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169 Comments
- oldhick, on 04/21/2008, -2/+56Great article with some interesting news. I was pleased to see some of the large scale desktop deployments in Europe. I hate reading "has improved support for multimedia, including photo editing, music sharing and video playback". Come on already! But I really enjoyed reading "There's no culture of piracy in the Linux community". I know what he meant, which is to say where's the need for piracy with Open Source. But in my neck o' the woods and the on-line communities I participate in, we're the biggest media pirates out there! Anyhow, great article.
- Evolutuon, on 04/21/2008, -10/+53Haven't logged into windows in months. Feels good to be free of that garbage.
- i4mt3hwin, on 04/21/2008, -7/+47He seems like such an awesome guy. I don't know how much influence he has on the actual operating system or whether he's just a business man but he definitely believes in his cause. Plus he went into space, that makes him totally badass.
- aidave, on 04/21/2008, -7/+42I've moved to Ubuntu after 10+ years of Windows, and won't go back unless paid to. Vista killed Windows for me. Ubuntu = the true successor to XP.
- penguinofspades, on 04/21/2008, -4/+37i started giving ubuntu to my less tech-savvy friends because we couldn't afford xp, works just fine for them.
- hardcorerikki, on 04/21/2008, -4/+31Bye bye Vista. Penguin lovers, spare me a seat, I'm staying over ;p
- manstein01, on 04/21/2008, -3/+29It's great to hear Ubuntu is doing well. While I am not an Ubuntu user myself, I firmly believe that what Ubuntu has done for Desktop Linux cannot be measured in the greater scope of things.
- Labourer, on 04/21/2008, -4/+26I think ubuntu is close to achieving some serious market share in the next 5 years.
- naughtyboy, on 04/21/2008, -9/+29All we need mass adaptation of OpenGL v3 by the gaming industry.
Bye Bye Micro$oft - codyman, on 04/21/2008, -3/+21Of the "I know how to check my email and go on facebook, write simple word documents and listen to music in iTunes" crowd I deal with each day, most know of PCs and Macs, nothing more, nothing less.... if you say the word "Linux" they look at you dumbfounded....
- powatom, on 04/21/2008, -4/+21Where is 'there'? What do you people WANT? :P
- shredswithpiks, on 04/21/2008, -2/+19the kind of people who want to fully customize EVERYTHING are not the kind of people who want to do it without opening up the command line.
Unless you are just talking about customizing/installing apps and your GUI... in which case done and done. - subgeniusd, on 04/21/2008, -0/+16Yeah and many of them think even trying Firefox is a radical switch. So addicted to their comfort zones.....
- manstein01, on 04/21/2008, -3/+18You obviously have never used Linux in great depth. The command line is pretty much optional these days.
- CrackyJSquirrel, on 04/21/2008, -1/+16After many years of linux distros, I finally broke down and installed Ubuntu. I felt I had to avoid it because everyone was wet over it (kinda have a personal problem with main stream things, I am getting better as I get older though).. I guess I sold myself short since it is the cleanest distro I have used so far, and I could have saved myself many days of aggravation if I just used it. Everything on my Sony Vaio worked out of the box with it. And no other distro I tried could..
Ubuntu definitely has something good going here, I look forward to what they will bring in the future. - Adelie, on 04/21/2008, -2/+16Oh, and why the hell do people compare things that are hard in Linux to things you CAN'T do in Windows??? rebuilding the Kernel to make it work / work better. Advanced (not hard) in Linux, ILLEGAL in windows. using command line / text editor for config files? Can't do that in Windows. You are locked in to a limited number of undocumented features in the registry editor. Compile from source? Since when did Windows come with a free compiler, let alone some kind of GUI that does everything for you? Not to mention that Windows ITSELF does not allow you to view the source code.
Windows is easy! It it doesn't work right from the get-go, you're *****! Nice and easy. If it breaks, virtually your only option is to reinstall. If features are lacking or buggy? Well hope it has it in the next version, or you probably didn't REALLY need that feature to work.
It is AMAZING what people consider "normal behavior" in Windows. The "nature" of Linux tells us that we shouldn't have to put up with it. Want a simple Windowism? If it isn't in the repository, you probably don't want it. If anything goes wrong, that is why you have backups, just reinstall. In the Linux world, that is just considered overkill... but it is as easy as windows.
