage of computing. More people keep debating it and it gets more publicity – unlike MS can do it in multi-billion dollar advertising campaign of Windows whatever version.
4) Linux in 2003 will have some of the greatest momentum in its life of development in both kernel and user space app development. It’s one thing to say it’s harder to learn, it’s different when you say it will _never_ catch up to Windows in the desktop/apps department. Outside United States, I am sure I will see even more unadvertised convert to Linux because the cost savings and works enough already contributed a lot of it – and to stay legal without bootlegging is also a good business practice, as long as the system works stable and fulfill the function.
He’s a techie, used to using Windows, has got XP Home on his home computer and was doing some training with Win2K Server – the 180-day license. Said license expired and wrote off his boot sector and damaged a good part of his XP set-up. He was saved by MS issuing him with the Service Pack, which somehow got everything working okay.
I told him he should get ahold of Knoppix for just that sort of situation, as it can read and write to NTFS partitions, and fix them.
No condemnation of him or Microsoft, just advice I gave to someone else who also had problems with XP and the boot sector. and guess what – it works!
When is this going to stop?
I get the feeling that the linux crowd are stuck trying
to make Microsoft look bad most of the time instead of making
linux bed rock stable and lightning fast.
Don’t get me wrong, I use linux everyday, its just pisses
me off when people write things like this about linux without
even doing anything about it.
Super Anonymous Coward
… that many people give a damn either way.
A lot of the “Windows sucks” “Linux sucks” is just plain flaming to get a reaction.
The reality of the situation is many so called “hardcore linux users” who abuse Microsoft are dual booting between windows and linux.
I think it’s an over-reaction to a badly written article that doesn’t cover anything significant, except to point out a few piddling little flaws that can happen with any OS.
As I sit here typing this on a windows box, there’s a linux box to my left that is used for backups and mp3 playing, a G4 to my right that a designer here uses, another Linux box as a firewall, two imacs (currently not being used) and a couple of other windows boxes.
You get the picture – the fact is that most companies and people just don’t care so long as the job gets done and gets done effectively.
“RTFM” might be dying, but it’s getting replaced by “send patches”
“You get the picture – the fact is that most companies and people just don’t care so long as the job gets done and gets done effectively.”
amen to that!
i use whistler for web development and image editing then test the pages/script on linux, use linux on web/mail/ftp servers and the list goes on…..
> The CLI for the masochists, and the GUI for everyone else
Haven’t you noticed yet that God gave a man ten fingers,
not just one to point and click (as Mr Gates seems to think)?
And: don’t waste time on arguing which OS is better. Just
get fun … with Linux 🙂
The only workable effort to create a usable GUI for Linux (Eazel) closed it doors. Linux as GUI operating system is horrible mess today and I don’t think it will improve.
I’ve used Linux. Hated it.
I’m a Windows/Linux user. I see strengths and weaknesses in both. Unfortunately, this article does a horrible job of pointing out anything.
Someone has already pointed out that the recompiling-the-kernel thing is silly. Almost every device driver works through a kernel modules and modprobe. And most module maintainers make packages out of them so you can do one-line installations under RH or Debian or whatever suits you.
The thing that really pisses me off are these statements:
“Why can’t the same happen in KDE or GNOME? Simply because they are not integrated with Linux kernel in a tight manner.”
Of course, this may be a religious issue, but anyone who knows anything about Operating Systems knows that the reason we all dislike Microsoft a bit is because of this “tight integration.” Integration means the second explorer goes whacko on a Win98 machine, the fucking thing crashes. Under Windows 2000, there is “less integration,” so sometimes you can stop an explorer.exe process when it’s crashing. But not always. In fact, not most of the time (I speak from experience here).
On auto-detection of hardware, some distros have created autodetection programs. I don’t like them. Autodetection (under Windows) means whenever I plug in my Firewire drive and it is already turned on, for whatever reason, I get BSOD. But if I had control over hardware detection, I could at least put the driver into play at the right moment. There are other disadvantages like these.
Not to mention that one should consider the ability to recompile the kernel a gift. This means people can create kernel hacks and you can apply them yourself. Try doing that under Windows.
And he didn’t even mention the fact that one can recompile a kernel and apply it without even rebooting. Try installing a driver or update (or even a program!) without rebooting in Windows.
