Why are you running Linux?
Just thought I would pose a poll as for your reasoning in selecting this OS. For me, the final kicker was the pricing on upgrading our Exchange server from 5. 5 to 2000. As there is no longer an upgrade option, it will now cost at *least* $10,000US for us to REPLACE the licenses, rather than a few grand at the most ...
Just thought I would pose a poll as for your reasoning in selecting this OS. For me, the final kicker was the pricing on "upgrading" our Exchange server from 5.5 to 2000. As there is no longer an upgrade option, it will now cost at *least* $10,000US for us to REPLACE the licenses, rather than a few grand at the most to upgrade them. I decided that since many applications have matured, while many more new ones are coming down the pipe for Linux that I would try using it again.
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alot of things in windows just don't add up, literatry (ok i know thats spelled wrong. can you even tell what word it is?) like when you have a 40 gig harddrive (it even showed up as a 40 gig drive in windows) and there is 23 gigs free and 8 gigs used Where did the other 9 gigs go? (this happend to me with win xp a while ago, when i got my computer i ran dual boot win xp and mandrake each having a 40 gig hd to themselves, windows i'm proud to say hasn't touched my computer for over a year and a half) also in other ways, earlier in this thread i was talking about one of my teachers computer. one of the schools "tech people" as almost everyone calls them added ram to the computer, and when it booted up the cdrom drive worked just fine. THATS ALL HE DID, ADD MEMORY i watched him do it. Before that it thought that the cdrom was either a floppy or a corrupted cdrom drive HOW WOULD ADDING MEMORY FIX THAT? ;( ?
and that is one of the hundreds of reasons why i try as hard as i can to avoid anything made by or made in part by microsoft.
if anyone has learned anything by my ravings it should be this: windows runs about as well as an 80 year old drunk man in a 1000 meter dash
i'm not done yet, only tired
and that is one of the hundreds of reasons why i try as hard as i can to avoid anything made by or made in part by microsoft.
if anyone has learned anything by my ravings it should be this: windows runs about as well as an 80 year old drunk man in a 1000 meter dash
i'm not done yet, only tired
The reason I have enjoyed using computers for as long as I have is because of curiousity.
There is always that "Well how does it work" that floats around.
Windows uses "wizards" to set up everything, but if you don't know how it works, you can't troubleshoot it.
Sure, you can use frontends to configure things in Linux. But it is just as easy, if not easier, to edit config files to suit. And in doing so, you learn how the program works and how to troubleshoot it when it doesn't work.
That is why I love Linux.
There is always that "Well how does it work" that floats around.
Windows uses "wizards" to set up everything, but if you don't know how it works, you can't troubleshoot it.
Sure, you can use frontends to configure things in Linux. But it is just as easy, if not easier, to edit config files to suit. And in doing so, you learn how the program works and how to troubleshoot it when it doesn't work.
That is why I love Linux.
It's a bit like the first time I played with MS-DOS, only now every day I can learn something new. Linux is a real brain stretcher, but not a stupid one like Windows. With Linux, when you find the answer, you've found the answer. In Windows answers are nebulous and lack definition.
I think that's why when I'm looking through A+ answers and practice questions, they often take a kind of nodal 'go back two steps and fix something else' option or give a couple of options one of which will fix the problem....
Quote:Question 799a
You are an IT Consultant who has been asked to troubleshoot a hard drive failure on a clients PC. When you arrive on site and first turn on the clients computer, you notice a grinding noise... What would be the most likely cause of this failure?
The sound you hear is friction from the base of the machine rubbing against the garbage chute on it's way out of the building.
A loose drive floundering around the bottom of the case after being thrown at the wall on several occasions.
Read/Write head failure.
Dodgy wheel on base of tea trolly.
or
None of the above.[/list:u]
or, because one of the options in every good training manual is "Make sure the machine you are working on has plenty of memory" you get events like...
Quote:...one of the schools "tech people" as almost everyone calls them added ram to the computer, ... THATS ALL HE DID, ADD MEMORY ... Before that it thought that the cdrom was either a floppy or a corrupted cdrom drive HOW WOULD ADDING MEMORY FIX THAT? ?
