Trevor Farrell wrote: > OK - back to Linux - the current attitude that if something didn't work, > it's because you didn't read the instructions or your hardware is faulty > IS SIMPLY NOT ACCEPTABLE to me any more - If it doesn't work FIRST TIME > it's because its broken, and needs fixing. > The first Linux distribution that produces a hassle free installer that > works (no if's, but's, or maybe's - I mean works - full stop!) > WILL SUCCEED, all the rest will only be installed by enthusiasts (which > I still count myself among) and are doomed to their rightful resting > place in the garbage bin. Perhaps so.....but consider the alternative. LM 7.0 has indeed had its bugs, quirks & drawbacks (though I've personally had few problems with it), but no more than I've run into with any other distro over the past couple years, and for which I've usually been able to work around. The ascendance of more 'locked-in' GUI installers in all distros, though, seems to be taking control away from the user in the pursuit of the mass market, but the distros I work with (RH, LM & SuSE) do give you the option of 'text-based' install routines. The alternative, of course, is Windoze, and my most recent experience points to the ongoing strength of Linux and open software in general. My latest self-built is an Athlon 650MHz system with the new MicroStar K7Pro mobo, 128MB Corsair PC100 SDRAM, 27GB Maxtor HD, and a Matrox Millenium G400 Dual w/32MB SGRAM. I installed LM 7.0, first from a GPL CD, later from the full LM 7.0 Deluxe retail version, onto this system, dual booted with Win 98. Win98 has completely choked on this box, even with the latest MicroStar BIOS upgrades. Sound refuses to work (SB Live! Value, a new card, which works perfectly under LM7.0), with no resource conflicts whatsoever. The most damaging indictment, though, is Win98's complete inability to load any NDIS driver. Whether during a clean install (reformatted partition, only card installed being the G400) or afterwards, if the DialUp Adapter is installed, I can reboot into Win98 with no problem. As soon as I install my trusty ol' USR Sportster Vi 28.8 ISA PnP modem, though, it boots to an NDIS Win protection error....reboot to Safe Mode, remove the DUN driver, and it reboots fine. Install the modem without the DUN driver...no problem, reboots OK....load the DialUp Adapter, boot locks again. Checked TechNet, MS KB, no mention, no dice, no Internet access with Win98 on this box! In 15 years of using and troubleshooting MS OS's, I've not seen Windoze totally crap out like this before. Other odd behavior ranges from Win98 simply losing track of drivers already installed or losing/corrupting display settings. All my hardware works great under LM7.0, from the USR modem (heck, I didn't even have to go thru the manual isapnp/setserial routine this time!), the G400 and the SB Live! soundcard to the D-Link 10/100 NIC. The point here is that Linux overall, with its more frequent updates and 'real-time' fixes, seems to have become more tolerant of new hardware, always considered its weak link in the past. I've had a few problems on this box with LM7.0, the only irritating ones being what I suspect is a timing issue with Kppp (it locks with a 'script timed out' error when it's trying to dial but I simply use Kwvdial instead), and horrendous behavior from any version of Netscape (I have to XKill it 'bout every five minutes...please, please, please, someone build a better browser). This is another advantage to Linux: if one utility doesn't work, you can usually find another that does, not always an option with MS products. Plus how often can you get on IRC and chat with the maintainer of the program you're having a problem with? That happened to me a couple weeks ago when I had the opportunity to chat with one of the Kppp maintainers and described the problem....he thought it might be a race condition and would check it out. That's not something you'll likely run into using MS products, at least not without paying thru the schnozzola for tech support. Indeed, if you're in a production environment, the demands are far more critical, and time is money. You probably don't have the time to troubleshoot a buggy installer, and the competition between Linux distros has probably caused this current atmosphere of pushing product out the door before its fully tested and fixed, a drawback we're used to accusing the 'other' OS of. But 'new' software is like that, and it's been that way forever and it's not likely to change. Linux has more frequent upgrades, MS has Service Packs...is there really a difference here? Yes, there is: Linux gives _you_ the opportunity to fix problems, perhaps not always an option for every user. But the opportunity is there, and you have a plethora of tools to do the job, moreso now than ever before, and you have a global army of developers connected by the Internet to give you assistance in real-time. The Linux distros, though, do have to meet the demands of business if they expect to penetrate the corporate market, and I think they'll get there. When you think of it, using LM7.0 as an example, they put their GUI installer together in a matter of a few months....MS takes 3 YEARS or more to put out their newest OS iteration, and it's still buggy! So give the guys a few more months and I think most of the kinks will disappear and the 'features' that Mandrake's customers want (or don't want) will be incorporated into each new upgrade. Good Luck! Tom