The bottom line here is that this article only provides a good view of one thing: how a jaded Windows user cannot understand why every piece of software on Earth doesn’t work the way Microsoft makes theirs work. This is as a result of the massive reeducation of the computer literate on what computer software means. You don’t just see it in this guy, you see it in Computer Science departments at our universities, you see it in everyday people. It’s a tough problem to overcome, when all the standards have been set by Microsoft so no one can even understand that something might be “better.”
Truth be told, there are reasons why Linux isn’t making it as a desktop. But that author doesn’t know what they are. So let’s just take what he says as an uninformed rant and move on.
P.S. anyone else notice this is a VB site? Yikes.
“The only workable effort to create a usable GUI for Linux (Eazel) closed it doors. Linux as GUI operating system is horrible mess today and I don’t think it will improve.”
I guess you don’t know that the GUI Eazel created is now the default GNOME file manager.
There was a time when people used Commodres, Ataris, and Apples at their house. Then IBM invented the IBM PC in 1981. It “sucked”. But businesses bought it because it was backed by IBM.
People satrted buying the “sucky” IBM PC’s for home use, simply because they wanted to use the same thing at home as they used at work. It didn’t matter if it sucked. People who wanted to play games bought an Atari 2600 or an Intellivision.
Now IBM is pushing Linux. HP is pushing Linux. Sun is pushing Linux. Every computer company threatened by Microsoft, which is a lot, is pushing Linux. And it is working.
Many companies are using linux as servers. Many are using them as diskless workstations (not full desktops). Software houses are writing more and more applications for these systems.
Some businesses alread use Linux on the desktop. Some are converting from Windows to Linux. Whether linux takes a dominant share of the desktop at work, will determined by what makes business sense. Not what feels good for the users. And the users will follow what the use at work.
From an economic perspective, Linux beats Microsoft, because it is open and it is free. Microsoft, with their closed system and expensive licsense, will be the next Apple.
Apple, with their new *nix OS, might be the next Microsoft.
People thought VW Bugs’s were “sucky”, but they did the job, and they did cheaply and reliably. Thats good enough for most mortal men.
Quote: “People act like this is a zero sum game, with success by one side has to be balanced by loss on the other side. Reminds me of the Windows vs. Mac debate.”
Perhaps, but I think many see it more similar to the Internet Explorer vs. Netscape debate – yes, the world can have more than one browser (apart from the thrust of marketing camps), but the difference is that one is being overtly predatory. Netscape (at least up until they threatened to create their own java language) was designed to be a good browser, whereas IE was designed to be the only browser.
Is this fear? Yup. But, considering history, it’s somewhat warranted, though I totally agree that the treatment of the Linux crowd toward all things MS can sometimes be repulsive and childish.
Good article
1. There have been several ‘I Love Linux And Here’s Why’ ‘articles’ here on OSNews that are thinly veiled opinions. By the same token, there have been several ‘I Hate Linux And Here’s Why’ opinions passed off as articles.
Opinions are plentiful in the forums and that’s where I expect to find them. Articles are supposed to be articulate, researched, informative things that deliver solid facts. Op-Ed pieces i.e. opinions, are supposedly labeled as such. Simply inserting a “sole opinion of the author” disclaimer into these pieces is a disservice to OSNews and to the readers. Slow news days are not excuses to deliver crap.
2. Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, Xandros, Libranet, etc. take aim at different parts of the market i.e. power users, complete newbies, users who want feature-heavy, all-in-one-
basket distros, and users who want Linux Lite distros with just one or two of each kind of app. Guiding them to the most likely distro will ‘convert’ people faster than anything. Build it and they will come. ‘My distro can beat up your distro’ doesn’t grow the Linux using population faster or make Linux more appealing to newcomers. It just make us look juvenile.
I agree with the universtiy issue. When I went to university, what we were taught was information science/technology, if you wanted to, later on, be a Windows wizz kid then it was up to you to take a paper or complete an industry certificate specialised in that particular area. Universities are there to set the ground work that is common to all information systems, such as DNS, SMTP/POP3, IMAP, Perl scripting, tcp/ip structure etc etc, then, once the person has the ground knowledge, they then can move on and learn how to use the tool so that he can apply the knowledge to the particular operating system.
