Hi all, Yes, Martin Gregory's talk was interesting, and he is a good speaker. MS speakers never fail to entertain.
I mentioned this talk to some technical people at work who use Windows every day, and after the laughter subsided they said what they didn't like about Windows (most of them have also used Linux): 1. The tendency for every application written for a previous version of the Windows OS to break in a different way compared to the current version ==> Lack of consistency. With Linux, I can mostly run an application that was developed on a slightly earlier version of the OS. With Solaris I can always run an earlier version (I am talking about user land not kernel land). 2. A requirement to re-fix every application that you write because the Win32 APIs for the new version are incompatible with the ones for the old version, in all but the most trivial cases. This is a major PITA for our developers. 3. Everything newly released uses a different UI to the old version. Old hands hate it and try as much as possible to set things back the way they used to. Remember this is a production environment, not a personal (home) work space, with many people trying to use the same applications. The Linux UI is mostly whatever you set your theme to, and the decorations should follow. I don't write Windows apps (well maybe just some .bat and static web pages and do some minor admin on Windows servers) but my main gripes would be: 4. The necessity to upgrade the hardware in order to run the new Windows OS. A couple of years ago I jumpstarted Solaris 8 onto a dual 33 MHz Axil (sparc) pizza box with 256 MB RAM. It actually worked just fine for what I was doing. There is an excellent chance I would be able to get Linux to run on that hardware, but no way would you get Windows XP to run on a 33 MHz Intel system and still be able to use the thing. 5. Apalling memory management, even with Win XP. We use a 3D CAD system. On Unix, one particular feature is just slow (a vendor issue). On Windows, the thing runs fast but then mysteriously crashes. The vendor hasn't ported it to Linux but I keep asking them - they think it's just a matter of time. You might be able get Linux to be that unstable if you run X11 as root with a dodgy driver. 6. Viruses, pop-ups, spyware. This is something that I just don't see in Linux or Unix or MacOSX. Part of the blame is the poor security model (Windows users are not used to logging in as admin to install something). Another part of the blame has to be squarely on the open, trusting nature of most Windows apps (of course you can run this random exe in the middle of your html). The marketing types say it makes things easier for users. Well, I can see this same problem eventually coming to Linux as the desktop apps get richer, so maybe that's something we need to be aware of. Finally, the FREEDOM thing is probably the most valuable part of the whole debate. MS just doesn't get it. IBM is slowly getting it -- it's taken them 20 years to get it. So by 2020 maybe MS will get it. Then again, time might warp and they might get it sooner. OOOh - a pig flew past. Cheers, Jill. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT NOTICES This email (including any documents referred to in, or attached, to this email) may contain information that is personal, confidential or the subject of copyright or other proprietary rights in favour of Aristocrat, its affiliates or third parties. This email is intended only for the named addressee. Any privacy, confidence, copyright or other proprietary rights in favour of Aristocrat, its affiliates or third parties, is not lost because this email was sent to you by mistake. If you received this email by mistake you should: (i) not copy, disclose, distribute or otherwise use it, or its contents, without the consent of Aristocrat or the owner of the relevant rights; (ii) let us know of the mistake by reply email or by telephone (+61 2 9413 6300); and (iii) delete it from your system and destroy all copies. Any personal information contained in this email must be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws. Electronic and internet communications can be interfered with or affected by viruses and other defects. As a result, such communications may not be successfully received or, if received, may cause interference with the integrity of receiving, processing or related systems (including hardware, software and data or information on, or using, that hardware or software). Aristocrat gives no assurances in relation to these matters. If you have any doubts about the veracity or integrity of any electronic communication we appear to have sent you, please call +61 2 9413 6300 for clarification. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
