Comments on: The Linux who cried wolf

By: Online Printing

Online Printing — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:28:27 +0000

I’m not a Linux user, and the only time I was able to use it was back in college, because the computers in the library runs on Linux. The first time I used it, I was completely lost. But aside from the computer hanging and my innocence on how to remove my USB flash drive, I didn’t experience any problems. I was able to save in MS2007 the Open Office file, and I still use Firefox.
Then again, I didn’t know a lot of things about it. No matter how much I would want to try using it more often, my innocence is getting on the way (plus the fact that I don’t own that computer). In the back of my mind, I wish I was just using Windows, the free, widely-used MS Windows. That is Windows’ advantage over Linux, which the latter, hopefully will be able to overcome.

By: Data Quality

Data Quality — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:51:21 +0000

Crippled by Innovation, great line. Very true many new software programs try to set themselves apart with bell and whistles, but forget to have a quality product. I think many marketers worry about having commercial appeal over having a program that runs efficiently and easily.

By: Jason Burns

Jason Burns — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:42:23 +0000

@JL: It’s interesting that you make it out like Windows is for me because I am not doing anything serous. I am not talking about watching videos and playing games, I am talking about Development in Visual Studio, Expresson Web (including a LAMP server with WAMP) high end video and audio production as well as graphic design. It’s real world commercial computing we are talking about.

By: JL

JL — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:50:41 +0000

Bottom line: you are watching videos and playing computer games, you are not developing new web sites or a new compiler or a new codec. Of course stay on Windows or better try a Mac.

PS. It is true that Microsoft Office (in the list above), especially Excel, is missing.

By: Jason Burns

Jason Burns — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:31:59 +0000

@SeanJA: I just don’t buy that argument. I have ran Fedora and Ubuntu both with fantastic hardware support for the most part. My complaint is that I can’t run Microsoft Office, Logic Studio, Photoshop, iTunes, Zune, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Mesh, Adobe Lightroom, My Sprint Cell Modem, World of Warcraft (pretty much any game), Hulu Desktop, Netflix Watch Now, Windows Media Center, the list goes on and on. I use a lot of proprietary software. But here is the catch, I don’t use it because I have to, I use it because it’s better. Regardless of some conjecture, OpenOffice, Gimp, Amarok, Ardour, etc…they aren’t even close. Even if they WERE close, everyone else I know uses the real things, I can’t send someone an Ardour project and have them mix it. I can’t receive a huge Photoshop document and open it in Gimp with all of the layer adjustments and color spaces in tact. For some people who use their computer as hobbyist entertainment I am sure those things are fine. In the real world, most Open Source software is worth what it costs. I am reminded of when Nike approached Tiger Woods for a golf club endorsement. He told them he would be glad to use their irons, but he wasn’t using their drivers until they were better than his Titleist drivers. Of course he offered to get his hands dirty and help them make the Nike drivers better…and if you want my opinion of Gimp just ask but the point is it’s where it’s at because it is what it is, not because of Microsoft or Apple.

By: SeanJA

SeanJA — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:16:57 +0000

“Get drivers that actually works on my brand new pc when i get one.”

If the pc (by which I am assuming you mean hardware) manufacturers would throw the linux guys a bone and help them out with the drivers by making them open source this might happen… too bad they don’t, so the drivers have to be reverse engineered to work. Which takes time!

By: JL

JL — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:58:39 +0000

To me, it is irrelevant that Linux is installed on 1,000 or 1,000,000,000 desktops. There is an advantage to many Linux installations: it will make Windows better.

For my projects I need at least 3 things:
an outstanding command line, Linux is very good at that, and Windows is getting there with Powershell but just recently;
maximum control over the programs I use, OSS is very good at that;
speed and productivity: I can’t wait 2 minutes to zip or unzip a file.

By: Arnan

Arnan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:49:53 +0000

Or they should stop making shiny crap and make pretty coolness.
Things that actually work.
Get drivers that actually works on my brand new pc when i get one.
Make the configuration actually usable and don’t have me write config files or have me install wrapper software just to make my wifi work with WPA2.
Make the software more stable and solid instead of instable and 0.x releases.

… And the list goes on and on and on!