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Feature: Humor
Once again, I delay a switch to Windows
By Robin 'Roblimo' Miller
on
January 07, 2006 (8:00:00 AM)
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Like all computer users other than a few free software zealots and Mac addicts, I secretly prefer Windows to all other desktop operating systems. I run Linux only out of cheapness and an old-hippie desire to "stick it to The Man." But lately Microsoft has started to embrace open source so lovingly that in a gesture of support for their new open-mindedness I was ready to dump Linux on my two daily-use computers and install Windows instead. Then another Windows security hole popped up. Darn! Once again, it looks like I'm stuck with free, reliable, secure Linux, at least for the next year or two.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The biggest problem with Linux is boredom. You install your distribution, you set it up and tweak it until it works the way you like it, and after that -- nothing.
Every time you turn on your Linux computer it works the same way it did the last time you turned it on. You give it a command either as text (command line) or by pointing and clicking (GUI), and it does what you tell it without any fuss. This is fine if you're the kind of cold-blooded person who thinks of his computer as a work tool, but for a person who wants a relationship with a computer, this just doesn't do. A lover who is always the same doesn't inspire passion. Love requires not only tender moments but also conflict. And this is why it is easier to love Windows than Linux.
I have friends and relatives who run Windows. Now and then they burst into fits of "I hate my computer and my computer hates me!" fury. Since I run Linux and free, friendly applications like OpenOffice.org and Firefox, I never have days like these, nor do I have days when my heart is overwhelmed with affection for my computer, which I assume Windows users have in enough abundance to compensate for their all-too-frequent days of computer hate.
I would love to tell Windows users, "I feel your pain." But I don't, because I use Windows only sparingly, and never connect my one Windows computer directly to the Internet or rely on it to store critical data. So I feel neither Windows pain nor Windows joy. I never feel the wonderful "Am I going to get a virus today?" thrill the Windows users seem to love so much. I don't have heart-stopping moments when I wonder if a slavering terrorist hacker in a former Soviet republic has invaded my computer. And I never get the soul-lifting experience Windows users have in their good moments of knowing that today, at least, my computer seems to be running properly, God's in His heaven, and all's right with the world.
Maybe Longhorn -- I mean Vista -- will change my mind.
With any luck, Windows Vista, which will finally be released in (fill in year/month here) will be stable and secure enough to use for actual day-to-day work. If it is, I might be tempted to switch. But if Windows Vista is as stable and secure as Linux, it will be just as boring as Linux, so there will be no point in moving to it.
Oh, well. :(
Every time you turn on your Linux computer it works the same way it did the last time you turned it on. You give it a command either as text (command line) or by pointing and clicking (GUI), and it does what you tell it without any fuss. This is fine if you're the kind of cold-blooded person who thinks of his computer as a work tool, but for a person who wants a relationship with a computer, this just doesn't do. A lover who is always the same doesn't inspire passion. Love requires not only tender moments but also conflict. And this is why it is easier to love Windows than Linux.
I have friends and relatives who run Windows. Now and then they burst into fits of "I hate my computer and my computer hates me!" fury. Since I run Linux and free, friendly applications like OpenOffice.org and Firefox, I never have days like these, nor do I have days when my heart is overwhelmed with affection for my computer, which I assume Windows users have in enough abundance to compensate for their all-too-frequent days of computer hate.
I would love to tell Windows users, "I feel your pain." But I don't, because I use Windows only sparingly, and never connect my one Windows computer directly to the Internet or rely on it to store critical data. So I feel neither Windows pain nor Windows joy. I never feel the wonderful "Am I going to get a virus today?" thrill the Windows users seem to love so much. I don't have heart-stopping moments when I wonder if a slavering terrorist hacker in a former Soviet republic has invaded my computer. And I never get the soul-lifting experience Windows users have in their good moments of knowing that today, at least, my computer seems to be running properly, God's in His heaven, and all's right with the world.
Maybe Longhorn -- I mean Vista -- will change my mind.
With any luck, Windows Vista, which will finally be released in (fill in year/month here) will be stable and secure enough to use for actual day-to-day work. If it is, I might be tempted to switch. But if Windows Vista is as stable and secure as Linux, it will be just as boring as Linux, so there will be no point in moving to it.
Oh, well. :(
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we all bored, welcome to the club..
