Over the past couple of months, and especially over the past couple of weeks, I've been working very hard to write and complete my thesis. I performed all the work on Windows 7, but now that the thesis is finally done, submitted, and accepted, I installed Ubuntu - and immediately I was reminded of why I do not do any serious work on Linux: the train wreck that is X.org.
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Member since:2009-08-16
http://lwn.net/Articles/248227/ <- ATI has open source linux drivers, so "BAD Drivers" are your fault I'm afraid.
PowerDVD... I have a blu-ray drive and don't use that program.
>> Pretty much most of this commentary on the inadequacies of X.org are really down to a closed source driver that the X.org developers have NO control over.
I refer you again to http://lwn.net/Articles/248227/
As for whiny little child, really showing maturity levels there.
At the end of the day, systems work for people who learn to maintain them properly, and people from the other camp are generally going to have troubles with them.
That being said, I've only had 1 bluescreen with Windows7, and that was in the pre RC leaked edition. I've been running 7 on 6 machines ever since, and use 3 of those machines 8 hours a day at work, and another is left on 24/7 as a shared machine for the household + media server. *nix I've had many more issues.
Hell, I had to upgrade the bios on my last laptop (2007 model, ASUS G2S) before Ubuntu would even run those fabled NVidia drivers you were so happy with earlier. And then once I did, they still refused to render correctly to my HDTV no matter what configs (or indeed which drivers I used, I tried both the proprietary and the open ones), and even the hardcore *nix fans at work explain to me the issues they were having with nvidia drivers just last week while trying to play secret of monkey island, hardly a hard-core high-end game...
When I use *nix, I stick to console, it just isn't worth the effort of anything else.
When I want efficiency or speed of production or compatability, or simplicity, I go win7. I'm sorry but the OS wars aren't going to be won by the OSes, they're going to be won by the programs that they support, and the compatability that those programs provide to an enterprise / business market.
Member since:2006-01-10
The Open source drivers that you point to are really only part way there (as the X developers state themselves. I'm well aware there IS an open source driver, but I am also well aware that AMD/ATI only have released SOME of the specs, and mostly only for older chips)
I still maintain that this was about the CLOSED source driver. I haven't had any video issues with either, but then I only recently got the Touchsmart with a ATI 3200 HD. It mostly works. Compiz gives a white screen on the open source driver (R600/R700 is not fully supported yet)
Calling someone a whiny little child has nothing to do with MY maturity. The original article really is a bunch of "it doesn't work here!" where not that many others have issues. Seriously, I've been using Linux for 10 years, and I know where it has it's faults, but X has had huge leaps and bounds.
I agree with nVidia+Linux+HDTV is all sorts of a pain. Having bought a (cheaper) HDTV that doesn't have a 1:1 pixel ratio setting, I have some huge amounts of overscan. The only part of this though that is nVidia's fault is that they broke xvidtune a long time ago and don't support any other 'easy' method of changing resolutions. Not to mention the Windows drivers let you resize the desktop, but then don't state the proper frequencies. This again is still an nVidia driver issue, NOT X.org, which is what people are blaming this on.
By the way, nVidia also failed on some things for the Windows 7 drivers. If you click 'test' for a custom resolution, it'll complain that the resolution isn't supported, then... blank screen. No escape, or anything will change it back. Reboot? Nope, still didn't change it back. Had to go into safe mode at 640x480... yikes, that is HUGE on a 42" TV.
Let's be honest, all Operating Systems have their little issues, that's why IT and computer geeks are always in such high demand. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say that it's made that way on purpose....
Can you imagine a day and age when the User can just think something and have it accomplished on the computer, via neural interface or whatever? No one could make any money then. Well, unless you want to wipe the bottoms of those who are stuck in a World of WarCraft 3000.
To prove that not all installs (hardware or user issues aside) are not all created equal. The reason that the Apple computers (and by extension the Amigas and Atari STs of old) were so stable is that they had ONE hardware platform that they needed drivers for, and could keep things simple. Using generic PC hardware is always a hit and miss adventure in stability / features.
With that in mind.... I've had Windows 7 BSOD on me at least 3 times (on my tablet) but I think it was due to funky drivers, mostly ones that were written for Vista, since I don't have drivers for everything for 7.
Either way, the article was nothing but mindless dribble, and really wasn't relevant. Complain to ATI/AMD for not releasing specs, or making crappy closed source drivers. Submit bug reports to both AMD/ATI and Evolution. I have submitted many bugs over the years, it's not all that difficult (even under Debian, which someone was saying that Debian should just use Launchpad, in some other comments on this page. It's really not THAT hard...)
Member since:
2006-01-10
Someone may have already stated this, since I don't feel like reading through all 100+ comments.
But this is some serious crap coming from "It doesn't do anything in vista / 7" I have had a full on BSOD from a graphics driver in both of them.
I haven't had X crash in many many moons. Even on my HP Touchsmart TX2 I don't have any Xorg crashes running Debian Sid with the fglrx driver (even though it throws up a lot of errors, since it's not made to work fully with kernel 2.6.30)
Problems with Evolution crashing? Have you been using the same configuration files for a long time? I always use Evolution, and it stays open for days on end, with only a very random crash.
Couldn't say the same for Outlook, which will just randomly stop receiving / delivering email and most times just requires a reboot of the entire computer to work again....
Most things (like OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Evolution) has a recover feature.
You probably are running an ATI video card, which has notoriously BAD drivers, yet you blame X.org? My video playback is generally much smoother using Compiz and a nVidia driver than it is under Vista/7. Not to mention that PowerDVD constantly crashes. If it weren't for having a blu-ray drive, I'd not use it. Compiz works great with Video, yet Aero gets turned off every time I start a movie?
It seems to me that the only thing that improved with Vista and 7's new graphics driver model is that you generally can use the driver right after installing, instead of needing to reboot... but only to a certain extent.
Pretty much most of this commentary on the inadequacies of X.org are really down to a closed source driver that the X.org developers have NO control over.
Fix your evolution config (you know you can remove the .evolution, but save out your inbox folders first. Or better yet, use Imap so you don't lose your email.) And change your video card (or driver) and stop your complaining. Sometimes you come off as a whiny little child, Thom.