What is Digg?162 Comments
- bl4k3r, on 09/08/2008, -5/+46I cannot find the "Upgrade to Linux" button in my Vista.
- spocksbrain, on 09/07/2008, -31/+721. "You can update every single piece of software on your computer with a single action."
- In theory yes, in most practical cases no. Not every app is always in the repository.
2. "It’s the safest operating system ever"
- Sure is, especially if you can't get your wireless network card working.
3. "Your PC can look after itself"
- I've never had problems with this. I don't see this as an issue.
4. "Run an entire computer for free, without breaking the law"
- Sure can, but if you live in the real world you realise that free software doesn't always cut it. A good dynamic system simulation tool that rivals MATLAB/Simulink anyone?
5. "Take all your settings with you wherever you go"
- Remote desktop works for me. Especially since most (if not all) computer I come into contact run Windows. How convenient.
A more balance view would be nice. For and against, not just a one-side view. - flatfish, on 09/08/2008, -6/+27Begin Quote: 2. "It’s the safest operating system ever"
- Sure is, especially if you can't get your wireless network card working.
End Quote
That's a real gem :)
Hysterical. - Rev0lver, on 09/08/2008, -9/+29Vista only suffers from stability and compatibility issues if your PC hardware is from the stone age. I don't understand why anyone expects a gig of ram and an FX5200 to run Vista like butter. Drivers aren't even an issue anymore. If you can't find Vista drivers for the printer you've had since the fifth grade, it's time for a new printer. I'm likely gunna get buried for this, but whatever. You can keep spreading Vista misinformation all you'd like, it wont change the facts though.
- Grolsch, on 09/08/2008, -13/+27And 100 reasons not to.....
- sirhomer, on 09/08/2008, -2/+15GNU Octave is a pretty good replacement for Matlab. Of course Matlab itself also runs on Linux. :)
I'm going to have disagree about the repository part. Ubuntu's main repository contains over 20,000 packages, which largely represents the majority of software even capable of running on the operating system. If there is a software package not in the repository, it is easy enough to petition MOTU for its inclusion. - busta, on 09/08/2008, -3/+13I put Ubuntu on my computer, and I'm a pretty savvy computer user, and I was back to Vista within a month or so. My hardware never quite worked right, and I had endless problems with playing media. Buggy sound/video drivers, I had to constantly fight with my installation to keep my sound working etc. etc.
Eventually the Ubuntu kernel starting soft locking on bootup and I had no choice but I had no choice. My roommate had pretty much the exact same experience, minus the soft-locking. - diceau, on 09/08/2008, -3/+121. OS will run just as smoothly and without delay with the same basic visual elegance!
2. Run all the software you've always used!
3. Play all the latest games!
4. Have a clear cut easy to use desktop without unnecessary bloating!
5. Install hardware and get it fully operating within minutes with just a few clicks!
6. Never have to deal with snippy nerd attitudes when you need help!
7. Never have to turn your nose up at anyone or cry out for attention because you believe you have the best OS and everyone should know about it!
Oh wait, I'm talking about XP ... go away Linux fanboys ... I appreciate that it's free and the programmers are good people doing a good job, but this whole holier than thou ***** needs to die.
It's not an upgrade. Buried for that remark alone. State your case without the crap ... Linux is still far from being as user friendly as Windows. - jfg84, on 09/08/2008, -1/+10I hated Vista but I don't see any reason for a casual user to go to Linux if they already have XP or even Vista. All I hear about with Linux is, I wish "insert program here" would work on Linux. It's sweet that Linux is open source and free but for 95 percent of the people who already own a Windows or Apple OS and that doesn't mean much. They just want their favorite programs to run without any effort.
- rowjimmy, on 09/08/2008, -1/+9while you are mostly correct - that vista tends to work fine with just-dry-from-bleeding-edge hardware, it is indicative of REALLY poor design if something as important as an OS cannot degrade safely & easily to work on oldish hardware. sure, i can't run Compiz on an 8 year old laptop with 256mb of ram and just-shy-of-no-graphics-card-worth-mentioning, but i can still run bread-and-butter-gnome to get work done. MS has a habit of ignoring serious structural problems by throwing more hardware at them, which - in the end - results in much poorer performance than necessary.
- ThomasHung, on 09/08/2008, -0/+7But then you spend an insane amount of money on hardware.
- infiniphunk, on 09/08/2008, -1/+8Oh look, another Mac user who doesn't really know how computers work.