My computers both run KDE, under Linux. Every upgrade, a new set of bugs jumps out. In my latest update, the DVD player (kaffeine) refuses to co-operate. The "Home" and "Web Browser" buttons on the taskbar do nothing. Old random crashes are gone, but new ones have come.
So what exciting, bug ridden distribution are you using? Maybe I should switch from Mandriva so I can really hunt some bugs...
Hmmm, let's see. I run Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Suse, Red Hat Enterprise, and the latest Fedora, and I still can't decide which one of these is the best, because they all work so well. Oh, and I use both Gnome and KDE. Yes, exactly which buggy distro. are you using?!
you've filed your bug reports?
Isn't that why you should be running a "stable" distribution as a desktop and not one of the various testing branches?
When you replace your GUI, remove the old config files for the old gui. rm -rf<nobr> <wbr></nobr>/home/user/.kde. Then start up the new GUI. KDE changes quite a bit, so when you start using the unstable branch in leiu of your default stable branch- remove the old config files and understand that "unstable" means just that.
What you could do to if you want a stable setup and still try out the latest and greatest apps is to install a distro such as CentOS or Debian stable. You can then install the feature-packed cutting edge distros in chroots and use those. If anything breaks, you still have your stable distro to work with. In fact, you could use LVM snapshots to take regular backups of your feature-packed cutting edge distro installations and backup from those easily if you want to. Just my $0.02<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:D
My humour similar to yours... as I am not a writer, I "use" it with my friends. People think I'm taunting the boss, who's a Windows lover...
I had to install XP recently (specific legal Windows-only program one-time usage). What I did is not allow it to reach the internet; I turned off squid and used samba in my Linux computer to move files to/from XP. Printing was done to pdf files, which also got sent to Linux.
Now that it's done, some observations:
1) XP _will_ be removed. It was not used 3 years ago when that computer first booted. XP occupies space which belong to more modern things like, e.g., Kubuntu.
2) I didn't install many drivers... video is generic VESA, NIC wasn't recognized but I had a driver floppy. In a word, this XP installation provides a "poor" experience.
3) Absence of themes is also very disappointing (i.e., boring). I'm used to changing Linux looks now-and-them and even the many things we always change (decorations, widgets, colours, feel, behaviour, apps association etc.) are not enough. I wonder how Windows people bear such monotony.
4) Activation: how dumb is this? I paid for the product and must do additional effort to use it, while someone who pirates it, probably can disable this and have a better usage experience than me. Can you say "shoot in both feet"?
5) End-of-life: that computer was bought with XP installed, but I booted with a Linux CD and never let XP "come to life". Now I had to use XP and learn its support ends in a year (or so I've read). That is, I paid for something which I will lose while every Linux product I use will keep on being updated. This is rather obvious, duh, but when you think of people like my boss... I mean, how dumb can some people be? And he's no fool, he's a normal person. I think there's been an article about normal people doing wrong choices...
So long. Keep writing with humour. We need these things...
I had to install XP recently (specific legal Windows-only program one-time usage). What I did is not allow it to reach the internet; I turned off squid and used samba in my Linux computer to move files to/from XP. Printing was done to pdf files, which also got sent to Linux.
Now that it's done, some observations:
1) XP _will_ be removed. It was not used 3 years ago when that computer first booted. XP occupies space which belong to more modern things like, e.g., Kubuntu.
2) I didn't install many drivers... video is generic VESA, NIC wasn't recognized but I had a driver floppy. In a word, this XP installation provides a "poor" experience.
3) Absence of themes is also very disappointing (i.e., boring). I'm used to changing Linux looks now-and-them and even the many things we always change (decorations, widgets, colours, feel, behaviour, apps association etc.) are not enough. I wonder how Windows people bear such monotony.
4) Activation: how dumb is this? I paid for the product and must do additional effort to use it, while someone who pirates it, probably can disable this and have a better usage experience than me. Can you say "shoot in both feet"?
5) End-of-life: that computer was bought with XP installed, but I booted with a Linux CD and never let XP "come to life". Now I had to use XP and learn its support ends in a year (or so I've read). That is, I paid for something which I will lose while every Linux product I use will keep on being updated. This is rather obvious, duh, but when you think of people like my boss... I mean, how dumb can some people be? And he's no fool, he's a normal person. I think there's been an article about normal people doing wrong choices...
So long. Keep writing with humour. We need these things...
My personal responses to your observations
1) Ok. You choose to remove XP. That's your choice and that's fine.
