Linux is fine for day to day stuff, and has been improving steadily since I started messing with it years ago. But as already said, its rubbish for games, there's not many commerical ones that work, some of the most popular ones work under an emulation layer, but you'll need to keep windows around if you still want a decent choice of games.
The way I see it, its best used not directly on a typical desktop system. I've set a couple of servers up using it, which its brilliant for, and it was used on the workstations at my last job, which it was also very good for.
In XP it is - and one of the first thing I do. If there is an important update, I can get it manually. And that way I don't get those "nice" "hotfixes" like the WGA thingy. I really disapprove of software calling home without me allowing it to. I'm just waiting for the day someone manages to spread a worm/virus/trojan via those automatic updates. That'll be a riot
Of course it is!!! IIRC the settings are in the My Computer/properties tabs..or maybe Security settings... (3 months of Vista and I'm already forgetting my way around XP...HELP!!!!!)
I only use Windows now for gaming. Everything else I do is done on either the Mac or Linux.
I run a Apache/PHP/MySQL server across the local network which is great for web development where usually expensive hosting features are required, therefore all my web development is done on Linux.
Once you get into it, and get it set up, you'll (probably) find it so much better than Windows you won't want to go back. I've expressed my concerns here before about going to Linux, and how it still isn't user friendly enough, but every day it gets better, and depending on your expertise is easy enough to operate now.
Pretty much the only thing you cant do is play games on it, so just keep another partition for XP maybe.
I personally do all day to day stuff in OSX, then Game in Windows still. I find too in OSX it's easier to share files around the network, and work on my mac, using VNC, while using the facilitys...:hide:
but i know a few people that have both windows and linux on 1 computer,if they start theyr computers they just choose wich they wanna use,windows or linux.they use linux for internet and windows for gaming,but i dislike linux cause not much games work on it and i dont understand it much :P
Linux auto-updates these days too, the reason is simple - look at any security exploit website and when the effect of 1 post about LFS on such a pace earlier this year we had a case where a lot of the userbase lost confidence in LFS security for a while. Thankfully that's behind us now.
As for Linux, it really is aweful as an end user operating system. It tries and tries and tries but unless you really want to use Linux for some specific reason - in my case because my job requires me to - then installing Linux will ensure that your time spent using the computer is spent mostly trying to get Linux setup to do whatever task you want to do next.
I dont understand why people use Linux at all, it's a POSIX throwback from a time when punch chards where all the rage, the only point of Linux is to make techies even more techie and to give them back that feeling that computers are something that other people fear and do not understand.
There is no justifyable usage for Linux anywhere in the world, even OS' from the 80's had a more sophisticated and easier to use, intuitive, user interface despite still having a CLI.
Linux is aweful.
If you really want to have a PC that doesnt get infected with malware, which strikes me as Linux's only redeeming feature, then get OSX as your OS. It's suported better than Linux, is more intuitive, requires no setup and doesnt suffer the malware problem.
Then again i've been a PC user for eons and i've not had all the spyware problems everyone else seems to have... ...but I dont use my computer for porn.
That's a load of crap You just have to know, like with any operating system, how to get the software *you* want. It's no more complex to 'install' an rpm than it is to run an installer on windows. It's certainly far less bloaty. (And less bloaty again on OS X).
It's not that bad. The problem is that programmers tend not to make good interfaces, although this is changing as more people come onboard with various projects.
Errr.. OSX is POSIX compliant? If this is a complaint I don't see why, unless you're complaining that Linux doesn't hide this fact well enough? Perhaps you should look at Ubuntu if you've had bad experiences in the past. They appear to be working to a similar goal of making things easy.
That's a bit unfair. That's like me telling you that OSX is for orange sunglasses and kilt wearing freaks who love nothing more than an overpriced coffee in the morning.. And students.
Hang on...!
Using Linux, and other unix like OS', it's possible to attain a high EAL rating (on specific hardware) which makes it ideal for situations requiring high security.
Windows can also attain high-ish levels, but and I was unable to find any information on whether or not OSX has been rated or not.
(Yes, this is an American thing, but afaik they're the only people paranoid enough to propose a rating system)
So' your face! That argument always wins! How can I fail?
Surely that depends how you define "supported". For the desktop this is changing. For the sysadmin I'm honestly not sure if it could be better supported; if you go to a vendor you have support from them, much like you can get from Microsoft, you also have access to a large number of mailing lists, etc.
As far as I can tell, the only reason you get good support with OSX is that you get a limited choice of hardware? The fact that Apple don't have to support every goddamn bit of bullshit hardware out there makes their lives easier.
Having never had to phone Apple support, I honestly can't make any comparisons when it comes down to that unfortunately.
Surely not magazines?
However, you are correct Becky. Linux does have it's flaws. Many decisions or assumptions that I do not agree with. However, I probably have just as many problems with every other OS I've used.
You are also correct that 'Linux' is largely complicated, but that's because it's built by programmers, and there are relatively few HCI guys around to help out with how things should work. However, for this reason Linux runs on a wide variety of architectures, over 21 last time I looked. I'm not sure I can think of any other OS that could claim that. I'm not saying this is an excuse that Linux is complicated, only attempting to explain why.
Whilst some people may think that Linux is not suitable for desktop users because its ideas originated from a 20 year old technology/paradym at that time, which are now nearing 40+ years, I think that is largely irrelevant. Linux is being used to replace AIX and similar installations all the time (despite AIX and related activities being largely profitable for IBM). Converting expensive hardware into cheap x86/whatever hardware is making peoples lives easier.