- hyperkill, on 09/07/2008, -20/+27Great article. I think that the main reason why a lot of people are still using Windows is that they're afraid of the learning curve. Also, some people might hear "Linux" and think everything is done in command lines. The reality of it is that there is a steady learning curve but once you get past it you're going to be very pleased.
If you're thinking of trying Linux I would recommend Ubuntu. Go to http://www.ubuntu.com and get the Live CD .iso. Just burn it to a CD/DVD and pop it into your drive and reboot. You can then play around all you want without fear of losing Windows. If you choose to install it you should look around the internet for some helpful guides to lead you through the process. - Hellman109, on 09/08/2008, -2/+9A linux article complaining about Vistas compatibility issues?
Isnt that like a quadriplegic laughing at the guy with a sore toe for walking slowly? - meghalc, on 09/08/2008, -0/+7What is the point of a Mac if you are going to end up running bootcamp? Just buy a Windows notebook and save yourself some major cash. This is the most worthless suggestion macboys make now days!!
And why the hell do you need two operating systems? - ZenMojo, on 09/08/2008, -4/+10I love how much faster COD4 runs on Lin...
Er, nevermind. - Rev0lver, on 09/08/2008, -7/+131 - Vista works.
- thecheatah, on 09/08/2008, -3/+9well to this date, i have yet to find a wireless card that DOESNT work in linux. You should look into ndiswrapper.
- LanceUppercut, on 09/08/2008, -1/+6Here is the thing, I am a middle class guy that uses Vista 64 on a home built machine, so I actually shelled forth actual money for the OS that is running on my pc. I didn't have it subsidized in the price, I literally had it line item on my receipt.
I literally don't want a learning curve. I am 27 years old, and in a way going on 40 with technology. I just want things that work in the same way things that have always worked have always worked. I want to run studio 9 or whatever new fangled video camera software to pull down stuff from my Canon HV20 so I can finally get around to sending out that movie of the wedding I have been nagged about for months. I want something that works, but I want some power. I have 3 20" LCDs, 2 are on this computer, one is forever locked in the iMac down the hall, so the Mac Pro while nice and cool when the boss is buying is just too expensive for me. I have a case here Q6600 4 gigs of ram some sort of dx video card and a raptor firewire and 500 gig drive that i think i collectively paid 1300 for, sorry but as much as I admire the beauty of OSX on the iMac I can't pay the additional $800 or whatever premium it would cost to have it here, plus I just feel MORE productive on the PC.
Where does linux fit in for me? On my website hosting on Mosso and the wamp 2.0 server I run that never really matches what Mosso runs and thus useless. Linux? No thanks my time is worth more than what I can save by buying a os. sudo this or that, i wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone because I don't want to have the stress of whenever my phone rings I have that feeling of my stomach dropping to my knees because i immediately envision grandma did "insert brutal linux command here".
The next major OS is Fuji and whatever mac comes up with, after that it is the browser. - LowItalian, on 09/08/2008, -2/+7Vista is extremely stable and the compatibility issues only existed for a couple of months after vista was released, and wasn't as much microsofts fault as it was the fault of the hardware/software vendors.
With Vista SP1 out now, it really runs great. - GumGuts, on 09/08/2008, -3/+8Please, continue
- dawnraid101, on 09/08/2008, -18/+23That would be downgrading.
Running Vista in bootcamp (along side with Ubuntu ) I can say that it is perfectly stable , fast and compatible. While linux on the other hand requires frequent tinkering to install usb devices which on vista (and OS X) just recognise and work.
Linux has a long way to come, vista on the other hand is a polished OS (that while it may require more grunt, works well on many new computers) - enantiodromia, on 09/08/2008, -1/+5I have been running 32-bit and 64-bit Vista on several machines for over a year, and I have never had "instability" or "compatibility" issues.
I have been running Fedora, CentOS and, Ubuntu on several machines for several years now, and I have too many compatibility issues to use any of these operating systems as a Home Theater PC (HTPC), which is the only kind of machine I have at home these days.
The most annoying issue is the lack of decent video drivers that will compensate for a TV's overscan. I spent weeks playing with "modelines" in X and running the various 3rd party "video configurators", but nothing worked.
I use Vista Ultimate has my HTPC because "it just works" in that role.
And oh yeah, I sometimes want to play a decent game on my HTPC, and running TF2 in WINE is not a solution, that's a workaround that causes more trouble than it's worth.
And what about running Office 2008 in Linux? I have a job, and a Blackberry, and Office is pretty essential for me to use. Maybe Zimbra can prove itself to be the Exchange killer, but until then, Exchange still rules email.