Being IT is made up of two parts, firstly, what I like to call “open knowledge”, that is, knowledge that is universal to all situation, such as TCP/IP, SMB, NFS and so forth, then what I like to call “product knowledge” is taught.
“Denigration of the Windows OS in such harsh terms will turn off many people; some will see it as an attack on themselves (i.e. “you like Windows? How can you be so stupid?”) and be turned off of Linux.”
Of course Windows users are not stupid, they’re just people using computers, like everyone else in the world. But Windows administrators on the other hand… Ok, so you’ve just spent how many years building your career around a proprietary desktop operating system, don’t even know how to calculate a subnet mask, blew hundreds of dollars on Microsoft Windows certifications, and expect to have my respect? Huh uh. Sorry, you lose.
I’ve been in the system administration field for 5 years, and only about 1% of the Windows administrators I’ve ever known do I consider to be good administrators. 1%.
OK, the author is tired if the “Windows suX” mantras. But it seems that a criminal corporation calling Linux a “cancer”, issuing continuing lies and FUD about Open Source, Free Software, and Linux in general is perfectly OK…. Come on now Winwussies, can’t you take it. As far as RTFM goes,I have never said that to a newbie…. never, and I am an angry old fart to boot!!!
Customer(Linux Newbie): Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.
Waiter (Linux Zealot): If you didn’t want soup, then why did you order it ?
(Newbie): No, you don’t understand, I wanted soup, I just didn’t want the fly.
(Zealot): You are a whining idiot! All you have to do is, go into the back room where we keep the fly removal tools, unpack it, read the short 10,000 page manual that you will find scattered in various places back there, then remove one of your shoes and put the tool between your first and second toe. Hop back here to your table then hover your foot over the bowl, and while patting your head, rubbing your tummy, and singing your national anthem, simply flip it in a counter clockwise direction and waalaa, the fly is gone. Problem solved!
(Newbie): Look, All I wanted was a simple (clean) bowl of soup that doesn’t come from the monopoly restaurant down the street. I have no interest in the inner workings of whatever tools you use and I don’t want or need your abuse for simply pointing out the fact that there is a fly in this one. Now would you please take care of the fly?
(Zealot): What? You think that the monopoly restaurant down the street doesn’t have flies, your a dreamer, a fool, a lazy no good shite for brains that doesn’t deserve to draw a breath.
(Newbie): All that you say about me might be true, but it is also true that you never did anything about the fly. If you want my money, Sir, “REMOVE THE FLY”!!
I liked this article. It closely matches my feelings on the whole debate.
I think the author may misunderstand the reason behind Lindows’ success with his friend. The main reason why Lindows was easy for his friend was that it came with the machine. As techies, I think we don’t fully understand how daunting installing a new OS (or even reinstalling an old OS) is for the average user. By coming with the machine, issues like device compatibility are largely non-issues. Peripherals are the obvious exception, but non-techie users tend to use their computers mainly for word processing and internet access (as the article sorta said). These people like all-in-one packaging. Just hook it up and it “works”.
What makes Lindows unique is that their leadership understands that the only way Linux will break into the home market is by coming with the machines.
There’s a feeling of satisfaction that you get when you get Linux working exactly the way YOU want. You’ve picked the window manager you like, set up your modules and scripts and daemons, or possibly you compiled the whole damn thing yourself. And it works the way you want it to, rather than the way company X thinks it should.
I get the opposite feeling when i’m forced to use Windows. Which is pretty often. It often feels like the operating system is actually working against me. That the OS is trying to force me to customize myself to it’s expectations, as it were.
Part of the problem is that the ‘power user’ and ‘developer’ segment of the computer population, which is a big chunk of the linux users, is worred that by making linux more open to the masses, it will cut down on the flexibility of the OS.
And a lot of people don’t care about this debate – they think Windows is the computer.
ok .. just installed Mdrake 9.1 …. everything seems to work. Imported my fonts, websites look **MUCH MUCH** better than they did in Mdrake 8 …
Kmail is working … mp3’s play ok.
I’m a Windows nut, but … this seems to work fine. Why all the biotching and moaning about “desktop readiness” … I haven’t even started configuring schtuff, and I’m already 88% ready to roll ….
Must investigate this linux thing more closely .. 🙂
All the RTFM guys are haniging out with all the guys who consistantly get BSODs and complain about DLL Hell. There live in the “Old ass sh*t complaints that don’t really apply anymore” neighborhood.