Sorry, I'm being silly now, I'm going to the fridge to take my pils.
I think that's why when I'm looking through A+ answers and practice questions, they often take a kind of nodal 'go back two steps and fix something else' option or give a couple of options one of which will fix the problem....
Quote:Question 799a
You are an IT Consultant who has been asked to troubleshoot a hard drive failure on a clients PC. When you arrive on site and first turn on the clients computer, you notice a grinding noise... What would be the most likely cause of this failure?
The sound you hear is friction from the base of the machine rubbing against the garbage chute on it's way out of the building.
A loose drive floundering around the bottom of the case after being thrown at the wall on several occasions.
Read/Write head failure.
Dodgy wheel on base of tea trolly.
or
None of the above.[/list:u]
or, because one of the options in every good training manual is "Make sure the machine you are working on has plenty of memory" you get events like...
Quote:...one of the schools "tech people" as almost everyone calls them added ram to the computer, ... THATS ALL HE DID, ADD MEMORY ... Before that it thought that the cdrom was either a floppy or a corrupted cdrom drive HOW WOULD ADDING MEMORY FIX THAT? ?
Sorry, I'm being silly now, I'm going to the fridge to take my pils.
Quote:Answer to Question 799a
* The sound you hear is friction from the base of the machine rubbing against the garbage chute on it's way out of the building.
I have a nextdoor niegbour who tosses his machine against the wall on a regular basis. He once passed me a CD and asked if I could put it in my dirve and run it. (It is a cd for his Voodoo card) hea was having problems after deleting all of the files that ended or otherwise had "VGA" in the file name or description, because he had a ..<I have no idea>..
m- Sure.. Humm not working.
n- Nope.. and it wont work in mine either. Can you fix it?
m- *take the cd out.. notice spiral scratches ..(like a record)* um no I can't.
n- Why not?
m- By any chance when you opened your CDROM was the cd still spinning?
n- yeah.. I pushed it into the tray thing untill it stopped. I think the tray is busted too.
m- ..and you ask me to fix it?
n- yeah. it's just a little scratch.
"
It spins up
but it won't slow down
My cd is spinin' round an' round..
Open the door and it flies on out
Hits the wall and I scream and shout:
Abra-abra-cadabra
That should fix it up..
Abra-abra-cadabra
Abra-abra-cadabra
(Hey have you got any duct tape?)
Abra-abra-cadabra...
"
* The sound you hear is friction from the base of the machine rubbing against the garbage chute on it's way out of the building.
I have a nextdoor niegbour who tosses his machine against the wall on a regular basis. He once passed me a CD and asked if I could put it in my dirve and run it. (It is a cd for his Voodoo card) hea was having problems after deleting all of the files that ended or otherwise had "VGA" in the file name or description, because he had a ..<I have no idea>..
m- Sure.. Humm not working.
n- Nope.. and it wont work in mine either. Can you fix it?
m- *take the cd out.. notice spiral scratches ..(like a record)* um no I can't.
n- Why not?
m- By any chance when you opened your CDROM was the cd still spinning?
n- yeah.. I pushed it into the tray thing untill it stopped. I think the tray is busted too.
m- ..and you ask me to fix it?
n- yeah. it's just a little scratch.
"
It spins up
but it won't slow down
My cd is spinin' round an' round..
Open the door and it flies on out
Hits the wall and I scream and shout:
Abra-abra-cadabra
That should fix it up..
Abra-abra-cadabra
Abra-abra-cadabra
(Hey have you got any duct tape?)
Abra-abra-cadabra...
"
Quote:Just thought I would pose a poll as for your reasoning in selecting this OS. For me, the final kicker was the pricing on "upgrading" our Exchange server from 5.5 to 2000. As there is no longer an upgrade option, it will now cost at *least* $10,000US for us to REPLACE the licenses, rather than a few grand at the most to upgrade them. I decided that since many applications have matured, while many more new ones are coming down the pipe for Linux that I would try using it again.
