“I do not consider Windows ready for the desktop. I found it difficult to use, buggy and lacking in security. I also found technical support lacking. While Windows captured a significant portion of the desktop market, the product is clearly not a good fit for consumers who do not understand the risks associated with logging on to the Internet. The costs of providing aftermarket products can run higher than the price paid for the hardware.”
Windoze, Winblows and so on is not any better than Linsux.
But really, how many have you seen here who call themselves “Windows Is Poo” or “MacOSX Is Poo”, and would you take them seriously if they were?
It doesn’t matter which OS it is, such things are signs of extreme zealotry (is that a word?), and I wont take them serious.
Often is the case when frequenting linux forums for assistance, is the use of derogatory terms and variations in reference to Windows the norm and sometimes, I feel, to be expected. Almost all the time, I find myself being the only one who refers to Microsoft as MS, instead of MS, in any of the many linux forums.
I have read many of Linux is Poo’s posts, and it is my honest opinion that his use is for the expressed purpose of mocking those many linux fans and zealots, that have used and still use on a daily basis the above referenced language for Windows and Microsoft, instead of actual hatred for linux.
I do agree with you. I don’t think that extreme zealotry (yes, it is indeed a word, lol) is to be taken seriously.
Ken
Woops, I meant “MS” in the first para, hehe.
The oldest installation in the house is my daughter’s over three year old Libranet system. Libranet is basically Debian with some easy install and management utilities. The story of that machine is the story of package management.
It has undergone multiple, regular updates over the years. It has gone from an early OpenOffice to 2.0. KDE has gone from 3.0 to 3.4. Many of the key support libraries have gone through a couple of major upgrades. The kernel has been updated several times.
Over that three year period, the computer has gotten more responsive. It feels faster than when we first installed Linux. That’s because the newer versions of the various packages are faster than the old. This applies to KDE, OpenOffice, Mozilla, and a host of others.
I have only defragmented the hard drive, and cleaned the registry of the Windows 2000 side of the machine. I kept all anti-spyware and anti-virus software up to date until the day I deliberately disabled Windows 2000’s networking support. The Linux side received no such care.
Changing to Linux isn’t easy. I requires some planning. After a number of experiments where I tried Linux and returned to Windows, I realized the changeover was permanent when a dual booting Windows 2000 file server (not my daughter’s machine) could switch to Linux, and the only difference the connected machines noticed was that speed of access to the server improved by over 50%. Linux did Windows networking better than Windows.
The desktops in my house switched during the barrage of worms that kept striking Windows. Our Windows systems stayed worm free, but it was a lot of work. Eventually, it was too much work, and I disabled network access on the Windows side for all dual booting machines. My children still played the occasional game on Windows, but since homework often required the Internet, and since printing was over a LAN, they switched to Linux, found new games, and stopped using Windows.
With Linux, maintenance is easier because of package management. Systems now run faster, and everything just makes more sense.
Peter Besenbruch
http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/
i actually read the whole review, this guy is a total moron.
how on earth can he claim to find fault in XP based on his obvious l33t skills with Ubuntu and Windows 98 ?
the best part of his review is the comments on the LX site directly under it, they sum up exactly what it is.
crap.
A recent experience gave me a revelation about the “Windows desktop experience” for the common user: it can really suck with a store-bought system. This isn’t so much an indictment of XP per se, but more of Compaq and various software vendors. It did show what average users can and do put up with, though.
Personally, I run XP Pro on my own computer which I built myself; I do a clean install and tweak it a lot, and I’ve also built systems for friends/family. I’ve pretty much got it down to a science, including security. It runs smooth and stable, setting a fairly high bar for the Linux distros I also use (Ubuntu is my preferred choice).
So anyway, my friend’s mother just bought a new Compaq with pretty respectable specs: Sempron 3100+ (socket 754, so K8), 512MB RAM, DVD burner, 100gb drive, Sis mobo with onboard video, but with an open AGP slot. So it’s pretty fast and also nearly silent. For the ~$350 or so she paid, it’s quite nice.
The problem? Windows starts with 46(!) processes going (my own computer starts with 22, including firewall and AV)! Including some crappy Compaq control center and time limited trials of Norton AV and some commercial anti-spyware program. It takes several *minutes* for the computer to be usable after you first reach the desktop. The desktop is littered with shortcuts to various other trialware pre-installed.