Btw, I about fell out of my chair laughing when someone commented that there aren't enough good anti-virus options / software for Linux. - iKnowKungFoo, on 04/21/2008, -3/+17The only reason I use Windows anymore is to play games.
I put ubuntu 7.10 on my laptop in February and I forget that I'm even using Linux when I'm on it.
I have a Vista desktop, but I just put VMWare Server with ubuntu 8.04 RC on it yesterday. As soon as I get another hard drive, I'll put ubuntu on it's own set of partitions. I know you can run a lot of games on WINE, but since I already have the Vista license, I may as well boot to it when I wanna play games. - RainStreet, on 04/21/2008, -2/+15If my girlfriend can use it, anyone can.
- darknailblue, on 04/21/2008, -5/+18Shuttleworth? Suiting name for being the second-ever self funded space tourist!
I can't see Linux gaining a reputable market share within a year even though I would love to. Especially being that its under a full percent (pretty sure). Linux kind of runs in parallel with Ralph Nader; I think he's got great ideas and what not but at the same time most people wouldn't be able to handle the radical change. Same thing with linux.
I've been fighting the corporate battle to move to linux servers and open sourced applications for years now. And even in the midst of budget cuts and seeing hardworking/talented people get laid off the CEO/CIO still would rather spend $300 on a support call to Microsoft and wait 20-minutes on hold then to troll some forums online and find their answer in about 5 minutes. - Adelie, on 04/21/2008, -1/+14The year of Linux was 1997 because that is when Microsoft execs said it was better and will always be better than any proprietary server OS could ever be because of the nature of FOSS development. Smart people use it, and smart businesses and schools use it for mission critical systems. When the function of the software is more important than the people who use it (Think about that for a sec), people use Linux. People that understand that 99+% of computer problems are "user error" that can be resolved through pro-active self education, use Linux.
I find myself these days steering SOME people away from Linux. If your computer is a portal to information, you want to use windows. If your computer is a very scary portal to information, you want a Mac. If your computer is a tool; an extension of your mind, and a way to express yourself in new and creative ways; you need Linux.
I know I am in the minority (along with people that believe in evolution), but since I have gotten into Ubuntu, I have lost the desire to play games (a portal to someone else imagination) and spend the majority of my free time learning more about GNU tools, scripting in Bash or Python, or doing short skits or ray trace art in Blender, Making my own music mixes in Hydrogen and Audacity, making collages in Gimp from friends posted pics, and writing stories about the future of my community. Sure, for a few thousand dollars you could legally do all that stuff in Windows, and actually, most all that FOSS works great under Windows anyway. But there is something about the environment, and amercing yourself in freedom, and an entire system of tools and programs that people shared because of the goodness intheir hearts with the belief that the tools they needed would be shared by others.
Windows assumes you are a criminal in so many ways. Sure, the EULA doesn't mean anything to many people, but I bet more people feel good when they read Gnu GPL v1-3, and feel good. - powatom, on 04/21/2008, -2/+15I have never needed to compile my own kernel, and I use the command line purely because I can type faster than I can navigate through menus with a mouse. The command line also has several features which just aren't really feasible through a GUI (piping, redirection etc), so it's not like the command line is completely obsolete.
As for customisation - Linux is the ultimate customisable software. And you don't even need the CLI to do it :)
Soooo, what else do you want? - TnTBass, on 04/21/2008, -1/+13Cause one never has to open a command line in Windows eh?
ipconfig? Sure, you can use the gui to repair the connection, but that only does a "ipconfig /renew" not the "ipconfig /release" first.
Not to mention doing an "ipconfig /flushdns" when you have some wonky web browsing (or any number of other DNS related issues).
I neither dugg up or down your comment, as it has valid points. However, you basically said "I know Windows better than I know Linux, so I switched back" which is fine, a lot of people are the same way, but it doesn't mean Ubuntu would not work for most people.
As for the boot sector, I've had Vista do the same thing. Same with the driver issue you mention. Microsoft finds it handy to blame the hardware vendors for lack of drivers that support their OS's, might as well do the same thing when referring to drivers for Linux.
Now, about compiling programs. I prefer to do this as it compiles the programs specifically for your hardware, which in turn makes them run faster. You can usually get binaries for those programs if you don't want to wait.
I'm not trying to point out the Linux is better than Windows, or vice versa, just that your arguments are really just the same old FUD, nothing more. - JasonsLan, on 04/21/2008, -1/+13OpenOffice is better than MS Office in the sense that it is FREE - but for the everday average joe user, openoffice is just fine.
