Windows Why Don't You Use Linux?

I never thought I would use linux, but the other day I was so pissed off with Microsoft about them refusing to give me an activation code for my MS Office 2003 as I have used it too many times, so.... right this minute I am 52% through the download of Knoppix Linux dual boot, I'm gonna try it out and if I like it, use it as an OS, I can still change to windows if I want.

 

I'm sure surfing bit-tech isn't helping the process, but I'm in the middle of burning CD 3 of Mandrake 10.

I'm going to be running it on my secondary computer comprised of parts I've collected over the years. The reason I don't just up and switch to linux is the learning curve and software availability.

The GIMP looks cool, but doesn't seem to be half of what Photoshop CS is, sorry.

Adobe is probably the primary reason I don't switch, and macromedia is the secondary reason. (Sorry, but a color-coded text editor with a VERY easy FTP app built in hasn't been beat that I've seen yet.)

 

Even if you decide you don't like Linux after using Knoppix, download the Windows version of OpenOffice.org

 

I noticed that OpenOffice is very similar to MS Office, however I managed to sort MS office out through system restore. But I might download it just in case.

I tried linux - it seems to me that its similar to windows but there is limited functionality, and a bit slower? I just need to get the hang of it.

The other thing is that the screen resolution is wrong, I've tried chaning it, but there isnt an option for the res. I want for my screen, at the mo. it looks awkward.

 

90% is about right, Microsoft offer complete support to computer manufactures with their software, Linux offer no support to computer manufactures. Also no large computer manufacture would use Linux due to the amount of extra support they would have to internally offer to their customers. Microsoft have the most advanced auto-updating and error management in the bunch operating systems currently on the market.

Most of the PCs we sell (we do bespoke systems and servers) have Microsoft OS's on them because thats what the customers order. We offer Linux free but I think we've had about 4 in 30 odd orders this month take the Linux packages.

Although Linux is a great operating system, there's a huge amount of work to be done on it yet.

 

will only install/run linux when i can run a 64bit build with full driver support. ATI, ARE YOU LISTENING?

seriously. i will buy an nvidia card for this very reason if the ATi driver support for linux 64bit builds isn't fixed by the time my 9800pro is ****.

i'm OK with 'nix systems; we run solaris at uni and i'm pretty comfortable with it - i just want to run a 64bit linux at home. too much to ask?

 

I dont use linux because i dont want to type like a bunch of commands to edit a configuration..

 

i have and would use it agian, i had a dual boot butr i needed more space for my "shared files" also im a gamer and linux does not have much game support, thats what it would need, i know you could just get WINE or something but i hear it does not work so well, anso i would not like to exchange photoshop for my web pages for Gimp

 

I use both at home and work.
Most of my desktops are XP, except one. That is running an older Redhat install, and is used to run VMWare with multiple windows installs (every version from 95 onwards) to make sure that my dialup/IE installer works on all versions. It is a P3 700 and runs as quick under VMware as much newer machines do under native windows.

Also, my Lappy at home (366 Celeron VAIO) runs Mandriva. bit slow for such a feature rich distro and old hardware, so after I've rebuilt my main PC, I'll look for a newer Lappy.

 

You sad it without me

Also I didn't like GUI

 

I'm trying to get it to work, but so foar I'm 0/3. I've tried an old version of SuSE that came with a dummies book (sort of got it working, but couldn't figure out how to do anything withy it), SimplyMEPIS (couldn't get it to run), and currently Ubuntu (Somthing screwy with the display). I'll probably try to download Redhat, but basically, I'm awfully frustrated with the whole process. I know expecting computers to work reliably is too much to ask, but with headaches like this the learning curve gets to be AWFULLY steep. Add to that there is no one around here I can go to for help (most of the people I know are barely computer literate) and it gets pretty daunting at times.

All that said, I loathe XP and the more I hear about Vista the more determined that it will never be installed on any computer I own, so I keep plugging away at Linux.

I have to believe that if Google comes out with a distro it will be better than what I've expierienced so far.

 

i have a linux nas box... which booted from a cd anyway... played with linux for a week and got irate at it (lost a keyboard in the process)

 

Holy thread retrieval!

Compatiblity, while we're on the subject. And yes, I've tried it. It just needs more work before it could really be mainstream for end-users. It's certainly powerful enough, just not simple enough.

 

This is why:


Happens every time

 

Why do I use Windows? I'm used to it and it does everything I want. Its stable, easy to use and all my hardware works with it.

I briefly tried Ubuntu and it seemed to be very clean, but it as such a pain to do much with it. After install I couldn't even get to the GUI, I had to tell Linux to use VESA drivers to get me in. Once I'd downloaded the graphics drivers (using another computer), it took over an hour of Googling to install them (ATI & Linux = no).

I couldn't find any drivers for some of my hardware and I didn't want to google for hours on the rest so I just gave up.

I'm happy with Windows, why change?

 

One reason for me...

PC Games.

