No, no Bill's richness means little to me. Perhaps he's right, only some
need to do this.
Of course, I didn't buy Office XP! It's all piracy - I rarely buy something
legally. I know Dragon is the leader, but haven't seen it at piracy shops.
Just wondering about the Kernel. It's possible to compile, but even of Linux
users, not everyone does it. Still, what majority users want is simple to
use OS, that they can't screw up - while one typo in kernel can and will
make you format it and reinstall.
Solver
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sridhar Dhanapalan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Solver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Linux-Mandrake Newbie List"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2001 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: [newbie] No-one uses Linux, says Microsoft
> On Sat, 16 Jun 2001 21:32, Solver wrote:
> > Just as a note - I wouldn't mind if MS had my password. I would only
> > mind if they could erase hard drive.
>
> If they had your password they COULD erase your hard drive. They could
> get your e-mail, your credit card deails (if you ever typed them into
> your computer) -- in fact anything they wanted, from you. And if you
> didn't use a variant of NT (Win 95/98/ME) you wouldn't even have a
> password. You would be left wide-open for any script-kiddie to
> exploit. And if you DID use a variant of NT, you would still be
> vulnerable, since everybody knows that MS has a bad track record with
> bugs, security and virii.
>
> > I hate when I reboot it twice a day, too.
>
> I reboot my computer once a week on average (i.e. I get about a week
> of uptime). This rebooting is not due to any problem, it's just
> because I feel like it. In my two years of using GNU/Linux I have only
> had a few system crashes. Sure, individual applications crash, but
> this doesn't affect the rest of the system, and I can just restart
> that programme and work as before.
>
> > I have Office XP, and the voice recognition really helps. Can't wait
> > for it in StarOffice.
>
> IBM ViaVoice, which is FAR better than the voice recognition in XP
> (IBM and Dragon are the best in the field), is also available for
> GNU/Linux. BTW, did you actually PAY that much money for Office XP? I
> can't remember when I last paid for software (I think it was 1998,
> when Windows came pre-installed on my then-new machine).
>
> > When I bought a PC, I was asked, do I want it's C: drive formatted,
> > and said yes.
> > Bill Gates said that the fact that everyone can recompile the source
> > code is what he doesn't like about Linux. Perhaps he's right.
>
> Are you KIDDING?! What is wrong with being able to do that? That has
> got to be Linux's greatest strength! You can compile a kernel (or even
> a whole system) to suit YOUR own machine, not some thing that MS wants
> you to buy to get "optimal performance". I can customise my kernel to
> have what I want, making it fully optimised for my particular
> combination of hardware. For example, Mandrake's RPMs come
> pre-compiled for an i586 (Pentium-class) procesors. I can squeeze a
> bit of extra performance by recompiling the SRPM to an i686 binary,
> since I have a Pentium II. If I have a multi-processor system, I can
> compile for SMP, and take advantage of features like multi-processor
> threading far better than a pre-compiled Windows. Similarly, if I want
> to run GNU/Linux on a i386, I can compile for that. What is WIndows XP
> optimised for? My guess would be i686, i.e. a Pentium II or III. Try
> running it on anything lower, and it will work painfully slow -- not
> just because it is bloated and not designed for those processors, but
> also because it is not and cannot be compiled for these processors.
> Similarly, if I had an Athlon or a Pentium IV (or an Alpha, a Power
> PC, a Sparc, an ARM, etc.), I could compile my system for that
> processor especially, hence taking full advantage of that particular
> processor. Windows, being closed-source, cannot do this. GNU/Linux has
> the potential to make use of new processor features like MMX, 3DNow!
> and Streaming SIMD (AKA MMX2) far more efficiently and far better than
> can Windows, or any Microsoft product for that matter.
>
> Did Uncle Bill actually give a reason for his concern, or do you just
> believe him because he's rich?
>
> > Windows could be more customizable, though, even remaining
> > closed-source.
>
> Windows can never be as configurable as GNU/Linux if it remains closed
> soiurce. The best they can do is have options (or even auto-detection)
> for features like MMX or multiple processors. This doesn't mean they
> are (or can be) optimised for them, though.
>
> > Solver
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Sridhar Dhanapalan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: "Solver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Linux Newbie"
> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2001 5:03 AM
> > Subject: Re: [newbie] No-one uses Linux, says Microsoft
> >
> > > On Sat, 16 Jun 2001 04:48, Solver wrote:
> > > > I love Microsoft. I respect Bill Gates. Not only they ain't my
> > > > enemies - they are my friends. Yes, I like Linux, it's enhanced
> > > > functionality and especially stability, but Microsoft were the
> > > > first to do it.
> > >
> > > Since when was Windows stable? And even if it is, were they really
> > > the "first to do it"? As a former Windows-user (yes, I've even
> > > used Win2K), I can say that Windows is the most crash-prone OS
> > > I've ever come across. If it wern't for the lack of applications,
> > > I would've stayed with OS/2 and DOS instead of switching to
> > > WIndows.
