[ShadowAce]

Ping

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

While it is true that many apps on Linux are not up to their Windows equivalents (if they even exist), the opposite is true. How often have I been frustrated at the lack of ability to do something on Windows that I can do easily on Linux.

[jimkress]

Linux, in one form or another, will run on everything from a 486 doorstop with 8MB of RAM

Not true. I'm sitting here looking at a 4 years old, PII 64MB RAM IDE 40MB disk drive on which any version of windows has been installed and runs flawlessly. However, even the tech support people at RedHat could not get Linux 7.2 running on this system. I was forced to purchase another computer for my Linux work, and even on that computer Linux would not recognize the on-board LAN.

Linux is a good geek OS but I would never try to use it as the desktop OS in a business environment. The vast majority of clerks, secretaries, and others who view their computer as ancillary to their work experience would never be able to cope with Linux.

I'm sure this dose of reality will evoke flaming responses and personal attacks from the Gates haters and Linux fanatics out there. However, their emotional response to practical experience is of no consequence to people who actually have to earn a living in this field.

[Voltage]

I have tested latest releases of Mandrake, Red Hat and Debian on two new machines, Intel 815 and 845 series motherboards. None of these Linux releases can do a power down. When attempting a power down they go through all the steps, then halt without completing the power down. Win9X and XP power down just fine. When I raised this on each of the appropriate companies beta developement forums I pretty much got the same answer..OH, your systems are new and use ACPI power management but the new Linux releases work correctly with the older APM power management. You have to recompile the kernal to bring in support for new systems, or you can power down using the power switch!

So much for being new and modern!

[stainlessbanner]

The article didn't have a paragraph entitled "Things we Love about Windows"...doh!

[The Duke]

I think what I like most about Linux is that it puts some of the fun back into technology that, under Microsoft, had become one big yawn. When I log into UNIX it feels a little like the old days of "Compute" and "Creative Computing" magazines - however still only a fait echo of those giddy early years.

[ShadowAce]

Every OS sucks

[Eala]

He's got a number of valid points -- but I wonder how the experience would have been had he gone to install, say, Lycoris? I'm not familiar with SuSe, but I know Lycoris/Redmond Linux is aiming squarely for the desktop and easy installs.

Probably the only reason I'm not running Lycoris is my familiarity with the Red Hat Way; Debian was just a bit too alien. I miss Lycoris' easy integration into the Windows net at home though...

[Fiddlstix]

BUMP
To read later

[TheEngineer]

Good post, ShadowAce. I was getting a little bored today without a good Linux vs. Windows thread to enjoy. :-)

In the "Five Things We Hate About Linux" section, I would have called it "Six Things We Hate About Linux", and I would have added:

Lacks a common "look and feel".

One of the advantages of Windows and Apple systems is that all of their GUI programs are operating from the same set of widgets (For example, the Win32-API on Windows). The menus, buttons, scroll-bars, etc. all look and operate the same for all programs; and therefore the learning curve for operating the various programs is not as steep.

In Linux, there is an abundance of different graphical widget sets. There is Motif, Lestif, Xt, Tcl/Tk, Athena, and many more that I just can't remember. Switching between programs which use different widget sets make the user experience more difficult and confusing.

On the other hand, I don't know what the solution to this problem is. The linux community is anything but united; and solving this widget problem would require a united decision.

[altair]

When I discovered that none of the Linux Usenet news readers that came with SuSE were as powerful as Forte's Windows-based Agent

Bite me. You didn't look very hard. Gnus blows everything away.

[justsomedude]

windows works. has for me anyway.

[FourtySeven]

Virus writers haven't made Linux a major target--yet.

I think this says it all, doesn't it? Or is the author lying? Have virus writers been trying to "hack" Linux for years, and been unsuccessful?

[TC Rider]

It's free, free, free

Except most users are heavily invested emotionally in it.