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Posted on 03/07/2006 7:08:01 AM PST by N3WBI3
OSS PING
If you are interested in the OSS ping list please mail me
Anyone looking to try linux out for size i'd suggest "Simply Mepsis 3.4-3" its "live cd" which means it will boot and load off your cd player and you can test it out without installing it. If you like it you can install it to your Hard drive. I tried it on my laptop and it auto-detected my WIFI stuff on my IBM Thinkpad and didn't have to do anything. Very easy.
Thanks to a couple of people here that mentioned it to me.
I've also found that I don't miss the eye-candy games that cost a small fortune. I can play Quake, though, and Diablo II if I want.
People don't realize I'm not on a Windows box when I send them documents I've created, and I can do anything I want on-line without worry.
There are a couple on that list I've tried out personally and can recommend.
Frozen Bubble? It came with my Knoppix-Debian distro, but I've never tried it. Be back soon :-)
I understand that perfectly. Windows does the same thing to me. :)
It's just a matter of doing things differently. That is why I mentioned that the user would have to get over the learning curve before truly appreciating how easy it is to use. Some people don't want to do that. That's fine. I have no beef with that. I just wanted to say that there is a light at the end of that curve that is worth working for.
Sure it makes sense, you have to use what your comfortable with and some people just don't want to switch its an obstacle that both Mac and Linux faces..
Sure it makes sense... you looked at the alternatives and chose what works best for you. That's all this is really about, isn't it? Letting people know there are other choices out there, and letting them decide which one they want to use? Some folks will prefer Windows, some Macs, and some Linux (or other BSD or Unix type system). Heck, there are even some OS/2 holdouts out there still.
yea, Linux seems nice now i just wish i would have learned on that. Kinda like going from a standard keyboard to one of those ergonomic ones.
Sorry, it seems a wee "Pollyanna" to me. This article glosses over (actually ignores) some difficulties for the newcomer to Linux (as this newcomer posts out of Novell/SuSE 9.2 Professional).
Linux is decidedly NOT ready to replace the Windows Desktop. While i personally enjoy it, and learn new things every day, the average user wants to get on the net, do a little bit of office stuff, store photos, and so on. They don't have the time to learn the excellent alternatives that _nix can offer.
Aside from that, as Shadow Ace and others could tell you, configuring Dialup (internal modems) under Linux can be a nightmare of Google Chases to find out what is needed (often to discover that it is not possible for one's particular system.
Another example: Firefox Macromedia flash Plugins for the x86_64 system. Not pretty, and i don't know if it's even possible. It certainly ISN'T possible for the average user.
Even Linux publications assume that the reader knows far more than (s)he actually does know. The only really 'readable' Linux material i've ever seen is published by Marcel Gagne. Linux HOW-TOs that come with distributions are often outdated, and many times they're not applicable to the particular distribution.
Yes, the system is impressive, but the community has a LONG way to go to make it appealing to the average user.
BTW, i'm not completely ignorant, but my experience is out of the DOS 3.x days. The technology, both hardware and software, is changing to fast for folks like me.
I second that. It's one of the easiest.
I was uncomfortable with Linux at first (read: confused), but once I got playing with it, I started to like it more and more. I actually went so far as to make my own desktop theme to honor my favorite college football team...(click picture for full size)
(You can't see it in this picture, but the wallpaper is Mountaineer Field in Morgantown)
Once you start playing around with Linux and really getting into it, Windows will feel like something from Fisher-Price.
cool! :)
I have some friends who still swear by Amiga OS and NeXT. Those are literally their primary computers to this day.
OMG! LOL
I was going to replace XP on a laptop I have with Linux, but I decided instead to use it as a benchmark for ease of install and use. The day I can crank up a live distro and have it recognize everything including the built-in wireless with no extra effort (beyond plugging in the WAP config) I will consider it ready for general "Joe user" use. None I have tried work yet.
No suggestions, solutions, etc., please. As far as wireless is concerned, my criteria is to plug it in, boot, open an obvious config dialog, input my wireless settings, and be surfing.
Aha - I'm a user of multiple OSs (candidate for execution on FR, I know) including XP and Redhat but have to say I love the wallpaper! I'm in Mon County as I type this.........
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