The Goodbye, Microsoft website has been a good source of Linux information for five years, focusing on issues like compatibility, mature computers, performance, applications, light distros, and reviews. The site just posted its
Big Board of Linux Distributions,
a list that gives you quick info on Linux distros sorted by hardware requirements. Here’s to hoping this useful non-commercial website is with us for the next five years.
“Are you tired of paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for your computer’s software? Tired of having to buy upgrades, and new hardware to run the upgrades? Tired of crashes, security flaws, cyber-attacks, and worrying if your computer is safe to use? Had enough of license agreements, lock-downs, and restrictions on what you can do with your computer? Worried about your business being sued for making a careless copy?”
It’s like living in ’95. If one goes thru their list, Android also makes the cut.
And your point is what? That an info-packed free website supported by one guy is a bad thing? Tell us your URL and let’s compare.
Not to mention on the very first page one of the articles is “Stop breaking my software!” which is something Windows hasn’t had to deal with since the switchover from Win9X to WinNT.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the problem with Linux in a nutshell is the “Busted Toilet dilemma” which is thus: For every job that is fun, or exciting, or interesting, you have 100 jobs that are about as pleasant as cleaning up the puke at the Chuck E Cheese. Apple and MSFT pay hundreds of millions to get those jobs done but in Linux? they simply don’t get done. Here it is 2012 and there STILL isn’t an easy and simple way to roll back drivers or find drivers when something goes wrong, two features Windows has had since Win2K. the docs are often just lists of CLI commands with ZERO explanation if you are lucky, if not its a “to do” placeholder, Pulseaudio can puke and die waaaay too easy, the same goes for wireless, and now the bare minimum for support for ANY Windows OS, be it home or Pro, is 10 years solid, whereas the absolute BEST you can get in Linux is a lousy 5 years.
The problem is there simply is no way for a person or corporation to get paid to fix the busted toilets because someone can come along and redistribute your work for free. until the license is changed you will continue to see the list of failed linux distros pile up, gOS, Xandros, linspire,Novell, Mandriva soon, and I predict Canonical within 2 years. As one guy I was talking to put it “FOSS is filled with 80% complete software” and its that other 20% that bites you in the rear. Sadly unless and until the license is changed so companies like Canonical can get paid for fixing all the messes Linux will ALWAYS be an also ran because in this age of Win 7 and OSX Lion “80% complete” just isn’t gonna cut it for the masses.
Red Hat, Novell, Suse, IBM, Oracle, Ubuntu etc.
You have said it before and you were probably corrected then too.
Firefox, Android, Websites
GPL doesn’t prevent you from finding a successful business model. Software as a product is shrinking. Software as a service is booming.
Edited 2012-03-29 21:07 UTC
List of things that keep on existing:
– Had enough of license agreements [Every time someone installs Word, for example, has to read the EULA, and this is an exhausting work, it even says that your local laws can apply, so you have to read them if you want to know what you are agreeing to, which is a legal must. And the EULAs keep on changing as time goes by]
– Lock-downs, and restrictions on what you can do with your computer? [Yes, Windows users have to read the EULA. Have people seen that Windows users who aren’t even allowed to change their wallpaper? That’s humiliant. The difference between “Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate” is all about the restrictions that are put on people. Maybe in your country you can’t use Windows, you have to read the EULA, which goes changing. Let’s realize if someone pays for a Windows license and go to his computer, he can’t install his computer without asking Microsoft for permissions (via internet or phone), the EULA reserves exclusives rights for Microsoft.
– Worried about your business being sued for making a careless copy? Yes, that also happens. The BSA wins money this way.
– Etc.
Edited 2012-03-30 08:29 UTC
I said “good-bye” to Microsoft back in December 1998 after going through Windows 98 hell and haven’t looked back!
While I still have to use some MS products in my day-to-day work, at home it is a totally Microsoft-free zone!
Yep. I quit using Microsoft at home several years ago, as well. It’s been so long that I don’t actually recall how many years. But, lately, I’ve been reconsidering.
Linux is my favorite and most productive OS, bar none. But, it doesn’t run every app that I like to use, such as Adobe Lightroom (which runs on a macbook pro). True, there are alternatives. But, none of the alternatives are as good.
With each subsequent update (upgrade), my macbook has gotten increasingly sluggish. I don’t like OSX as well as I like Windows. They are both annoying. But, I think Windows is even less annoying than OSX.
The macbook pro keyboard is an atrocity for me — no Ctrl key on the right side, no Home key, no End key. These are shortcut keys that I use on both Windows and Linux. I miss those keys infinitely on my mbp.
I’m not to the point of jumping ship just yet. I keep reminding myself why I hate M$ so much. But, Apple is pushing me that direction. Yea, I could upgrade my mbp, and I might.
Oh well….
Nostalgia. I remember when Ubuntu 9.10 was actually a superior product than Windows XP SP3 and Vista. Then Windows 7 came, and people decided that GNOME 2.8 continuation would be the smartphone’d UI GNOME Shell. Some space traveler also thought that he could make a trip to Pluto hoping everyone would buy his idea – and Unity came. It’s hard these days which distro you should recommend, people are considering more going Microsoft.
I think tons of people are considering dumping Microsoft more than ever with the upcoming Windows 8.
Apparently some ubby-fanboys did not like what I wrote, LOL. What can I do? Nevertheless, Windows 8 is set to be a flop, that is very true.
Somebody could recommend a non-smartphoned user distribution. Kubuntu comes to my mind (yeah, maybe that’s because what I’m using now :-), with 5 years of user support if he also pays Canonical, but there must be also other right distributions.
Edited 2012-03-30 08:09 UTC
I know what I’ll be doing, it seems GNOME fallback in Ubuntu is fixed in 12.04:
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/03/gnome-classic-in-ubuntu-12-04-it…
So you have a GNOME3 based GNOME2 desktop.
I have no problems with running LTS for a while and maybe even move to Debian when wheezy has ben released.
I was using squeeze until January and switched to Wheezy. I am no uber geek, just an old distro tart, but I find it pretty good on my AMD Phenom/Gigabyte combo. There have been plenty of updates but all good… could be worth a try now.
I know Debian 6 very well, I’m just don’t know what Debian 7 will be like. Looks like I’ll have to wait to next year for that.