How many of you use Linux?

[pbpersson]

You know......Windows is created by Microsoft and it is proprietary, closed-source material, only Microsoft can see it and they only have about 80,000 employees.

Linux on the other hand is being worked on by HUNDREDS of companies and MILLIONS of developers all over the planet.

It is very apparent that Linux is maturing and adding new features at a rate that far outpaces Windows. Linux is more stable and has had some features for years that Windows Vista is finally incorporating.

Frankly, I don't see how Windows can compete in the long run. I was looking at the history of Red Hat on the web - the company timeline included quotes from Microsoft executives - they said Linux is growing like a cancer and is the biggest threat to Microsoft's future. I would tend to agree......but I don't think "cancer" would be the right term since it is so much better than the original creation it is replacing.

[Mike1]

I think Microsoft has a couple things playing in their favor. One is the fact their operating system is running on so many computers. Their customer base is huge. The second is the erroneous general perception that Linux is hard to use. (which likely helps to keep the customer base so large)

Sure, I had to put a bit of effort into getting drivers set up in Ubuntu. That is the type of operation that Windows usually handles well.

Then again, last Friday morning, the computer at the shop received an automatic upgrade of the anti-virus and firewall scripts from McAfee. Which was nothing unusual, as I see them 2-3 times a day. Except this one smacked Thunderbird and the only way to get around the problem was to temporarily disable the McAfee Redirector Services, download e-mail and then re-enable the Redirector Services. So life isn't always wine and roses on the Microsoft side of things either.

Of course, I could boot that computer up in Ubuntu and download e-mails without a problem. Go figure...

[James MacMillan]

What the general computer user seems to want is a "turn key" system.

Windows and Apple come close. Linux does not!

BUT, once you have tweaked linux, the actual usage of most applications is the same. Web browsing is identical. For instance, I can log on to X-Marks on a windoze machine, a Linux machine, or an apple machine - and once on this site, they all look pretty much alike. So, I use the most stable - linux!

The other beauty, in my mind, is the ability to carry a really basic set-up to someones house on three disks, run off the disk needed, trouble shoot the system, fix it, and be gone!

I really don't think that I will ever get a copy of Vista. When you really come right down to it, we could still be using windoze 3.1 for 80% of the applications.

If you are a high-end gamer, ignore the above.

[Mike1]

Well, since patience is one of those virtues I've never mastered, I upgraded this box to Gutsy Gibbon last evening. I've only been able to use it for a couple hours, but everything seems to have survived the upgrade in good form.

I'm currently applying 17 new updates, so we'll see what effect that will have.

[Mike1]

OK, there are no Windows boxes left in the house. I just wiped Windows off my primary computer and went for a full Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon install. It had been 30 days since this box was last booted into Windows, so I figured it was time to just get rid of it altogether.

So long Mr. Gates, I no longer do Windows.

Thanks to everyone that gave me the gumption to try something new.

[fluter]

OK, there are no Windows boxes left in the house.

Hot diggety! Let's hear three penguin cheers for Mike1!!!

[The Frumious B.]

For what it's worth, I sell computers at AAFES. The worst "improvement" i have seen in the few years that I have been seriously selling, trouble shooting and repairing computers is Vista. XP has its faults, but they are nothing when compared to Vista.

I have an Ubuntu disk. While I am home this week on sick leave, i may just actually do something with it besides reading the label.

Any good links for Ubuntu or Linux info that a dial-up/ISDN user like me can access that won't take weeks to download?

[Mike1]

You cannot go wrong with the Ubuntu Forums.

Be warned, it's a rather small forum. They're still shy of 3.6 million posts, as of right now.

I've been astonished at the level of community that exists on that one. People going well out of their way to help others is the rule of the day.

[The Frumious B.]

Thanks, Mike1. I will check it out.

[Erisianmonkey]

I have recently started playing around with Ubuntu. I had some cd-rom trouble with the live cd for awhile, so I used a Wubi install until I found a solution. I'm now running a dual-boot with XP and Ubuntu. I like the Gnome desktop a lot better than KDE. KDE seems to be trying and failing to be a Windows clone. There are some programs for KDE that I like better than the Gnome counterparts, so I have both KDE and Gnome on the same machine. The neat thing with that, is that since I have KDE installed, I can use some of its apps in Gnome. Of course, my bootup splash is now the Kubuntu splash, but I think I'll live.

Ardchoille: What is it that Automatix does that can't be done with Synaptic or Adept? Other than be a hazard to your system, I mean? I realize you've been speaking against it, but I thought you might know.