On Saturday 23 June 2001 18:04, civileme wrote:
>
> Check MandrakeFreq. Damien has been working really hard on ADSL
> support. Still, a lot of hardware is unsupported because
> manufacturers just make it and write windows drivers for it and
> market it, leaving the linux community with a job of reverse
> engineering that is iffy and expensive, all in the name of
> "Intellectual Property".
>
I feel that manufactors couldn't care less for the Linux community since
they view it as a bunch of pirates and hackers. Of course, if the Linux
community would stop projecting this image, things might change.
> Now this list isn't the only place to get support. Did you try
> MandrakeExpert? www.mandrakeexpert.com The link is on your
> desktop.
>
I have tried that route and never got a response. But I get all the help I
need right here and from the Mandrakeuser.org
> There is also an expert mailing list, where people get help, and
> there is a huge step-by-step on setting up samba at
> www.mandrakeuser.org
>
Mandrakeuser.org is an excellent resource for help. There are docs there
covering just about everything that could go wrong.
> But if you need things in a real hurry, get out the wallet and
> buy the Gates solutions and be prepared to pay a small army of
> people who have passed the certification exams (often the
> product of boot camps where they take the tests several times a
> day, and are coached by their instructors on what they did
> wrong)... Oh and also, get the best data backup you can find,
> because you will be using it a lot. And make sure before you
> buy that your idea of how to do business matches theirs because
> you will be fighting wizards uphill all the way if you want to
> do something a little different.
>
I have noticed boot camps for Linux as well. In fact boot camps seem to be
on the rise for a lot of stuff nowadays. As for backing up your data,
well, I certainly hope that Linux users are doing so. At work, the AIX,
Solaris, Windows, Novell servers are backed up nightly. Nothing like a
good backup for insurance.
Windows gives you a ton of choices to use. Your business ideas doesn't
have to follow anyones. There is a wealth of Windows applications out
there. Even free ones on places like nonags.com and freeware32.com, etc
You certainly aren't limited. You could choose to purchase software that
is very well supported and rock solid (ever notice how much of the
software is better than the Windows OS?) Or just make do with the free
stuff.
> So you have a choice, a quick and mediocre soultion, with few
> choices, or a longer one with understanding (not to the level of
> programming, but some) and the ability to make your own choices,
> and the ability to trust the software.
>
Either comment above fits Linux and Windows. Linux can be a real shitty
deal at times. A lot of the software out there is crummy and not
supported. The Red Hat 7.0 fiasco also comes to mind when thinking of a
mediocre solution.
Hell if you look at Linux' choices for the Office desktop, it is Linux
that has very little to offer. The complexity, lack of corporate support,
limited choices of production software (Office suites, mainframe
emulators, etc), lack of multimedia support, etc, make Linux a poor choice.
Mind you, I use Linux at work and at home, but then I don't like the idea
of a "shake and bake" OS. Besides, I like learning new things and with
Linux you can not only learn about the OS, but programming, hardware, and
general troubleshooting. Windows is a pain since you have to ask for the
source code (good luck!), pay for SDK's, etc.
> And that choice is yours. If you put a little more effort into
> looking and a little less into criticism, I think you would find
> what you want, but you have to make that choice. We are not
> here to make choices for you. If you have reached the
> conclusion that because a newbie list cannot help you with an
> expert problem, you have to jump to windows, so be it.
>
I agree with the above. While Linux has its problems, it also has its
strengths. With a good Linux distro (Mandrake), a good book and the
willingness to try, you could get around most of the limitations. True the
lack of Office Suites or even a full feature wordprocessor is not
something you could get around at the point. But most of the other stuff
is there, though somewhat cruder. But what I like the most is that you can
actually communicate with the programmer and get your input take into
future revisions. That is very exciting!
Overall I feel that Windows has its place. Most folks don't want to learn
mechanics, they just want to drive. For those folks Windows is just fine.
Others like to open the hood and get dirty, Linux is custom made for
those.
Finally, after dealing with the brain dead Windows users at the office (I
work as a desktop support tech) who can't even create a simple shortcut on
their desktops, I get a thrill when sitting down on my PC and read emails
about folks who can't get something working. Then answers pour in ranging
from changing permissions to tracking down drivers freshly created.
Windows users are overwhelmed by this. I say let them have Windows before
Linux gets dummied!
> Civileme
Jose
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
