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Thread ID: 73946	2006-11-06 18:17:00	Some Points To Ponder About Linux	SurferJoe46 (51)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
496889	2006-11-10 03:18:00	The truth is that most people don't care a jot what OS they're using. I would admit fully that setting up a box to work with Linux can be a pain but it is also much more flexible. Thin clients are a good example of a situation where Linux can outperform Windows by orders of magnitude. It all depends on circumstances. I personally made the choice almost two years ago to abandon Windows for everyday use and have never regretted it. I still have a copy in a virtual machine for running the occasional piece of ancient software and every month or so might spend a few hours playing a game on my Dad's computer but for 99% of the time SuSE Linux is my OS of choice. The only occasions when it has ever had a serious failure were when I just couldn't resist tweaking something I shouldn't have :) If you need games and prefer a computer to a gaming console then you really need Windows to play 90% of what's out there. If you want to browse the web, read email, listen to music and type documents then almost any Linux distribution will make this easy, run free of viruses, worms or DRM, and will be much faster than Windows. I get irritated if I'm running a word processor, PDF viewer, an IDE (for programming), web browser, email and calendar and the music playing skips even slightly in the split second it takes to switch between the browser and PDF document. I occasionally try the same on a much more powerful Windows box and end up pulling my hair with frustration at how slow it is.	TGoddard (7263)
496890	2006-11-10 05:23:00	...Any of you Linux lovers want to see which system runs Photoshop the best? Whoops, I forgot, Your limited to homebrew apps. (A note, Im impressed by the concept of Linux, But she and the Linux community have failed in just about every area so far, apart from making a system that if it installs correctly the "average joe" can email from and do a bit of word processing, sounds like WINDOWS 95...................HA)While it is true that later versions of Photoshop do not run on Linux, versions up to and including Photoshop 6 do run with Wine (granted it spits out error messages, but show me any version of Windows that doesn't). Using Wine, we are NOT limited to homebrew (as you call them) apps. There is also Crossover Office which will run MS Office very successfully. Some games run fine with either Wine or Cedega (WoW, UT2K4, Quake...). I personally have Warcraft 3 and UT on here ATM (in case I can't be bothered with the PS2). Like TGoddard, I run with multiple apps open whilst listening to music. I too go spack if the music even skips while Im opening/closing/running anything else. The fact is it doesn't. I miss blue screens, I miss the slowing down for no real reason, I miss the fact I can't configure my OS to how I want, I miss the music skip, I miss migraines. Yeah right... I ditched Windows fully about 12 months ago. Seldom have I missed it. If I do need reminding I boot the older system I have (which dual boots Windows 98SE and Debian stable). Or my laptop (Win XP Pro SP1). They soon get turned off. I don't hate Windows, never will (adds money to my pockets :D). I found (for me) a better choice, it wasn't an easy learning curve, but I stuck to it, and am happy I did. Will I ever use Windows (for anything else other than to see how its progressing [testing])... doubtful. Incidentally, I don't game, I get off the computer and hit the PS2 for that (my system isnt exactly state of the art but its no slouch either). Most people I see who trash/have-a-shot-at Linux are gamers, or extreme fanboys. Anyone who is after a stable (yep theres that word again [stable]; I hear 75% of servers run Linux, they can't all be wrong) system and are prepared to learn before shutting their minds will not go wrong with Linux. But, in the end; each to their own :) (For the record, this system is P4 2.66, 512MB RAM, Ti 4200 Graphics... not high spec by any standards)	Myth (110)
496891	2006-11-10 05:56:00	Ugh, How could you configure a Windows system so badly that music skipped?, Yet then go through the indepth process of configuring Linux to an acceptable state. Hell, I play music on mine, while surfing the net, and encoding video...... Lets point out that no Linux out of the box plays mp3's shall we, Throw that at a nub. Or ask a Linux nub to even set up a machine to encode video firewire, Correct hardware,drivers, software.....yeah right. Anyhow, Linux works...for those that make the OS the most important part of their comp and dedicate themselves to learning it, and it takes a bit of brain power and dedication to do it. And you still end up with half of what Windows (burn in hell MS) has to offer, This is the reason Linux is still an obscure movement viewed in much the same was as tree huggers are. Anyhow, Linux faster then Windows?, Bollocks.	Metla (12)
496892	2006-11-10 06:11:00	And as Jen said about Linux versions for novices... try installing Wine on Linux so you can run all those apps, or at least try finding a set of correct/complete instructions for installing Wine... I counted at least 6 different versions for Suse and none of them worked. I just had a sudden flash- when I installed Suse it looked and acted just like Windows 95, except you couldn't find anything in the menus, oh and the icons were nicely blended :) That is the problem with Linux- it is not user friendly in any way that you can mention. Anything that you try to do is a very steep learning curve and that just doesn't cut it in the real world. Sure they make a nice server... but that's because there's no need for human interaction. Anyway, I'm over it. It's as sad as talking to Mac addicts :eek:	Shortcircuit (1666)
