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Is Linux For Losers?
Forbes.com ^ | 06.16.05 | Dan Lyons

Posted on 06/19/2005 6:41:20 AM PDT by Willie Green

NEW YORK - Theo de Raadt is a pioneer of the open source software movement and a huge proponent of free software. But he is no fan of the open source Linux operating system.

"It's terrible," De Raadt says. "Everyone is using it, and they don't realize how bad it is. And the Linux people will just stick with it and add to it rather than stepping back and saying, 'This is garbage and we should fix it.'"

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


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KEYWORDS: bsd; linux
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To: An.American.Expatriate
Reloading the OS does NOT resolve the problem!!!

I suggested reloading "from scratch" which should take care of it. Use the XP migration tool to backup your data to a .cab file first, then format the disk. Good luck.

81 posted on 06/20/2005 5:18:14 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Golden Eagle

Sorry, according to all of the sources that I have read - there is no solution to the problem. You can ever swap out every single piece of hardware (including the power supply!!) but, the problem will return. There are "no" common demoninators (except of course windows!!)
There was actually a rather humorous post on one site (I forget which one) expounding on the common demoninator theory and claimed that various websites (all linux ones :)) ) had a good fix.


82 posted on 06/20/2005 5:44:57 AM PDT by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: An.American.Expatriate

I've personally never seen a registry (software) problem that couldn't be resolved by reloading the O/S (software) from scratch. In fact, that's the process to determine if you actually have a hardware problem, so if you still have the problem on a virgin install of Windows, it's almost certainly either your hardware, or something else you're loading after installing Windows. Like I said we had one user that had a similar problem, we slapped a new install on there and everything has been fine since. If you have other websites claiming that the problem reoccured AFTER a virgin install of Windows, I'd like to look over them. Thanks.


83 posted on 06/20/2005 5:52:37 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Golden Eagle

Just google "\windows\system32\congfig\system" (or leave off system to get even more!!) There are about 3570 hits.

The funny thing about this - the system ran fine for about a year. About three weeks ago it started. I at first assumed a virus and checked everything. Nada. The system even restarted after going through the recovery console (but NOT all the other steps - didn't know about them!!). Since then it keeps recuring randomly. No new software/hardware etc... has been introduced (except windows updates) since Christmas (games for the kids).

Furthermore, it would seem that, since the registry is a critical component, that fallback copies would be made by the system, and, in the event of corruption, the steps needed to recover would be automatically run.

Suppossedly, this is what the hot fix was supoosed to do - AND - the hotfix was a part of the SP2, so, theoretically, I should never have seen this problem in the first place.

MS's tech gurus, after I informed them that the hotfix couldn't be installed as a newer version of it was already present, stated that I was stuck with the manual workaround. :((

Thus, if I were a non-tech type and this occured on my PC - I would not think that this was "user friendly"!!


84 posted on 06/20/2005 6:05:43 AM PDT by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: An.American.Expatriate
Just google "\windows\system32\congfig\system" (or leave off system to get even more!!) There are about 3570 hits.

That's hardly a listing of people who have reloaded Windows from scratch and are still having the problem, that's the location of the registry and probably has more hits than you listed.

The funny thing about this - the system ran fine for about a year.

Not funny at all and makes perfect sense, sounds like something you're loading or doing is causing the problem. Didn't happen for a year, so something that happened just prior to the problem reoccuring would be the root issue. Good luck figuring it out.

85 posted on 06/20/2005 6:13:40 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: TheGeezer
Linux ios enterprise capable, we run our very expensive Oracle Databases on it, and our BEA web application platform. Gives me fine uptime and good performance. Its not the best *NIX in the world but when you look at all aspects (performance, price, software availability, portability, and customization) its up there..
86 posted on 06/20/2005 6:44:58 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: clyde asbury
This is the New York Times conventional wisdom.

In what measure was VHS superior to beatamax? the only one that comes to mind is licensing model, and that is a big one. The OP point is that in a performance comparison BETA was better.

When a better OS comes along

Again how so? if it does not run visio most companies wont use it. Again like the OP said MS is using its market position and size to dominate not the most technically superior OS. They make shrewd business decisions, and their product is passable..

87 posted on 06/20/2005 6:52:02 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: shellshocked

Shell when is the last time you installed linux to do what grandma might do?


88 posted on 06/20/2005 6:52:48 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: Quinotto

Naa some people just are not happy unless a bunch of guys aer slinging mud at each other, you can see them everywhere. You can either ignore them or get dirty with them..


89 posted on 06/20/2005 6:57:49 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: Golden Eagle
You're an MS tech guy aren't you *G*??

They too claim this and ignore that NOTHING changed on the system since Christmas and suddenly, three weeks ago, this just starts happening.

The google results are the list of sites discussing this problem. One of them was pretty good, a bunch of "geeks" all trying to figure out what was causing this. A running thread since 2002. In it were all kinds of attempted solutions including wipe & install, exchange all hardware one piece at a time - changing BIOS settings for clock speed, standing on their head facing Mecca and reciting "there's no place like home" (okay, that wasn't in there!). NONE of it works.

BUT - even if there were a "hardware" problem (bad video card, etc...) the fact remains that the registry remains "volatile" in memory and is written back at shutdown - anything which hinders this process can result in a faulty registry. Something this critical should never be volatile!!

