Linux 'Just Works' For Me (or, how I came to love Red Hat and Gnome)

OSNews ^ | 2003-04-22 | Mike Reed

[snooker]

Good summary. Explains what can be done. I install RH9 as default. Hardware detection is great. I make a disk on one machine, put it in another, boot, and kudzu takes care of the rest. Easier than installing from CDs at client sites.

[Chad Fairbanks]

It could just as easily become as successful as OS/2 Warp.

Hmmm... ;0)

[Mr. K]

Oh, I can do all that with Linux? wow- it only SEEMS 10 times as hard as any windows system...

Seriously- I am a computer software engineer- you dont have to convince me that Linux is technically superior- it just is not windows and if I have to do all the above mentioned stuff it will be a huge burden.

[martin_fierro]

El Pingo.

[snooker]

When was the last time you tried linux? You might be surprised.

[mdmathis6]

Those command lines are what will keep average PC users away from Linux; Linux may be a strong OS but people are used to pointing and clicking. When it becomes automatic, with the update support that Windows has, I'll consider the alternatives.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Seriously- I am a computer software engineer- you dont have to convince me that Linux is technically superior- it just is not windows and if I have to do all the above mentioned stuff it will be a huge burden.

You should give Knoppix 3.2 a try. It is free, requires no partition of its own and boots from CD to run in virtual RAM, autodetecting and configuring all your hardware on the fly.

I use it at work to download pictures from the digital camera because NT4 does not support USB.

It comes with OpenOffice 1.01 and thousands of other apps. It is a painfree way to dabble with Linux.

[freedomcrusader]

One "killer app" that keeps me Windows-bound is Outlook. Is there any Linux app that manages email, calendar, contacts, and todo list that has the ability to synch with my Palm-OS handheld? And has a UI as slick as Outlook?

[The Great RJ]

No doubt Linux works and can do all of the things you say, but the vast majority of computers being sold still have a Windows operating system.

While some attribute Windows dominance in the market to Microsoft's "unfair" marketing tactics or that Bill Gates is in league with the devil, it really has a lot to do with basic economics. Most businesses have already invested in Windows operating systems, have their employees trained to use Windows and use software products designed to run on Windows. They would obviously be reluctant to make a change to something else given the cost of their current investment in Windows products even if these new products like Linux might offer some advantages. Marginal analysis shows the benefits simply would not out weight the cost.

Is Windows a superior product?--maybe not, but it was first and got established as the de facto standard. Until Linux or some other OS can deliver real cost savings to the business user that will offset the cost of converting from Windows, I don't see any real chance that this change will occur.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Believe me, in KDE and Gnome, you can point and click to your heart's content. And since the GUI is not an integral part of the OS, you don't have those nasty security issues that occur when the GUI is part of a monolithic kernel. Not to mention the fact that the level of flexibility and customization is absolutely phenomenal. You can even make KDE look like a Windows machine or a Mac if you so desire. Personally, I'd say that those who believe that the Linux OS is good for servers but not for desktops are pretty much clueless. Installation is generally pretty easy too - and getting better all of the time.

[Mr. K]

you shoyuld switch from NT4 to windows 2000 - it is the single best OS Microsoft ever made.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

One correction. Although Windows is the de-facto standard, it wasn't the first. I know of at least three GUI based machines which predated MS.

[Mr. K]

oh- and I don't need to 'dabble' in Linux- I program in Linux AND windows every single day, so I know what I am talking about.

There is no way any Linux prosletyzer is going to convince me of what I already know- that Microsoft is hundreds of times easier and more productive environment to work in for everyday Joe's.


Sory Linux geeks, it is true. And I expect to be ROASTED and FLAMED for daring to speek ill of Linux- Linux users are so much like liberals it is not funny.

[Mr. K]

P.S.S. I dont mean YOU are one of those Linux fanatcis- I am speaking to the crowd

[Mr. K]

I use Linux every single day

[E. Pluribus Unum]

you shoyuld switch from NT4 to windows 2000 - it is the single best OS Microsoft ever made.

The issue is switching hundreds of computers to 2000. When we switch it will be to XP, though I consider XP to be undisguised spyware, phoning home to Redmond every time you do anything.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

oh- and I don't need to 'dabble' in Linux- I program in Linux AND windows every single day, so I know what I am talking about.

You are so superior to us mere mortals. I am surprised you have even condescended to contact us from your throne on high.

[Wisconsin]

http://www.gnome.org/gnome-office/evolution.shtml
is a Outlook substitute.


There are others.

I am in love with Mozilla for mail/web but I use a web based calendar to mesh with the office.

[dark_lord]

Until Linux or some other OS can deliver real cost savings to the business user that will offset the cost of converting from Windows, I don't see any real chance that this change will occur.

Well, the sysadmin costs are about the same. So other costs are license, maintenance, and productivity. There are businesses which have converted over to Linux because there are no license costs. On a per machine basis this can add up. Where has this occurred? For example, businesses that have POS (point of sale) systems (remember cash registers?) may choose to run Linux rather than MS. And once they make that decision, they may choose to support only a single OS so covert their business users (and other back end systems) to Linux.

Is this for everyone? Hardly. MS will remain the business system of choice for paper pushing office users for quite a while. But that fact is that Linux can and does provide "real cost savings" in certain business environments.

[mdmathis6]

"Q: How do I create an ISO image of a CD? (great for attaching to virtual machines!) A: In Bash, for example, dd if=/dev/cdrom of=someiso.iso"


This is an example of what I was talking about. People are going to get lost with the plethora of command lines that Linux still requires to make its app's work.