I am one of those RTFM people… but only to people who should know better. I am a software engineer who works in an OS department. We develop our own OS for our hardware and 99% of the people in my group are incredibly smart. Sometimes when they come asking me stupid questions, I send them a link to the appropriate manual.
However, if it’s a question about an area that I know this person knows NOTHING about, I will show them the manual but I will also do the best I can to help them out.
Mattew Gardiner responded to my short statement about universities, and I thought I’d just say something else because I’m not sure if I was clear.
When I refer to this reeducation of the computer literate, I do not mean that universities are teaching Microsoft. As evidenced from my IP address (damn you OSNews!), I go to NYU, and here the Computer Science department does not teach Microsoft technology directly except in a couple upper-level courses I will not take anyway. In fact, many professors in the department here are Unix people, and I think that’s because this school is in NY and hence has many foreigners taking grad school courses and then becoming professors (outside the United States I think CS programs are very *nix-oriented).
I am not even complaining about the fact that my current professor projects a Windows 2000 desktop onto the screen when demonstrating his code. I don’t mind this, I don’t think the fact that the professor uses W2K means that all the students have to.
But I am very surprised by how few _students_ have even toyed with another environment but Windows (or even some Mac users who have never used Windows, or Windows users who have never toyed with Mac OS!). To me, exploring other operating systems is vital if you want to understand the theories involved in Computer Science and OS-design especially. Spending all your time on Windows while claiming you are a computer scientist is like reading _only_ the works of Stephen King and claiming you are a literary scholar.
You simply lack perspective. There are so many ways to do things in all disciplines.
What makes the *nix world attractive and appealing to me, as a student, is the open-source aspect. I can’t believe how many people fail to see the irony of trying to be a student of computer science running a system that is closed, and, as a result, will not show you how its inner-workings look.
Not that the inner-workings of Windows would be a good lesson for you as a student ;-D
But in terms of this article, because this person is so jaded by the Windows world, it is very difficult for him to cope with concepts that seem so foreign, alien. When your introduction to the world of computers is a Microsoft Introduction, you can’t help but define computer software in terms of Microsoft.
For example, the widely-said axiom: “Things are easier to install on Windows.” Sure, to a person who spent their whole life installing things by going to download.com, downloading an EXE file, and then clicking through an installation wizard, that’s easy! But, I think installing things in debian is much easier in a vacuum, because it’s simply one apt-get install <package> line, and the installation and configuration is done automatically.
My mother–who is a complete Luddite, who wards computers off with a cross and garlic–would probably find the second way easier, because to her browsing the web to find a package, downloading it to some location on the hard drive, finding that package, double-clicking it, and being daunted by all these options of the next wizard is anything but “simple.” So I think ease-of-use really stems from familiarity. For someone who is not familiar with computers at all, I think some of the package solutions linux distros offer may seem much easier than the Windows installations.
On second thought, if I were to demonstrate the difference between the Windows installation process and the Debian installation process to my mother, and then ask her, “Which is easier?” she would probably look at me dumbfounded. She would then respond, using a Romanian proverb she adores, that she “looks at this computer screen like a cat looks at a calendar.”
What I’m getting at here is that to people who don’t bother themselves with technicalities, it is just easier to define computers in terms of whatever you happened to have used. Obviously, to someone who has used Windows all their life, anything BUT the Windows way is not easy only because it is different. I think if Linux had 80-someought percent of the market share right now and WINDOWS was introduced as an alternative, people would be reacting in similar ways.
“What do you mean a REGISTRY?”
“So wait, you’re saying I have to reboot regularly?”
“I don’t have access to the source code? Why the fuck not?”
“Software costs $500 a pop? Who are these guys kidding?”
“People are logged on as root all the time? I don’t get it, what’s the point of user names then?”
etc. etc. etc. You get the point.
because it doesn’t do all my work for me. It doesn’t run all the software that runs on all the other computers. And it doesn’t support 100% of the features on 100% of the hardware. Need I say more?
to tell a systems administrator to go RTFM?
to tell a systems administrator to go RTFM?
Yes, then hand him his pink slip for not finding it on his own.
