Linux > windows

[Corey Bit Spank]

We have a handful of Linux workstations at my school. I discovered them today. They run so much more smoothly than the Windows machines. And the log in doesn't take 5 years.

This lab is maaaad busy. sigh. So nice to not have to deal with windows at school.

[BlackElantraGT]

Linux is great if you're a computer whiz or you like to tinker with computers. Otherwise, for the average user, it's still not as user friendly as Windows. I don't think it's something that will ever become mainstream. People always like to put Microsoft and Windows down but it owns the market for a reason. Unix has been around for a much longer time than Windows, but there's a reason why Windows took off and Unix/Linux didn't.

Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses, but Windows is good enough for the average user and with their monopoly on the market, it makes it very hard for anyone else to compete. I don't even see OSX as being the Windows killer it thinks it is. In fact, I'd be surprised if Apple is even in the OS market 10-15 years from now. The iPod and the "cool and trendy" image Apple has branded to its products is what's keeping it alive. Marketing has got to be Apple's biggest strong point.

[klnyc]

<--Red Hat here
oh
and Vista Ultimate here too

[Corey Bit Spank]

I disagree. This is about as easy to use as Windows. Apparently these labs have taken off at my school--beyond expectations. Nearly every department has their own now for their faculty/staff. People have the option of using the Windows machines or the Linux machines in this particular lab and they're waiting to use the Linux machines. It's very interesting. It's not what I would have expected.

[rjstaaf]

A lot of distributions are available as a "live" CD where you can boot your machine into Linux without installing anything on your hard drive. It is a great way to try Linux out without having to make the commitment of installing it on your computer. If any of you guys are curious just check them out.

The Fedora project (Red Hat) just released Core 6 in a live CD

Announcing the Fedora 6 Zod live CD and live CD tools

Then there is Knoppix which pretty much started the live CD concept.

http://www.knoppix.com/

There are many others, just do a Google on "linux live". Should get you there...

[Spilchy]

I work in a large, multi million dollar orthopedic practice and the entire office runs off a 64MB 12 year old Unix based server with IBM dummy terminals attached to them! Runs like a champ!

Since the dummy terminals are no longer made or serviced, I had them taken off the maintenance contract. We'll beat them to the ground and replace them with PC's as each one breaks. The couple PC's (one on my desk ) connect just fine to the server too. They connect via TinyTerm Terminal Emulator and Thin Client Software: Century Software

I just had the fan changed in the server because it was sticking and causing it to make a horrible buzzing noise.

[Corey Bit Spank]

yeas. I was having fun:


They run so smoothly. I'm not bothering with the XP systems that are on campus any more. These are too lovely. That, and the monitors are nicer in the SENS labs.

[dano18]

I run ubuntu, which is relatively user-friendly as far as Unix goes, and in the maybe 5 months since I've switched (from XP), the only thing I wish Linux had more of is multi-media support. Playing flash/internet movies/more than one audio source/ and a whole bunch of other small things is a royal pain. Besides that though Ive never seen something so good that is completely free! P.S. Updates for specific software seems hit or miss, but I think this is a specific issue with the Ubuntu Package Manager...

[Frugle]

Originally Posted by BlackElantraGT

I don't even see OSX as being the Windows killer it thinks it is. In fact, I'd be surprised if Apple is even in the OS market 10-15 years from now. The iPod and the "cool and trendy" image Apple has branded to its products is what's keeping it alive. Marketing has got to be Apple's biggest strong point.

lol, what are you smoking


everyone is entitled to their opinion, but look at apple as a company. Revenue is increasing 10 fold, stock prices have gone through the roof over the past 5 years and continues to rise. If it was just ipods driving the apple stock that would have ended 2 years ago when the front end of the hype was over.

Steve Jobs is a corporate genius, he could get delta back on it's feet.

and then there is the OS and computers. which are by far a leading player, and a great option in the computer industry. I have been using solely apple computers for the past 3 years...

coming from a windows machine, and working in windows tech support, I know XP inside and out..

Personally I greatly prefer OS X. yes, it is different, and that is the only reason people don't like it. It is MUCH more stable than XP, runs better, acts better, is easier to use.. and I've had the same install of OS X on my 3 year old iBook since I bought it and it has yet to slow down from it's origional speed.

