Two seemingly pretty contradictory articles: Why Linux rules and it is all that, and why Linux is not exactly what they say it is.
64 Reasons to Opt for Linux; Myths of Linux on the Desktop
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
You have posted so many of these articles, nobody can even stand them anymore. No wonder this is the first comment.
I use Windows XP. I love it. There is no reason for me to use Linux, unless Linux suits perfectly a specific critical task. I am so tired of WHY YOU SHOULD’s and WHY YOU SHOULDNT’s
>You have posted so many of these articles, nobody can even stand them anymore
It is not me who writes them though. Hah. As long people write such articles, we post them…
/.
I use Windows XP. I love it. There is no reason for me to use Linux, unless Linux suits perfectly a specific critical task. I am so tired of WHY YOU SHOULD’s and WHY YOU SHOULDNT’s
I used to use Win98/2K/XP. Now I use Debian. My sister uses Mandrake and Debian recently. The point is to give Linux a chance. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. If you decide to try it, let me give you an advice. Use it for one month at least and be very, very, patient. You’ll love it afterwards.
Just because people keep writing this crap doesn’t force you to post it. We’ve all heard it a ka-jillion times. Give it a rest!
I use Windows XP. I love it. There is no reason for me to use Linux, unless Linux suits perfectly a specific critical task. I am so tired of WHY YOU SHOULD’s and WHY YOU SHOULDNT’s
Just out of interest, do you think that if your PC came with RedHat pre-installed, you’d say “there is no reason for me to use Windows XP”? If not, what does XP do (that RedHat doesn’t) that would make you choose it?
Maybe a bit off topic….but I spotted a little error in the ‘pro linux’ article. HP Nonstop runs on lockstepped MIPS processors and does not run on HP PA-risc. In the future HP NonStop will switch to Itanium II. Nice to see an article in which NonStop is mentioned (most people don’t even know it exists…)
I think if my PC had come with Redhat Linux installed I would have used it quite happily for a while. But then I’d run into dependency hell when installing software. Or try to add a new peripheral and be faced with days of work reading documentation and editing config files. Or I’d see a brilliant new app or game that only runs in Windows. Or I’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by the inconsistent GUI that even screws up basics like cut, copy and paste.
Overall I think I’d be installing Windows XP ASAP.
Besides one mention or another, these articles didn’t focused on the desktop so the title is misleading…
JK if you have ever listened to Opera or classical music or Jazz then you’d know why you’d change.
Because we live in such a consumer lifestyle of having things stuffed down your throat we’ve forgotten what choice is.
Music is the perfect example of this. Pre late 60s the same song used to be in the charts by several different artists. Sure, people loved the song but they preffered the arrangment/style/artist of one or the other. Ever been into Opera and you would have been in many an argument not about whether you like Carmen but which rendition you prefer. Same with classical music, do you prefer Kennedy’s rendition of the four seasons or Mai’s or do you prefer old school, more traditional renditions.
This is how life should be – full of choice and variety. Not the fact that you love a certain thing but the fact that there are multiple renditions and versions to choose for, each with their own plusses and minuses.
MS lives in a world where there is only one album in the charts from one band only. Open source lives in a world full of different albums and bands all doing different things for different reasons.
Which world would you prefer?
Baseless FUD, you can resolve dependency problems with apt. Your new peripheral would be detected and setup by kudzu, and as for your games if you want to spend another $199.00 just so you can play a $45.00 game, then why would you buy a RedHat loaded system in the first place?
Or I’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by the inconsistent GUI…
For an excellent example of an inconsistent GUI, have a look here: http://www.sorn.net/misc/inconsistent.jpeg
I use a mix of Qt and GTK apps on my desktop, and it doesn’t look any worse than that mix of 4 different UI styles for applications. At least I’ve only got 2 different styles to put up with.
That’s not really fair, is it? The jpeg shows a windows desktop with Litestep, not the default explorer interface.
