APCMag has a lenghty article on switching from Windows to Ubuntu. "When I was first given this task I had to sit and blink a few times, if for nothing else than dramatic pause. I'm a self-confessed Linux nut, as some of you may know, but even I'm cautious to do away with Windows completely. There's a reason I have a dual-boot Windows and Linux machine. Several of them, in fact. But have I just been conditioned into using Windows because of past experience, or applications, or file formats, or the myriad other reasons that make Windows a comfort zone because it's all so familiar?"
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Member since:2005-07-06
To me, the advantage of Linux is that there is a good GUI and an equally good CLI, so you can choose CLI or GUI depending on the situation. In windows the CLI sucks major, just compare things like command line completion in cmd.exe and bash or zsh.
Then, if you use KDE there are KIO-slaves they make you feel like you sit in front of the internet, instead of in front of your computer. Having all programs internet enabled makes life a lot easier especially if you manage things like web contents on remote web servers.
Member since:2007-06-20
I'm required to use Windows at my place of employment, so for the benefit of anyone in the same position let me tell you what I do:
windows console replacement:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/console/
Has tabs and you can resize the window (OMG!)
Bash for Win32. You can find this in a number of places. Get it with a full set of Unix tools.
The combination of these two pretty well simulates the minimal Linux terminal. Works great, I've been using it for at least a year with no significant problems. I found cygwin to be problematic, I didn't need a Linux layer, I just needed a non-crappy console and shell.
Member since:2005-07-06
here is my list:
* Windows does not have any decent virtual desktop manager
* No borderless full screen
* Not able to move windows with Alt + leftclick
* not able to resize windows with Alt + Middle click
* does not have taskbar applets
* Windows explorer has no previews
* no support for protocols like sftp in explorer
* no themes
And thats only about the windowing system, I have not even talked about the command line or other applications.
Edited 2007-10-22 12:57
Member since:2006-01-07
The Nvidia Windows drivers do contain this functionality, so it's not entirely impossible; though why it's not enabled by default is beyond me.
Incorrect. Explorer can do thumbnail views for most multimedia formats that have proper codecs installed. Select "View" then "Thumbnails" (or "Filmstrip," as applicable) from the main menu.
Member since:2005-06-29
Alright, I see you're a power user. I never heard of all these features. I do know about the virtual desktop stuff but I never use it because my computer is low on RAM and so I use at most 2-3 applications. Most of the time I use only one application at a time, or my computer gets too slow. I don't use taskbar applets, not to pollute my desktop. Windows Explorer does have previews, both as thumbnails and in the left bar. You also have themes in Windows Explorer (I remember seeing Vista themes in Windows XP). SFTP support in Windows Explorer would be cool. In the meantime I use WinSCP.
Member since:2006-01-19
Well, I am not the parent poster, but the Windows Desktop is limiting in this point: Virtual desktops (and I am NOT talking about the 3D effect "cube" there).
I know, there are virtual desktop addons for Windows too, but they either are unstable themselves, or make other programs unstable, or don't integrate into the taskbar (or combinations thereof).
With the linux virtual desktops you get everything you need, and then some: Stable, well-integrated and fast.
In Windows, if you have 60 applications open, things get royally messy. In Linux, I still find the application I want to switch to quite fast.
That is, because I only let the taskbar show the applications which are on the currently active Desktop, and I can keep in my mind "desktop 1 for project A and desktop 2 for project B and desktop 4 for Office stuff" easier than remembering that "explorer number 3,6,7,12 and 15 are open for project A and numbers 1,2,5 and 10 are open for project B, and the rest is for office stuff".
That is the main reason why the Linux desktop is so much better. I simply cannot understand why Windows does not have virtual desktops, one can still configure them so that only one desktop is available if one does not like several desktops.
The second thing: I am a hardcore Konqueror - addict. I use several split views in several tabs and have different stuff running in each of them (ftp, man-pages, file-browsing, pdf-viewing and console). You know, Konqueror is so far ahead of Windows Explorer you would not believe it possible. Konqueror can be everything (including a kitchen-sink 
), WITHOUT being bloated, and that is the amazing thing about it. Konqueror, despite being so powerful, never shows more than 15 Buttons on it's whole interface, probably 10 of them in the button-bar. There is no such thing in Windows. I hope KDE4 is stable unter Windows, so that I can use Konqui at my workplace.
It is like stated in the article: GNOME and KDE take the good stuff from Apple and MS (in fact Xerox ), and improve on them.
Member since:
2005-06-29
"I find the Windows GUI just inefficient and limiting"
Please explain.