- Ademan, on 04/21/2008, -0/+11I would argue that if openoffice isn't working well enough for you, YOU are the one not using it properly...
- whiteeagle131, on 04/21/2008, -2/+12Go to hell
- isntreal, on 04/21/2008, -1/+11Agreed, but there are still some limitations. I use Windows to watch netflix online, because it requires WMP11, and for gaming.
It definitely gets annoying needing to reboot for some activities. - InferiorWang, on 04/21/2008, -0/+10Once you get them over the "this new stuff is scary" thing, many non-tech people can actually handle distros like ubuntu once it is set up.
- raydeen, on 04/21/2008, -0/+10It's fairly easy. Just boot up with the Live CD and click the Install Icon when you're sure that it's working with your system. From then on you're given the options to use the entire drive, split the drive in half, or do an advanced install where you pick where to put things and how much space to give them. It's all pretty straightforward. When all is said and done, you'll then have the option at boot up for either Ubuntu or XP. Ubuntu will replace XP's bootloader with Grub (linux bootloader). Or do the new Wubi thing which lets you install Ubuntu right from inside Windows. Or you could download VirtualBox (www.virtualbox.org) and install Ubuntu inside of that.
- whiteeagle131, on 04/21/2008, -0/+9No, dumbass, people use it because its better in many things, see this http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net ...
- aidave, on 04/21/2008, -1/+10Gaming, yeah, Linux isn't there yet. There are alot of other areas lacking too. But, its worth the move. Worst case, you can run XP in a VirtualBox and get anything Windows you need that way (except games).
- vincentweber, on 04/21/2008, -0/+8Maybe it's good to know that he was a Debian programmer in the past.
- powatom, on 04/21/2008, -0/+8Ok, well here's the deal:
I've been using Ubuntu since Warty. The only time it has never worked as it should is when I tried to install it on a crazy-old laptop. Apart from that it works fine. Yes, it has had problems in the past, but then again, so has Windows.
Try running Windows with no drivers - you'll be scounging around for a solution, just like you do when some piece of hardware isn't supported in Linux.
If everyone's experience with Linux was on a pre-installed system, then there'd be no issue.
I CAN fix a system if I get stuck in comman line mode - but it has never happened for me (apart from the one time I mentioned above) - so less of the condescension please. The point is, Linux (Well, Ubuntu atm) is good to go for the vast majority of people. The issues stem from hardware and third-party issues. It doesn't help that there's all kinds of patent garbage going on as-well, but it's a testamant to Linux that it can do what it can do right now. Command line-kung fu is not necessary in Windows because it's not POSSIBLE in Windows. If you get stuck at a command prompt in Windows (and yes, it CAN happen - more often than you would expect), then your options are very limited - either reinstall Windows, or dig out a recovery disk that you may or may not have.
If you get stuck at a command line in Linux, you can stll use your system, and work out a fix for your problem with no disks or other crap involved. - Twinnie, on 04/21/2008, -2/+10This is good for all players, even Microsoft. Consumers are getting more choice and Apple, Linux and Microsoft get lessons on what people want, even if Linux seems to be the only area where those changes are being made. Linux is becoming persistently more user-friendly, Microsoft have gotten a lucky early warning that their OS needs major changes to stay competitive, and maybe Apple will soon learn that if they want to jump on this opportunity to grab the customers leaving Windows, that they've got to stop trying to control how people use their software.
- TnTBass, on 04/21/2008, -0/+8As JasonsLan pointed out, OpenOffice works just fine for home users. Most home users I know pirated Microsoft Office, and for what? Writing their resumes on Word and keeping a home budget on Excel? Email? Most use Outlook Express (if not the ISP webmail). Any of these can be easily converted to OOo, and Firefox/Thunderbird.
How about, as an admin, you start CHARGING for MS Office and refuse to install, support or maintain any pirated version of MS Office. When people ask for the price of MS Office, I say "$500 for MS Office, or I could install OpenOffice.org, which is free, supports MS Document formats, and works just fine for anything I've needed it for". Generally, most people say "Really? ok, set me up with that." I rarely have people asking for me to purchase them a copy of MS Office. - kipmartin, on 04/21/2008, -5/+13two things:
1.) i believe we are all invested piracy. ive never once met a Linux guy who said, "Yeah, but thats stealing!" we Linux folks are interesting people, and i dont feel we are immoral or malicious, but we do snap stuff off LimeWire from time to time. you dont have a huge group of folks running iTunes on Linux. and wave a copy of Beowolf under our noses...