As far as the individual apps, I see the same old File/Edit/View application menu structure that everyone else has used since Windows 3.1, INCLUDING KDE AND GNOME!
So, don’t troll.
I wasn’t talking about the litestep panel. I said a “mix of 4 different UI styles for applications”. I didn’t think I’d have to explain it on here 🙂
The 4 apps in the screenshot have:
* different button styles (some are flat, some are raised)
* different borders round menu bar
* some have anti-aliased fonts, some don’t
* some have handles at the side of toolbars, some don’t
* one of them even has a different coloured toolbar from what the computers settings specify
This is exactly the same as having some apps written with Qt and others written with GTK on Linux. Yeah, these four all have ‘File’, ‘Edit’ and ‘View’ menus. So do Phonenix, Kate and Evolution on Linux (the three apps I have open right now). In all desktop environments, it’s only sensible for the apps that can make proper use of ‘File’, ‘Edit’ and ‘View’ menus to have them, therefore not all apps have them.
If these types of Linux On Desktop articles continue, I’ll scream. Then I’ll stop visiting this site.
Ok we get the point. The fact of the matter is if someone is looking at this site most likely they’re already looking beyond winodows. We don’t need 5 articles each day tellings why and why not to use windows. I love my debian sid desktop, but I’m not going to force someone else to use linux just becuase it’s the right choice for me. To be honest using linux isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, you have to like to tinker w/ your machine. Linux isn’t right for someone who just want’s things to work and wants to get work done. Granted if you know what you’re doing and once you get everything set up right you’ll have a very usable desktop os.
Please please please, stop these articles. Bring us more things like the FreeBSD interview, and news and stuff. Even the Suse vs. Redhat stuff is getting redundant. Actually, one article I did find interesting was the guy that set up a debian box for complete newbies, I’m hoping he submits the next installment of that.
“I think if my PC had come with Redhat Linux installed I would have used it quite happily for a while. But then I’d run into dependency hell when installing software. Or try to add a new peripheral and be faced with days of work reading documentation and editing config files. Or I’d see a brilliant new app or game that only runs in Windows. Or I’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by the inconsistent GUI that even screws up basics like cut, copy and paste.
Overall I think I’d be installing Windows XP ASAP.”
Then on Windows XP you would have run into registry hell, trying to uninstall stuff that won’t uninstall, programs that leaves files everywhere and corrupted registry. Or try to add a new peripheral and then be faced with drivers problems, try to uninstall the drivers, reboot to safe mode, edit the registry, try another drivers, BSOD, reboot, etc… Or you would see brilliant new app and games *free* on Linux that you must pay for the equivalent on windows (Evolution, Pan, Gthumb, Dia, Xine DVD, etc…). Or you’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by Windows GUI inconsistency… hmmm maybe not, inconsistency on Windows seems to be allowed for some reason…
After that you would probably miss all the options you had on Linux for free like a fetchmail/gotmail/IMAP server/Apache/Php/Squirrelmail/SpamAssassin combo to have access to all your mail spam-free anywhere in the world. XWindow ability to act as a terminal server to connect from unlimited numbers of machines. Be able to play every types of media with a single app (mplayer). Never have to install an OS again (only do apt-get dist-upgrade once in a while). Ability to upgrade *all* the softwares you installed on your computer with a single command (ok maybe 2
, no virus and trojan horse coming through your browser, Office apps and email, etc… (there’s a ton of other thing in my mind that a home user cannot afford or do with Windows).
Then you’d probably be installing a nice linux distro like Debian ASAP!
P.S. For Debian installation, 6 easy steps: insert Knoppix cd, reboot, type knx-install in a console, follow the 4 or 5 instructions (don’t remember), remove the cd and reboot the machine.