Your poll is flawed. truth is that I'm still tied to W2K and still haven't found a desktop that equals it. I run Linux because Windows is going in a direction which makes it dramatically less functional with releases after W2K. XP requires a huge effort to make it useable. All of the operation is hidden under layer upon layer of bad eyecandy. Longhorn looks as if it's going to be even worse. Add to that the increasingly arrogant behavior of Bill'$ M$ and you have a lot of people including me, looking for a better/alternate solution.
I said that Linux isn't as good a desktop environment as is W2K, but, the gap is rapidly closing. Many many people are working very hard to make Linux work as a desktop, and it's obvious that sooner rather than later they 'will' achieve parity. When that happens, I want to be able to switch over as an experienced user rather than a newbe. The fact that Linux is open source is just gravy.
So, I continue to work with different Linux distros, currently Knoppix/Debian, and I'm waiting for that parity. Not too much longer now...
Your poll is flawed. truth is that I'm still tied to W2K and still haven't found a desktop that equals it. I run Linux because Windows is going in a direction which makes it dramatically less functional with releases after W2K. XP requires a huge effort to make it useable. All of the operation is hidden under layer upon layer of bad eyecandy. Longhorn looks as if it's going to be even worse. Add to that the increasingly arrogant behavior of Bill'$ M$ and you have a lot of people including me, looking for a better/alternate solution.
I said that Linux isn't as good a desktop environment as is W2K, but, the gap is rapidly closing. Many many people are working very hard to make Linux work as a desktop, and it's obvious that sooner rather than later they 'will' achieve parity. When that happens, I want to be able to switch over as an experienced user rather than a newbe. The fact that Linux is open source is just gravy.
So, I continue to work with different Linux distros, currently Knoppix/Debian, and I'm waiting for that parity. Not too much longer now...
Quote:[ ...
Your poll is flawed. truth is that I'm still tied to W2K and still haven't found a desktop that equals it. I run Linux because Windows is going in a direction which makes it dramatically less functional with releases after W2K. XP requires a huge effort to make it useable. All of the operation is hidden under layer upon layer of bad eyecandy.
...
I said that Linux isn't as good a desktop environment as is W2K, but, the gap is rapidly closing. Many many people are working very hard to make Linux work as a desktop, and it's obvious that sooner rather than later they 'will' achieve parity. When that happens, I want to be able to switch over as an experienced user rather than a newbe. The fact that Linux is open source is just gravy.
So, I continue to work with different Linux distros, currently Knoppix/Debian, and I'm waiting for that parity. Not too much longer now...
Actually, M$ began to go downhill when they began to 'replace' DOS with Windows, but that is just my opinion. As far as the "good desktop environment" Linux allows you to change that in many different ways - KDE, Gnome, IceWM, and many others, all of which are basically different to each other and allow the user to install themes and make their own. I currently also use Knoppix/Debian, and during the last week, I have changed from KDE to IceWM and then to Gnome and then back to KDE. BTW, you can get your KDE to act just like Windows, Mac and others... Windoze did not have themes until Win98, I think, and even then, you had to buy Plus! to get the capability. One of the basic principles of Windoze is hiding things using 'eyecandy' M$ does not want you to see what they have installed on your computer, and it is next to impossible to find out what that stuff is, if you happen to find it. XP tries to limit you to two or three 'special' folders, and it is hard to find "Windows Explorer" (it is not in the menu). Linux on the other hand is 'Open Source), which means that you can find the source code for everything installed on your system, and thus you can find out what it all does (assuming you can read the source code). M$ ignores you when you send in a bug report, Linux people read them all, and if you are a programmer, you can fix it yourself. M$ ignores you if you ask for another feature, Linux people may not add it, but they don't ignore you, and again if you are a programmer, you can add the feature yourself. M$ will not allow you to change the equivalent to a kernel in any way. Linux suggests that you do this. There is more, but my post is getting long... 8)
Your poll is flawed. truth is that I'm still tied to W2K and still haven't found a desktop that equals it. I run Linux because Windows is going in a direction which makes it dramatically less functional with releases after W2K. XP requires a huge effort to make it useable. All of the operation is hidden under layer upon layer of bad eyecandy.