Norton constantly pops up with “Outbreak Alert” dialogs from the systray, with the options “OK” or “Protect Me” given. Live Update isn’t activated till you launch Norton’s control center (which she hadn’t known to do). The AV definitions were from March. Updating Norton completely requires over 40MBs(!) of downloading and two(!) reboots. Plus it expires in 60 days. Can it be uninstalled cleanly should she choose not to buy it? I don’t know, but previous experience with Norton makes me skeptical.
Window’s automatic updates was on but its download stalled at 70% for some reason, so I went to the Windows Update site manually. It updated the automatic update system and Windows installer, then required a reboot. I then had to revisit the update site to get about 30 updates with another 40 or 50MB worth of downloading. Then another reboot.
I honestly don’t know how Compaq’s (and presumably HP’s, since they merged?) setup compares to say, eMachines/Gateway’s or Dell’s current one (last time I used a clean factory installed image of a Dell was several years ago–I don’t remember it being so bad), but it succeeds at making a very modern machine run like molasses.
It’s not fair to say Windows as a whole sucks because of it, but if you look at it as Compaq’s “distribution” of Windows, it would be fair to compare its “desktop experience” to that of a default install of a random Linux distro like Ubuntu or Fedora or whatever–and Compaq’s does not win by any reasonable measure.
Interesting comments. I especially like calling the version of Windows that comes bundled with a computer a “distro.”
The last two laptops I purchased were Toshibas. Toshiba doesn’t bundle much. That’s a good thing. HP/Compaq, Sony, and Dell throw in a bunch of extras. All of it time limited. Some of the items are spyware, pure and simple. They all should be uninstalled after purchase. An even better alternative involves throwing in a Kanotix disk, blowing away what’s on the drive, and installing Linux.
When working with other people’s Windows machines, I notice a war going on for the desktop, the quick launch bar, and top posting in the Start menu. I point at the various icons and ask the users if they ever use them. Invariably the answer is “no.” I get the same answer when I ask if they want the item removed. The end user fears that if I remove a launch icon, something will break. Thus, Windows desktops have a deserved reputation for being an atrocious, cluttered mess.
You just don’t get that kind of competition with open source, and for that I am grateful.
Peter Besenbruch
http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/
I think everything that needs to be said about the quality of this “review” has been said, and we’re all pretty much agreed that it’s crap.
However the writer does show an extreme case of Windows-phobia that I find in other Linux users. They complain about buggyness, poor driver support and the length of time it takes to bring Windows up to speed.
These complaints are true, but they’re also true for Linux. The simplest things are a pain in the ar$e with Linux – Getting MP3 playback to work, Trying to sync your PDA, Installing the latest JRE. Plus, try getting anything made by Canon to work!
And worse than these problems is the fact that I have had my linux install crash to the point of no return on 3 occassions in the past 3 months. It crashed because of badly writen software, but that’s mostly why Windows crashs. 3 system crashes is about the same as my Windows box. So what makes it more stable?
I know that most of these things are not the Linux developers fault, but it doesn’t make the “Linux experience” any less frustrating.
I think everything that needs to be said about the quality of this “review” has been said, and we’re all pretty much agreed that it’s crap.
No, we don’t pretty much agree. Some consider it crap, other (like me) consider it an interesting review, made by a linux geek unfamiliar to the windows desktop. Just like all the reviews of linux made by windows geeks.
As an experienced user of windows AND linux (and a dozen other systems) I personally know my way around the issues. But people not familiar with windows (but familiar with other systems) usually have a hard time to adopt to windows, just like windows geeks have a hard time to adopt to linux.
And it’s because things are working differently on the platforms.
So no, the review isn’t crap.
MP3 support in linux is easy. It’s a one click event unless you’re using a simple sourcebased distro. Installing the latest JRE is done the same way as on windows. Download an installer, doubleclick on the icon, and there you go.
I’ve never had a crash with linux during installation, nor during use of said system. Nor have I had any BSOD s with Win2K Pro or Win2K3 Server.
Just be willing to learn, do things properly, and don’t be too fast to do things. And you will have a nice experince no matter what system you’re running.
The linux experience is probably the closest I will get to a perfect system (even though I can find quite a few shortcomings). You have had issues, but so have I had with windows. Driverinstallation on windows can sometimes be a bitch
dylansmrjones
kristian AT herkild DOT dk
It’s a joke. Who the f–k uses Windows 98 SE? That’s like using Redhat 5.2. Come f–king on.