2) As a consultant, I've had the "pleasure" of installing and re-installing XP Pro on hundreds of different models of systems. I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment. Obscure hardware peripherals such as USB wireless locks or fingerprint scanners may have required third party drivers that were not included with XP but, the drivers were readily available for XP and even now, no such drivers exist for Linux at all. By and large XP just worked even with most printers which definitely cannot be said for Linux. XP installations, IMHO, take too long but, they are smooth and everything works!
3) Absence of themes? Xp ships with a few basic themes. If those aren't enough for you then buy the Plus! Pack or any of the thousands of third party themes available everywhere. Then of course, there are the millions of themes freely available on the web. Themes? Come on!
4) Activation is a major draw back. I must agree here. Although, there are corporate versions available that do not require activation.
5) End-of-life? XP will continue to receive support for five years or more after Vista ships. That's likely a total of 8 years or more of support!!! On the other hand SuSE 8 shipped in April 2002 and there is no longer any support. None for SuSE 9 or 9.1(released October 2004) either. Red Hat 9 was released in April 2003 and support was discontinued April 30, 2004!!!!!!
Everyone is entitle to their opinion and everyone is entitled to choose their preferred OS but, if your going to try using logic as an argument, you have to look at the truth or the facts at least. Your reasons for not using XP are either untrue or devoid of any logic. If you choose another OS for emotional, philosophical, political or spiritual reasons, that's fine. But, don't try to pass off emotion and untruths as logic.
This post created using Koqueror 3.4 on SUSE 9.3
1) Ok. You choose to remove XP. That's your choice and that's fine.
2) As a consultant, I've had the "pleasure" of installing and re-installing XP Pro on hundreds of different models of systems. I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment. Obscure hardware peripherals such as USB wireless locks or fingerprint scanners may have required third party drivers that were not included with XP but, the drivers were readily available for XP and even now, no such drivers exist for Linux at all. By and large XP just worked even with most printers which definitely cannot be said for Linux. XP installations, IMHO, take too long but, they are smooth and everything works!
3) Absence of themes? Xp ships with a few basic themes. If those aren't enough for you then buy the Plus! Pack or any of the thousands of third party themes available everywhere. Then of course, there are the millions of themes freely available on the web. Themes? Come on!
4) Activation is a major draw back. I must agree here. Although, there are corporate versions available that do not require activation.
5) End-of-life? XP will continue to receive support for five years or more after Vista ships. That's likely a total of 8 years or more of support!!! On the other hand SuSE 8 shipped in April 2002 and there is no longer any support. None for SuSE 9 or 9.1(released October 2004) either. Red Hat 9 was released in April 2003 and support was discontinued April 30, 2004!!!!!!
Everyone is entitle to their opinion and everyone is entitled to choose their preferred OS but, if your going to try using logic as an argument, you have to look at the truth or the facts at least. Your reasons for not using XP are either untrue or devoid of any logic. If you choose another OS for emotional, philosophical, political or spiritual reasons, that's fine. But, don't try to pass off emotion and untruths as logic.
This post created using Koqueror 3.4 on SUSE 9.3
>> 1) Ok. You choose to remove XP. That's your choice and that's fine.
I recognize this is a matter of preference and not a point of pride to me. You've interpreted it correctly; I'm sorry if I gave it a "final truth" aspect...
>> 2)<nobr> <wbr></nobr>... I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment. Obscure hardware peripherals such as USB wireless locks or fingerprint scanners may have required third party drivers that were not included with XP but, the drivers were readily available for XP and even now, no such drivers exist for Linux at all. By and large XP just worked even with most printers which definitely cannot be said for Linux. XP installations, IMHO, take too long but, they are smooth and everything works!
I cannot discuss XP's compatibility. I'm really not qualified. What I can say:
a) It configured my video card as generic VESA (IIRC it uses the XFree86 savage driver). This resulted in a big loss of performance. I didn't desire to put the machine online for safety concerns (no, no time to fuss with antivirus, spyware detectors etc.) So, no third-party drivers. Which, btw, don't come with XP (differently from Linux, which includes many things).
b) The ethernet interface didn't come up. It's a VIA Rhine. I couldn't find any driver for it in the original (genuine) XP disk. Maybe there was another CD from the computer maker, but I have no recalling of it. Out of sheer luck, I still had the floppy with that card's third-party driver. It worked ok after installation. As an aside, the floppy also contained instructions/drivers for Linux, which I've never seen, because the Linux distro recognized the card by itself.
c) There was no driver for my printer (Epson C63). Linux has. Though admitedly, I'm comparing apples to oranges, since the Linux CD is uptodate while XP is, well, from when I bought the computer.