From a 'user' point of view, if you're using a desktop you don't care how the underlying OS works. If you have to start playing admin then things change, but you just need to learn the rules of a system, like any other.
I'm not saying that Linux is perfect. Like any software it's far from it, but it's not that bad!
Now, if you want to bash an OS, can we start on Cisco's IOS? Now that's inconsistant!
Becky I really don't agree with most things you've said there. Sure Linux is not user-friendly for the average user, and may look geeky because it's been made be programmers etc.
However after a few hours, and I do mean maybe a maximum of 6 hours, Fedora 7 looks better, and is easier to use than the copy of Vista on my machine. I really do mean that. Learning the filesystem may take some time for some people, and using a console will of course only appeal to a small proportion of users, but a lot of the installation process has been made considerably easier lately.
OSX is fine, and I use that on an everyday basis when I need to get things done without having to worry about the ins and outs of them. Sure people say the OS is slow, slower than Windows etc, but productivity is so much higher than Windows. But because it's so simple on the surface and easy to use, I don't feel the need to dig deeper to find the functions I can use in Linux.
Saying there is no justifiable usage for Linux is pretty much bollocks. As a Computer Science student I have to use a terminal pretty much every day, doing that in Windows is never fun. Doing it in OSX is of course fine, but then saying just get OSX instead of Linux doesn't really go down well with most people.
Then finally there's the fact that OK so you've never had spyware etc, that doesn't change the fact that you can very easily on a Windows machine. I havn't had a virus for years but I still run an anti-virus app to be safe, and regularly run anti-spyware/malware apps to clean shit up which always seems to end up on a Windows machine within a few months of installation.
My parents have been victim to credit card fraud twice now, both due to spyware on the PC. Now my mum and sister don't know what spyware is, they don't know where you can get it from, and they certainly don't remember how to remove it, despite me telling them numerous times. If they we're running Linux I can guarantee they'd never have had the problems, and without even knowing it would be much safer online.
I think on the whole your argument is flawed. One look at a user-orientated setup Linux system will tell you that.
I know how to install software, what i mean is that a lot of the software *I* want to sue doesn't work on Linux - sure, theres an open-source alternative - but what's the advantage of using software that's a copy of what i want to use - i don't see the point...
all i can say is - go for it.
been using linux for over a year now (started with debian, changed to ubuntu for better gaming compatibility later) and its simply the best OS out there.
i do also use windows, but only for the games that absolutely wont run under linux (which is rare).
pros:
a lot more stable then windows.
a lot better performance (up to 250%).
in case of ubuntu - awesome support in almost all languages.
pretty much every program is free.
contras:
no directx support, but can play direcxt games through wine/cedega.
needs a little bit to get used to it, here and then the good old console *has* to be used (not a real contra imo, i use the console 70% of the time).
hmm....i guess thats it.
had an awesome example just a few days ago.
wanted to split a 1.3 GB movie in 700 MB parts - ok, i get Avisplit.
started it (windows) remaining time - 2 hours 30 minutes.
uhm...ok. kinda long imo.
booted up linux, installed avisplit (yeah, the same app), started the same thing - took not even 10 min.
games: of course here is the best example lfs.
on my pc (athlon xp 2600 - 1,9 ghz, 1 gb ram, 7600gs) i get about 80-90 fps in single player under windows, no other car/ai.
linux: 75-80.
hmmm...not bad imo, or?
in some games u get even better fps than in linux...so they must do it right
im unsure what distros becky used, but ive never really had any problems with it linux (well minor problems, but not nearly as bad as with windows).
so after all...simply try it, u dont have to wipe ur HD, u can do it as a dual boot system and use both.
thats what i am using.
edit...
hmm, maybe because its free?
improved?
ive never really found a program where i said "omg, thats so bad, not nearly as good as the real windows version!"
its a general negativity against open source software - free = bad.
i dont know where that has been coming from, but i prefer much open source "copys" over the originals.
If you know how to install windows you are able to install ubuntu.
If you know how to use the windows GUI you are at home with the ones in ubuntu. They are arrenged differently but work the same way. So exatly like updating from a previous windows.
I use windows for a games that need good fps like LfS(50ish in win 30ish in linux) and Counter-Strike(Steam sucks!). Others I use with wine like Fallout(1&2) and AvP. Some have been ported to linux like AvP and Enemy Territory
Been using Linux Mint for the last few months for day to day stuff, and Windows ONLY for gaming.
I'm a complete and utter noob when it comes to all things software related yet i find Linux really easy to use. This latest version of Mint seems to do everything for you, even installing the latest drivers for all my bits and pieces in my comp. And even if i do get stuck the guys at the MInt forums are really helpful and understanding with nubbies.
And the best thing is the internet is soooo much quicker and runs 'smoother' than windows, far less problems and hangups (and that running Firefox !)
Thing to do is try it, it's free, so what you got to loose ?
yeah thats another thing...in windows i get a ping of 15-20, while in linux i get 9-14.
ofc, its not a huge difference, but there is one.
no idea whats up with that
No dude, read what people are saying. You can't just play Windows games under Linux, you have to emulate them, thus framerates will be lower than in Windows.
You just have to know, like with any operating system, how to get the software *you* want. It's no more complex to 'install' an rpm than it is to run an installer on windows. It's certainly far less bloaty. (And less bloaty again on OS X).