People here seem to think the RTFM problem has gone away. Well, now it’s changed. Whenever I tell a Linux freind about a problem I had with linux I get one of two things. Either I get “well then send a patch, why don’t you contribute” or I get “it’s because such and such a format/driver is proprietary”. And if I critisize a particular design decision of any part of a linux system I typically get “I’m not interesting in discussion, show me the code”.
Great, so I’m not supposed to talk about system design to determine the best solution, I’m just supposed to go code. Furthermore, I should right away go debug and fix any bugs, not ask around to see if there is a solution. Any deficiencies are somehow the fault of non-open source software.
And to curtail the typical “well it IS proprietary softwares fault” let me give you an example. I comment that ghostcsript/ggv has very poor pdf handling. Instead of a “yeah, that’s unfortunate” I get the old proprietary thing “PDF is proprietary that’s why it sucks”. Well, before I made this comment I already knew that a good open source program (xpdf) exists for reading pdf files. As it truns out, this program is now being integrated into GNOME. The point is that the problem really had nothing to do with pdf being proprietary, but that’s still the response I got.
As for the “show me the code” comments, well it’s true that I’m a computer scientist, but that doesn’t mean I want to repair enhance my operating system. Furthur, nearly ALL people don’t want to do this, they just want a functioning system. Finally, if I CAN contribute and don’t mind doing it, people don’t seem to realize that I may not want to put effort into a license I don’t particularly like (GPL) and into software that I often feel is designed poorly.
This kind of mentality is at least half of what turns me off linux.
Well, if linux, I mean GNU/Linux, is just an operating system, then Bush and the american army are a NGO.
When you go and send a few bucks to feed poor people, you mean you are just worry about they are hungry? I don’t think so. Linux is food for your brain, to make it wake up with the nice smell of knowledge cooked by a culture that thinks information should be free in order to improve their existence. No, information is not going to give everybody food, but democracy will and everybody sharing information means democracy. People 50 or 60 years old learn how to use a mobile, why can you understand other technical stuff the same as you understand how to cook a meal? Ok, maybe your mum makes good meals, and when you live your home? oh, maybe your wife will make you your good meals? if not, will you have enough money to go everyday to a restaurant? what about some independence and learn how to cook good meals your self?
Wayne ,a Linux Distro, information representative from Washington State, after having lunch with Zipperhead the Linux zealot, invited him back to his office to show him his company’s newest offering. He popped an install CD into a fresh PC and a couple of mouse clicks and ten minutes later they were greeted by as clean and beautiful a desktop as you ever saw. He went on to show Zipperhead all of the user friendly features. A mouse click here, a mouse click there. Everything worked and was available though various manipulations of the mouse. He then picked up a handheld remote control and continued, this time from accross the room while looking at a huge TV screen. He played movies, music, slide shows,surfed the Web and checked his mail, all using just the remote. For well over an hour he showed the zealot, new and user friendly features too numerous to list. A bead of sweat was rolling down Wayne’s brow from all his excitement as he asked the Linux zealot what he thought of what he had showed him. Clearly unimpressed and perplexed by it all, Zipperhead pointed to the keyboard and said ” What in the hell is wrong with you?!! Can’t you Type?!!!
1) Most home-desktop-end users have only an internet phone connection. It is practically impossible for them to download an “iso” and test it.
2) You can get Linux from a CD magazine and install it, but then you fall into an another problem. The next CD(s) you get, may contain a interesting new package and/or updated package; in the most of the cases, this package will not be compatible with your previously installed Linux distro. Having a variety of distros is good, but these distros are too “incompatible”.
3) A distro documentation explains how to install Linux beside windows, but you don’t find any information on how to remove it! (thanks Partition Magic)
(Linux == GNU/Linux)
“What makes Lindows unique is that their leadership understands that the only way Linux will break into the home market is by coming with the machines.”
———————————————————-
There is nothing unique about Lindows.
Lycoris & Xandros are plowing the same uber-noob soil.
Mandrake,& Lycoris are also available pre-installed Walmart
computers.
btw…where are all these RTFM people? I hear about them all over the place, but I can never seem to find one. I’ve had really good experiences with other Linux users; they always try to be helpful. Maybe I’m just lucky?
They’ve all switched to OpenBSD.
(Newbie): All that you say about me might be true, but it is also true that you never did anything about the fly. If you want my money, Sir, “REMOVE THE FLY”!!
<P>
(Zealot): Money? What money? We don’t want your MONEY! WE DON’T NEED NO STEENK’N MONEY!
