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#11
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life after Windows....
Sam O'Var writes:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...s-1653198.html Unless dramatic changes occur in the world of Linux, it will never be a significant threat to Windows or a serious option for the vast majority of computer users. The musician in the article typifies the problems with the OS, and one can see generally that the more intensively a user uses his computer for real work, the more problems Linux presents. Linux is fine for geeks who do not actually do work with their computers, as they can afford to fiddle with the OS endlessly--they have nothing else to do. And people who use their computers for only one or two things, such as surfing the Web and reading e-mail, may find Linux acceptable. But for everyone else, it's just not a solution. Linux is not really moving in the right direction to change this, and some fundamental problems with Linux will prevent it from doing so. For example, Windows includes components licensed from other companies that are not free; Linux can never include these components unless it also includes a licensing fee for them, and then it won't be free any more (and it will become a lot more complicated if it goes that route). That's one reason why the musician might not be able to find all the codecs he needs. Of course, if you start paying for Linux, most of its advantages over Windows evaporate. It is not more stable or secure, despite claims along those lines. The vast number of "distributions" are actually different operating systems, that share only a small core of common code that isn't enough to ensure stability or security itself. There are just many, many problems with Linux. I'd welcome a drop-in replacement for Windows that could effectively provide some degree of competition, but Linux isn't it, and the way things are going, it never will be. |
#12
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life after Windows....
White Spirit writes:
He couldn't get it to play WAVs and MP3s? What's the matter with him? That's the wrong question. The right question is: What's the matter with the OS? After all, he was able to play all of that under Windows. This betrays an attitude common among Linux fans: If something doesn't work, it's the user's fault, not the operating system's fault. It's not a very rational or productive attitude. |
#13
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life after Windows....
White Spirit writes:
MP3 is not proprietary. MP3 is a minefield of software patent and copyright issues, both for players and for recorders of MP3 content. To be fair, Ubuntu is not always the best choice for beginners given that it can be quite restrictive and buggy. It's not hard to look on Google to find simple instructions to get what you need, but there are better distros for the beginner. And that's another problem with Linux: an endless number of "distributions" which are actually different operating systems. With no standards, there's no hope of competing with Windows. |
#14
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life after Windows....
William Black writes:
The major advantage of using Linux is security. The "security" of Linux is illusory. Its only security advantage is that it's too small a target to merit attacks. |
#15
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life after Windows....
William Black writes:
Right now I'm running two computers, Ubuntu on the new one and W98 SP2 on an elderly Dell, with a KVM switch and a teeny weenie Samba server running 2x 500Gig disks in RAID 1 for backup storage. Windows 98 is a completely different operating system from Windows XP. I run Windows XP on the desktop, and FreeBSD (vastly superior to Linux--it is a real descendent of UNIX, whereas Linux is not) on the server. |
#16
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life after Windows....
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message ... William Black writes: The major advantage of using Linux is security. The "security" of Linux is illusory. Its only security advantage is that it's too small a target to merit attacks. ********. The British government web site doesn't like Windows products for protecting secrets when connected to the net, it does like Linux and Unix. Unix variants can be 'locked down'. Windows can't because you can't look at the source code. -- William Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. |
#17
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life after Windows....
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message ... William Black writes: Right now I'm running two computers, Ubuntu on the new one and W98 SP2 on an elderly Dell, with a KVM switch and a teeny weenie Samba server running 2x 500Gig disks in RAID 1 for backup storage. Windows 98 is a completely different operating system from Windows XP. Sorry, XP. Who cares, it's all crap. -- William Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. |
#18
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life after Windows....
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message ... Of course, if you start paying for Linux, most of its advantages over Windows evaporate. It is not more stable or secure, Well... Yes it is... Nobody runs servers on Micro$oft software. Well, nobody sane... -- William Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. |
#19
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life after Windows....
"Sam O'Var" wrote in message ... http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...s-1653198.html Linux is free, easy-to-use As someone who had to use this pile of poo for 9 months at my last job, I can safely say that: "it most certainly is not" And I'm an experience computer user with a degree in Computer Science. tim |
#20
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life after Windows....
Mxsmanic wrote:
White Spirit writes: MP3 is not proprietary. MP3 is a minefield of software patent and copyright issues, both for players and for recorders of MP3 content. To be fair, Ubuntu is not always the best choice for beginners given that it can be quite restrictive and buggy. It's not hard to look on Google to find simple instructions to get what you need, but there are better distros for the beginner. And that's another problem with Linux: an endless number of "distributions" which are actually different operating systems. With no standards, there's no hope of competing with Windows. Quite, I've been hearing for years now how Linux is going to take over, that it's the best things since sliced bread etc. That's tosh, it has a tiny market share, is not suitable for the average PC user and will never be anything other than a minority OS for people who like tinkering with their PCs. I have nothing against it, on the contrary it would perhaps be good if it was widespread and got people away from MS hegemony but let's be realistic, it just won't happen. |
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