And what about Photoshop? GIMP is no Photoshop, sorry.
And what about all my music software? Native Instruments doesn't make software for Linux.
The truth is, Linux is just an OS like Vista or OSX or *BSD or Solaris or any other OS. It is not "the best", it will never be "the best", and if you think that is the case, you have an extremely narrow point of view and very limited interests.
I have been a Linux/*nix admin for over ten years now, for what it's worth. - inactive, on 09/08/2008, -0/+4Yeah, it's so easy for anybody to do that with their PC...
- Lionhart, on 09/08/2008, -1/+5One reason not to: Games.
- rowjimmy, on 09/08/2008, -1/+5what wireless card? (seriously - not trying to be an ass - i'm sure i or somebody here can direct you to a good resource if you really wanted to get it working)
- TunaFishGangsta, on 09/08/2008, -2/+6I've got Vista and Ubuntu. I've got to say that I really like Ubuntu; however, it's a project to do anything worthwhile.
If I want to resolve names in my windows network I've got to install winbind. If I want to setup a Samba share I've got to configure a file. If I want to setup Remote login before the login screen and have it be encrypted I've got to jump through a bunch of hoops. At that time I'll be lucky if I can get the resolution to remain the same after making it a headless box. These are just a few examples...
My Grandma uses Windows XP without a problem; however, I could not see her getting into Linux. If you are a 14 year old kid with some extra time on your hands or have an extra box and want to learn something then yes Linux is probably for you. Hope that puts it into contrast for you.
Just hope you don't expect to have linux as your sole OS. Especially if you own a bunch of consumer electronic devices that interact with PCs. It could be a big project to get them working, and even if you don't half-ass it, you may get half-assed results. - rowjimmy, on 09/08/2008, -0/+3i don't think the vast majority of FOSS developers/*nix distro teams (besides ubuntu, and opensuse to some extent) are focused on making their operating systems more idiot-friendly - rather, they focus on making powerful tools for IT professionals.
- thecheatah, on 09/08/2008, -3/+6Seriously. I havnt found a wifi card that doesnt work :-p I have installed it on over 10-15 computers/laptops.
- infiniphunk, on 09/08/2008, -1/+4so... you have a learning disability? Is that what you're saying?
- Scatropolis, on 09/08/2008, -0/+3"It's not an upgrade."
Exactly, it's a switch. "Upgrade" is an opinion. - Opiate, on 09/08/2008, -2/+5And gaming is the #1 reason not to. Don't get me wrong, I use linux for my workstation and it's a great development platform but for home use beyond just email and web it's not there yet. You can blame directx for that.
- Noctem, on 09/08/2008, -2/+5This is a stunningly ignorant article.
Linux increases performance by scattering files all over the hard drive?
Linux is the safest operating system ever?
What a joke. - ThomasHung, on 09/08/2008, -0/+3Synaptic will install flash for you, just a couple clicks, and you're set.
- meghalc, on 09/08/2008, -0/+3I dont feel like buying a low end Apple notebook hardware which I can buy for $499 with Vista!
- reed311, on 09/08/2008, -3/+6Yeah, ok. Linux is the worst operating system I have ever used in my life. Yes, even worse than OS/2. Even installing it used to fail the majority of the time. My favorite part of Linux was having NONE of my accessories, except for my keyboard, working. Yeah, it was great having Linux not even recognize a basic usb mouse, a network card or even a printer.
- nickycakes, on 09/08/2008, -15/+18Buried linux fanboi spam.
Just use XP? - blueomni87, on 09/08/2008, -5/+8Really? Vista is a "polished OS?"
- Murdats, on 09/08/2008, -0/+3I spent a day not getting ndiswrapper to work with my netgear wg311v2 card, I followed like 10 different guides and reinstalled 3 times to undo my fiddling, eventually I figured it would take me 2 minutes in windows to get it working and formatted, this was before I even attempted my more obscure hardware.
- MoonRocketZero, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2Interesting points in this article...But, I think most people who have Vista might just be better off “upgrading” to Win XP or OsX...
I Like LINUX a lot myself, I have a couple machines running it right now, and have had LINUX systems for years, and years.
But at this point in time I could not go LINUX only in my home or workplace. Simply, I rely on some programs that will only run or OsX or Windows, and there is NO suitable open source versions or alternatives. So no matter how “superior” LINUX may be as an OS, I could not totally convert to it even if I wanted to, if the programs arent there what's the point?