>> 3) there are the millions of themes freely available on the web. Themes? Come on!
I was just talking about themes included in the original disk. I expected more than those few included. Not a big point indeed.
>> 4) Activation is a major draw back. I must agree here. Although, there are corporate versions available that do not require activation.
I'm a home user, the main kind of client Microsoft has had and where it came from. I don't like to have extra work because people with low morals think it's ok to use things without paying. Let them pay, not me. I've already bought my licence; why do they give me extra work? This _is_ unfair! I can almost see a pirate laughing at me...
>> 5) End-of-life? XP will continue to receive support for five years or more after Vista ships. That's likely a total of 8 years or more of support!!! On the other hand SuSE 8 shipped in April 2002 and there is no longer any support. None for SuSE 9 or 9.1(released October 2004) either. Red Hat 9 was released in April 2003 and support was discontinued April 30, 2004!!!!!!
See this article stating "Windows XP Home: obsolete sooner than you expect":
<a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html" title="arstechnica.com">http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-589<nobr>1<wbr></nobr> .html</a arstechnica.com>
Regarding those Linux versions you mentioned, I suppose you're worried about paid support. I was referring to peer online support, which I use both for Linux and for Windows (at work). This leads to better and faster results than relying on a software maker, in my many years of experience with out-of-the-shelf products.
>> Everyone is entitle to their opinion and everyone is entitled to choose their preferred OS but, if your going to try using logic as an argument, you have to look at the truth or the facts at least.
Indeed, O'Neill.
>> Your reasons for not using XP are either untrue or devoid of any logic. If you choose another OS for emotional, philosophical, political or spiritual reasons, that's fine. But, don't try to pass off emotion and untruths as logic.
I apologize again for that. I was in sofatalk mode, just throwing out opinions as they appeared. Anyway, however personal such views are, they come from my personal story. Maybe if I had a twin, he could have had entirely different experiences, maybe even succesful ones with XP and would be a happy Windows user... who knows?
Of course, he would be the evil twin!<nobr> <wbr></nobr>;-P
Bye.
I recognize this is a matter of preference and not a point of pride to me. You've interpreted it correctly; I'm sorry if I gave it a "final truth" aspect...
>> 2)<nobr> <wbr></nobr>... I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment. Obscure hardware peripherals such as USB wireless locks or fingerprint scanners may have required third party drivers that were not included with XP but, the drivers were readily available for XP and even now, no such drivers exist for Linux at all. By and large XP just worked even with most printers which definitely cannot be said for Linux. XP installations, IMHO, take too long but, they are smooth and everything works!
I cannot discuss XP's compatibility. I'm really not qualified. What I can say:
a) It configured my video card as generic VESA (IIRC it uses the XFree86 savage driver). This resulted in a big loss of performance. I didn't desire to put the machine online for safety concerns (no, no time to fuss with antivirus, spyware detectors etc.) So, no third-party drivers. Which, btw, don't come with XP (differently from Linux, which includes many things).
b) The ethernet interface didn't come up. It's a VIA Rhine. I couldn't find any driver for it in the original (genuine) XP disk. Maybe there was another CD from the computer maker, but I have no recalling of it. Out of sheer luck, I still had the floppy with that card's third-party driver. It worked ok after installation. As an aside, the floppy also contained instructions/drivers for Linux, which I've never seen, because the Linux distro recognized the card by itself.
c) There was no driver for my printer (Epson C63). Linux has. Though admitedly, I'm comparing apples to oranges, since the Linux CD is uptodate while XP is, well, from when I bought the computer.
>> 3) there are the millions of themes freely available on the web. Themes? Come on!
I was just talking about themes included in the original disk. I expected more than those few included. Not a big point indeed.
>> 4) Activation is a major draw back. I must agree here. Although, there are corporate versions available that do not require activation.
I'm a home user, the main kind of client Microsoft has had and where it came from. I don't like to have extra work because people with low morals think it's ok to use things without paying. Let them pay, not me. I've already bought my licence; why do they give me extra work? This _is_ unfair! I can almost see a pirate laughing at me...