...
I said that Linux isn't as good a desktop environment as is W2K, but, the gap is rapidly closing. Many many people are working very hard to make Linux work as a desktop, and it's obvious that sooner rather than later they 'will' achieve parity. When that happens, I want to be able to switch over as an experienced user rather than a newbe. The fact that Linux is open source is just gravy.
So, I continue to work with different Linux distros, currently Knoppix/Debian, and I'm waiting for that parity. Not too much longer now...
Actually, M$ began to go downhill when they began to 'replace' DOS with Windows, but that is just my opinion. As far as the "good desktop environment" Linux allows you to change that in many different ways - KDE, Gnome, IceWM, and many others, all of which are basically different to each other and allow the user to install themes and make their own. I currently also use Knoppix/Debian, and during the last week, I have changed from KDE to IceWM and then to Gnome and then back to KDE. BTW, you can get your KDE to act just like Windows, Mac and others... Windoze did not have themes until Win98, I think, and even then, you had to buy Plus! to get the capability. One of the basic principles of Windoze is hiding things using 'eyecandy' M$ does not want you to see what they have installed on your computer, and it is next to impossible to find out what that stuff is, if you happen to find it. XP tries to limit you to two or three 'special' folders, and it is hard to find "Windows Explorer" (it is not in the menu). Linux on the other hand is 'Open Source), which means that you can find the source code for everything installed on your system, and thus you can find out what it all does (assuming you can read the source code). M$ ignores you when you send in a bug report, Linux people read them all, and if you are a programmer, you can fix it yourself. M$ ignores you if you ask for another feature, Linux people may not add it, but they don't ignore you, and again if you are a programmer, you can add the feature yourself. M$ will not allow you to change the equivalent to a kernel in any way. Linux suggests that you do this. There is more, but my post is getting long... 8)
Very good gravy.
I too hope it won't be too much longer. It isn't so much the bring down M$, but more Bringing in someone else who is more .. friendly. in alot of different ways. Mostly user.. ..uh.. when you get use to it
Quote:Actually, M$ began to go downhill when they began to 'replace' DOS with Windows, but that is just my opinion.
I think that is close to true.
I too hope it won't be too much longer. It isn't so much the bring down M$, but more Bringing in someone else who is more .. friendly. in alot of different ways. Mostly user.. ..uh.. when you get use to it
Quote:Actually, M$ began to go downhill when they began to 'replace' DOS with Windows, but that is just my opinion.
I think that is close to true.
As a desktop we are finding that, minus a few irritations, the stability of Linux is a quality which far exceeds the "ease-of-use" conveniences offered by Bill and Steve. The only app we must use that is Microsoft oriented is Quickbooks. We run it with Win4lin, still it is more stable than it ever was natively. As far as other apps go, mostly we use Abiword and Gnumeric. If you ever need a spreadsheet program, Gnumeric absolutely rules! It just will not crash! I've tried! It just runs and runs! We use it on a daily basis to do daily and weekly broadcast logs.
Bill and Steve are gonna sell Longhorn on the same premise they sold XP, that it will take care of all the security problems we have had with previous versions. Yes, Longhorn will be more secure in the short run, but eventually it will be exploited just like XP was, yet again, setting the stage for Bill and Steve to sell us yet another version of MS software that will take care of the security issues exploited under Longhorn!
Linux is very challenging, but it's worth the time and effort I have invested just to keep Microsoft out of my life! Thank God I'm off Bill and Steve's plantation!
I'm free at last!!
Bill and Steve are gonna sell Longhorn on the same premise they sold XP, that it will take care of all the security problems we have had with previous versions. Yes, Longhorn will be more secure in the short run, but eventually it will be exploited just like XP was, yet again, setting the stage for Bill and Steve to sell us yet another version of MS software that will take care of the security issues exploited under Longhorn!