 

Looks like a LILO error. Use GRUB tbh Having never used LILO I can't offer much more than that

 

Ha, what I was thinking.

I was thinking about trying a switch but just havent got around to it (short 1 xp 2100). I think Gentoo is a decent distro but the only experience I have is with Mandrake.

 

OK, lets debunk a few of the "myths" that have occured so far in this thread:

1. Linux is harder than Windows

No, its different. The Linux file system actually makes a lot of sense, once you understand it. Of course, if you spent 10 years working with Windows you're going to be confused at first---but I have friends at Uni who never used Windows before Linux, and they understand it perfectly. It's like an English speaker saying "Spanish is harder to speak than English". It just depends what you grew up speaking.

I get really annoyed when people say "I've used windows for 10 years, and then I tried Linux for half an hour and just decided I couldnt understand it...". Sheesh!

Yes, there are a few irritating pieces of hardware that aren't supported that can be a pain to get sorted, but in general most standard hardware will work out of the box these days.

2. It takes days to install programs

Really? On my gentoo box, if I want to install mozilla, all i do is type:

#emerge mozilla

Then my computer automatically downloads the latest version of the program, all the dependencies, and installs them. Then everything is ready to go. It's actually easier than installing it on Windows!

3. I can't use all my programs...

Well, what do you use your computer for? My linux box runs thunderbird, firefox, opera, MSN clients, printers, can access USB sticks and my digicam, has bluetooth, networked shares with samba, burns dvds and cds, plays dvds and mp3s with ease...

Unless you're a big gamer, photoshopper or MS office user, there's almost nothing you can't use a Linux box for---it just takes a bit of time to get used to the differences.

4. It's hard to install

No, it isn't. Get a copy of knoppix/Gnoppix/Ubuntu and 90% of hardware will be identified at boot. Easy! Again, there are a few annoying things (*mutters* speedtouch modems... *mutters) but not as many as people think. Alternately, get a copy of Gentoo and check out the gentoo install manual---if you can be arsed to read it, it will talk you through every single step until you're inside your own system, and then you have the rest of the handbook and the excellent forums to help with the rest

Anyway, this has been far too long. Use Windows if you prefer it, use Linux if you want---just try not to get sucked in by the myths about either!

Sam

 

Just to add on to UnclePsychosis' points from an Ubuntu user's perspective:
1. It's hard to install software
Imagine if Add/Remove programs was pinned to the start menu, and if it actually let you add non-microsoft software. That's Ubuntu.
I click the Application menu (similar to the Windows start menu), then click "Add Applications". Then I just browse the categories for the various software packages available (literally thousands of them, easily navigable or searchable) then click to mark the ones I want for installation.
When I'm done, I Click apply and watch it do it's magic.

2. It's hard to install the OS
Based on the various hardware manufacturers that refuse to release open source drivers, yes, it can be hard. In the past year, about half my linux installations took a whole hour, since they gave me problems and I had to join an IRC channel to troubleshoot.

Then again, the last time I installed Windows XP, it recognized enough of my hardware to get into a workable OS (no sound, although linux got sound working just fine) but I had to wait on hold for roughly an hour and a half to talk with someone to activate it. (voice automated and online activation don't work after you've upgraded hardware too many times) Funny enough, when the guy came on, I had to restart my computer because I upgraded my video card while I was on hold!

3. It's hard to use
As UnclePsychosis said, it's different. I find things are much easier on newer versions of Ubuntu (5.10 and above) than on Windows XP. Everything from installing software to creating zip files is tons easier in Linux. In fact, you can connect to network drives easier in linux than Windows. I had XP Pro SP2 on all my computers at home, and could not get networked shared files to work. (they would work randomly, off and on) Yet when I used linux to connect to a shared drive from XP, it worked just fine! The same goes for shared printers.

4. USB devices don't work
I haven't tried a whole lot of USB devices on mine, but when I plugged in my scanner, my system recognized it immediately as a usable flatbed scanner, no driver installation required.
When I plugg in any USB storage, whether it is flash memory or USB Hard Drives, it immidately appears on my desktop as a usable drive. If it has a ton of songs, it asks if I want to copy the songs into my media manager, and if it is photos, it asks if I want to add them to my album. (and just like I did in windows, I always say No, leave me alone)

5. I don't like using the command line for simple tasks
I don't use the command line if I don't have to. As a sample, I installed a working and fully functional webserver with PHP5, MySQL, and Apache2, all without touching the command line.


Ubuntu 5.10, for me, has been easier to use and more reliable than XP has been. In fact, just like windows updates, Ubuntu has updates that keep the operating system up to date. The cool part is, it also updates everything you've installed from the add-applications menu!

The less significant, but more important to me part: It is all free.

I have a laptop with 3d rendering, audio mixing, web publishing, document editing, database managing, etc. capabilities are all for free.

Anyway, the only reason I use windows at work and haven't 100% switched to linux, is because at work I help out with the tech support sometimes, and I need to troubleshoot problems with microsoft software.