What is "new" in vista, has been a part of OS X for 5 years. Yes, this happens in every industry, it is not a big deal.. .people see good ideas and use them.. but it still is funny how apple bashers are praising the new vista features. (at the 10.4 release, apple had a banner that said "Redmond, start your copiers" ... at a recent one they had one that said "we weren't serious...." )

Yes, I am a fan of apple comuters, it is a great company, with insane potential, creating great products that the market wants.... what in the world would lead you to believe it won't be here in 10 years?

Give OS X a chance before completely bashing it... 95% of the people who look at my computer and say "I hate apple" hate apple because of 15 year old rumors there were never true.

so yeah, there is my rant..

[BlackElantraGT]

Originally Posted by Frugle

lol, what are you smoking


everyone is entitled to their opinion, but look at apple as a company. Revenue is increasing 10 fold, stock prices have gone through the roof over the past 5 years and continues to rise. If it was just ipods driving the apple stock that would have ended 2 years ago when the front end of the hype was over.

Steve Jobs is a corporate genius, he could get delta back on it's feet.

and then there is the OS and computers. which are by far a leading player, and a great option in the computer industry. I have been using solely apple computers for the past 3 years...

coming from a windows machine, and working in windows tech support, I know XP inside and out..

Personally I greatly prefer OS X. yes, it is different, and that is the only reason people don't like it. It is MUCH more stable than XP, runs better, acts better, is easier to use.. and I've had the same install of OS X on my 3 year old iBook since I bought it and it has yet to slow down from it's origional speed.

What is "new" in vista, has been a part of OS X for 5 years. Yes, this happens in every industry, it is not a big deal.. .people see good ideas and use them.. but it still is funny how apple bashers are praising the new vista features. (at the 10.4 release, apple had a banner that said "Redmond, start your copiers" ... at a recent one they had one that said "we weren't serious...." )

Yes, I am a fan of apple comuters, it is a great company, with insane potential, creating great products that the market wants.... what in the world would lead you to believe it won't be here in 10 years?

Give OS X a chance before completely bashing it... 95% of the people who look at my computer and say "I hate apple" hate apple because of 15 year old rumors there were never true.

so yeah, there is my rant..

Windows vs Apple arguments are always pointless because no one's opinions are going to change.

I'm not a big Windows or Bill Gates fan, neither am I an Apple follower, but IMO people don't give Microsoft enough credit for what they've done. They like to focus on the negative aspects of the company. Capitalism works in strange ways. We all strive to succeed, but at the same time there's a line that you can cross where people feel you've overachieved.

I.E., take a look at Toyota's situation. They're about to become the largest car manufacturer in the world and they've just entered themselves into the world of NASCAR, but at the same time they have to watch out for the backlash from the American public. We can all agree that 30 years ago Toyota wasn't in the same spotlight. They worked hard to earn their reputation... I don't see why people are making such a big deal now that they're trying to get into NASCAR and getting people to buy their trucks.

So how is it different for Microsoft? Apple has had all these years to beat them but they didn't. I believe that if you have a solid product, it will sell itself and the numbers will back it up. Case in point, Toyota cars and the iPod. I admit that the iPod/iTunes is the best mp3/music manager. If their OS was just as great of a product, their share of the OS market would be much larger than where it's at today.

When Apple used IBM's PowerPC RISC processors they had an edge when it came to multimedia editing applications. But now that they're using Intel chips, what's the point of spending twice as much for an Apple workstation when a PC could do exactly the same thing at less than half the cost.

There are some things I like about OSX (mainly the GUI), but I find there's more things I hate about it than I actually like. There are just certain things about the OS that doesn't make sense. But I can see why some people like it. My in-laws are big on Saabs. I find their cars to be less than average and with too many weird quirks. But Saab is still in around because there's also a very strong loyal following. There will always be people that just want to be different and standout. I would never pay $100+ for designer jeans because I don't see the point in it, but some people will only buy those expensive jeans, even if the material is made out of crap.

I like comparing Apple to Saab because both are somewhat of a "trendy" brand. Saab isn't very big here in SoCal, but if you drive up to the Bay Area, you'll see a lot more Saabs there. Same thing with Apple. If you're ever in San Fran, you'll see Apple ads everywhere and it seems like almost everyone is walking around with their iPods. If you don't think there's any truth to this, just do a search for the locations of Apple retail stores. Most are located in higher end shopping centers or in a richer area.

