> IMHO, this KISS (Keep it simple,stupid) principle that microsoft adhered > to would be something for linnux to examine, in order to survive beyond > cult status............ > my 2 cents John VE5MU
This was true several years ago but has become increasingly un-true with every passing day. I am not happy about tweaking anything vs using it -- I have managed Apple, DEC, Linux, and MS systems and MS is no easier than the others. I use Linux every day -- it is more functional and less of a hassle than MS versions of windows. The only thing that stands between Linux and the common user today is friends-of-MS who refuse to make drivers (or driver info) available for Linux and programmers who are inadequately competent to make their apps cross-platform compatible. Apple runs on their own hardware and now on PC's. It does everything that the various versions of windows from MS can do. I guarantee that Puppy Linux 2.13 is light-years easier to install and use than any version of windows that MS has ever released. It is a fraction of the size, is free, and includes standard office- type apps. It is also more stable and less vulnerable to viruses. Odd that a handful of volunteers can write it vs the billion-dollar MS corporation -- way late releasing Vista and will have to release hundreds of patches in the first year to fix errors, same as WinXP. I just installed MS Win98SE on a PC so the children could use some learning games too poorly written to operate cross-platform. It took hours to find and install the necessary drivers and I had to use Linux to access the Internet because MS products are too vulnerable to viruses. A friend has WinXP and has endless problems with it. His laptop had to be returned for service because a virus got past the protective software and made a mess. From all of the reports of MS Vista it suffers the same code-bloat as WinXP, is costly and loaded with MS user-limitations on moving from PC to PC and with their latest attempts to protect their weak code from viruses, and it will still have stability and compatibility problems. MS won the desktop because Bill Gates was a great salesman, not because he was a great programmer or technologist. -- Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Projects: http://ham-macguyver.bibleseven.com Personal: http://bibleseven.com Note: Both down temporarily due to server change. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
