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Author Topic: Why Linux is Not for You!  (Read 6713 times)

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Offline csirac_

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #29 on: April 19, 2003, 04:49:37 AM »
I use linux only, and have done so for about 12 months. I've built up my "server" (also linux) to provide services including jabber, xoops portal on apache, email, ftp, shell accounts, quake 2, and most imortantly remote X sessions with all the nice C/perl/python/mysql tools my windows-using friends who need to do their Uni assignments.

Linux takes a lot of time to get it running nicely. You have to want to make it do things for you, because it sure 'aint going to do it for you. The reward: it's user friendly for my users, because they don't have to be their own sysadmin. They say "I want to be able to do this", or "I want my account to do this" (thank goodness for usermin!) and I can show them how to do it in 30 seconds (I've done it before) or I go away and install/configure some package for them (thank goodness for apt-get and webmin ;)

Bottom line: I don't have any windows installation on either of my two machines, because I don't play games and I find Windows to be FAR LESS "developer friendly" than Linux. And as far as user friendly goes... as long as the user doesn't have to be their own sysadmin, it's pretty much the same as windows, plus they have, in my opinion, far superior developer tools at their disposal.

My 2 cents..
- Paul
 

Offline GreggBz

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #30 on: April 19, 2003, 05:53:17 AM »
Well, I think there is a fundemental difference in philosophy here. I stoped using windows mostly from bordem. Frankly, I was sick of the same operating system. It's like being married to someone who makes all the rules. It failed to challenge me, and it failed to suprise me with any new features. I guess windows XP has bubbley colors with an interface that appeals to senior citizens. That's thrilling. Make me feel important as a user. I want things to fiddle with, please! :-) Windows insults my intelegence. (My Computer) (My Pictures) Cutesie Tutesie interface. I'm using it right now on my girlfirends laptop.  I like windows 2000 much better without all the fancy colors.

 I want it to be known that I'm not a passioniate freak that loves his operating system. To me personal computers are a hobby to be taken lightly. Windows takes the hobby out of it. It's what the family minivan is to a driving enthusiest.
 

Offline Siggy

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #31 on: April 19, 2003, 07:18:01 AM »
I think the bottom line is 'Does my computer do what I want or need' -- for somethings Linux is perfectly suited, for others it's not (yet).

I first played with Linux in the early 90's when myself and a friend wanted to add a MUD to our multi-line chat BBS.  The price was right (not free -- we bought a distro -- but cheaper than other avenues).  We later expanded it to give our members Usenet, eventually after I left the project they expanded it to full internet access (or by that times standards of 'full').

Later after I left my Amiga in Australia and moved over to America I needed a cheap OS to run on a box I'd thrown together from spare parts.. I wanted to program and share my wifes internet connection for email and telnet -- once again it was Linux to the rescue..  It fulfilled my needs, and continues to do so.

When my wife was hit hard by several virus attacks in the late 90's -- she was fed up the loss of data - costs of updating her OS and various software packages -- so she asked me if Linux would do what she needed.  Email, IRC, ICQ, touching up photos, printing documents.
Her needs were pretty simple (now expanded to playing music and making CD's) -- and she picked up Linux and started using it.. It filled her needs and continues to do so.

My wife acts as the litmus test for distros as they come out -- she is hardly a computer whizz, but she handles her own updates and software upgrades -- and some of the minor admin on her machine.
She couldn't solve a mouse conflict under windows - or install a scanner, but after living with Linux she's picking it up and learning by herself (she's starting to RTFM - or at least getting interested enough to start solving her own computer problems).

On the downside, my career expanded to where I make more than half my income from freelance editing -- so I have to keep a Windows box for that (I could go Mac, but that means a large chunk of cash up front to replace everything).  And Linux may have some solutions for video editing, but they are nowhere near mature enough for what I need..  
I tell people 'I didn't choose Windows -- it chose me'.

In the end I'd say 'does the computer you have do what you need/want'?