Oh my got! I don’t know why do I bother. * delete bookmark*. Same old thing. Linux vs. windows wars. Read one and you’ve read them all. The quality of a news site, magazine or newspaper does not depend on the wirter who writes the articles but on the editor or coordinator that actually posts them. I thought at first this was a decent news site, instead I have realized this is a “Jerry Springer crap type tv show” web site. I think this is my sencond and last post on this site as I don’t plan to waste my time here anymore.
@LPB: What does Spam-mails have to do with the OS? O_o
A barely relevant comparison between OSes and music does nothing to change the simple fact that I’ve tried both Linux and Windows, and for me Windows is a far better OS. Linux wastes my time and makes using my computer a miserable and frustrating experience, while Windows makes my computer fun and productive. Personally I like choice, but not when it makes my life much more difficult and unpleasant.
And FWIW I am a fan of Jazz and Classical music.
I thought the ZDnet article brought up some good points, though it was obviously written by someone who was biased. Basically, they were saying that Linux isn’t a fix-all for corporations. Each company needs to evaluate how they’re using what they already have and try to make changes to use their existing resources more effectively.
I think the most valid point in there is that if you already have a full windows house, it’s hard to switch to Linux wholesale because all your IT people are trained in Windows, which is a completely different animal, so there would be significant training costs at least or would require hiring an entirely new staff that is already trained in Linux. However, a Unix house would have less problems switching to Linux because it would be a very small learning curve for their IT staff.
>>The point is to give Linux a chance. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. If you decide to try it, let me give you an advice. Use it for one month at least and be very, very, patient. You’ll love it afterwards.<<
And if you don’t love it afterwards you’ll get the usual canned response from the Linux crowd “You were using the wrong distro, you shouldn’t have used x it should have been y”
“Then on Windows XP you would have run into registry hell, trying to uninstall stuff that won’t uninstall, programs that leaves files everywhere and corrupted registry. Or try to add a new peripheral and then be faced with drivers problems, try to uninstall the drivers, reboot to safe mode, edit the registry, try another drivers, BSOD, reboot, etc…”
I’ve never encountered any of those problems in 5 years of running Windows. For me Windows just works, apps install and uninstall with ease, I’ve never even encountered the registry, I’ve never had driver problems with supported hardware. While in Linux I had to spend days researching and editing files just to get a popular USB modem working. Adding just about any new peripheral that isn’t supported out of the box is a hassle in Linux, while in Windows I just put in the CD and a few minutes later it’s working.
“Or you would see brilliant new app and games *free* on Linux that you must pay for the equivalent on windows (Evolution, Pan, Gthumb, Dia, Xine DVD, etc…).”
There’s a lot more Windows software I find it hard to live without than there is Linux software I like using. Having said that, it’s true that there’s some good software available for free on Linux, but I don’t consider my time to be worthless. If getting free software means I have to spend a large amount of my free time working on the OS rather than actually using the apps, then I think I’d rather spend some money.
“Or you’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by Windows GUI inconsistency… hmmm maybe not, inconsistency on Windows seems to be allowed for some reason…”
Yes, apps in Windows can look inconsistent, the difference between MDI and SDI is probably the biggest and most annoying example. But at least the basics work in Windows most of the time, I can copy and paste an image from one app to another and even drag and drop usually works.
Overall I can live with the inconsistency and other flaws in Windows, they can be annoying but they aren’t something that wastes hours of my time. While in Linux the time consuming complexity of even simple tasks, and the massive inconsistency in the GUI constantly get in my way and make even simple tasks slow and frustrating.
“What does Spam-mails have to do with the OS? O_o”
Maybe i’ve been more specific than i needed, i was talking about my setup at home but my point was that i have a very powerful email setup (IMAP server+SMTP server+fetchmail+gotmail+some other OS independent stuff) that didn’t cost a cent. I didn’t do my homework to know if alternative to fetchmail, gotmail and a free IMAP server exist on Windows though… my apologies if they do.
so to resume my post… forget the spam thing from my other post!
I just want say that the purpose of my previous post was just to state the worst case scenario for Windows and best-case scenario for Linux… the same way i feel your previous post was just considering the opposite.