I fail to see how this lack of common sense in programming (commit/rollback) is the fault of hardware. It's a known problem in Windows 2000 & all versions of XP, yet MS "refuses" to fix it and forces the user to continually manually work around the problem.

90 posted on 06/20/2005 7:01:34 AM PDT by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: Golden Eagle

Sorry, you don't get to steal other people's stuff and sell it yourself. Call the WAAAAAHmbulance.


91 posted on 06/20/2005 7:02:20 AM PDT by steve-b (A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
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To: Willie Green

Based on what I have seen, Linux is a superior operating system - and I'm a Windows user!!!!
Can't wait to try an install!


92 posted on 06/20/2005 7:03:55 AM PDT by Little Ray (I'm a reactionary, hirsute, gun-owning, knuckle dragging, Christian Neanderthal and proud of it!)
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To: N3WBI3

"Shell when is the last time you installed linux to do what grandma might do?"


The more important question is when has grandma been able to.


93 posted on 06/20/2005 7:32:29 AM PDT by shellshocked (They're undocumented Border Patrol agents, not vigilantes.)
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To: shellshocked; N3WBI3
The more important question is when has grandma been able to.

Nah, because with that, you are implying that grandma can install Windows. She can't. The very first question regarding what partition to install to would drive her out of the house and looking for tech support.

94 posted on 06/20/2005 8:11:31 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: shellshocked
Grandma can now load linux (Fedora, Suse) just as easy as XP, and do all the same stuff that one might expect grandma to do. All of this without a command line.

I only asked you because it seems youve jumped on the 'Linux is too hard to set up bandwage' which I jumped off of three years ago when I bothered to start using Linux, my last desktop install consisted of clicking 'default' about five times, changing the cd when prompted, and rebooting... I dont use commandline on that box cause its my web surfing box..

95 posted on 06/20/2005 8:17:44 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: An.American.Expatriate
You're an MS tech guy aren't you *G*??

No, an engineer that has been working on computers since before DOS 1.0.

One of them was pretty good, a bunch of "geeks" all trying to figure out what was causing this. A running thread since 2002.

I already asked you to provide links to reliable info that complete system wipes didn't correct the problem, but instead you prefer to insist they exist without ever showing them. At this point I'm tired of listening to it - you're on your own.

96 posted on 06/20/2005 8:19:20 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: steve-b
Sorry, you don't get to steal other people's stuff and sell it yourself.

I don't steal stuff from anyone, that would be your buddies on Bit Torrent. But if you're going to claim it's "free", then make it actually free, without all those sneaky stipulations that could end up with lawyers at your door to confiscate your code.

97 posted on 06/20/2005 8:21:32 AM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Golden Eagle
No, an engineer that has been working on computers since before DOS 1.0.

I assume you missed the *G* in my previous post!!

Windows\System32\Config\System Corrupt or Missing and "I installed windows 4 times today..." There is a bit of side talk there, but about half way down the scond link, one poster "Lee B" states that he reformatted and installed xp 3 times, but the problem continues.

This is not necessarily "reliable" info, but considering that the people posting where looking for solutions to problems, I doubt they are outright lying.

But, logically, if I wipe & reload XP and all the service packs, reload/restore all my other files / programs - the system itself has not changed and the failure would continue to manifest at random times.

MS itself has stated that the problem occurs because the registry is not written back (correctly) to the hard drive during system shut down (for whatever reason). They have been unable to fix this for over 3 years and "two" OS releases.

For me, the fix would be "easy". Read what is necessary at boot and close file. If changes are needed, make change, commit, close. No need to have an entire copy of the registry in a volitile state and then force a write at system shutdown. File corruption, especially system file corruption should not be occuring in an OS that has been on the market for so long!!

98 posted on 06/20/2005 9:03:03 AM PDT by An.American.Expatriate (Here's my strategy on the War against Terrorism: We win, they lose. - with apologies to R.R.)
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To: Willie Green

I think most guys will give BSD its due, its the best Open Source OS out there. It is more secure, more stable, and has a pretty nice license. Saying all of this does not make linux a sub par OS, linux is on par with pretty much anything out there.


99 posted on 06/20/2005 9:47:10 AM PDT by N3WBI3 (Windows, because throwing good money after bad never goes out of style...)
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To: N3WBI3
In what measure was VHS superior to beatamax?

By the measure that truly matters, the marketplace. Over decades, VHS thrived and Betamax didn't.

You and others can articulate all the technical reasons (excuses) you want for Beta's failure, for the QWERTY standard, etc, but the marketplace is always up for grabs.

if it does not run [x] most companies wont use it.

If they need to run [x], then they will use something that does - regardless of what that is. Companies and general users choose what is best in their opinions, for their needs, not in your opinion or those of the "experts."

"..MS is using its market position and size to dominate not the most technically superior OS."

Who says the most technically superior OS should "dominate" ? According to what or who and by what standard? It's nonsense. No company can make anything "dominate" if it doesn't meet its users' needs.

OS threads are boring, but here's my take. If the "experts" are so convinced of what products are "superior" that the rest of us "should" be using, they should apply their talents into making those products better.
100 posted on 06/20/2005 9:54:06 AM PDT by clyde asbury
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