If it does - it's the right computer.
If it doesn't -- time to change.

Siggy.


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The TV business is uglier than most things.
 It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the Journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs,
 

Offline DethKnight

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #32 on: April 19, 2003, 08:02:19 AM »
SuSE user for 6yrs now and lovin it, especially the Xine DVD and MPG video application.
And --Houdini-- personal learning edition using accelerated openGL on a geforce2mx.
Dual-booter to Win2KPro , I'd say Ive got 2 of the more stable OS enviroments currently available.
wanted; NONfunctional A3K keyboard wanted
 

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #33 on: April 19, 2003, 02:03:02 PM »
Quote
Anyone who can't use any Linux distro has no right to comment on it's usability.
They are all stupid!!!!!!


Oh no, another drunken tirade!
 

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #34 on: April 19, 2003, 02:10:14 PM »
@Waccoon
Quote
Linux needs a good installer standard, like Install Sheild on the PC.


http://gentoo.org

What could be easier than typing "emerge name-of-app"

Why does it need an installer like windows?  Linux is NOT windows as the article said.  AmigaOS is NOT windows either.  Appples and Oranges.
 

Offline ronybeck

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2003, 05:16:18 PM »
Oh dear you seem a little confused.  Linux is not just a kernel although all to often I see it refered to as one. The kernel is the kernel.  The amiga isnt just Kickstart.  It is a culmination of things.

I have found X to be quiet good.  It has fair driver support and is very configurable.  Far more configurable than windows display driver and certainly tones better than the amiga display.  How ever it isn't a GUI.  It is meerly a display software.  The Desktop Environment such as GNOME or KDE is what looks after the gui and they are quiet adequate.  You can choose what Desktop environment you  wish to run based on your needs and you a not limited to just the two mentioned before.  There is no need to re-write a X replacement because there is majorly wrong with X.

Linux being designed to be cheap is only a half truth.  Linus wrote it because he loved UN*X but could not afford a Unix machine.  He wrote it with the intention of running it on PC's and the like because the hardware was cheap unlike UNIX hardware at the time.  

I can't understand why you would hat Mac or linux because they are both great platforms and increasingly  popular on the desktop.  Unless you have never read www.slashdot.org it is not possible to say "..I don't think Linux will be getting much action on the desktop.....".  Linux already has.  Open Office is a good example of a worth Office suit that is becoming very popular.
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Did you just call me paranoid?
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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #36 on: April 19, 2003, 05:38:43 PM »
Quote
Linux is not just a kernel


Yes it is. ;-)

GNU is the OS

Like Exec is a kernel, AmigaOS is the OS.
Like Quark is a kernel, MorphOS is the OS.
 

Offline alx

Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #37 on: April 19, 2003, 05:45:57 PM »
If you're going to be pedantic...

"Linux" is the kernel

GNU/Linux is a system with a Linux kernel, with most other services provided by the GNU project.  The worrying thing now is that you could show someone a GNU/Hurd system and they'd call it Linux!

Offline Waccoon

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #38 on: April 19, 2003, 06:02:49 PM »
Quote
Why does it need an installer like windows? Linux is NOT windows as the article said. AmigaOS is NOT windows either. Appples and Oranges.

Even the Amiga has a standard installer, though, and so does the Mac.  Having an installer doesn't say anything about HOW it works.  It doesn't have to be JUST like a Windows installer.  I also said that Install Sheild and Windows Installer are far from perfect, didn't I?  An installer for Windows and an installer for Linux is hardly apples and oranges.  An installer is an installer.  How complicated does it have to be?

I just find it funny that people will write millions of lines of tight, stable code for free, and then they won't spend 10 minutes figuring out how something should be installed.  Many packages I found for Linux distros don't even come with install DIRECTIONS for crying out loud.

As for Gentoo, that's a step in the right direction.  But, can you use it for drivers and system upgrades, or is it just for applications?  Does it have automatic uninstalling?  I've tried lots of distros, but never Gentoo.
 

