Ted,
Win32 is easier to use and integrate, at least until you get way down in
the
weeds. I like to tinker, so I don't mind staying up all night trying to
figure out how to get samba to show my Linux box in the browse list.
The
bad thing about Win32 stuff is that when things go wrong you find
yourself
so far removed from the guts of the system that it can be impossible to
troubleshoot.
Don't get me wrong, I love Linux. It is not so much that I find it
currently improves my overall productivity. In the short run it
probably
hinders me. In the long run, I believe I am at the cutting edge of IT,
and
in the next five years the skills I am learning now will be in high
demand.
I'm not sure of all the ramifications, but Linux, and OSS in general,
are
going have an effect on the world economy. Currently MS is the most
valuable company in the world. If you look at this list [
http://www.kernel.org/mirrors/ ] you will realize, for better or worse,
Linux is on fire and will spread.
I believe Linux is a net positive in that it is a world-wide cooperative
effort. It shows what can happen when we share our efforts openly. I
don't
like Linux because it is free. When I count the hours I spend trying to
get
things to work with Linux and multiply by my hourly wage, Linux is
rather
expensive. I like Linux because it is freedom.
The thing that Linux sorely needs is better and simpler integration.
Take
for example what it requires in NT to set up a domain and add systems
and
printers. It's all point and click. Then look at the smb.conf man
page.
140 pages of propeller head prose. For a moderately intelligent
sysadmin,
NT is a tractable integration challenge. Samba is certainly extremely
powerful, but configuring it is a B****.
When it comes to the general acceptance of Linux in the mainstream there
are
three things that matter:
User Interface,
User Interface,
and User Interface!
And these apply mostly to administrative tasks.
IMHO,
Steve
"(Ted Harding)" wrote:
> Apologies for duplicate postings, but I'd like to make sure I sound
> a diverse population.
>
> Today' London "Sunday Times" feature "Innovation" (pp 10-11 of "News
> Review", http://www.sunday-times.co.uk ) has an article by David Hewson
> (of "Linux, the Program from Hell" fame) entitled "Linux wins backing of
> computing giants".
>
> His attitude to Linux is much more moderate than it was: the article
> is basically balanced and fair, including some sound negative comment.
>
> However, he states:
>
> "Behind the hype there is precious little sign of Linux becoming
> a serious, versatile desktop OS. If all you need is a browser
> to get through the day, it's fine. But if I boot the PC I am
> using right now into any kind of Unix the list of stuff I lose
> -- music composition, accounting and personal finance to name
> but a few -- is endless because the applications just aren't
> there. On top of that, Linux is difficult to set up, fails to
> understand the difference between a desktop PC and a notebook,
> and lacks any kind of plug and play facility."
>
> I'm sure the last sentence is simply wrong in point of fact.
>
> If, in the previous sentence, he'd given a longer "list of stuff I lose"
> one might be in a better position to respond constructively.
>
> However, can I ask people what they would use for "music composition,
> accounting and personal finance"? I'm aware of good programs for
> creating musical scores which can also generate MIDI output, but I'd
> hardly call them top-flight composition tools; and it does seem that
> the accounting/finance area is thinly served.
>
> He didn't mention OCR (optical character rcognition) either. Where is
> the OCR program for Linux that works?
>
> Now that vmware is out ( http://www.vmware.com ) people who want to
> can run Windows applications on top of Linux without, it seems, losing
> much or indeed anything, so this could be the basis of another line of
> reply to Hewson's article: he can start up Linux and the "list of stuff I
> lose" would be empty because it would all still be there!
>
> Comments, info, contributions, anyone?
>
> Best wishes to all,
> Ted.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: 28-Mar-99 Time: 12:49:27
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