Why Linux isn't ready for desktops..

[Nothinman]

Windows XP Pro is $35 at the store, and frankly, if I have to compile anything, the amount of time it took is worth more than $35.

I would say the time I've saved using Linux has been worth way more than $35. I've had the same installation at home for ~6 years, can you say that about Windows?

 

[MBrown]

Dont beat me down to a pulp but I find Linux confusing. I've trying to figure it out. Terminal, Command Line, and other things are hard to understand. I cannot figure out the instructions to download the flash player plugin for Firefox. I can't view my videos I find from online. Its just hard and limited imo. I wish there were some kind of free online video lesson on how to use command line, terminal etc. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: aGreenAgent

I've heard that, but I could've mentioned just as many other things that take more time than I'm willing to allow, like lack of driver support, akward GUIs I don't like (maybe you like them, but I don't), etc. etc.

I have the same problems with Windows. Awkward gui, no choice in gui, lack of decent software (it takes hours to get all the software to make this thing usable :Q), etc. It's sad really.

Oh, and it's $35 at the MS Employee store.

That doesn't count. I meant something that people could buy too.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: MBrown
Dont beat me down to a pulp but I find Linux confusing. I've trying to figure it out. Terminal, Command Line, and other things are hard to understand. I cannot figure out the instructions to download the flash player plugin for Firefox. I can't view my videos I find from online. Its just hard and limited imo. I wish there were some kind of free online video lesson on how to use command line, terminal etc. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

I've posted a page or two of commands to help people get started. Look at that. It's simple if you spend some time.

Not having flash is a good thing.

 

[groovin]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Is it just me or does ZDNet's writers get dumber as time goes on?

dumber indeed. IMO this guy is slightly biased towards windows even though he says he's not. why? because he seems to be stuck in thinking that an OS has to look, feel, be totally compatible with, and smell just like windows to be successful... or at least linux has to. that might be kinda true since itll be easier for windows users to switch over, but come on now, it doesnt take months and months for average windows users that only check email and surf the web to learn how to do that on linux. these same average windows users dont even know how to get to the control panel let alone install new software anyways.

i lent my roomate who has only used windows her whole life and is by far one of the least computer literate people i know my SuSE 9.2 laptop for a couple months.. I didnt even need to tell her how to use it. in minutes she was chatting online and surfing.

 

[aGreenAgent]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

Windows XP Pro is $35 at the store, and frankly, if I have to compile anything, the amount of time it took is worth more than $35.

I would say the time I've saved using Linux has been worth way more than $35. I've had the same installation at home for ~6 years, can you say that about Windows?

I had the same install for 4 years until last night, when I installed XP64 (even though technically I still have the original XP Pro install on there, I stopped using it as of last night).

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

I have the same problems with Windows. Awkward gui, no choice in gui, lack of decent software (it takes hours to get all the software to make this thing usable :Q), etc. It's sad really.

Oh, and it's $35 at the MS Employee store.

That doesn't count. I meant something that people could buy too.

The gui is down to opinion, and I like windows better personally (classic style, not the stupid XP style). And I build windows boxes all the time, how does it take you hours to get all the stuff?

It's probably a situation where if you're used to Windows, it'll take you hours to get all the Linux stuff, and if you're used to Linux, it'll take you hours to get all the Windows stuff.

And the MS employee store counts, you just have to know the right people :-D

 

[Nothinman]

I had the same install for 4 years until last night, when I installed XP64 (even though technically I still have the original XP Pro install on there, I stopped using it as of last night).

That's quite a feat, and you have to realize that you're in the extreme minority then if you can keep a Windows install for more than 6 months to a year. And as a side note, an upgrade to AMD64 wouldn't require a reinstall for Linux.

And the MS employee store counts, you just have to know the right people :-D

I don't have to have any special connections to get free Linux software legally or talk to the developers working on the software.

 

[aGreenAgent]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I had the same install for 4 years until last night, when I installed XP64 (even though technically I still have the original XP Pro install on there, I stopped using it as of last night).

That's quite a feat, and you have to realize that you're in the extreme minority then if you can keep a Windows install for more than 6 months to a year. And as a side note, an upgrade to AMD64 wouldn't require a reinstall for Linux.

The AMD64 upgrade didn't take a reinstall. Had that bad boy for a year already, but just got in my copy of XP64 and put that in there.

And the MS employee store counts, you just have to know the right people :-D

Originally posted by: Nothinman
I don't have to have any special connections to get free Linux software legally or talk to the developers working on the software.

touché

 

[stars]

I think anyone that uses a operating system for multiple reasons is going to find it hard to use just one to complete every tasks. The advantage of using more than one computer is being able to use features the other doesnt have. I've never used one that didnt have a quirk or downside here or there.

All operating systems have strengths and weaknesses. This is why most use two or more computers. It's all about using the right operating system for the job. Whichever one that achieves the task fast and effective is all many care about. Linux and Windows is simple if you have a basic understanding of both. I think Linux on the desktop is easily achieved if the average person wants to take the time to learn and use it. It's just beating a dead horse to praise one operating system over another without knowing what an individual uses the computer for.

 

[Nothinman]

The AMD64 upgrade didn't take a reinstall. Had that bad boy for a year already, but just got in my copy of XP64 and put that in there.

But to get a 64-bit system you need to reinstall, that is something that can be worked around in Linux.

 

[aGreenAgent]

It can be worked around in windows, too.

 

[Nothinman]

How so?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: aGreenAgent

The gui is down to opinion, and I like windows better personally (classic style, not the stupid XP style). And I build windows boxes all the time, how does it take you hours to get all the stuff?

