Hi Alberto:
You can try Linux at no risk (almost!). You can have that "piece of badly
written, undocumented piece of junk software software" supposed to be an OS
running along with Linux.
About a year ago I got tired of losing my school work after two hours of
writing, and got tired of the system hangs when I was surfing the web (and
sometimes lost some big downloads that were close to 90% grrrrrrrr!!!!), and
also got tired of.......... well it's a very long list. Because of this I was
looking for an alternative, and I read about Linux, and got a copy of Caldera
1.2. I was completely new to this Unix-like enviroment, but had no major
problems. With time I learned some tricks and some commands too. It's not so
difficult as some people want it to appear.
Now I'm using Mandrake 5.3 since some two weeks, and I'm impressed
about how Linux has changed in just one year. It's far more easy to configure
and to operate than before. I'd say, give it a try!
It's not true there is no software for Linux. There are tons of
programs and applications out there, and most of them for free. A good example
would be StarOficce 5 (that is MS Office in the Windows world, but a lot better
in my opinion).
As I said before, you can have Linux and that piece of crap (aka
Windows) in your machine, and decide which one to use at bootup. I use the MS
"OS" just for gaming, since there are no versions of my favorite games for
Linux (that will change in a couple of years :)). For Web surfing, e-mail, icq,
irc, word processing and also graphics manupulation and everithig else I use
Linux.
I'll just add one more thing: give it a chance!! You won't be
dissapointed. You'll stick with Linux for sure.....
Guillermo
On Sat, 10 Apr 1999, you wrote:
> Hello:
>
> My name is Alberto, and i want my computer to work properly.
>
> This doesnt seem to be an unreasonable desire... Given the fact that computers have
>evolved so much in the last couple of decades, it would sound logical that the
>average joe or jane should be able to use a home desktop computer to help with usual
>business and home tasks such as wordprocessing, or maybe some semi-profesional
>image-processing (retouching photos and the like).
> Is the desire to be able to perform such simple tasks like consulting e-mail, or
>playing a simple mp3 file without my software freezing and my operating system
>crashing?
>
> Yes, you have guessed it. I, like millions of people all over the world, use the
>operating system created in Redmond.
>
> I believed, like many, many people out there, that this erratic and frustrating
>computer behavior was in some way "normal"... Until I heard about Linux.
>
> I am a journalist, so I did some research. And, the more I learned about this
>wonderful proyect, the more I wanted to try it. But something stopped me (this was
>around a year ago):
>
> "If your VCR blinks '12:00', you should not use Linux"
>
> Well, my VCR blinks "12:00"... And so does my microwave... There have been times
>when even my alarm clock blinks "12:00"... Mhmm...
>
> The "you should know at least how to handle several Unix commands" and the "Linux is
>just for geeks, nobody serious makes software for it" part also did much to
>discourage me. And finally a more technologically saavy friend of mine just shot it
>point blank: "You are planning on going to Linux? Good luck!"
>
> So I decided to delay this very important decision. I believed (and I still do) that
>Linux would eventually evolve out of the "just for engineers" niche and into a more
>mainstream (easier to use and get software for) status.
>
> I thought I would wait for a couple of years for this, but two days ago ran into the
>Mandrake homepage.
>
> I became excited again... ^_^
>
> But, before I become discouraged again, I ask you who are so much more able with
>technology,
> Is it finally time to switch?
>
> I must say that I have no intention of becoming a systems administrator, nor to
>learn more Unix than I know Ms-DOS (which is like 15-20 commands).
>
> I just want my computer to work without having to worry about some piece of badly
>written, undocumented piece of junk software crashing it everytime I try to start a
>simple wordprocessor.
>
> Your thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated...
>
> Jose Alberto Abreu (sorry about all of that yakking... but hey, Im a writer)
>
> ---
> "Free your mind... and your ass will follow"
> Bono, U2
>
>
>
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