I think everything that needs to be said about the quality of this “review” has been said, and we’re all pretty much agreed that it’s crap.
No, we didn’t all agree that it was crap. I was one that liked the article.
The simplest things are a pain in the ar$e with Linux – Getting MP3 playback to work,
I use the Nerim Debian repository, which gives you all the codecs you need. You add this line to the /etc/apt/sources.list file:
deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ etch main
In place of “etch,” you can use “sarge,” or “sid,” depending on your system. Then you issue these two lines:
apt-get update
apt-get install libdvdcss w32codecs
Every distribution has links like this for their package managers. Google helps a lot.
Trying to sync your PDA,
We have a couple of Clies in the house. We used to have a serial Palm. We use Jpilot. You may need to issue a “modprobe visor” as root, or make sure the module you need is listed in your /etc/modules file.
Installing the latest JRE.
Here, I just went to Sun and got their version of Java for Linux. I ran their installer and followed directions, like in Windows. I installed to /usr/local. You can also “Google” for Blackdown repositories.
Plus, try getting anything made by Canon to work!
My Lide 30 scanner works with Sane. Though a KDE kind of guy, I like Xsane’s interface better. I also use Ed Hamrick’s Vuescan. It drives both the Lide 30 and a Polaroid SS4000 film scanner (http://www.hamrick.com/).
For printing, I use a Canon S9000 and a Pixma iP4000. I use the Turboprint drivers: http://www.turboprint.de/english.html
They are excellent.
My Canon Digital Rebel (300D) works with GPhoto, but I tend to slap the CF card in a reader, and copy the images to disk. I use Bibble to handle the raw files it produces: http://www.bibblelabs.com/
Peter Besenbruch
http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/
http://windows.czweb.org/show_article.php?id_article=99
No, the article is crap because the enlightened person who wrote it complained that an upgrade path from Win98SE didn’t migrate smoothly to WinXP. Wow, never saw that coming. This is because MS assumes people are smart enough to stop using an OS when it gets to be about 7 YEARS OLD.
But, we didn’t all agree. Scary, but true.
No, the article is crap because the enlightened person who wrote it complained that an upgrade path from Win98SE didn’t migrate smoothly to WinXP. Wow, never saw that coming. This is because MS assumes people are smart enough to stop using an OS when it gets to be about 7 YEARS OLD.
When Windows 98SE came out is was 1999. Windows XP came out in 2001. Upgrades from 98SE to XP didn’t work well then, either. In the intervening four years, it hasn’t gotten any better. Hence, the advice to format, and start over, rather than upgrade.
Other points I liked: The endless problems with proprietary dialers. Why is it a good point? Because it illustrates the problems with proprietary solutions.
The author mentioned an inability to find a needed update to do DHCP. In linux, even an old version, a proper update could have been found. Points made earlier that Linux supports older hardware better than Windows apply as well.
The endless update routine with IBM and Windows update is something that lots of people have experienced, especially the interrupted download, because one update was a “separate” download. This just shouldn’t happen.
As for the spyware and viruses, that is so obvious it needs no defense.
No, there were a bunch of valid points in the article. It was anything but crap.
No, the article is crap because the enlightened person who wrote it complained that an upgrade path from Win98SE didn’t migrate smoothly to WinXP. Wow, never saw that coming. This is because MS assumes people are smart enough to stop using an OS when it gets to be about 7 YEARS OLD.
When Windows 98SE came out is was 1999. Windows XP came out in 2001. Upgrades from 98SE to XP didn’t work well then, either. In the intervening four years, it hasn’t gotten any better. Hence, the advice to format, and start over, rather than upgrade.
Other points I liked: The endless problems with proprietary dialers. Why is it a good point? Because it illustrates the problems with proprietary solutions.
The author mentioned an inability to find a needed update to do DHCP. In linux, even an old version, a proper update could have been found. Points made earlier that Linux supports older hardware better than Windows apply as well.
The endless update routine with IBM and Windows update is something that lots of people have experienced, especially the interrupted download, because one update was a “separate” download. This just shouldn’t happen.
As for the spyware and viruses, that is so obvious it needs no defense.
No, there were a bunch of valid points in the article. It was anything but crap.