Re: linux in media in a better light
On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 5:31 PM, chris che...@gmail.com wrote: I have in since Xmas alone, installed 8 linux platforms, using Ubuntu 8.04. All these platforms have formerly been windows users. They have changed because of the constant hassles with XP/virus/disk defragmantation/registry problems. So far no one that has installed linux has asked to go back to windows. This includes installs I have done since Ubuntu 6. The major problem with Ubuntu is with setting up modems (not dsl), as the Ubuntu people keep breaking the Gnome ppp ability to call wvdial. (Don't ask me how or why) The moment that a user has to call wvdial from a terminal, panic sets in. However apart from that everyone is happy. does this not give a true man on the street Comparison? Cheers Chris T. Please stop top posting. I agree with all you say, but the real indictment I see there is not on the [lack of] ease of use of dialup linux, but on our telecom infrastructure. dialup? 90's technology. 80's even - I had adsl in the 90's. I noticed a real decline in OS apps and docos supporting dialup ease of use when broadband became ubiquitous in westernised countries, particularly the US/Canada/Europe. If those areas were still on dialup it would be as easy as the rest of ubuntu, because OS programmers would care :)
Re: linux in media in a better light
Please stop top posting. Thank you for your comment, I was not aware that I was causing offence. regards Chris Thomas
linux in media in a better light
Hi, I'll start by saying that my attempt to raise the profile of Linux and FOSS in the media, through a project proposal and a success story, found no undertakers. Basically what determined me to do that were several threads started in this list in reaction to dismissive articles in The Press regarding FOSS and Linux. I thought at the time that it would have been nice if instead of negative reactions to negative articles there was something positive that could be done to change the spin in the media in relation to this subject, but didn't have the physical means to propose something constructive back then. Having said that, I still believe that FOSS can make a difference and play on equal grounds with commercial software, especially in times of economic recession. To come back to the subject of this message, I think we should also make note of the positive articles that come out of the (local) media, not only critiquing those that are unfavourable. Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. All the best, Adrian
Re: linux in media in a better light
On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Hi, I'll start by saying that my attempt to raise the profile of Linux and FOSS in the media, through a project proposal and a success story, found no undertakers. Basically what determined me to do that were several threads started in this list in reaction to dismissive articles in The Press regarding FOSS and Linux. I thought at the time that it would have been nice if instead of negative reactions to negative articles there was something positive that could be done to change the spin in the media in relation to this subject, but didn't have the physical means to propose something constructive back then. Having said that, I still believe that FOSS can make a difference and play on equal grounds with commercial software, especially in times of economic recession. To come back to the subject of this message, I think we should also make note of the positive articles that come out of the (local) media, not only critiquing those that are unfavourable. Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. All the best, Adrian Yes I noticed that but wasn't going to comment until I had sat down and read the whole article thoroughly. Good to see!
Re: linux in media in a better light
On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim
RE: linux in media in a better light
I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
RE: linux in media in a better light
If I was to suggest this to the technology editor on the press do you think it would be OK to say that it comes from the LUG as that may carry a little more weight. Obviously if anyone disagrees then I won't. -Original Message- From: Payne, Owen [mailto:owen.pa...@ccc.govt.nz] Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 3:05 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: RE: linux in media in a better light I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
RE: linux in media in a better light
The following may help nixCraft Linux Sys Admin Blog Link to nixCraft Linux Sys Admin Blog Linux Proves - The Best Things In Life Are Free Posted: 16 Mar 2009 10:57 AM PDT They say - there's no such thing as a free lunch. But, Linux and FOSS software can be used to start, run and grow your business for, you guessed it, free. February survey of IT managers by IDC indicated that hard times are accelerating the adoption of Linux. The open source operating system will emerge from the recession in a stronger data center position than before, concluded an IDC white paper. Read more: Linux Proves - The Best Things In Life Are Free Copyright © nixCraft. All Rights Reserved. Support nixCraft when you shop at amazon. Thanks! Cheers Chris T On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 15:05 +1300, Payne, Owen wrote: I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
Re: linux in media in a better light
On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 3:35 PM, chris che...@gmail.com wrote: The following may help may help what?