>> 5) End-of-life? XP will continue to receive support for five years or more after Vista ships. That's likely a total of 8 years or more of support!!! On the other hand SuSE 8 shipped in April 2002 and there is no longer any support. None for SuSE 9 or 9.1(released October 2004) either. Red Hat 9 was released in April 2003 and support was discontinued April 30, 2004!!!!!!
See this article stating "Windows XP Home: obsolete sooner than you expect":
<a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-5891.html" title="arstechnica.com">http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060103-589<nobr>1<wbr></nobr> .html</a arstechnica.com>
Regarding those Linux versions you mentioned, I suppose you're worried about paid support. I was referring to peer online support, which I use both for Linux and for Windows (at work). This leads to better and faster results than relying on a software maker, in my many years of experience with out-of-the-shelf products.
>> Everyone is entitle to their opinion and everyone is entitled to choose their preferred OS but, if your going to try using logic as an argument, you have to look at the truth or the facts at least.
Indeed, O'Neill.
>> Your reasons for not using XP are either untrue or devoid of any logic. If you choose another OS for emotional, philosophical, political or spiritual reasons, that's fine. But, don't try to pass off emotion and untruths as logic.
I apologize again for that. I was in sofatalk mode, just throwing out opinions as they appeared. Anyway, however personal such views are, they come from my personal story. Maybe if I had a twin, he could have had entirely different experiences, maybe even succesful ones with XP and would be a happy Windows user... who knows?
Of course, he would be the evil twin!<nobr> <wbr></nobr>;-P
Bye.
I've had to install network drivers for computers from both Dell and Gateway in order to get the nick to work with XP. And these are standard business class computers bought in bulk by our univerity, standard computers purchased in the thousands each summer.
There are usually at least 3 hardware items with that xp doesn't correctly identify after a genric xp install. Some of them work with generic drivers, usb or video for example, but still show up in device manager with the little yellow exclamation point. They devices are usable, but don't have all the supported features. The display usually looks better, deeper and richer colors and more resolutions and features, with the right drivers than with the generic drivers.
Without the driver cd from the manufacturer, I'd have to download all the correct drivers, burn to cd and install.
And don't get me started on laptops. Having to re-install xp on a student laptop usually means spending an hour downloading drivers to get xp to recognize all the hardware.
There are usually at least 3 hardware items with that xp doesn't correctly identify after a genric xp install. Some of them work with generic drivers, usb or video for example, but still show up in device manager with the little yellow exclamation point. They devices are usable, but don't have all the supported features. The display usually looks better, deeper and richer colors and more resolutions and features, with the right drivers than with the generic drivers.
Without the driver cd from the manufacturer, I'd have to download all the correct drivers, burn to cd and install.
And don't get me started on laptops. Having to re-install xp on a student laptop usually means spending an hour downloading drivers to get xp to recognize all the hardware.
They devices are usable, but don't have all the supported features. The display usually looks better, deeper and richer colors and more resolutions and features, with the right drivers than with the generic drivers.
Yes, I also had similar experiences to you with Linux. The generic display driver would display stuff on the screen but, the colors were off, the dimensions/resolution wasn't ever right and there was no 3D acceleration. I always have to get the third party drivers and install them. Then I have to manually fiddle with the xorg.conf (I use vi because it's the best) to get my mouse to work. It seems counter intuitive to me to have to fiddle with my display settings file to configure a mouse wheel but that is what I have to do. To top it all off, I have a tilt whel and the tilt still doesnt work at all. I've read that it is supported but, I'll be damned if I can make it work.
Anyway, all this wouldn't be so bad if I only had to do this when I first setup the system but, I have to do it every time there is a kernel update. It really pisses me off, especially when I have it set to automatically update. One day everything is working fine and the next morning my display is completely borked and I have to figure out on my own that a kernel update has occurred and I need to reinstall the drives. The worst is when it causes Xorg to constantly restart. In this case my screen stays black but it keeps making this loud clicking noise as the referesh rate shifts back and forth.
And all this is with the most common/prevalent video cards on the market from ATI and NVidia.
Meanwhile, with XP the same video cards just work. The screen looks better with the third party drivers so, I usually install them but, I only do it once. I don't have to worry about stuff breaking due to updates, kernel or otherwise, and the mouse wheel works from the get go, even the tilt feature works like a charm!