496893	2006-11-10 06:40:00	Ugh, How could you configure a Windows system so badly that music skipped?, Yet then go through the indepth process of configuring Linux to an acceptable state.Didn't have to, it was the default Windows install Hell, I play music on mine, while surfing the net, and encoding video......What specs you running? Lets point out that no Linux out of the box plays mp3's shall we, Throw that at a nub. Or ask a Linux nub to even set up a machine to encode video firewire, Correct hardware,drivers, software.....yeah right.We all start out as nubs at one time or another. Correct drivers are usually within the kernel, learn how to compile one and your problems are 3/4 over :) Anyhow, Linux works...for those that make the OS the most important part of their comp and dedicate themselves to learning it, and it takes a bit of brain power and dedication to do it. And you still end up with half of what Windows (burn in hell MS) has to offer, This is the reason Linux is still an obscure movement viewed in much the same was as tree huggers are.True except for the part where you only have what Windows has to offer Anyhow, Linux faster then Windows?, Bollocks.Based on what benchmarks? Also, I don't believe I mentioned the word 'faster' in my post	Myth (110)
496894	2006-11-10 07:11:00	Sorry Tazz, You didn't manage to counter anything I said so I'm gonna have to ignore most of your post, as for the last bit, It was a general reply to more then your post.( you condemn Windows on the default install then suggest compiling the kernel in order to source a driver?, Thats as bad as daring to suggest that poor emulation of an outdated product is in some way comparable to the vastness of Top shelf products (work and play) that are available on a Windows machine? And the lack of software support is directly related to the failure of the various Linux vendors to produce a product capable of making headway in the home. As for benchmarks, when I was considering using a Linux box as an encoding machine (due to the supposed lower overheads) I managed to convince someone to run a few test encodes on a dual boot machine, using various sources and settings and ranging from a few minutes to large jobs running upwards of 7 or 8 hours, The results were so close as to be the same on both platforms, Certainly not worth the effort of crippling a good box by installing Linux. :D:D:D:D:D	Metla (12)
496895	2006-11-10 07:59:00	Yeah well... As for the kernel compile thing, maybe I been using Linux too long (is that possible?). Compiling a kernel is as second nature now as looking for drivers was in Windows. In the end, we are never going to agree on OS (Windows suits you, Linux suits me). We can throw sources and points-of-view at each other till the cows come home.. but neither one of us will change. As I said, each to their own :)	Myth (110)
496896	2006-11-10 08:14:00	As a n00b here to Ubuntu and Mepis, I have to say that I think they run a little slower than XP or even 98SE..which is a big "duh" anyway. The keys "feel" mushy..is that the right word for it? I suspect that I have much more to learn and will plod on blindly and mess things up so badly I will have to re-install a hundred more times..but I enjoy the challenge. My biggest gripe is the "holier-that-thou" attitude of most of the L people I meet...this site is an exception. It makes me feel like I just got somebody's grandmother preggo when I ask for help, real time....with real people. They are just snobbish like they don't want anyone to learn their secret handshake..this site is an exception. I am tired of being treated like the crazy aunt that is kept in the attic. .this site is an exception. The L users complain of lack of users...I can see why the ranks are so small....they treat people like mushrooms: in the dark and covered with manure..this site is an exception.	SurferJoe46 (51)
496897	2006-11-10 08:23:00	Yeah, it is quite hard to break into the group. Kinda like surfies on their home breaks. I guess I got lucky, rolled in on the back of Chilling_Silence into this one chan he hung in (IRC), met some great guys, and went from there. Forums can be worse however. a lot of people just can't be bothered reading, so ask stuff thats usually in the install docs or elsewhere within easy reach online. Because of that a lot of the more experienced guys get sick of saying the same ol same ol. Linux I have noticed is mainly the domain of the younger generations. There are the older users, but by far a majority of them are teens (my opinion only, especially in IRC)	Myth (110)
496898	2006-11-10 08:38:00	In the end, we are never going to agree on OS (Windows suits you, Linux suits me). We can throw sources and points-of-view at each other till the cows come home.. but neither one of us will change. As I said, each to their own :) Far too touchy/feely, This is a debate, a debate among men god damn it, Your next move should have been to throw a beer can at me and insult my sister. Anyhow, I win. Muhahahahaha. And I'm still looking foward to the downfall of MS.......	Metla (12)
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