Justin Hornsby wrote:
I happen to agree with the whole linux vs windows argument being a
non-starter. Yes, Windows is an OS you can install in less than an
hour to have a working system, but then there are a lot of Linux
distros which allow you to do that aswell. Don't forget that the
Windows install process is rarely ever over when you eject the CD..
all those security updates that need reboots, followed by more updates
& reboots... you can easily kiss goodbye to the best part of a day
doing a fresh windows install & update-fest.
Amen. In fact, I tested it. XP is so old now and the install process
is so bad, it takes longer to install XP on my machine than it does to
install ubuntu. For the "linux is hard to install" croud there are tons
of alternatives to XP that are in fact easier to install. Let's see,
Mandrake (well, mandriva), Ubuntu, Mepis, all extremely easy to install
and actually take me less time to install than XP. I'm talking about
the installer copying files, configuring things, etc, not about me
sitting there looking at the screen saying now what do I do when
presented with a choice. And for mythtv, don't forget Knoppmyth, a 15
minute install that often works right away for people (I don't like it
but it did work when I tried it). In fact, It took me 12 minutes to
get ubuntu up and running on my mythtv machine. I also installed XP on
this same machine, and it took 40 minutes. Before service packs, etc.
Then there's the thorny issue of getting tuner card hardware to work
properly. You only have to take a quick look at a forum like
www.tv-cards.com/messageboard to determine what a nightmare capturing
video on any PC platform _can_ be.
I almost gave up on Linux a year ago when I first tried getting mythtv
working. That was after giving up on trying to get my new tuner
working in Windows. I stuck at it and after about a week's worth of
late nights I got the kernel modules working properly. Getting mythtv
installed & running after that was a breeze - and it's been going ever
since.
Yup sam here. I tried my hardware in winwoes and actually had a harder
time getting everything to work (never got the remote working even
though it worked perfectly on the XP machine in the other room).
What I would've done if I hadn't got Linux to work doesn't even bear
thinking about - the only other option for me would be a standalone
PVR (eeeeeew!).
Anyway.. I say stick at it. Yes, hardware can be a total pain in the
ass to get working in Linux, but when you do, it generally stays like
that. Those tales of folks needing to reboot XP MCE every day haven't
come out of nowhere, I suspect.
See my last post about my friend with XP MCE. stay away I think, after
hearing this..
And contrary to popular belief outside the Linux fraternity, Linux
isn't an OS that needs constant cuddling & massaging to keep working.
Or at least not if you leave it alone (i.e. don't upgrade everything
just because there's an update available without making backups).
Yup, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Easy to backup your whole system
in about 5 minutes: tar / with assorted options of your choice (try
backing up that easy in windows). If something breaks after an upgrade,
compile the upgrade from latest source instead, after restoring your
working backup. More than likely what broke was already found and fixed
in the latest CVS, or is documented to be broke and noted not to upgrade
it you want this or that feature.
Raphael
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