And speaking about mice... Don't even get me started on the whole mouse losing synch because of the KVM switch thing. Everyone is quick to tell me that my KVM is crap and doesn't follow specs but, the same KVM doesn't break the Windows mouse. It's always the Linux mouse that can't handle the KVM switch.
Yes, I also had similar experiences to you with Linux. The generic display driver would display stuff on the screen but, the colors were off, the dimensions/resolution wasn't ever right and there was no 3D acceleration. I always have to get the third party drivers and install them. Then I have to manually fiddle with the xorg.conf (I use vi because it's the best) to get my mouse to work. It seems counter intuitive to me to have to fiddle with my display settings file to configure a mouse wheel but that is what I have to do. To top it all off, I have a tilt whel and the tilt still doesnt work at all. I've read that it is supported but, I'll be damned if I can make it work.
Anyway, all this wouldn't be so bad if I only had to do this when I first setup the system but, I have to do it every time there is a kernel update. It really pisses me off, especially when I have it set to automatically update. One day everything is working fine and the next morning my display is completely borked and I have to figure out on my own that a kernel update has occurred and I need to reinstall the drives. The worst is when it causes Xorg to constantly restart. In this case my screen stays black but it keeps making this loud clicking noise as the referesh rate shifts back and forth.
And all this is with the most common/prevalent video cards on the market from ATI and NVidia.
Meanwhile, with XP the same video cards just work. The screen looks better with the third party drivers so, I usually install them but, I only do it once. I don't have to worry about stuff breaking due to updates, kernel or otherwise, and the mouse wheel works from the get go, even the tilt feature works like a charm!
And speaking about mice... Don't even get me started on the whole mouse losing synch because of the KVM switch thing. Everyone is quick to tell me that my KVM is crap and doesn't follow specs but, the same KVM doesn't break the Windows mouse. It's always the Linux mouse that can't handle the KVM switch.
I don't have to worry about stuff breaking due to updates, kernel or otherwise, and the mouse wheel works from the get go, even the tilt feature works like a charm!
You must never install the driver updates from Microsoft. I've had them break video, ethernet, and printers on various computers, again Dell and GW standard business class computers. Always fun to have to go into safe mode and do a driver rollback after downloading an update from MS.
Never had a problem with video or ethernet on linux after a kernel update.
You must never install the driver updates from Microsoft. I've had them break video, ethernet, and printers on various computers, again Dell and GW standard business class computers. Always fun to have to go into safe mode and do a driver rollback after downloading an update from MS.
Never had a problem with video or ethernet on linux after a kernel update.
I'm always tweaking Linux. I find it a source of joy in itself, maybe that's the kid in me...<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:-)
I have been using Suse Linux for 6 years. In the old days, I had to do some tweaking and adjustments. For the last 3 years, everything works perfectly without any tweaks. I do have 4 port KVM with 4 PCs or different age and models; mouse and video always worked fine with all. Mileage differ with different hardware or people I guess!
1) Ok. You choose to remove XP. That's your choice and that's fine.
It's a good thing that it is too. Windows XP is very flaky. I like Windows 2000 much better than XP. XP has all sorts of weird pauses and is sluggish in general. To be fair, I have mostly worked with XP in a LAN environment, where it works particularly poorly. It probably works significantly better as a standalone machine (as long as you keep it from getting riddled with malware as most standalone XP machines that I have to deal with have been; that is, I had to clean them up).
2) As a consultant, I've had the "pleasure" of installing and re-installing XP Pro on hundreds of different models of systems. I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment....
This is nonsense. You are comparing apples to oranges here. For what you posted to be even close to the truth, you must be talking about an OEM CD that included drivers specific to the computer it was sold with. That's meaningless, unless you are going to compare it with the same situation with a Linux OEM disk (of which only a few exist, but it is possible), and then it becomes more about the OEM vendor than about the OS. Silly.
Obscure hardware peripherals such as USB wireless locks or fingerprint scanners may have required third party drivers that were not included with XP but, the drivers were readily available for XP and even now, no such drivers exist for Linux at all. By and large XP just worked even with most printers which definitely cannot be said for Linux. XP installations, IMHO, take too long but, they are smooth and everything works!
Yes, obscure hardware peripheral makers don't produce Linux drivers; that's true. As far as printers go, if you have a Linux compatible printer, then it will usually work just as immediately and smoothly with Linux as it will with XP, and sometimes more immediately when the drivers for XP have to be downloaded or installed from the manufacturer's disk.
