Would you be just as effective on a Linux desktop/laptop as a Win32 desktop/laptop?

[beer]

I was thinking about this the other day.

If you want to learn a foreign language, you can take it for years in high school and college and never fully 'grasp' what is being taught. Or you could spend a month totally immersed in a foreign country and learn it out of necessity. Perhaps the same thing applies with operating systems? Maybe the best way to learn Linux/etc is to nuke everything and force yourself to learn it. Think it's true, or just endless frustration?

 

[Electric Amish]

Yes.....if all our applications here at work ran on Linux. (talking LIMS and ERP systems, not office apps)

amish

 

[Armitage]

Its a real PITA when I have to work on a windows box now. If I put cygwin on it, it's bearable.

 

[radioouman]

I don't mind Linux, but the 8+ years experience that I have on Windows 95/NT/98/ME/2000/XP plus the 2-3 years that I had on DOS and Windows 3.1 would make it difficult for me to catch up completely on the Linux side.

 

[Willoughbyva]

I do quite a bit in Mandrake 9. The only thing that I really do in xp that I can't ( I haven't really reasearched it either) is video editing. For general stuff I use Linux. I will say that I like having both and I get more thrill out of running linux. I don't run servers or anything, just a workstation install.

 

[mpitts]

Yup. I actually prefer being on linux.

Same goes with OSX for me.

 

[CrazyDe1]

I had to work on linux machines for a project...it took me so long to do basic tasks...

I hate some of the software..particularly browsers. I knew only basic commands like ls and cd. I couldn't figure out how to print for the longest time. That being said, there are a lot of nice things you can do with linux that you can't do with windows. But overall I even surf the internet at 10 times faster speeds with windows. I can't use alt tab or ctrl enter to complete URLs in a browser. The GUI that I was using was terrible. A lot of tools and programs are made for linux adn don't port over to windows.
It's all about just messing aroudn with it. I'm sure if I played around with it for long enough I'd be able to use it fine...but I'm lazy...

 

[n0cmonkey]

More productive. I guess I should test out that exchange connector thingy...

 

[JSClark]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
I was thinking about this the other day.

If you want to learn a foreign language, you can take it for years in high school and college and never fully 'grasp' what is being taught. Or you could spend a month totally immersed in a foreign country and learn it out of necessity. Perhaps the same thing applies with operating systems? Maybe the best way to learn Linux/etc is to nuke everything and force yourself to learn it. Think it's true, or just endless frustration?

Endless frustration... I have a separate box for linux (still waiting on the Mandrake version), and I plan to network the two computers together...

 

[mpitts]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
I was thinking about this the other day.

If you want to learn a foreign language, you can take it for years in high school and college and never fully 'grasp' what is being taught. Or you could spend a month totally immersed in a foreign country and learn it out of necessity. Perhaps the same thing applies with operating systems? Maybe the best way to learn Linux/etc is to nuke everything and force yourself to learn it. Think it's true, or just endless frustration?

Total immersion was how I taught myself linux. I bought a book, installed Redhat 6.2 and was off. It wasn't the smoothest ride at first, but I am definitely reaping the benefits nowadays.

 

[ROTC1983]

No, I would lose a lot of productivity because I would have to learn linux

 

[oliver2k]

Originally posted by: ROTC1983
No, I would lose a lot of productivity because I would have to learn linux

me too...well, assuming i had any productivity

edited for me bad grammar

 

[Beattie]

I would be just as productive... probably more so as the commands and interface allow for things to be done better and faster. Also the abundance of availible apps for just about every situation at your fingertips and free lets me do even more things easier.

 

[Willoughbyva]

Some people may say they will lose production because they will have to learn Linux, but most distrobutions with KDE and GNOME are as simple to use as Windows. Personally I like Mandrake. For me it is easier to change settings and stuff. I went out the other day and bought Red Hat 8 and it wasn't as easy. I guess because I have been using different versions of Mandrake for the past 3 years and am more familiar with it. I really hope that Linux continues to grow and improve.

 

[beer]

I wish that dreamweaver/flash were ported to Linux....I can't do my Web design without it. I guess I might just get a mac so I can do all that stuff under OSX

but then i can't run my linux apps....

 

[xirtam]

More effective on linux. Too much to distract me in the windows environment. Assuming I had the tools I needed on linux, I would prefer to work in linux.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
I wish that dreamweaver/flash were ported to Linux....I can't do my Web design without it. I guess I might just get a mac so I can do all that stuff under OSX

but then i can't run my linux apps....

Why not? Broken Mac? Stuck on OS 9?

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Elemental007
I wish that dreamweaver/flash were ported to Linux....I can't do my Web design without it. I guess I might just get a mac so I can do all that stuff under OSX

but then i can't run my linux apps....

Why not? Broken Mac? Stuck on OS 9?

Assuming their distributed as binaries and not as source, how would I be able to execute them?
If they are distributed by source, could I 'make' them under OSX? I've never played with OSX on anything deeper than the shallow surface.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Elemental007
I wish that dreamweaver/flash were ported to Linux....I can't do my Web design without it. I guess I might just get a mac so I can do all that stuff under OSX

but then i can't run my linux apps....

Why not? Broken Mac? Stuck on OS 9?

Assuming their distributed as binaries and not as source, how would I be able to execute them?

Ok, so you should specify commercial proprietary Linux applications.

If they are distributed by source, could I 'make' them under OSX?

That's how I did it

That or use fink, which is an apt work-a-like for Darwin/OS X, which downloads and installs binaries instead of recompiling everything.

I've never played with OSX on anything deeper than the shallow surface.

Most things work just fine, some of them need minor tweaks. Some of those programs though are coded specifically for Linux without portability or good coding in mind and will not run, but you won't be missing much.

 

[VBboy]

Linux has a small penis.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: VBboy
Linux has a small penis.

Try a BSD.

 

[Maleficus]

Not a freaking chance!

 

[yoda291]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: VBboy
Linux has a small penis.

Try a BSD.

Ive long since scrapped all vestiges of linux for free and open bsd. I am so glad I did.

I have to say, however, that I am stuck using a windows machine for now because if you've ever tried to create an fla or swf file in any *nix variant, you'll understand. I can get by w/o dreamweaver. VI is just as competent, if not moreso.

unfortunately, I've also fallen hopelessly in love with m2 and opera 7

 

[VBboy]

Yes, I would be very productive programming in Visual Basic and using Photoshop on Linux. Too bad I can't.

 

[BurnItDwn]

as far as office aps are concerned ... both are the same for me as i use openoffice .. and it works just fine on both platforms ... however .. in linux .. i can run and edit my webpage/database. I can also compile stuff in linux. I imagine this can be done in windows ... though i doubt its free .. and i Highly doubt any windows based DB server would be comparable to PostgreSQL. I know there is apache for windows ... but I'd much rather stick with linux for that ... and i like pico and vi better than notepad ... (its close though) .. so l vote linux as more productive ... though I do use windoze for gaming, and multimedia .