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Posted on 04/19/2007 11:38:13 AM PDT by N3WBI3
As far as the old guard are concerned, however, Ubuntu is no longer real Linux. For traditional Ubuntu users of course, such talk is anathema because Ubuntu like all the other distros is built around the Linux kernel. Thus, the argument rages between the Linux elitists, who couldn't give a damn whether the year of the Linux desktop ever arrives, and the Linux evangelists who would like to see Linux distros like Ubuntu and Suse replace Windows as the desktop system of choice.
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One suspects that Ubuntu, arguably now the most popular Linux distro, has a user base that is gradually becoming flooded with former Windows users who have made the switch. This raises another issue - culture clash. The Windows culture is quite different from the Linux culture in general and Ubuntu in particular. Windows has few zealots not on the Microsoft payroll, while the passions of both Linux elitists and evangelists can run white hot at times.
As an IT journalist, I'm used to calling things as I see them from a user perspective. If I write a negative article about a Microsoft product, pointing out for instance the steep learning curve and equally steep price of Office 2007, it provokes as much response as a ping pong ball bouncing off elephant hide. If I write an article pointing to a deficiency that I see in a Linux distro, such as not being able to get wireless input devices to work, it provokes outrage (except from a considerable number of users who experience the same problem).
The difference is that Linux zealots and evangelists come from a rarified clubby atmosphere of forums and user groups, where dirty washing doesn't get aired and laundered in public. Thus, they are often thin-skinned and tend to take things personally.
After a couple of my recent articles, one or two well meaning Linux evangelists informed me that as a journalist with many readers I had a responsibility not to air my technical problems related to Ubuntu publicly because I might scare prospective users away. Instead, I should submit polite requests to the Ubuntu forum in private to get my answers. One can imagine the response Microsoft would get if they tried to tell journalists not to write about their issues with Windows publicly!
Speaking specifically about Ubuntu now, this particular distro has been fingered by the Linux elitists (whether they like to admit it or not) as the one most likely to satisfy the needs of Windows users who wish to take the plunge. Ubuntu is an open source project. However, let us not be under any illusions. Ubuntu is funded by Canonical, a commercial company that is owned by a billionaire. It is now playing in the big league and has to take its knocks from the media just like other big league players.
Until first tier hardware vendors start selling PCs pre-loaded and configured with Ubuntu, new users are going to have to install and get Ubuntu working with their hardware themselves or pay someone to do it. The chances are that a small business or SOHO user that just wants a robust reliable system that's not prone to malware attacks will be happy to pay someone to get Ubuntu up and running. Most of them can't afford to wait for forum help. I've had my polite request for help with wireless input sitting on the Ubuntu forum for 24 hours. It has been read 27 times and received zero responses.
OSS PING
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Linux needs to keep its minds off religious wars and on the task of competing with Microsoft. Vista has made M$ vulnerable and it’s an opportunity for open systems.
Hmm, sounds like the Libertarian party.
I would be running Linux (any distro) right now on my laptop if I could get the wireless card driver working. I tried for three days and gave up, and I’m not new the the open-source world.
I got my Linksys card working under Fedora using ndiswrapper and the windows drivers.
While I agree that Linux needs to refrain from any kind of family feuds its not about replacing Microsoft, it about consumer choice.
The number of supported divices is, regretabally, small but I have gotten Linksys pcmcia working, and d-link usb working. Some linux distros start network before the pcmcia service that will cause some problems.
I have a Broadcom 4318 built into a Dell laptop and tried the ndiswrapper on fedora core 6 and I just couldn’t get there. I gave up and decided to try later when I had the time. It was taking me away from FR.
That's the chipset I have in a Linksys PCMCIA card. The included driver (bcm43xx) on Fedora does not work with that chipset for some reason. That's why I went with ndiswrapper and the XP drivers for it.
Thanks, I’ll have to try that.
Note, I have installed multiple distros (Gentoo, Mandrake) in the past, and enjoyed the challenge and learning experience. I use whatever I need to use to get the job done, so I am no fanboy, of ANYTHING. Then again, you could say I am an Anti-Fanboy..
That is sometimes the case. I think that for a lot of linux users, we prefer the power and flexibility you get with Linux. Sometimes all of the various options are bewildering to newbies, but for us, it means we can choose exactly the right tool for the job.
In the case of some, like mine for instance, my loathing for anything microsoft comes from having been forced to deal with their twisted concepts of computing for so many years. (rebooting to change network settings?) I can't tell you how many months of my life were wasted spent troubleshooting software that never performed as advertized. These days, I don't admit to knowing anything at all about windows systems, so I don't have to support them. My mom was complaining about her stuff not working, and her computer constantly being infected with viruses, worms, and crap, so I toasted her box, installed Fedora, built her a few user accounts for everyone, and then left. Since then, she hasn't made so much as a single support call. Her email works, she can browse the web, she has a word processor, and her geneology program right on her desktop, so she can always instantly go to anything she needs.
Unlike a lot of the bashing you hear of Linux and OSX from windows users who have never used either to any gret degree, my hatred of microsoft is honestly earned, and not just speaking out of ignorance.
That's true. Ubuntu is easy to use, and people like it. ;)
Well, I like it. Really, I do. I just installed Ubuntu Feisty on my laptop as my sole OS, and I plan on doing the same on my desktop. Plus, I just got a real sweet set of Logitech speakers with a subwoofer, a new dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive, and a new AVerTV Go 007 FM TV tuner card for my desktop. I might have to film it and put it on YouTube as “Pimp My PC”. :)
Anyone on this thread have an easy-to-deploy way of accessing wireless cards in SUSE?
I’ve had to use a second hard drive and install XP each time I’m away from home, just to use hotspots. Then once home, reinstall to be sure the system is clean.
It would be so much simpler to use Linux, but I couldn’t even figure out where the option to toggle on wireless (should) be, to even attempt it.
Thanks for any feedback.
“flooded with former windows users...”
Hey, I’m all for competition, and play with Linux distros too.
But that statement is almost a complete exaggeration. Lets at least be honest about things.
Linux is fine. I use (set up and installed) Ubuntu every day on many computers... but it feels like it is running at 33% of Windows capacity.
That is still 1000 times better than garbage macs.
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