RE: linux in media in a better light
I think he is referring to the following http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/18/linux_adoption_in_recession_idc_ 09/ -Original Message- From: Nick Rout [mailto:nick.r...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 3:51 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 3:35 PM, chris che...@gmail.com wrote: The following may help may help what? ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
RE: linux in media in a better light
Yes sorry about that. Stuffed up my cut and paste Apolgies Chris T On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 15:55 +1300, Payne, Owen wrote: I think he is referring to the following http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/18/linux_adoption_in_recession_idc_ 09/ -Original Message- From: Nick Rout [mailto:nick.r...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 3:51 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 3:35 PM, chris che...@gmail.com wrote: The following may help may help what? ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
RE: linux in media in a better light
Granted, it is not exactly what we would have expected, but I'd rather encourage what I want to see more of, rather than the contrary. The guy has the pen, the tribune, and his reasons for what he does, and I'm not sure if something can be changed there for now. The only viable alternative I can think of is to offer something news worthy or a good subject for an advertorial that will shine the proper light on things. I have to say that his view is pretty common to what I encounter in my technical endeavours around town. If the attitude in his company is such, then his writing is pretty courageous. Just a note, one cannot help but notice that he's using for his electronic publishing a medium supported by FOSS, stuff.co.nz being powered by ngineX (http://nginx.net/) Adrian On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 15:05 +1300, Payne, Owen wrote: I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
Re: linux in media in a better light
On Thursday 19 March 2009 14:57:19 Jim Cheetham wrote: He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. I have just converted another workmate to Linux simply by telling him that I hardly ever need to use Windows at home now. He has converted his Desktop, his son's laptop and his server to Linux and cannot believe the improved performance and ease of installation. He had a look at my desktop first and then did the installations without any input from me. One by one we will knock them off. Rob
RE: linux in media in a better light
If you mean to suggest an article based on the true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems then I vote yes. On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 15:11 +1300, Payne, Owen wrote: If I was to suggest this to the technology editor on the press do you think it would be OK to say that it comes from the LUG as that may carry a little more weight. Obviously if anyone disagrees then I won't. -Original Message- From: Payne, Owen [mailto:owen.pa...@ccc.govt.nz] Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 3:05 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: RE: linux in media in a better light I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
RE: linux in media in a better light
I have in since Xmas alone, installed 8 linux platforms, using Ubuntu 8.04. All these platforms have formerly been windows users. They have changed because of the constant hassles with XP/virus/disk defragmantation/registry problems. So far no one that has installed linux has asked to go back to windows. This includes installs I have done since Ubuntu 6. The major problem with Ubuntu is with setting up modems (not dsl), as the Ubuntu people keep breaking the Gnome ppp ability to call wvdial. (Don't ask me how or why) The moment that a user has to call wvdial from a terminal, panic sets in. However apart from that everyone is happy. does this not give a true man on the street Comparison? Cheers Chris T. On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 17:16 +1300, Adrian Mageanu wrote: If you mean to suggest an article based on the true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems then I vote yes. On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 15:11 +1300, Payne, Owen wrote: If I was to suggest this to the technology editor on the press do you think it would be OK to say that it comes from the LUG as that may carry a little more weight. Obviously if anyone disagrees then I won't. -Original Message- From: Payne, Owen [mailto:owen.pa...@ccc.govt.nz] Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 3:05 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: RE: linux in media in a better light I think his change in tone was a little forced as he still manages to get a bash in at The trick is finding a system that doesn't take an army of geeks to install and configure and does what you need it to do out of the box However he is still grudgingly positive about linux Of all the alternative operating systems, one stands out when it comes to great performance on lower-spec hardware - Linux. Those of you shaking your heads and turning the page, hold on. There are plenty of other options if you can't stomach Linux, but I can tell you right now they won't perform anywhere near as well as a well- tuned Linux setup, so bear with me for a moment However his tone does seem to suggest that linux is a last resort if your machine won't take xp or win98! I wonder if there would be an appetite in the local press for a true man on the street comparison of the two operating systems. From install to internet and to document production and email on both windows and linux side by side. It could be a good article in the middle of a recession. -Original Message- From: jim.cheet...@gmail.com [mailto:jim.cheet...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jim Cheetham Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2009 2:57 pm To: linux-users@it.canterbury.ac.nz Subject: Re: linux in media in a better light On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Adrian Mageanu adrian.mage...@totalimex.com wrote: Example given is this article in The Press http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/2269025/Renew-your-old-PC that offers Linux as a viable alternative for desktops and home use. I don't personally know the author of the article, but he has my tick of approval for what he wrote there. Noting that he is the same author who wrote the previously discussed articles, I welcome the change of tone and touch of objectivity. His advice is suspect ... find an old 98 disk and install is terrible. It's unlikely that the licensing would be valid, and Win98 is totally unsupported, and supports only outdated and insecure versions of IE. A pretty irresponsible comment. He avoids the comparison of Linux with XP/Vista, by implying that it is only worth considering if you have outdated hardware. A head-to-head comparison would be more interesting, from the perspective of improving the performance of your existing machine by switching OS. On the plus side, he has targetted pretty much the correct distributions for the hardware in question. So that's good :-) -jim ** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Christchurch City Council http://www.ccc.govt.nz **