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #39 on: April 19, 2003, 06:26:15 PM »
Quote
and then they won't spend 10 minutes figuring out how something should be installed


Thats coz Linux is a kernel not an OS.  That is why there is no standard, as there is no standard OS.

Try gentoo, you won't regret it.  People harp on about debian, but gentoo wipes the floor with it.

emerge works for everything.  for example "emerge -U world) upgrades everything you currently have installed including drivers.

I recommend you to download 1.4 rc3 install CD and use a stage3 tarball.  It's worth  printing off the install docs, as it VERY involved, and it takes quite a while.  Using stage3 will speed it up considerably.

I also recommend using "-kde -qt gtk2 gnome" in your make.conf then "emerge gnome".  KDE is awful IHMO.  It's just a bad windows clone, for a more Amiga-like experience Gnome2.2 is very nice and responsive.

Also set your CPU and ARCH to Athlon/P4/TBird etc for better optimizations

You'll  want to enable the Pre-Emptible and Real-Time kernel patches when you compile your kernel as this will speed it up no end.

"emerge nvidia-glx" if you have NVIDIA hardware
"emerge galeon-cvs" for the best browser on Linux
"emerge gaim-cvs" for MSN/AIM/ICQ messaging
"emerge ut2003-demo" just to see how good Gentoo is compared to windows on the same hardware.

Have fun!
 

Offline csirac_

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Re: Standard linux installer?
« Reply #40 on: April 20, 2003, 03:58:01 AM »
Standard installer?

Dude... apt ;)

http://www.debian.org

It is possible to break apt, but only purpose... all other times it's wonderful. Updates all your software automatically with no hassels (except this one time where a MySQL app. was updated and didn't like it's old tables any more, but it gave me plenty of warning).

And because apt gets it's software from a common archive, it's easy to search for new or alternative apps. Don't like openoffice? Do a search in dselect or gnome-apt, and you find abiword and a few others. Anjuta too bloated as an C/C++ IDE? You find (lots) of editors, but recently I found scite in this way (it's pretty cool by the way, much like anjuta but without the project managment stuff).

And most importantly, apt handles dependcies, and most apps uninstall gracefully (you can chose to leave their databases/config files, or purge them completely; and best of all, it will remove other packages no longer needed (ie. that depend on the app you uninstall)).

- Paul
 

Offline Hammer

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #41 on: April 20, 2003, 05:56:27 AM »
Quote

mdma wrote:
Anyone who can't use any Linux distro has no right to comment on it's usability.

They are all stupid!!!!!!

Note that "retrainning" would be defined as an expense.
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Ryzen 9 7900X, DDR5-6000 64 GB, RTX 4080 16 GB PC.
 

Offline Hammer

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #42 on: April 20, 2003, 06:04:06 AM »
Quote

mdma wrote:
Quote
Linux is not just a kernel


Yes it is. ;-)

GNU is the OS

Like Exec is a kernel, AmigaOS is the OS.
Like Quark is a kernel, MorphOS is the OS.

I don't see "GNU" being marketed as "operating system" as in Red Hat and SUSE products.

To quote http://www.linux.org/info/
Quote
Linux is an operating system...


I know that Debian may have it's own definition i.e. "Debian GNU/Linux". Then again; who cares about the minor linux distro(1)...

1. Compared to  "United Linux"(Suse, Turbo Linux and co) and "Unbreakable Linux" (Red Hat and co) products.
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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #43 on: April 20, 2003, 03:13:22 PM »
Quote
I don't see "GNU" being marketed as "operating system" as in Red Hat and SUSE products.


NT is a kernel, Windows is an Operating system.
 

Offline that_punk_guy

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Re: Why Linux is Not for You!
« Reply #44 from previous page: April 20, 2003, 04:28:26 PM »
Quote
and when do you ever have to reinstall linux because it has screwed up


um, just now  ;-)