3) Absence of themes? Xp ships with a few basic themes. If those aren't enough for you then buy the Plus! Pack or any of the thousands of third party themes available everywhere. Then of course, there are the millions of themes freely available on the web. Themes? Come on!
I generally agree with you here. The only thing about KDE is that it's more configurable altogether than Explorer for XP, which some people might like. There are plenty of different themes to change the 'looks' of XP though. In fact, it is even possible to download and install a different GUI for XP (or 2000 or NT) and not use Explorer at all (the equivalent of switching window managers in Linux). There are not as many alternatives natively available (not under Cygwin) as there are with Linux, but there are a few.
4) Activation is a major draw back. I must agree here. Although, there are corporate versions available that do not require activation.
Yes, no disagreement here, and I would have mentioned the corporate version of XP as well. As far as I'm concerned, this is another advantage of 2000 as well as Linux, though.
5) End-of-life? XP will continue to receive support for five years or more after Vista ships. That's likely a total of 8 years or more of support!!! On the other hand SuSE 8 shipped in April 2002 and there is no longer any support. None for SuSE 9 or 9.1(released October 2004) either. Red Hat 9 was released in April 2003 and support was discontinued April 30, 2004!!!!!!
Umm, Suse 9 and 9.1 are still supported now (last patch released 2006/1/4). If XP continues to be supported as long as you say, it will be the longest that Microsoft supported any OS (unless they carry 2000 just as far, which also of course has not been dropped yet). However, you picked odd Linux distributions to talk about. Red Hat dropped their entire vanilla "Red Hat Linux" line for several months before they discontinued support for 9 and they provided an upgrade path to either the Enterprise version or the free Fedora (not that Red Hat has ever been very good at upgrading from one version to the next, but then neither has Windows) Really though, this is an apples to oranges comparison because generally with Linux you have an upgrade option to the next version without spending another cent. A number of distros are quite good at handling a version upgrade as well. Also, it is possible, though not generally practical, to upgrade a Linux box manually with all the patches for individual parts; this is not possible with Windows.
I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment.
Just as a followup, I just this morning re-installed Windows XP w/slipstreamd SP2 on a student laptop. The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 6000 purchased in July 2005.
Here's the list of hardware that Windows did *not* have drivers for as part of a standard install:
Ethernet Controller
Multimedia Audio Controller
Network Controller
PCI Device
PCI Modem
SM Bus Controller
USB Controller
Video Controller
That's a lot, but not at all atypical.
Guess I'll be spending time at Dell's site downloading and burning a cd.
For what it is worth, I've never had a linux distro not find a wired ethernet interface. In fact, for really hosed laptops, that's how I back up data. Boot from whatever live cd I've downloaded last and then copy files to our server via samba.
I don't know how a home user would do it. Without a working ethernet connection or modem, there's no way to download the files to get the system working.
Just as a followup, I just this morning re-installed Windows XP w/slipstreamd SP2 on a student laptop. The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 6000 purchased in July 2005.
Here's the list of hardware that Windows did *not* have drivers for as part of a standard install:
Ethernet Controller
Multimedia Audio Controller
Network Controller
PCI Device
PCI Modem
SM Bus Controller
USB Controller
Video Controller
That's a lot, but not at all atypical.
Guess I'll be spending time at Dell's site downloading and burning a cd.
For what it is worth, I've never had a linux distro not find a wired ethernet interface. In fact, for really hosed laptops, that's how I back up data. Boot from whatever live cd I've downloaded last and then copy files to our server via samba.
I don't know how a home user would do it. Without a working ethernet connection or modem, there's no way to download the files to get the system working.
I don't know how a home user would do it. Without a working ethernet connection or modem, there's no way to download the files to get the system working.
Oh yes there is! Dell was well aware that their laptop was built using components that had not existed three years prior, when XP was released. Dell was also aware that the vast majority or their customers had the collective intelligence of a lump of cheese and some furthered the problem by being stoners. Dell decided to include ALL of the laptop's drivers for Windows XP with the laptop. Dell ships (at least) two CD-ROMs with every laptop. One CD-ROM has the Windows XP OS on it for reinstallation of the OS. The other CD-ROM has all of the required drivers.
All that the stoned cheesehead has to do is boot up off of the CD and follow the prompts. But, you're a smart guy so, I'm sure that you will figure it all out after a few days.