“I’ve never encountered any of those problems in 5 years of running Windows. For me Windows just works, apps install and uninstall with ease, I’ve never even encountered the registry, I’ve never had driver problems with supported hardware. While in Linux I had to spend days researching and editing files just to get a popular USB modem working. Adding just about any new peripheral that isn’t supported out of the box is a hassle in Linux, while in Windows I just put in the CD and a few minutes later it’s working.”
Well that is what i call the best case scenario for Windows and worst case for Linux. I’ve used Windows since the 3.1 days (DOS before that) and i’ve had many problems i stated in my previous post. Granted, most of the times it worked out of the box but when it didn’t it was a real pain. Ask any person that tried to install the first drivers for Soundblaster Live on Windows NT. What about installing Hercules Game Theater drivers on Windows 2000… a real pain and no it didn’t worked out of the box and yes i had to go to safe-mode, etc…
Best-case for Linux on unsupported hardware: i installed Linux on my sister’s new computer 2 weeks ago… looked on the cd and found the Linux drivers. Followed the instructions, unzip, make, make install…. drivers are working. Nice!
“There’s a lot more Windows software I find it hard to live without than there is Linux software I like using. Having said that, it’s true that there’s some good software available for free on Linux, but I don’t consider my time to be worthless. If getting free software means I have to spend a large amount of my free time working on the OS rather than actually using the apps, then I think I’d rather spend some money.”
Well that also depends of what do you think your time is worth. I know mine isn’t worth the price of all the Windows software i would have bought to have the functionnality i have on Linux.
Another thing, i love to work *on* the OS rather than working *against* it like i felt on Windows. For example, on linux if i want to install the latest nvidia drivers i have to get the sources of my kernel, get the sources of the drivers, build the kernel modules, etc… i have many steps to do but i’m working toward a goal and i know what i’m doing. On Windows most of the time it works just by clicking on the .exe… however, a friend of mine tried to install the drivers on his freshly formatted Windows 2000 machine. Double-click on the .exe… error message about PackageFromTheWeb needing a internet connection. Well he doesn’t have internet access but he used this file on a previous installation (without internet access) and it worked before… hmmmm, must fight Windows again!
For apps consistency, i was just teasing. I use only Gnome apps to pretend it doesn’t exist!
To conclude, i just want to say that it’s perfectly possible that you had the experience you described earlier and i had mine. Both OS have their strengths and weakeness (sp?), it depends on what users wants and how they use them.
quote””Then on Windows XP you would have run into registry hell, trying to uninstall stuff that won’t uninstall, programs that leaves files everywhere and corrupted registry. Or try to add a new peripheral and then be faced with drivers problems, try to uninstall the drivers, reboot to safe mode, edit the registry, try another drivers, BSOD, reboot, etc… Or you would see brilliant new app and games *free* on Linux that you must pay for the equivalent on windows (Evolution, Pan, Gthumb, Dia, Xine DVD, etc…). Or you’d try to get some work done and get annoyed by Windows GUI inconsistency… hmmm maybe not, inconsistency on Windows seems to be allowed for some reason… “”quote
DUDE are you high on drugs or what, what a bunch of FUD!!!!!!!!!!!!
i’ve been running winXP on a p3 450, and not once have i experienced a BSOD. THe only time a registry corruption occurs IS IF YOU OVERCLOCK. As far as i know windows XP comes with more drivers for hardware than any other OS. heck even WIN2003 comes win nearly 3000 printer drivers, can you say the same for linux????
Man i know you’re probably not gonna read this since the article is not on the front page anymore but anyway…
I’m not spreading any FUD, i’ve had BSOD with Windows XP, i’ve had problem installing drivers also. It’s not common but it does happen. I’ve also had my Linux install freeze too so it can happens to any OS.
Stop saying bullshit like that, Windows does crash sometimes, even Windows XP!