I'd like to preface this reply by saying I use Ubuntu Linux primarily, and I have a Gentoo firewall and laptop. My wife uses Windows XP Pro and refuses to try Linux. I'm OK with this.
I am not a Windows fanboy, nor am I a Linux fanboy. I simply feel the need to be current on all computing technology so that I can be competitive in the job marketplace. For your information, my current job is VB.Net programming and my previous job was LAMP programming. >From experience, it was hard enough to get my family to learn how to use Windows. Any distribution of Linux is still way beyond the capabilities of their understanding. > Well, I happen to have worked with Scott in the past. > And I'm pretty sure he doesn't have much experience > with Windows. So, he wouldn't be of much help with > supporting Windows for a home user. It's as simple as creating limited user accounts, installing the latest patches, and optionally moving to Firefox/Thunderbird. You don't have to have a MCSE to understand that. > I think you are jumping to conclusions rather than > asking questions and assessing all the information > objectively. Linux geeks do that. It's clear that everyone here does that. > > MS Windows is great too, especially if you like > > sharing your computer resources with others on the > > Internet. ;) > > I use XPSP2 and its personal firewall. > Funny you mention that: > http://secunia.com/advisories/13482/ Firefox on Windows doesn't support ActiveX. I am giving that browser to people to use now because of the crappiness of IE...which I am not arguing is superior in any way. > I educate users to buy the latest version of Outlook > (2003) which blocks all > executable attachments. > So the solution to badly implemented local security is > to purchase more Microsoft software? They are going to buy Office anyway. Why not use the Outlook 2003 instead of 2000/2002? Or even Mozilla Thunderbird for that matter... > You must be joking. I'll assume you aren't, so do you > give your users a list of approved sites to go to or > do you teach them how to recognize "trusted" sites? > What constitutes a trusted site? Gambling, porn, and card gaming sites are untrusted. These types of sites are known to install spyware and untrusted applications. It's simply a fact! > Of course I'm being facetious. This tactic is a poor > security method, but now that I think about it, > reminds me of how Microsoft treats its users. > Think about what you are saying. Say it out loud and > really consider what it means: > "You can't go to some websites on the Internet because > the OS is not secure." > Now who is being ridiculous? These are methods to make sure a person can use Windows securely. They work. You might think them ridiculous, but they do. > Linux users that run as root all of the time would > have the same problems as > a Windows user who runs with administrative > privileges. > True, but irrelevant. How? Half to 90% of the Windows vulnerabilities would be ineffectual if the user did not run with administrative privileges. I see your fanboy colors shining through. > Via a nice GUI front-end to apt, that's how: > http://www.xandros.com/products/home/xn/xandros_networks.html > They could learn. And there are a number of nice > front-ends to apt. Beside the point, but Synaptic regularly crashes on my Ubuntu machine and I am forced to use apt-get install. Wouldn't want my mom to ever have to drop to the command line to type in any commands to install software. > Why pay $5 when you play card games on-line for free, > without installing software? > http://www.solitairecentral.com/sol_web.html Thanks. That doesn't even address my question. And as for wine, how many of your non geek family members, even those who use Linux can set up a successful wine install that will support all of their directX/OPENGL games? > This is a market share issue, not a technological one. > There are already some hardware manufacturers that > release device drivers for Linux. More will follow as > Linux gains more market share. Can you install Nvidia's or ATI's closed source (another strike against you fanboys) drivers from a CD? Can you click an executable and have it both compile and install your drivers and automagically update your XF86Config-4 or xorg.conf configuration files? No. Until standards are developed and people can insert a CD of their favorite software or drivers and hit Next a few times to install, I will never recommend Linux to any of my family members. > Um, what? Are you high? Sorry. All of the software for Linux requires expertise using package managers to install. There are no $5 CD's in Walmart that run on Linux. I should have qualified that statement. > So? > "Linux market may grow to $35 billion by 2008" > http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6719248/ Permit me to laugh at your choice of news sources for that little tidbit.. > The sooner we realize > that, the better. > <satire mode="cyncical">Oh my gosh. You are right! > Better tell all those enterprises running Linux on the > desktop to go back to Windows.</satire> Those enterprises have admins to roll out those distributions of Linux. Sure they like it better - users have no idea how to do anything in Linux past clicking on icons. That's a no-brainer. > I say thank goodness there is no "one size fits all" > version of Linux. Choice and competition is a good > thing. Operating systems should not be standard, > protocols should be. You're a geek. You want free, open source software. I do too, but until there is a standard free and open source distribution of GNU/Linux where you can go buy software off the shelf, insert the CD, and click a few buttons to install it is simply NOT FOR NEWBIES. > suggest they purchase OS X on a mac. > $$$ I'm not arguing that point at all. It simply is an easy to use alternative to Windows. Linux is NOT EASY TO USE. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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