My roomate who’s comfortable with a command line (he grew up on DOS) and loves messing around with things and learning everything about any system he runs into
Learning everything about the an OS doesn’t mean a CLI (in 2003). It just shows you know how to use the keyboard.
A good graphical OS would allow you to manage it without a CLI.
Linux is for the hardcore
That’s BS. I think it’s very silly to say that Linux is for the “hardcore”. Perhaps that is true of BSD, but not Linux. I set up a Linux box for my girlfriend a while ago and although we’ve since broken up, she still uses it for web browsing and word processing. She rents out cars for a living.
Personally, I like to play when I want to play and get work done when I want to get work done. Linux is perfect for that. You always read about Mac users who say that they’re more productive on a Mac. I would say the same thing about Unix workstations/Linux boxes. Have you ever tried cutting and pasting in Windows? Logging on to a Windows workstation? Printinting something from across town with Windows? Running Netscape from a different domain so you can access content your university paid for but can’t be accessed from a Verizon IP address?
Windows is good if you like to play games. This whole thing about people who complain because a default Linux installation lacks mp3 support or whatever are complete idiots. Windows might work fine out of the box as an entertainment center, but what about a development box? What about getting work done. So you have to play around a little and have some fun to turn a Linux box into a media center? If you actually have something important to do, a Redhat installation is ready to go from the start.
I think the “OS wars” say MUCH more about the individual writer than they do about the OS
// Have you ever tried cutting and pasting in Windows?//
Uh … yah. CTRL-C,CTRL-V .. across *ALL* apps. Wish linux could do that.
//Logging on to a Windows workstation?//
Huh? Click your user name, and type a password? This is different from Linux? How?
//Printinting something from across town with Windows?//
Using Terminal Services or Remote Desktop? It’s easy!
//Running Netscape from a different domain so you can access content your university paid for but can’t be accessed from a Verizon IP address? //
Uh … yah. Ok. Whatever.
Another uninformed Penguinista rant …
answer…..
R T F M
Hello everyone, my name is John. I happen to like the original well-intentioned article on which this discussion is based, that Linux as a desktop “sucks”.
Suck as it may, I have been planning to switch to Linux, and have done much research on the distros, and what applications will be available for my work. I know I’ll be able to write my novel on one of the word processors, hopefully hypertexting around in it as one hugh document of 600 pages, a task which MS WORD XP under Windows ME cannot handle without exploding, but I wonder how difficult recording my music, mixes of midi and audio, is going to be–probably very difficult, if not exasperating, maybe more so than using Cakewalk under Windows. And it’s going to be tuff not using the latest software written for Windows (and occassionally, when they get around to it, for Mac). It is unlikely (but not impossible) any major music programs–Reason, Acid, Ableton Live, Cubase, Sonar, etc–will ever be written for Linux.
Noneless, I’m willing to replace Windows with Linux. And I’ll miss all that great software made by people who are, face it or not, working for Bill Gates. I’ll miss the software, but I can no longer tolerate any attempts whatsoever by any company to exploit a populist commodity–such as the Internet–such as “broadband”–such as water–by inveigling its proprietary technology into it, which ends up being crucial or almost crucial to that commodity’s distribution and use. That’s MS, that’s Bill Gates, making those attempts. Fortunately, time and again, they’ve failed to do that–except in one area: the operating system. The only antidote to this poison, as I see it, is Linux.
Anyone involved with Linux should understand that Windows refugees will comprise almost ALL of its “new customers, at least for the next X years. Some of us don’t want to give MS even ONE more lousy dime, or minute of our time. If you want Linux to flourish, don’t ignore this FACT: the critical mass of any Linux “revolution” can only come from Windows users. Sometimes this motivation to change to Linux has nothing to do with MS products being good or not. It has to do with MS being good or not. Don’t slough an anti-Windows position off as “politics”. It’s ethics.
It shouldn’t even be contended on these forums that many of us don’t want to turn the operating system into an end in itself, into a hobby, into emotions, into a life, just like most meat-eaters don’t want to slaughter the animal they want to take a hamburger out of.
Ironically, those (they change the oil in their cars, too) who criticize novices for not “learning” Linux, for not using command lines, for not spending hours on forums to get help, are playing the Windows game. This is a very simple game: you can’t get your stinking machine to just work, and so you spend TIME just trying to make it work. A week later you remember … oh, yeah, I was writing a novel once, what was it about?
