Chris said:
Alias is right. Linux is a good OS.
But, If you do go that route, tell me if you can get Ubuntu to install
on a laptop with a wide screen and wifi card (I tried just a couple of
months ago with the newest Ubuntu release on a Laptop with an ATI X1400
card and Intel WiFi.
I wouldn't know. Try asking that to the experts on an Ubuntu group. Try
alt.os.linux.ubuntu
I even tried to get it to work with ATI's
I'm running an ATI card on this very machine, no problems.
Also, if you have a lot of music that you have
I would never buy music from either and that's due to the what MS and
Apple did to the music. All my MP3s work just fine.
or if you use any of the newer Palm Devices,
let me know if know of a way to easily work with these.
I don't use them, sorry.
Linux is nice, but make sure you are willing to do some heavy,
non-intuitive text editing to get some things to work.
I haven't done any that I didn't just copy and paste.
In fact, if you are new to Linux, just figure out how to get the newest
release of Firefox installed, downloaded from Mozilla--or for that
matter, get any program installed that is not in the repository.
It's not advisable to not go through the repository.
Alias, seriously, Linux is very good, very, very good. But one of your
points about Vista is that it is not ready--hence all of the problems
posted in this newsgroup. But, really, if the majority of users on this
forum went and installed Ubuntu (or Fedora, or Suse, or whatever,) do
you really think you would see fewer problems?
I haven't seen any yet.
Do you really think you
would not see just as many users screaming about all of the hardware
incompatibilities?
All my hardware is compatible.
I suspect you would see more problems and complaints.
No, because, unlike Windows, Ubuntu will tell you what hardware won't work.
We have users complaining about UAC. We have users complain about minor
interface inconsistencies. Wait until some one from here has to edit
some text file--or worse, when someone has to choose from ten different
possible ways to edit a text file hoping to get their video card to
allow a change in resolution. Then people will scream. Wait until
someone wants to install any program not in the repository or recompile
their kernel (I was told to do this either for the ATI or the
WiFi--cannot remember which.) Then there will be mass riots in the
streets.
If you want to install a Windows program, there's Wine, although I can't
say I've used it because I don't need Spybot, AdAware, Spywareblaster,
Windows Defender or Spy Sweeper on an Ubuntu computer.
If Linux installs easily (literally no hardware incompatibilities, and
no need to edit text files, etc) on 75% of the systems (almost all or
which are geek's systems), then Linux users give each other a collective
high five. If Vista causes problems for 10% or Windows upgraders, then
the world shudders.
LOL! Windows has caused problems since day one.
To be honest, Linux is well suited for geeks, and for people like my
Grandma who does nothing, and I mean nothing, except browse the Web and
read email--and then only if I set it up for her (and there better not
be WiFi
)
I'm not a geek and, yes, there is a learning curve but it isn't
tremendously difficult. What I am doing is using XP Pro for my
production machine and learning Ubuntu on another that has a dual boot
with XP Pro. Most of it is intuitive. It found all my hardware on an old
ASUS with an AMD 800 Mhz processor. I don't know about WiFi or panoramic
monitors as I have no use for the former and no budget that could
justify the latter.
You should not test out the 6.10 version but the 6.06 version as the
former is in development and the latter is supported for release, even
though you can download -- like you did -- 6.10 from their web site.
One of the things I like is one update source for *everything* on your
computer, no need to routinely check the AV, the Malware programs, Java
and other programs to see if there are any updates.
I also like the fach that there's no need to fork out a lot of money as
it's free. I have three computers. If I were to buy retail Vista
Ultimate for all of them, it would set me back almost 2400 US dollars in
Spain. For 2400 bucks, I will learn Ubuntu, thank you very much.
No need to worry if you are going to activate, what to say if you have
to phone or about all the time wasted doing that.
Both Windows and Ubuntu can have hardware problems. With Ubuntu,
however, when it boots up, it tells you what it's doing and if some
hardware has gone south, it will tell you. XP just freezes or the
sliding bar on the XP splash screen just stops. Then you're faced with
swapping out hardware until you know which one is the culprit.
In short, a lot of the things you say are true but Ubuntu is in
development and I've had over 240 updates since I installed this thing a
couple of weeks ago, most of which appeared right after installing it.
This means that they are working on it, just like nVidia is working on
Vista drivers. The Ubuntu I am using has had three version upgrades in
last two weeks.
So, I would predict that by the time Vista has its first service pack,
Ubuntu will have a lot more going for it than it does now and by the
time MS releases Vienna/Windows 7, Ubuntu will be kicking ass and taking
names with Windows and the major news sources will be full of stories of
how the Open Community brought down the Goliath. Heaven forbid that
something good should come to the world without a profit factor.
Alias