2.) i dont think Linux is the 'true successor to XP'. it will take several years for something that, although free and simple, will overtake a company with a well endowed marketing and advertising budget. Linux may be better, but with the right amount of money, you can easily convince people otherwise. Thats fine though. who needs marketshare? is it really THAT important?
i also have to say that Apple is growing by leaps and bounds too. i like OSX and its BSD capabilities over XP anyday. Apple has a few bucks for marketing and ads too.
just say NO to Vista. all the alternatives are better. even XP. - motang, on 04/21/2008, -0/+8Yeah I haven't used Windows XP in couple of years now, still have it on a seperate partition for StarCraft II (whenever Blizzard brings the game out). Other than that Ubuntu fills in for my computing just fine.
- alphaterminus, on 04/21/2008, -6/+13I have an aging fleet of Acer laptops, which are kind of like Chevy Caveliers. They're cheap and get the job done at first but generally crap out after 70 thousand miles, or 2-3 years as with the Acers. They came with XP without a restore disk. Every time one of them craps out, I have been installing Ubuntu. Yesterday the 2nd to the last XP Acer I have received a Ubuntu transplant. This is the first time I've installed Hardy Heron. I was pleasently surprised by not having to go into the terminal and manually install the wireless drivers. The wireless worked flawlessly after installation, and, for the first time, the interface for locating and connecting to wireless networks has surpassed windows. With consumers shifting towards laptops with wifi for their routine computing experience, I think this will do wonders for stimulating growth of the OS. I have a couple Vista machines and networking on them, even with SP1, is a complete disaster. As soon as Wine is perfected and I can run Adobe's suite on them easily, I will switch completely.
- possiblyneil, on 04/21/2008, -1/+8JasonsLan doesn't mean its free as in just the price. With OpenOffice you actually own the program not just the license. With Ms Office you don't pay for the program you pay MS to let you use their program. Because they lead the market you are at their mercy in terms of file format and features.
I know I like OO.o because of the simple layout and the fact that it does everything I want. For me there is no point in paying money for MS Office, to do so would simply be a waste of my hard earned money.
You are free to use what ever programs you want. Nobody is going to force you to do otherwise. Isn't freedom great? - SmellyGeekBoy, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7Less than a full percent? I presume you're talking about the desktop and not the server market too?
- krahzee, on 04/21/2008, -1/+8¨I hate reading "has improved support for multimedia, including photo editing, music sharing and video playback". Come on already!¨
I disagree. There is a perception out there among the less educated PC community that Linux does not support as many formats as Windows, or have the tool to do the same things with these types of media that Windows can.
Think about it, not everyone has heard of GIMP, but photoshopping something is now so commonly know that people who do not own computers understand what you are referring to. - jakethecake, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7Long DualBoot HowTo
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot? ...
Short DualBoot HowTo
http://digitalgraphy.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/dual ... - weizbox, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6'still have it on a seperate partition for StarCraft II'
You probably should be able to run it in WINE I would imagine. If for some reason it doesn't work when it's released... I'm more than sure enough people will be working hard to get it working ASAP ( but yea.. id want to play it RIGHT away as well).
I just have a Vista installed ready since I want to see some DX10 goodness (until WINE can support DX10). I think that's my only purpose for having Windows at this point, DX10 games. - sonicon, on 04/21/2008, -3/+9If it only supported more gaming, especially when starcraft 2 comes out
- vincentweber, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7GTKpod took me one minute to learn. Itunes took me 1 hour to learn. Maybe I don't understand it because I don't use Mac OS X but it was the second most horrible GUI experience I have ever had. On the other hand it took me two minutes to learn Mac OS X on someones macbook. IMO Apple should change the iTunes GUI.
- subgeniusd, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6Plus ABC and other network shows online.
- Kamujin, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7I've used it to a limited degree for years, but I just recently made it my primary driver. Going well thus far.
- vipertech, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6Been using different distro's for a few years now. 90% of the time using Windows more than Linux on my dual boots. Ubuntu has helped change that. Now we need Ubuntu and SE Linux to have a lovechild from a night of open source passion. Bow Chikka Bow Wow!
- mossblaser, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6*If only more games supported linux.
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