Posted on 09/08/2006 6:26:11 AM PDT by Hydroshock
Did you leave off the "/sarc" tag?
I have, and while it's close to windows for desktop apps, I still run into the same problem with server programs, which is what I am to use it for.
My aim is to set up a transparent proxy and DNS server for my home network (four users), as well as set it up for file sharing and a RAID array for everyone to backup to. I figure it'd be easier to replace/upgrade hard drives in one system rather than in each person's individual computer.
Could well be. That's not half bad!
> Did you leave off the "/sarc" tag?
I don't think so. Anyone who calls Linux a "programming language", instead of an "operating system", or more properly a "kernel" (we won't get into "GNU/Linux"), probably is better suited to clicking icons, and that's fine.
We can be elitists all we want, but in sheer numbers the world runs Windows, and will until the alternatives (Mac OS-X, Linux, etc.) pick up more of a following.
On the other hand, I have hopes that after Microsoft finally admits that Vista (a.k.a. "NT6") is a total crock, and gives up on the ancient, creaking NT codebase, they do what Apple did and adopt a real operating system (a.k.a. BSD Unix) as the basis for their next product line.
There's no such thing as an "upgrade," only a "change."
Ah, so.
> ... as well as set it up for file sharing and a RAID array for everyone to backup to. I figure it'd be easier to replace/upgrade hard drives in one system rather than in each person's individual computer.
If your users are running Windows, take a look at the Netgear SC101 appliance. It's a terrific product at the lightweight end. The RAID is internal and somewhat proprietary, but works like a champ: Netgear SC101 and no I'm not associated with Netgear in any way. I've seen three of them go into small-office networks and solve all sorts of problems, that's all.
Good point. If I don't want to install a new langiage interpreter/compiler (does anthing compile or assemble these days?) I prefer ksh over DOS Commands, I'll tell you that.
But if I can only click icons, then I try to have Donald Trump's face so I can hope to get rich.
I think the stupidest language I ever ran across was an abomination called "whitespace". The language elements were all composed of "whitespace" characters (space, tab, newline, etc).
Sounds like just the thing for writing secret messages.
Here is a program:
10
20
30
40 GOTO 10
It isn't very fun -- sort of like playing "fetch" with a dead puppy ;)
Sounds interesting--I'll have to give it a whirl--assuming it'll work on XP Home with SP2... 8^)
Oh boy...
"No one wants Linux"
Not true. Yes, MS may still have 90% of the PC market. Right or wrong, most people think computer and associate it with Windows. Not to mention that IIRC, computers with Linux preinstalled weren't offered on the market; one had to erase the OS or resize the file system to install Linux.
The bigger issue is that for the most part, no one knows about Linux as a desktop solution. Whether that's based in stereotype or sheer numbers is cause for a lot of debate.
"Who wants to use programming language when all you have to do with Windows is click on an icon."
IMHO, learning Linux wasn't hard at all. I don't know any programming languages save for TI-83 BASIC and a basic knowledge of HTML.
Second, there is a graphical interface that is becoming easier to use--this is especially evident in recent releases of Fedora/RHEL, Suse/SLE 10, Ubuntu, Knoppix, and Mepis (just to name a few).
How easy is it? I have my 12 year old brother on my system, and he's already familiar enough that he uses it quite often--begging me to get off so he can use it.
Linux is pretty open as to what you want to do. IOW, there are flavors that sharply flatten the learning curve to those that pretty much enables a person to build their own operating system.
Not saying that Linux is for everyone everytime--it isn't. But I do believe that if more people have access to try Linux and see that it is indeed a modern OS with modern GUIs, people will see that they do have a choice. I switched a little over a year and a half ago because I was tired of all the problems I had with Windows. I realized I did have a choice.
Not to mention that a good deal of sites are hosted on Linux. Even FR runs on it.
Finally, 99% of the things I can do with Windows I can do with my SLED 10 install just as easily. Most of the time being point and click. For the most part, updating is terrifyingly easy--click the Zen updater right next to the clock, type in root password, and let it run overnight.
Heck, the only reason I maintain a dual-boot and not run Win in a VMware server is that being a college student, I have textbook programs that require a solid Windows install to work flawlessly.
Man, that was waaaaaayyy before I was born...
OTOH, the university library has books on FORTRAN and Pascal (albeit pretty musty and dusty)...
MacPro
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon "Woodcrest" processors
4MB shared L2 cache per processor
1.33GHz dual independent frontside buses
1GB memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive1
16x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
$2,499.00
Okay, how's this:
One 20MHz Intel 80386
8 MB system RAM
640x480 orange plasma VGA, 1/2MB video RAM
100MB P-ATA 5400-rpm drive
3.5" Floppy
$9,000.00
My Toshiba T100 portable, c. 1989 ;-)
I upgraded it with a Cyrix 40MHz 486 "386-upgrade" in 1994, and swapped the hard drive for a 340MB in 1997. The machine continued to provide good service, supporting Win95 in only 8MB of RAM, until it was retired in 2000.
I had a dozen other machines by then, of course, including two much smaller and more capable portables. The reason I kept using the Toshiba was that it was the only reasonable portable with a pair of ISA bus slots, which I needed for my consulting work.
Plus, I was loathe to trash my (by then) $11,000 investment. *sigh* Sic transit.
Oops, fat-fingered the model number.
Toshiba T5200/100
Right now it's at RC1, with RC2 due any time.
Well, I do have .net 2.0 on Windows. We'll see how it works...
"I switched a little over a year and a half ago because I was tired of all the problems I had with Windows."
What problems? I run XP on two computers at home and one at work and haven't had one single problem.
And its not like I don't know anything about computers, heck, I can build them. But using Windows is easier.
I had Windows crash five times in one day on my laptop. Mind you, that was:
a.) A profesionally-installed image complete with the corporate versions of Norton; Ad-Aware, all MS updates, etc. It had software that was explicitly meant
b.) I didn't (and still don't) run applications such as AIM, skype, IE, etc. Nor did I go to sites such as MySpace or Facebook.
c.) I didn't use the computer that much. It was off a majority of the time.
Simply put, I wanted something that was IMHO much more reliable. And I don't regret virtually ditching XP either.
Even though I replaced the laptop and got a desktop instead,
For some people, XP works. My parents use XP Pro on their computer. It's just that for other people Linux is the superior solution.
I'm not anti-Windows or anti-MS. But I do realize that having the right tools for the job you're trying to do is important. In my case, SLED 10 provides what I need and does it without problems. I consider it the right toolset for what I have to do (mainly home office, school, and some small business stuff).
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