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what would make you switch to linux? (if you're not already using it)

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<< i see....

how are things regarding debian and BSD??.. - i have this notion of them being virtually identical to linux...(i've no clue)...I've seen them running X window managers (kde/genome), which is probably where it came from.

is driver development for them easier?...i see a few people here like debian and bsd over linux... >>


debian is linux.
 


<< too bad winex isnt free 🙁 >>


bah, its what, 5 or 10 bucks??? thats not bad at all considering games are like 40-50 bucks new, and windows is 100-200 bucks.
 
enter gentoo (what I'm running right now)

gentoo rocks. but it's not for weenies. With a portage system where in order to install the latest version of KDE you type "emerge kde", you can't go wrong in worrying about recursive dependency issues because it does it all for you.

The downside (although you really can't call it one because it's a principle of Gentoo), is that you have to wait (and I mean WAIT) while it installs. Because it downloads the source of *everything* you install, you have to wait for it to compile everything. The end result is a snappy machine without the knowhow of compiling open source software.

KDE 3 is awesome! I use to be a hardcore Gnome fan but KDE 3 is crisp, speedy, and responsive. In a corporate environment, I think if a knowledgeable sys admin slapped imaged Gentoo Linux on all the workstations with KDE, Mozilla, and OpenOffice for a corporation it would pretty smooth sailings.

On a side note, I never understood why OpenOffice doesn't have a "quick start" option for Linux like they do for Windows.

-S
 


<<
On a side note, I never understood why OpenOffice doesn't have a "quick start" option for Linux like they do for Windows.

-S >>



I think I heard the same comment about mozilla, the answer I heard was something about programing threads in windows vs. linux
 
my only thing is I can't get all my hardware to fully support linux

I like Windows 2000 and XP is ok, but I really think this might be the end of the line for Microsoft OSs for me. After that I'll probably switch over to Linux.

Linux has come a long way since I first tryed it in 1999, but it still has away to go on somethings (games, etc...)
 
Man, Linux has come a long way. The only thing that its missing is game support (for me). There are alot of games that I really like that I can play (using conversion programs, never messed with wine) like Quake3 Arena, and UnrealTournament but to many that I cannot play still. I am a BIG gammer so this i simportant to me. I could care less about word processors and all that sh*t (seriously, I have never even used MSword). It does what I need it to do for the most part but it still is a little bit of a pain to get those things done. I would say that in 2 years if it is still arround (jk) it will be (as far a software compatibility) really close to compatibility in windows.
 
I would say that in 2 years if it is still arround (jk) it will be (as far a software compatibility) really close to compatibility in windows.

That would be a step backwards, while I appreciate the intetions of the Wine people running win32 apps isn't going to do any good. OS/2 ran Win16 apps better than Win3.1 but all thta did was make developer say "why should we develop for OS/2 since they can run our apps anyway", then when MS broke compatibility and make things a lot more difficult with win32 and all it's 16-bit/32-bit conversion hacks OS/2 didn't run win32 apps so well and faded.

Obviously Linux won't get shelved by a large corporation and die like OS/2, but in order for it to do well it needs native (or something like Java or MS' CLR) apps to have any real ground.
 
Well that is what I am saying. Game devolopers need to start writing games that are native to Linux. There is starting to be a big enough userbase for linux and either now or soon would be a good time for the devolopers to incorporate linux into their scheme. I hate wine personally. I don't want to have to install a CRAPPY compatiblity layer to get a game to work half ass. I am a hardcore gamer and that is the ONLY reason I havn't switched over to linux. Now I know alot more about computers and the OS's than just how to install and run a game but running an OS that can allow me to do this easily and quickly is important. This change will have to happen if linux plans to ever really compete with windows. Some linux users would say that linux doesn't have to compete with windows and bla bla bla but the reality is they do and will have to in the future. Look at the ps2, its a pretty big statment for them and linux and will undoubtedly draw more attention to linux from, yes you got it, gamers and hopefully game devolopers. When I can play games like Black and White or Max Payne on Linux it will then be my first and only choice for an os.

Then their is the hardware side of things. It has gotten much better and contines to do so but just isn't up to par like it should be. USB support is still a pain in the arse as well as video card support (or getting drivers installed that allow accelerated 3d). Now I can get both working pretty well but most people out there cannot or won't take the time to learn how. Now, you can say, well then forget those people, but those people make up way over half of the computer user out there. I would personally like to see them be able to run linux and forget that MS even exists.

Just a side note here. I do not hate MS or Bill. I think that windows 2000 and XP are great operating systems. The one thing that always nags at me is their "anti competetive" practices and their ability to just squash a company that has a really good product that can compete with one of theirs. They have done it, they are doing it, and will continue to do it unless some thing or somebody puts a stop to it (which aint likley). But hay!, its just business right?
 
Or you can be like Bioware and include all install versions of Windows, Linux, and Mac of Neverwinter Nights on a single CD.
Now, when it'll ever be released. Who's to say??
 
No less an authority than John Carmack of id Software has claimed the Linux gaming market is not viable (by any stretch of the imagination).

No major gaming producer is going to target native games for Linux (you'll see a few games occasionally). So face it, either you're satisfied with WineX, willing to keep Winblows for gaming, or you buy a PS2.

In the long run, I don't know how strategic wine is, but they have produced a pretty good product so far. My hunch is that (besides gaming) if people aren't interested in running MS Office under wine, then there's no other reason for wine to be a major factor.

Don't get me wrong, I think wine is a great project. However, in the grand scheme of things, there's a lot more stake in Mozilla becoming popular (for various reasons), for example.
 
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