On Sunday 30 March 2003 09:45 am, Zariyan Zephyr wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > As a Linux newbie, I don't really understand why people in Europe and > North America has chosen Linux for daily use. I think people in Europe > and North America can afford Microsoft Windows and application > softwares under Windows. It isn't about money, is it ?. > > ZZ
ZZ: Well, in my case, money was a factor. This is a hobby, not a way of earning a living. Yes, I'm cheap and proud of it. However, that was just one of many considerations. Let me add another -- frustration -- to the many that have already been posted. An illustration: I recently replaced my old mouse with a new one -- same manufacturer (Logitech), same connection (USB), and the same price range (cheapest) -- the only difference being that the new one is optical and the old one was mechanical. I brought it home, swapped them out, booted into Mandrake, and it worked. Simple as that. No tweaking required. Several days later I did my monthly Windows (98SE) boot to update my checkbook. Arghhh!!! Windows decreed that since I had committed the sin of installing new hardware, I was consigned to Windows Configuration Purgatory. My punishment was to spend a half hour searching for driver files, trying to interpret GatesSpeak, rebooting, being subjected to the infamous BSOD (TM - Microsoft) and repeated until the Gods in Redmond were satisfied that I'd done my penance. Why? This is just a simple mouse -- what's the big deal? As near as I can determine, both rodents use the same protocols and have the same capabilities. (Note to self: Get rid of Quicken and avoid this misery.) Similar stories abound. See any Windows support site. Consider also: I do not update my antivirus .DAT files, nor do I defrag my HD, nor do I religiously access Windows Update to protect myself against this week's killer Windows worm. When my new 9.1 CDs arrive, I will do what I've always done -- copy /home to /archives, pop in the new CDs, do a new install, and in an hour or so I will have a brand new installation of a _full_ operating system, myriad browsers, office suites, and other good stuff. I will _not_ spend any time installing MS Office, McAfee, Norton and the like. BTW -- congratulations to you for an excellent question, and to those who have provided so many fine responses. It's been a good thread. -- cmg
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