> > >
> > > > I believe that they're doing everything the right way.
> > > > Also, the monopoly situation is very good for users. You can put
> > > > your file on a disk, go to a friend being sure you'll find the
> > > > same Windows and Word there. The worst I could imagine is this:
> > > > Windows - 40%
> > > > Linux - 30%
> > > > MacOS - 10%
> > > > BeOS - 5%
> > > > Solaris - 5%
> > > > Other - 5%
> > >
> > > This will never happen. Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS will
> > > dominate. BeOS and Solaris, while being excellent OSs, will not
> > > survive on the desktop. Solaris still has a lot of life on the
> > > server, though.
> > >
> > > > Then you would be usnure as to what will you find there. If
> > > > Linux user, you had to save both for Linux and Windows formats,
> > > > and Mac doesn't read these disks. So, you would need to know
> > > > specifically where are you going, and what the PCs are there.
> > > > Each time I go to repair a PC, I'm almost sure what I'll see
> > > > there.
> > >
> > > Microsoft love to create a "lock-in", or "venus flytrap"
> > > situation. They entice you to use their products, and make it very
> > > difficult for you to leave. MS Word's (before XP) file format
> > > deliberately contains a lot of binary code, making it difficult
> > > for a competitor to make an import/export filter for it, and hence
> > > locking people into MS Word. Internet Explorer accepts a twisted,
> > > proprietary form of HTML, foring web designers to make pages that
> > > only work best in IE (since it is the most widely used browser).
> > > Since pages look best in IE, more people use it, creating a
> > > viscous cycle.
> > >
> > > Open standards and open file formats like W3C HTML and other
> > > XML-based formats (e.g. the new OpenOffice and Office XP formats)
> > > are what encourage innovation in the industry, since they are
> > > fully open to everyone. The StarOffice (now OpenOffice) people
> > > have done a wonderful job at reverse-engineering the binary MS
> > > Office formats. Parsing the Office XP formats, being XML-based,
> > > has been much easier for them, and has made them more competitive.
> > > With open formats like this, it doesn't matter what programme you
> > > use, or what platform you use. OpenOffice is shaping up to be a
> > > real MS Office-killer, and it is available on a multitude of
> > > platforms, including GNU/Linux and WIndows.
> > >
> > > > Microsoft are responsible for what they release. They provide
> > > > the product to you, and given you buy it legally, they also
> > > > provide you with support, updates, etc.
> > >
> > > Like these?
> > >
> > > http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5092434,00.html
> > > http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2772328,00.html
> > > http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5092585,00.html
> > > http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5092661,00.html
> > >
> > > This is a danger with closed-source software: you have no idea
> > > what's inside. For all we know, everyone's passwords are probably
> > > being forwarded to Microsoft.
> > >
> > > > You can register at Linux Counter and
> > > > others, but they won't give you that support, even though bug
> > > > reporting is awesome.
> > >
> > > You can buy support from distro vendors (Mandrake, Red Hat, etc.)
> > > This is just like any other software. You get what you pay for.
> > > GNU/Linux is free, and you get free support in the form of
> > > neewsgroups and mailing lists. If you want official support, you
> > > have to pay. It still works out cheaper than paying for propritary
> > > software, since you're paying purely for support, not for the
> > > software. You can't expect something for nothing.
> > >
> > > > And, another thing I love in Linux are the
> > > > penguins. I love that they're everywhere, and one of my
> > > > recompilation jobs will be to put even more penguins on their
> > > > work at Linux desktop and applications. They just look cool -
> > > > nice animals.
> > >
> > > Tux rulez :-)
> > >
> > > > Also, I'd like to add that I hate to buy PC with preinstalled
> > > > software. When I got one with preinstalled Windows (what I used
> > > > then), the first thing I done was formatting C: and installing
> > > > it myself. Now I use dual-boot W98, and Linux Mandrake. If I
> > > > bought a PC with this dual boot, I'd still run Partition Magic
> > > > and wipe it all, to install myself. I don't love when something
> > > > is preinstalled. As a PC expert, I want to install everything
> > > > myself - even if this is something I never installed. Yes, I did
> > > > feel unsure installing Windows for the first time, as I also did
> > > > installing Linux and BeOS for the first time. It all passes.
> > >
> > > If you buy a new PC, chances are it'll have WIndows pre-installed.
> > > Whether you actually use that or something else doesn't matter,
> > > you are paying MS for it. Buying a system without Windows can
> > > considerably lower the cost of a PC (I think it is somewhere in
> > > the order of 10%).
> > >
> > > It seems to me like you're simply believing all the FUD vomited
> > > out by those at Microsoft and their allies (e.g. ZDNet). There is
> > > more than one side to the coin.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Sridhar Dhanapalan.
> > > "There are two major products that come from Berkeley:
> > > LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
> > > -- Jeremy S. Anderson
>
> --
> Sridhar Dhanapalan.
> "There are two major products that come from Berkeley:
> LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
> -- Jeremy S. Anderson
>
