Doug Doug Doug Doug Doug....
Didn't ANYone ever explain the FINANCIAL implications of free software
models to you? Mickeysoft has a challenger that is shaking their tree with
FREE, operational, attractive, and creative software. It may not be
everything to everyone, ibiquitous as Microsloth would have you think it
needs to be, nor perfect (which of course no OS is), but it takes a little
effort, creativity, and some time to become good at, and this activity
creates a very solid model from which to operate a computer. Not a dumb out
of the box "experience" as you refer to it. I had an experience last night
after too much pizza, and it wasn't that pleasant, and it reminded me of the
FIRST version of Windows NT (then called advanced server), for which I was
an alpha and beta tester. Don't confuse yourself or anyone else that
"ease-of-use" means correctly built. Nor does it mean supportable. I have
more unresolved issues with the Windows NT support helpdesk open right now
than you have machines in your network. You can be sure of that.
As for the applications you are referring to, there are about 190,000
commercial applications available for the Windows platform (per PC Week
statistics) there are about 300,000 open source and free programs listed on
the web for Linux and Unix systems. Patches not included. There are
approximately 50,000 available commercial programs (outside of the OS
themselves). You check my numbers.
As for supportability and money, do you think the people in Wall Street use
Windows for their OS? No, they do not. One reason is because REAL TIME
applications are NOT supported by ANY version of Windows, even Windows 2000
Advanced Server. That doesn't even approach that scalability issue. Or
security. Or platform independence. Can Windows 98 work on a Sparc station
(except under a VM session)? Of course not. Gee, I guess that's why
Wallstreet doesn't use Quicken!
As for the desktop user, Linux is the focus of every major PC magazine. Not
Microflush. There is no shortage of applications. There is no shortage of
FREE support and paid support, and there is no shortage of companies
currently evaluating the GNU software model (open source) for a HUGE cost
savings in their existing business models. Talk about support? If just 5%
of the Fortune 500 took the Windows OS out of their networks, and used only
Linux (and compatible hardware), the IS staff's competency in Linux/Unix
would quadruple in less than 3 months, the users knowledge-base would
SLIGHTLY increase (due to some retraining) and work would continue to get
done. Software such as StarOffice is excellent at replacing other office
suites. It is able to import and export native Windows files without
problems. Did I mention that the companies would save an estimated $8 to
$10 million dollars anually? Each. If you could see this, you would
understand what I have against a company that is creating a monolithic code
base of which none is freely available. Who cares about Macromedia Flash or
stupid human tricks? Neither are involved in business in a major way. As
for reading HOWTOs, ANY text reader can read them. Or a web browser. Or
even your beloved MS Word. Using them intelligently is another thing. If
reading is a problem, that isn't the O/S fault. I couldn't have figured out
what the authors wanted in WFW 3.11 for networking when I first saw it
either, but I READ the manual and the online help (far more sparce than you
would care to remember), and took the time to get it functional for my
users. That is the logical progression of software. Development,
deployment, research, and improvement. It will continue at a faster pace in
the open source market faster than the closed source market because of the
shear number of developers and the lower entry point into the OS. Forget
apps. They're secondary to this conversation. Apps will follow the same
path based on the cost and the OS their based on, and their adaptability to
the business model they're applied towards, in this case general use.
I will allow you this, as a new user, Linux is FAR more open, and thus
intimidating. However, almost anyone can configure a simple computing
environment with Linux, given a desire to learn a little more than just
point and click. There is a steeper ramp-up with Linux than with Windows to
be sure, but not much moreso than from MacIntosh to Windows. And the
steepness is being levelled moreso everyday. Installing a top end Linux
workstation is not much more difficult than putting Windows NT on an Alpha
box. In fact, I think that it's easier because the install scripts are
written more plainly in the Linux OS than Windows.
If you understand that Linux is so poorly written, what are you doing to
make it better? When was the last time a Microsoft developer took the time
to ask YOU as a user what you wanted to see on the next version of Windows?
Feel free to add feature requests ANYtime you like to the developers listed
in the Mandrake Linux website. They maintain a list of e-mail addresses and
you can write to them. And you should get a response from any of them. Not
some auto responder either.
You need to do what I did, think for yourself. don't believe what Microsoft
is marketing. READ the manuals. You will discover the limitations and come
to the same conclusions that I did. You are not in charge of the computer,
Microsoft is.
Happy reading
Steve W
(still in Beijing)...not worth as much as Gates, except to my kids.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2000 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: [newbie] Yo
> Hi Don,
> What I get sick of most under Linux is when I download programs that needs
> to be compiled it seems like most of the time you never have all the right
> librarys
> to compile it. Then you got to go out on the web to find it. Then when you
> try to install them sometimes the system don't want you to because its
trying
> to replace files that some other program depends on.
>
> It seems with windows that most of the time I just have to unzip it or get
> a VB runtime Mod.
> I do like the pkg stuff with linux. Most of the time they will work.
sometimes
> you need to get somekind of lib mod.
>
> Doug
>
>
> Welker Donald P NPRI wrote:
>
> > > Jason, not to be too personal, but if you can't get Linux to
> > > run faster,
> > > longer and do all this with less effort in Linux than
> > > Windows, you are the
> > > one with the problem, not the O/S you're comparing.
> >
> > I respectfully disagree. It doesn't take much more than a set of
compatible
> > device drivers to make Windows run pretty evenly, it's just that people
who
> > buy cheap hardware seldom get such drivers. The Windows experience also
> > includes software (such as multimedia and entertainment) that stresses
those
> > drivers and tends to cause such crashes. Maybe now that Microsoft has
> > stablilized their driver spec and vendors only have to write one Windows
> > driver things will get better (I wonder what drove them to do that...)
> >
> > Getting Linux to work with an application set and keeping it patched
still
> > requires more computerese than most lay people are willing and able to
> > endure. Unforunatly many of those who are familiar with Linux have by
the
> > very nature of things lost touch with this fact, unless they routinely
> > support computer novices.
> >
> > > I would recommend a steady diet of intelligent, meaningful and thought
> > > provoking conversation, followed up with some IN DEPTH proof
> > > that you have
> > > Linux experience, and then write something worth reading.
> >
> > Why? He didn't need to spend several weeks reading HOWTO's in order to
make
> > Windows display a GUI, did he? He can't read the HOWTO's until he gets
his
> > browser working, can he? Oh, and Micron will give him free Unix
training
> > with his new computer, except that it's written in Shockware and there's
no
> > Shockwave player for Linux, darn the luck...
> >
> > > I only use Windows (any flavor) because my company GAVE it to
> > > me and their
> > > proprietary apps run only on it. Otherwise, I use only software that
> > > someone can see where it's broke (i.e. open source software,
> > > and this means
> > > free most of the time as well).
> >
> > There's that thing about applications again. What are they for, anyway?
>
> --
>
> Windows-It Kicks The Penguin's Ass!
> LINUX-Applications on linux just seem 2nd rate after using
> Windows, It's memory hungry and slow!
> *************************************************************
> Doug
> Eldora,IA USA--------------Home Of The Bad Boys!
> Visit My Web Page At:
> http://home.earthlink.net/~neptuned/index.html
> http://hometown.aol.com/theneptune59/index.html
> E-Mail:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> *************************************************************
> MHS Class Of 78 Marshalltown High School-Marshalltown,IA USA
> *************************************************************
>
>
>
>