It's probably a situation where if you're used to Windows, it'll take you hours to get all the Linux stuff, and if you're used to Linux, it'll take you hours to get all the Windows stuff.

Exactly. Tracking down software for windows to get basic functionality can take a while. My OS of choice has a package manager that makes grabbing all of the software I need very easy. That is, if I don't have the software othe functionality present by default, so there is very little I have to install. Half of it is preference instead of functionality.

And the MS employee store counts, you just have to know the right people :-D

No, I meant a source for the general public.

 

[MBrown]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: MBrown
Dont beat me down to a pulp but I find Linux confusing. I've trying to figure it out. Terminal, Command Line, and other things are hard to understand. I cannot figure out the instructions to download the flash player plugin for Firefox. I can't view my videos I find from online. Its just hard and limited imo. I wish there were some kind of free online video lesson on how to use command line, terminal etc. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

I've posted a page or two of commands to help people get started. Look at that. It's simple if you spend some time.

Not having flash is a good thing.

I can't find it.

 

[aGreenAgent]

Originally posted by: aGreenAgent
It can be worked around in windows, too.

There's actually a driver file you can replace beforehand that'll make windows not crash upon new mobo install.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: MBrown

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: MBrown
Dont beat me down to a pulp but I find Linux confusing. I've trying to figure it out. Terminal, Command Line, and other things are hard to understand. I cannot figure out the instructions to download the flash player plugin for Firefox. I can't view my videos I find from online. Its just hard and limited imo. I wish there were some kind of free online video lesson on how to use command line, terminal etc. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

I've posted a page or two of commands to help people get started. Look at that. It's simple if you spend some time.

Not having flash is a good thing.

I can't find it.

http://www.n0cmonkey.net/docs/final/basicunix.html

 

[Nothinman]

There's actually a driver file you can replace beforehand that'll make windows not crash upon new mobo install.

But that won't get you a 64-bit system, just a 32-bit system with a new motherboard.

 

[kamper]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Not having flash is a good thing.

We all know you have a taste for the under-functional Not having a choice is a bad thing (of course, in this situation, doing it on linux really isn't any harder than doing it on windows).

 

[P0ldy]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: MBrown
Dont beat me down to a pulp but I find Linux confusing. I've trying to figure it out. Terminal, Command Line, and other things are hard to understand. I cannot figure out the instructions to download the flash player plugin for Firefox. I can't view my videos I find from online. Its just hard and limited imo. I wish there were some kind of free online video lesson on how to use command line, terminal etc. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

I've posted a page or two of commands to help people get started. Look at that. It's simple if you spend some time.

Not having flash is a good thing.

There are some uses for it.

Click the link, MBrown.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: kamper

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Not having flash is a good thing.

We all know you have a taste for the under-functional Not having a choice is a bad thing (of course, in this situation, doing it on linux really isn't any harder than doing it on windows).

What choice? There is only 1 plugin. There is no choice when it comes to flash.

 

[Zebo]

Linux is elite customizable complex OS, by definition will always have single digit market share. It's users don't help matters either, understandably they don't want to re-hash a complex RTFM task to a total MS noobie who won't take time to read and learn so they are a bit standoffish.

For me it's just games keeping me in MS land.. already use open office for a couple years now which I find much superior w/o all the MS noise automated BS. Use SSH for mail and third party browsers, media players etc so the move would be fairly nice if they supported games and the fast drivers that depend on them.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Zebo
Linux is elite customizable complex OS, by definition will always have single digit market share. It's users don't help matters either, understandably they don't want to re-hash a complex RTFM task to a total MS noobie who won't take time to read and learn so they are a bit standoffish.

For me it's just games keeping me in MS land.. already use open office for a couple years now which I find much superior w/o all the MS noise automated BS. Use SSH for mail and third party browsers, media players etc.

Can you blame Linux users for being a bit "standoffish?" I mean, these dweebs pop their heads in, ask the most basic of questions without trying a goddamned thing, and expect to get their butts wiped in the process. Screw that, I'd rather write decent documentation.

 

[kamper]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: kamper

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Not having flash is a good thing.

We all know you have a taste for the under-functional Not having a choice is a bad thing (of course, in this situation, doing it on linux really isn't any harder than doing it on windows).

What choice? There is only 1 plugin. There is no choice when it comes to flash.

You were implying that his inability to install flash was a good thing because he shouldn't want to have it. I said that the choice to either have it or not have it should be equally easy to achieve.

 

[P0ldy]

Firefox 1.1 is supposed to support SVG, and that will probably gain support for the format. Flash can definitely be pushed aside if enough people take SVG seriously.

 

[CTho9305]

So your saying, windows doesn't look, act, feel or work like windows. And to fix it, we need to make linux into windows.

I got it, users can not learn anything new, nor do they want to. I understand your point about installing software, but strides are being made in that by debian, ubuntu, and even gentoo (if you disregad the compiling).

I disagree with the statement that linux needsto look and feel like windows (well, not entirely, but I don't want to argue that point). The real problem is the inconsistency of apps. Been using KDE apps for the past couple months? Fire up a gnome app and see how many times you hit the wrong button because the options were reversed. Note that the app doesn't fit in look-and-feel-wise. With *nix, you have interfaces ranging from xclipboard to Kwrite, gedit, and OpenOffice.org - all of which are different.

, Linux's device support is unmatched anywhere else. We support, out-of-the-box, more devices than any other operating system

The thing they fail to mention is that as a user, I don't care if every 15 year old tape drive is supported, if my graphics card doesn't work as well. I know there's nothing they can do about it, but drivers ARE a legitimate complaint.