Apple Store - Store List

If anyone is going to compete against Microsoft, I think 10-15 years from now that could be Google. Apple has had many years and they haven't even made a dent. If I had to put money on this, it would be stupid to put it on Apple. I believe they'll still be around producing hardware though.

[paul34]

I like Linux, but it still isn't as user-friendly as Windows. I really don't think there's any getting around that. For example, installing something isn't just as "simple" as clicking on a .msi or .exe file in Windows... you have to find the command line and manually enter commands and parameters. What makes it worse is that the key combo to bring up the command line differs from one distro to another, and oftentimes the combo is not easily accessible via normal documentation.

That was my one big gripe when I tried Ubuntu Linux last year. I really needed the command line, but couldn't get to it. Tried searching all of the Ubuntu website, and still couldn't help. Somehow, I found it, but I don't remember where I got it from, and if I had to do it again, I don't think I'd be able to find it. Terminal only goes so far when trying to get things done - superdo I believe.

But, I did like it. I don't mind learning how to get stuff done in Linux (because I am pretty much a computer nerd), but I don't think others would have the same patience. I actually like doing stuff via command line, but not if I don't know what commands do what.

The only reason I'm not using Linux now is because I haven't had time to reformat my drive and make a second partition for Linux.

[Frugle]

Originally Posted by BlackElantraGT

Windows vs Apple arguments are always pointless because no one's opinions are going to change.

I'm not a big Windows or Bill Gates fan, neither am I an Apple follower, but IMO people don't give Microsoft enough credit for what they've done. They like to focus on the negative aspects of the company. Capitalism works in strange ways. We all strive to succeed, but at the same time there's a line that you can cross where people feel you've overachieved.

I.E., take a look at Toyota's situation. They're about to become the largest car manufacturer in the world and they've just entered themselves into the world of NASCAR, but at the same time they have to watch out for the backlash from the American public. We can all agree that 30 years ago Toyota wasn't in the same spotlight. They worked hard to earn their reputation... I don't see why people are making such a big deal now that they're trying to get into NASCAR and getting people to buy their trucks.

So how is it different for Microsoft? Apple has had all these years to beat them but they didn't. I believe that if you have a solid product, it will sell itself and the numbers will back it up. Case in point, Toyota cars and the iPod. I admit that the iPod/iTunes is the best mp3/music manager. If their OS was just as great of a product, their share of the OS market would be much larger than where it's at today.

When Apple used IBM's PowerPC RISC processors they had an edge when it came to multimedia editing applications. But now that they're using Intel chips, what's the point of spending twice as much for an Apple workstation when a PC could do exactly the same thing at less than half the cost.

There are some things I like about OSX (mainly the GUI), but I find there's more things I hate about it than I actually like. There are just certain things about the OS that doesn't make sense. But I can see why some people like it. My in-laws are big on Saabs. I find their cars to be less than average and with too many weird quirks. But Saab is still in around because there's also a very strong loyal following. There will always be people that just want to be different and standout. I would never pay $100+ for designer jeans because I don't see the point in it, but some people will only buy those expensive jeans, even if the material is made out of crap.

I like comparing Apple to Saab because both are somewhat of a "trendy" brand. Saab isn't very big here in SoCal, but if you drive up to the Bay Area, you'll see a lot more Saabs there. Same thing with Apple. If you're ever in San Fran, you'll see Apple ads everywhere and it seems like almost everyone is walking around with their iPods. If you don't think there's any truth to this, just do a search for the locations of Apple retail stores. Most are located in higher end shopping centers or in a richer area.

Apple Store - Store List

If anyone is going to compete against Microsoft, I think 10-15 years from now that could be Google. Apple has had many years and they haven't even made a dent. If I had to put money on this, it would be stupid to put it on Apple. I believe they'll still be around producing hardware though.

good argument.. you're points make a lot of sense. but I have to make one last arguement... apples are no longer more expensive, comparing apple to a big high end PC manufacturer like Dell, apple will come out cheeper 75% of the time... when the Mac Pro came out , they were almost $1500 cheeper than the exact same PC from Dell.