Yes, yes I know the fansboys will say “blah blah blah you can find open source alternatives for everything” but that’s just not practical for some programs, the open source progs often just don’t do the job as well (not slaggin open source(!) lots of the stuff is great!)
So right now I think I’ll just stick with XP and OSX as my main/work OS’s and keep LINUX around for internet machines, and servers - Seems to be working for me well.
I really just don’t think the masses are ready to be converted to LINUX quite yet…someday maybe... - rowjimmy, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2you're missing my main point - not that vista doesn't support old hardware (i too agree, there should be cut-off points where a software company says, "that's it - we're no longer supporting this hardware/browser/version of [some plugin]/etc") but that microsoft has a tendency to ignore systemic inefficiencies by throwing better hardware at the problem.
or, actually now that i re-read your comment - i see you too acknowledge this, so i think we agree more than we disagree. in general, though, i think the gains in the long-run that come from dealing with systemic, low-level bugs and general poor infra-structure will vastly outweigh ignoring these problems in the mad-dash to "innovate." in my mind, this problem is largely a result of a cathedral vs bazaar style of development - the guys at the top are so far removed from the foundations of the building that they continue to build castles in the sand rather than recognizing that the tide is coming in and concrete reinforcement is necessary to sustain any long-term growth towards the sky. - ThomasHung, on 09/08/2008, -1/+31. Where do you go to for "official" Windows support? Microsoft charges per call.
2. I guess that's your personal preference, so whatever. But usually things that require that only require you to cut and paste a little command, very simple.
3. Wine runs a lot of things faster than Windows, excluding some games.
4. Personal preference again, but at least on Linux you aren't forced to jump through hoops and bullcrap to compile something. I was trying to help a friend make a simple change to the Apache source, and Visual Studio just would not compile. I did the same action on Linux in about 30 secs.
5. Office does work in wine, and OpenOffice has been very speedy for me. And I can't stand 2007's interface...
6. You can change it to work exactly like XP or Vista, if that floats your boat.
7. Ok, you got me there. Gimp has a terrible interface, and Ubuntu seemed to latch on to Brown. I run Photoshop in wine, and it's fairly easy to change the UI of Ubuntu.
8. Hrm? Ubuntu comes on a CD.
9. Windows does the same thing, but it's behind the scenes. This is kind of a small issue though.
10. The whole sudo/root stuff on Ubuntu is MUCH better than UAC. Most things don't require root on Linux. - virtorio, on 09/08/2008, -1/+3Holy *****, why didn’t someone write this article sooner? I’m going to upgrade to Linux right now.
All I have to go though the simple process of choosing which Window manager I like (i.e. has the least number of quirks and doesn’t like terrible), which distribution works with the most useful range of hardware on my laptop (and at very least my network card), which applications I’ll need to get to replace my current ones (and this will take a while as Linux developers have problems picking meaningful names for their stuff), install it and dual boot with my current Windows installation so I can play games and use the apps for which there are no decent Linux alternatives.
Well, that should do it for a start anyway. - Sokkratez, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2I must be lucky, the one machine with wireless I tried to install it on wasn't supported. Had to hunt down information and get ndiswrapper.
- qwikmr2, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2I love linux, but I love gaming more. My machine is used very heavily for gaming and no I don't want or care about cedega or any other possible emulation options. I want to install my games and run my computer without working so hard. Oh and I have yet to find a distro that plays really nicely with ATI video cards or my laptop. So until then its vista64. If they had native support for my games and CS3 I would already be using it.
Just my thoughts but I probably will get buried for not being all anti vista. Oh well there is more to life than digg. - inactive, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2WTF are you talking about? Wireless is a non-issue in Linux now. Two factors have contributed to this
1) Native Windows drivers can be used
2) Most chipsets are supported natively in Linux
I didn't once mention that Matlab replaced wireless connectivity. - meghalc, on 09/08/2008, -2/+4I use Vista because theres no Native support for MS Office on linux. I actually upgraded to Vista from linux!
- inactive, on 09/08/2008, -1/+3I think you tried Linux back during OS/2.
- inactive, on 09/08/2008, -0/+2I've been using Ubuntu for a while and it's pretty good. I think Linux should be at least an option for people... Those of us who can't afford a new Apple computer, tend to think we're "stuck" with Microsoft. I think Linux is a good alternative to the whole Microsoft thing... sure, it doesn't always work 100% with your hardware and you can't install fancy software, but for the average user, I'd say Linux is pretty cool. You can download like 10,000 free applications and games. Linux is also good for older systems because it boots up faster than Vista and XP.
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