Linux is Not Windows

[Iron Dutchess]

In that case. . . . Tough luck most Windows users. . . . You'll never know what you missed

Oh just as a by the way, Linux does have a similarity with Windows. . Or at least my installation does. While unchecking the 'all users' option in network assistant and clicking apply, the whole thing froze, the only thing missing was the BSOD. Oh well, not to worry the off button fixed that

On the plus side, on reboot Mint doesn't spend three weeks checking all your drives, it just seems to know

[Fred]

Iron Dutchess wrote:

Tough luck most Windows users. . . . You'll never know what you missed

To some extent, that is unfortunately true. But it doesn't have to be like that. Linux has come a long way in ease of use for novices in the last few years. It gets better all the time with distros like Mint that place a high priority on helping new Windows users make the transition.

For new users willing to keep an open mind and put their old ways of doing things behind them, the learning curve has become quite shallow. Putting forth just a little bit of study and effort is sufficient to enable new Linux users to function quite competently in Linux. This forum is living proof of that. I have personally seen an uncountable number of new users come to this forum that couldn't even spell Linux. In a matter of months, for the ones willing to work and stick it out, most are not only functioning just fine on their own but are competent enough to help others get started.

Fred

[vrkalak]

Found a good review of Windows 7 and Why they chose Linux.

http://www.nuxified.org/blog/why_i_chos ... _windows_7

Also, some good comments from Forum members about both, Windows and Linux.

[roshichris]

Surely the transport analogy is the other way round isnt it? A bike is light, riding it requires effort, and you are given your reward afterwards in terms of good health, firm buns, saved cash etc. Driving a big heavy car is lazy, and makes you fat and broke.

[Iron Dutchess]

Driving a big heavy car is lazy, and makes you fat and broke.

That sounds like a lot of people I know. . . . That's why they use Windows. They point, they click, and the goods turn up on a plate. No effort required.

[Kaye]

Im sure i am not the only one with this problem..and a problem it is ><

I have tried Linux and absolutely love it BUT i can not fully switch to Linux though i want to because I have a Zune that needs syncing and i don't want to have a $250 device i can't add/remove things.I have seen/heard of people using the Virtual Box and i think Wine to sync their MP3 player of choice but its just way too damn slow for me.Maybe i can buy a junker just for the Zune and finally go full time Linux.Damn you MS!

Oh yea >.> Read the article and it was indeed a great read!

This is a big problem for a lot of people, myself included. I have an iPhone, which at this point is completely impossible to be used with Linux, even if you jailbreak it. It's one of those things we're just gonna have to live with until companies start developing open source software for their devices (which is unlikely to happen in the near future, in my opinion).

[ibm450]

.... Linux will not be serious challenge until it realizes that Windows is the standard and Linux needs to meet its rival on its playing field.

May it NEVER HAPPEN! Windows sucks! Linux rulz! Most people just have too much money and are willing to pay for something that they then begin to expect the product to perform to THEIR standards because after all, THEY PAID FOR IT!!! Linux is already a serious challenge and Windows knows it! Don't tread on my Linux flag!!!

-o0o-
Great, just what the linux world needs, another linux fanboy! comments like Windows sucks, dont tread on my linux flag(lol lol lol) and linux rules are rather a childish remark to make.

-o0o-
i am willing to pay for win 7, why, i plugged many legacy hardwares (from various printers - including laser to ink, creative mp3 players etc etc) and win 7 recongised them ALL and also downloaded the latest drivers for me, WOW, this is what 99.9% of desktop users around the WORLD want, an OS to simply work for them instead of tweaking and hacking .config files here and there or troll for hrs on the net to make that hardware to work.

-o0o-
the comment that Badfish made is the absolute truth at the moment, linux is miles behind the win standards. i reckon the strength behind linux is its sercurity and stabilty regarding the fact that its a multiuser based kernel and win is a single user based kernel. But, windows is quickly getting there. ive had xp installed since Jan 2007 and it has NEVER failed, never slowed down and has never failed to REJECT any drivers downloaded for that particular hardware.

-o0o-
Alot may respond to my post and say, "then why dont you go back and use win instead of linux..." my answer to that is, well im basically bored and want to play around with linux and the positive from this adventure is that im actually learning something about linux and enjoying it and Fred has explained it very well in the above post about newbies, like my self, have become more content with linux due to willing to learn something new --- BUT in no WAY will it be my MAIN OS in my house hold because i want things to work when i buy new hardware. this is my freedom of choice

[lagagnon]

ibm450: I guess your experience is different to mine; I have found Linux to be better at picking up newer hardware and just working than Windows (Vista and XP) has been - although I have not yet tried Win 7. And Linux is the primary OS in our household of 4 computers. We only fall back on Windows for one application that won't work under Wine/Linux. Your mileage obviously is different. Cheers...

[ibm450]

ibm450: I guess your experience is different to mine..

-o0o-
My experience is different at the moment as to the fact i have 2 young teenagers in the house hold who primarily use the pc(s), mostly, for home work and the obvious - games. us parents in this house hold - we update the GPS alot, i use it for in-house web page development and basic programming and abit of graphic design here and there and have found GIMP hard to grasp (but i havnt really given it a good try out as i dont have the spare time at the moment to learn it.

although I have not yet tried Win 7

-o0o-
You wont be disappointed....its basically what vista should have been in the first place. But each to their own...

-o0o-
I wont give up on LM as yet, i use LM in my room at work as my primary OS as the main reason is that i use NextG wireless broadband and knowing that i dont need a AV on linux, this suites me to the tee as i dont have to waste my download quota for AV updates and security updates that win's is known for.