Linux is very challenging, but it's worth the time and effort I have invested just to keep Microsoft out of my life! Thank God I'm off Bill and Steve's plantation!
I'm free at last!!
When it comes to MS the two terms are synonymous.
Quote:... Actually, M$ began to go downhill when they began to 'replace' DOS with Windows
Certainly the 16bit was a disaster, as was the 9x/ME series. NT based systems are another matter, very useable and stable... At least until the advent of XP ;-). Now I have 'Longhorn' to look foward to??? I don't think so!!!
As I said before, Linux in various Distros is getting real close... Some hardware, program equivelency issues, and compatability with the industries that I work with, but, that seems to be coming together.
I've been running Linux, in one form or another as a dual boot for about 3 years now and the progress is impressive. the big improvement recently is the overall industry acceptance of Linux as a desktop. I think that we'll start seeing a lot more support for things like hardware from OEMs because of this.
Certainly the 16bit was a disaster, as was the 9x/ME series. NT based systems are another matter, very useable and stable... At least until the advent of XP ;-). Now I have 'Longhorn' to look foward to??? I don't think so!!!
As I said before, Linux in various Distros is getting real close... Some hardware, program equivelency issues, and compatability with the industries that I work with, but, that seems to be coming together.
I've been running Linux, in one form or another as a dual boot for about 3 years now and the progress is impressive. the big improvement recently is the overall industry acceptance of Linux as a desktop. I think that we'll start seeing a lot more support for things like hardware from OEMs because of this.
Quote:As a desktop we are finding that, minus a few irritations, the stability of Linux is a quality which far exceeds the "ease-of-use" conveniences offered by Bill and Steve.
I'm not even going to get into the "ease-of-use" issue, but, My systems running W2K are just as stable as anything I've seen in Linux.
Quote:Linux is very challenging, but it's worth the time and effort I have invested just to keep Microsoft out of my life! Thank God I'm off Bill and Steve's plantation! I'm free at last!!
Here you bring up a couple of good points. Managing Linux is a whole different headset than doing Windows, as is running a Linux desktop. Not necessarily better or worse, but definitely culture shock. You 'must' put in the time and effort going from one to the other. Most of the population is used to M$ and don't want to expend the energy to change unless they have a very compelling reason (human nature?). Fortunately, Bill'$ giving them 'many' reasons .
Hum... I just noticed that nobody voted that they are running Linux because it has their favorite app... Is that significant?
I'm not even going to get into the "ease-of-use" issue, but, My systems running W2K are just as stable as anything I've seen in Linux.
Quote:Linux is very challenging, but it's worth the time and effort I have invested just to keep Microsoft out of my life! Thank God I'm off Bill and Steve's plantation! I'm free at last!!
Here you bring up a couple of good points. Managing Linux is a whole different headset than doing Windows, as is running a Linux desktop. Not necessarily better or worse, but definitely culture shock. You 'must' put in the time and effort going from one to the other. Most of the population is used to M$ and don't want to expend the energy to change unless they have a very compelling reason (human nature?). Fortunately, Bill'$ giving them 'many' reasons .
Hum... I just noticed that nobody voted that they are running Linux because it has their favorite app... Is that significant?
I think most run windoze BECAUSE it has their favorite application. (which can translate to game.. )
Quote:I'm not even going to get into the "ease-of-use" issue, but, My systems running W2K are just as stable as anything I've seen in Linux.
Humm.. think the code was.. um removed or placed by you know whom.. (I don't think they could write it on their own.. )
Quote:I'm not even going to get into the "ease-of-use" issue, but, My systems running W2K are just as stable as anything I've seen in Linux.
Humm.. think the code was.. um removed or placed by you know whom.. (I don't think they could write it on their own.. )
Quote:I'm not even going to get into the "ease-of-use" issue, but, My systems running W2K are just as stable as anything I've seen in Linux. That has not been our experience at all. Our main office computer, a new Dell, loaded with XP locked and crashed 6 times in less than a month causing loss of data. Linux apps will definitely lock occasionally, but we can always "xkill" it without loss except for this fiasco which I don't attribute to Linux. Running Quickbooks on XP caused two of the six with loss of data. We have yet to experience any such losses running Quickbooks on Windows 98 running on Win4lin on top of Linux.
