nospintalk.com — For years now, Linux has been known primarily only to people in technology fields. While average home users may have heard of it, it is still surrounded in a cloud of mystery for the majority of people. When people think alternatives to the Windows operating system, they usually think of Apple's Mac OSX, but is it time to take a look at Linux?
Apr 14, 2008 View in Crawl 4
pentupentropyApr 14, 2008Submitter
I use xp only when tailoring something with video, other than that I use strictly debian
bamshackleApr 15, 2008
Try Linux but Vista is not going anywhere...
knet88Apr 15, 2008
I wonder how many Windows lovers here have given Linux an honest try. Yes, Linux has its limitations, but then again so does Windows. There may not be a lot of software out there made for Linux (in that I mean you probably can't go to wal-mart, best buy, or something like that and pick up some software on a disc and expect it to work natively under Linux), but then again you have to expect that a Windows machine that isn't being run or closely supervised by an advanced user to slow down and possibly get viruses or malware. You'll also expect that Vista machines don't do very well handling resources.In a home or classroom setting Linux can handle the word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation work that needs to be done. There are even a few nice games out there for linux. If you pick the right distro, (Mepis IMHO) most of the linux software you need is easy to install through the package manager.I've been running a dual-boot for awhile now, and I just can't see any reason to switch to using only Windows, much less Vista. The hardware is expensive, the performance isn't great, I'm not big into gaming, or multimedia work. The only reason I have an XP partition is in the off-chance that I need IE for an IE specific site, or if a prof. has a windows specific piece of software required for a class. I just can't find a solid reason to use Windows. I've seen way to many windows machines slow down, whether by time or malware. The only way I've ever found to keep malware and viruses off of a windows install is to use a c**ktail of about three or four security programs and educating the user. Anti-viruses can be big-time resource hog, too.Windows users, Linux really isn't that difficult to use if you put the effort in to find a good one to start with, and give it a little bit of time and an honest chance.As for the rest of the hostility:The article, not my favorite. Yeah, there are a lot like this in this section of digg because it is the Linux section, so it has articles about Linux. It may seem redundant because there are so many, but it was placed in the correct spot.
k3ntApr 15, 2008
I'm just curious, what laptop are you running Ubuntu on that isn't giving you much trouble? I've got my eye on a few notebooks for a graduation gift as well, and I'd like to be sure the one I get is going to run linux smoothly. So far one of the best bets seems to be the geek's choice, a Thinkpad.
bdbelysianApr 16, 2008
I tried Linux many years back and by far SUSE 7.0 was my favorite distribution. Unfortunately I really suck in any flavor of Linux when it comes to personal use. For work Linux / UNIX rocks without hesitation. I have little issue using the command line but for personal use? Screw that.I’ve kept an eye on Linux releases, specifically SUSE, ever since hoping give it a second shot. But Ubuntu has been the distribution that has impressed me immensely lately so that looks to be the distro I’ll be trying in my second attempt at being a Linux desktop user.I’ve been using Vista daily at work and it’s not bad. SP1 seems to have resolved some of Vista’s (IMO) pathetic issues but to drop my XP for Vista? I really don’t see the point especially when my work PC is far more powerful then my home PC but my home PC is much more responsive even though XP is in major need of a reinstall. I’ve been holding out for SP3.Almost everything I use is open source that, to my knowledge, should run very similarly on Linux (and I think some of this stuff runs on Mac OS) so I should be able to switch with very little effort and I can keep XP to run the any games that give me grief on Linux .. can’t lose Day of Defeat just yet.I’ll decide when I read the reviews of Ubuntu 8.x.
thepxcApr 18, 2008
Yes.I absolutely love Linux. I love the technological aspects of it. I love to tinker with it and to talk about it with other tinkerers. I love the philosophical aspects of free software, and I even enjoy promoting it.But speculation like this isn't news, and it's sure not interesting.
Closed AccountApr 18, 2008
Some people believe Linux can not be desktop. It can be, but the potential has not been reached yet, and probably won't be for a little while.In the meantime, the desktop is much better at the bleeding edge so i'd go with OS's like OpenSuSE 11 alpha 3, Gentoo and Sabayon.
mattbdApr 19, 2008
The other day my dad's computer crashed and was rendered unbootable due to a fault with the motherboard. He had to send it to fit a new motherboard and reinstall XP, but I was able to use a copy of Knoppix to retrieve his documents before he sent it for repair. Live CD's are utterly indispensable.
rtlongApr 20, 2008
You seem not to know what Web 2.0 is.
Closed AccountApr 21, 2008
You seem to be missing the point and helping to prove my point at the same time.
Closed AccountApr 24, 2008
*sigh* this just proved what I already know about pretentious Linux users. Moron. Don't f**king post it here assh**e explain it with dignity and respect to the person you want to be converted.
Closed AccountApr 24, 2008
Do you f**king think that a technology illiterate person would go to that irc channel. God. Linux losers are a heap of moron.