[ravengirl1960]

Ibm450 wrote:
"the comment that Badfish made is the absolute truth at the moment, linux is miles behind the win standards. i reckon the strength behind linux is its sercurity and stabilty regarding the fact that its a multiuser based kernel and win is a single user based kernel. But, windows is quickly getting there. ive had xp installed since Jan 2007 and it has NEVER failed, never slowed down and has never failed to REJECT any drivers downloaded for that particular hardware."

What standards? What 'miles behind'? I run Linux Mint 7 on my desktop and Windows 7 on my laptop and Mint is not 'miles behind' Win7 by any stretch of the imagination. I installed it. It worked. It recognized my hardware. I downloaded the ATI driver. It worked. I 'updated' the base distro with about 800 packages, mostly DVD burning/authoring, video/graphics editing, etc. They work.

And merely because your install has "never failed to REJECT any drivers downloaded for that particular hardware" does not mean that ALL Windows installations have "never failed to reject any drivers".

I was a beta tester for Windows 7 which is how I got my copy. I won't be buying it and when it runs out, I'll swap over to Mint for the laptop (I've already tested it with the livecd and everything works).

Mint runs faster than Win7. Mint runs every program Win7 can run with the exception of some games natively, although they can be run with VMWare/Cedega/Crossover Office/WINE. I'm not willing to keep an O/S around that has to be uber-buffered against hundreds of thousands of viruses/trojans/keyloggers/malware/spyware just to play games on it.

And as for that, I play Regnum Online daily. And it works.

I'm not saying Windows is a "horrible" O/S. Far from the contrary; I like Win7. But to say that Linux is "miles behind" Windows standards simply is not true.

[BoscoBearbank]

... I have set several people up with a dual boot system so they can try Linux, and they all report (more or less) the same thing, "it's OK but there is too much to do to get to a state where I can just work with the app's I find that I like, I don't have the time to mess about like that." ...

I find this pretty hard to believe. I've set around 10 people up with dual boots (a few of them older than 50), given them a 20 minute crash course and sent them on their way. I've heard nothing but good news from each and every one. ...

@ Iron Dutchess: Most computer users are intellectually lazy. Once they learn one way of performing a task, they don't want to spend time learning another, regardless of the benefits of a new way of doing things.
@ Kaye: Just because some of us are over 50, doesn't mean we find dual-booting all that complex. I'll bet I was dual-booting my Apple ][+, Franklin Ace 1000, and Basis 108 (Apple Basic and CP/M) before you were even born!

[lagagnon]

many people want a simple way, OS that work and help for their daily activity.

Unfortunately, these days no operating system is simple and really easy to learn to use. Many newcomers really struggle with Windows and MacOSX if they are first time computer users. Remember how many years it took you to get competent on Windows (or did you forget all those hours you put in ??). Even cellphones take a lot of learning and effort to learn to use properly. You only get out of something what you are willing to put in to it. There are no magical learning processes out there, no magic operating system either.

[lagagnon]

Linux is not Windows, but Linux still suxs...

How intelligent of you.

[Husse]

The post above is the only post by "bugs" who according to his/her profile
Joined: 18 Nov 2009 12:51
and posted the only post at 12:55
Both times CET normal time
Bugs banned - oops that was almost bugs bunny

[Fred]

I am glad my name doesn't have a "B" in it. Close call!

You think if I try to stay out of trouble I can hang around just a little bit longer?

Fred

[Husse]

Well, bugs is a troll and probably some of our earlier "bad guys"
I just got this email from bugs

Apparently, you label anyone a 'troll' that expresses an opinion that you don't agree with, which must work very well for someone with a 'GOD' complex like you....maybe someday I can be as 'cool' as you....I dunno tho.....

That really don't need a comment, but anyone is welcome to express an opinion (in the field of computers) in the chat sections of the forum - but if you register just to post the above you are a troll
A motivated opinion as to why you don't like Linux will not cause anyone to be banned

[c++101]

yeah, but the newer versions of VMware are pretty good

[EAM]

Coming from a Windows background and wanting to learn Linux, I was very excited to finally get it on a used computer as a replacement for my old computer (that got a fried motherboard, but that's a different story). Since then I have installed Linux Mint four times, or maybe more (I may have lost count). I have been trashing M$ for years now and have to admit that I have a new respect for Windows. With Linux there is quite the learning curve and with open source a totally different mindset. However, it is now starting to click and I will stick with it. I like that if I work at it, I will be able to have more control and probably become a better C++ programmer. Just in all of my re-installs and adding software both from source and the package manager I have learned a lot. I think Windows and Linux both have their place but I probably will not trash M$ anymore (just what's his name!).

[Fred]

The problem is that people seem to continue to equate "simple and easy" with "known and familiar." They are not the same thing.

Unless you are equally familiar with two ways of doing something you can't make an objective statement about which is an easier way to perform a given task. Your knowledge, or lack thereof, will always influence your opinion, therefore making it invalid. Or at best nothing more than a guess.

Apparently they don't teach logic classes in the schools anymore.

Fred

[DrHu]

Apparently they don't teach logic classes in the schools anymore.

I don't think it is much taught anywhere or learned

We are, after all, a consumer driven society, and as everyone including the consumer knows, we know no logic but the imperative to buy, and buy now (before it is too late)

• Hardly anyone will seek to ask: too late for what?

• Expect Win7 to be wildly successful, especially after the 6 months advertising campaign now underway or Apple Leopard or the latest IPhone..or whatever else have you..

All sales/advertising depend on emotions, not logic (reasons or rationality)

• We all know this
• We are all often enough fooled by it
  --whether looking at policy decisions (governments), business methods (sometimes shady practices, regarded as just business) or indeed anything, that needs looking at.