I have had XP crash 3 times, just short of 2 months, required the shutting off the machine by powering down at source (The Plug). Of those, the BIOS was corrupted 1 time preventing the system from booting at all. Or being installed. Good keys were not seen as good. After reciving new flashed BIOS I could re-install XP.
My Linux machine hasn't crashed, or given me troublesome faults. Granted I still don't have the sync quite right for the monitor and one of the programs I had used, so I will occasionally get monitor funnies... no big deal. I can guess the keys to press to get out of it.
But that is just me... .. sorry I ment XP
My Linux machine hasn't crashed, or given me troublesome faults. Granted I still don't have the sync quite right for the monitor and one of the programs I had used, so I will occasionally get monitor funnies... no big deal. I can guess the keys to press to get out of it.
But that is just me... .. sorry I ment XP
Quote: That has not been our experience at all. Our main office computer, a new Dell, loaded with XP locked and crashed 6 times in less than a month causing loss of data. Linux apps will definitely lock occasionally, but we can always "xkill" it without loss except for this fiasco which I don't attribute to Linux. Running Quickbooks on XP caused two of the six with loss of data. We have yet to experience any such losses running Quickbooks on Windows 98 running on Win4lin on top of Linux.
I'm not disagreeing with you about XP. I was running a triple boot with W2K/XP/Linux for about a year. People kept trying to tell me how stable and compatable XP was, but, my experience was that XP had no advantages over W2K , and was a pita to configure as well. To make XP stable you have to turn off 'all' the bells and whistles and a bunch of other features as well. Even then... About a month ago I completely deleted XP from the system . Dual boot to W2K or Knoppix/Debian now.
As I remember, NT was originally designed by the same guy who designed VM. From NT4 thrugh W2K It's a reliable OS... But, with XP Bill$ right back to the same old crap. Eye candy and bogus 'features' replacing good system design and stability.
Since IBM abandoned OS/2 (I'm still shaking my head over that one), Linux is the only other viable alternative. Right now, my Knoppix/Debian will run 'almost' all the hardware, connects to everything, and has near equivalents to all but a couple of my favorite Engineering and system / file management programs. A few more print drivers and I just may switch permanently.
My Laptop is another Dilemma. It came with XP. I updated it to Pro, but now I'm thinking of changing it over to W2K... Knoppix boots perfectly and, everything works so, I'm real tempted to install that. But, I have to maintain total compatibility with my office, so it probably won't happen.... Ah, the compromises in life .
I'm not disagreeing with you about XP. I was running a triple boot with W2K/XP/Linux for about a year. People kept trying to tell me how stable and compatable XP was, but, my experience was that XP had no advantages over W2K , and was a pita to configure as well. To make XP stable you have to turn off 'all' the bells and whistles and a bunch of other features as well. Even then... About a month ago I completely deleted XP from the system . Dual boot to W2K or Knoppix/Debian now.
As I remember, NT was originally designed by the same guy who designed VM. From NT4 thrugh W2K It's a reliable OS... But, with XP Bill$ right back to the same old crap. Eye candy and bogus 'features' replacing good system design and stability.
Since IBM abandoned OS/2 (I'm still shaking my head over that one), Linux is the only other viable alternative. Right now, my Knoppix/Debian will run 'almost' all the hardware, connects to everything, and has near equivalents to all but a couple of my favorite Engineering and system / file management programs. A few more print drivers and I just may switch permanently.
My Laptop is another Dilemma. It came with XP. I updated it to Pro, but now I'm thinking of changing it over to W2K... Knoppix boots perfectly and, everything works so, I'm real tempted to install that. But, I have to maintain total compatibility with my office, so it probably won't happen.... Ah, the compromises in life .