In the Windows game it doesn’t matter how you spend you downtime and money, waiting on the phone for expensive MS service or buying third-party fix-it software, or, conversely, by scouring the Net for free Linux help. You’re spending that time because your computer isn’t working. Above and beyond the meta-work of tinkering with an operating system, you should be able to forget you even need a computer to do what you want to do. Only your bleary eyes and stiff neck should tell you you’ve been working at a computer too long, too hard. It is my hope that Linux evolves into as troubleless an OS as thermodynamically possible, and that it steals from Windows any feature it needs to in order to achieve that.
It’s a nice day, friend, and I’m off for a walk. See ya.
Hello everyone, my name is John. I happen to like the original well-intentioned article on which this discussion is based, that Linux as a desktop “sucks”.
Suck as it may, I have been planning to switch to Linux, and have done much research on the distros, and what applications will be available for my work. I know I’ll be able to write my novel on one of the word processors, hopefully hypertexting around in it as one hugh document of 600 pages, a task which MS WORD XP under Windows ME cannot handle without exploding, but I wonder how difficult recording my music, mixes of midi and audio, is going to be–probably very difficult, if not exasperating, maybe more so than using Cakewalk under Windows. And it’s going to be tuff not using the latest software written for Windows (and occassionally, when they get around to it, for Mac). It is unlikely (but not impossible) any major music programs–Reason, Acid, Ableton Live, Cubase, Sonar, etc–will ever be written for Linux.
Noneless, I’m willing to replace Windows with Linux. And I’ll miss all that great software made by people who are, face it or not, working for Bill Gates. I’ll miss the software, but I can no longer tolerate any attempts whatsoever by any company to exploit a populist commodity–such as the Internet–such as “broadband”–such as water–by inveigling its proprietary technology into it, which ends up being crucial or almost crucial to that commodity’s distribution and use. That’s MS, that’s Bill Gates, making those attempts. Fortunately, time and again, they’ve failed to do that–except in one area: the operating system. The only antidote to this poison, as I see it, is Linux.
Anyone involved with Linux should understand that Windows refugees will comprise almost ALL of its “new customers, at least for the next X years. Some of us don’t want to give MS even ONE more lousy dime, or minute of our time. If you want Linux to flourish, don’t ignore this FACT: the critical mass of any Linux “revolution” can only come from Windows users. Sometimes this motivation to change to Linux has nothing to do with MS products being good or not. It has to do with MS being good or not. Don’t slough an anti-Windows position off as “politics”. It’s ethics.
It shouldn’t even be contended on these forums that many of us don’t want to turn the operating system into an end in itself, into a hobby, into emotions, into a life, just like most meat-eaters don’t want to slaughter the animal they want to take a hamburger out of.
Ironically, those (they change the oil in their cars, too) who criticize novices for not “learning” Linux, for not using command lines, for not spending hours on forums to get help, are playing the Windows game. This is a very simple game: you can’t get your stinking machine to just work, and so you spend TIME just trying to make it work. A week later you remember … oh, yeah, I was writing a novel once, what was it about?
In the Windows game it doesn’t matter how you spend you downtime and money, waiting on the phone for expensive MS service or buying third-party fix-it software, or, conversely, by scouring the Net for free Linux help. You’re spending that time because your computer isn’t working. Above and beyond the meta-work of tinkering with an operating system, you should be able to forget you even need a computer to do what you want to do. Only your bleary eyes and stiff neck should tell you you’ve been working at a computer too long, too hard. It is my hope that Linux evolves into as troubleless an OS as thermodynamically possible, and that it steals from Windows any feature it needs to in order to achieve that.
It’s a nice day, friend, and I’m off for a walk. See ya.
Reading the fine manual, or previous posts to the group, or google, what a concept.
If you spend some time reading articles in a usenet group you will see the same questions asked over and over and over. If I know the answer to the question I will help the poster. I will also point out to the poster that if they had taken a short amount of time and ran search on the group or google, more than likely they will already have their answer.
john, read the Mandrake Audio Workstation how-to, here:
http://groundstate.ca/mdkaw.html
Even if you’re not planning to use Mandrake, the information will probably be helpful if you adapt it for any other distro.