P.S. If you still can't get it, just try installing Red Hat 8 on that laptop and see how well it works. Red Hat 8 was released at around the same time as XP but, Dell doesn't ship a CD of Linux drivers with their laptops.
Oh yes there is! Dell was well aware that their laptop was built using components that had not existed three years prior, when XP was released. Dell was also aware that the vast majority or their customers had the collective intelligence of a lump of cheese and some furthered the problem by being stoners. Dell decided to include ALL of the laptop's drivers for Windows XP with the laptop. Dell ships (at least) two CD-ROMs with every laptop. One CD-ROM has the Windows XP OS on it for reinstallation of the OS. The other CD-ROM has all of the required drivers.
All that the stoned cheesehead has to do is boot up off of the CD and follow the prompts. But, you're a smart guy so, I'm sure that you will figure it all out after a few days.
P.S. If you still can't get it, just try installing Red Hat 8 on that laptop and see how well it works. Red Hat 8 was released at around the same time as XP but, Dell doesn't ship a CD of Linux drivers with their laptops.
No, now we don't. Read the original quote again:
I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment.
All I'm saying is that that statement is not true. I specifically mentioned that I was using a slipstreamed version that included SP2. This also includes some driver updates, so your time line is a little off.
The original poster said, "I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment."
I'm saying the exact opposite: I have had to install special drivers for standard equipment.
I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment.
All I'm saying is that that statement is not true. I specifically mentioned that I was using a slipstreamed version that included SP2. This also includes some driver updates, so your time line is a little off.
The original poster said, "I've never had to install special drivers for any standard equipment."
I'm saying the exact opposite: I have had to install special drivers for standard equipment.
I have been a linux and windows users for several years and in my opinion. The security is about the same. Okay, there is about zero linux viruses. But on the other hand. You got plenty of exploits for the service's you are running on your computer. Just look at <a href="http://packetstormsecurity.org/" title="packetstormsecurity.org">http://packetstormsecurity.org/</a packetstormsecurity.org>
Windows computers can be quite safe if you handle them right. Geeks tend to disable to automatic windows update-thingie. Just because they want to see whats get downloaded. This leads to people forget to download the latest security fixes. Also, the windows firewall built-in-thingie is not bad. Its actually quite good. It fixes exceptions and such very nicely. Avoid using internet explorer and you don't get all these adware. Don't use outlook if you are afraid of mail-worms and such. The Linux computer is more safe just because you use it with a more safe thinking.
Windows computers can be quite safe if you handle them right. Geeks tend to disable to automatic windows update-thingie. Just because they want to see whats get downloaded. This leads to people forget to download the latest security fixes. Also, the windows firewall built-in-thingie is not bad. Its actually quite good. It fixes exceptions and such very nicely. Avoid using internet explorer and you don't get all these adware. Don't use outlook if you are afraid of mail-worms and such. The Linux computer is more safe just because you use it with a more safe thinking.
So, you are saying that. Windows is more insecure by design than Linux? That's exactly the point. Thanks for confirming what we know already.
Your other rambles are amusing.
Your other rambles are amusing.
A firewall that can be turned OFF by any application (including any worm that cares to do so) is not much of a firewall. Ditto one that doesn't do anything by default with outgoing connections, except smile & let you do whatever you want--which is actually the basic design flaw that got them in to the mess they are in from the get go. . .
Well, a rooted "Linux-box" couldn't get their Firewall down? I mean, you are speaking of when the damage had already happened.
Speaking of rambling(rambles?), I disagree with security being about the same. There is no comparison. If root access to your kernel via looking at a jpeg image isn't clue enough, you can see how often Linux updates it's kernel- and how often Windows updates it kernel. Those are the OS's.
Userland applications are another story. Security is not the same between the two. Maybe that's what you meant, but you didn't type that. I notice that english isn't your native language, so I'll not delve into it anymore.
Userland applications are another story. Security is not the same between the two. Maybe that's what you meant, but you didn't type that. I notice that english isn't your native language, so I'll not delve into it anymore.
You are right, English isn't my native languange. And yes, it is userland is the part i mean. A typo of me to write Linux and and not the whole thingie. I agree.
Good article. Almost right with stability. Unfortunately, I'm a Mandrake/Mandriva user. Hello, instability. 10.1 enjoyed random crashes daily. Upgraded to 2006 and the problem persists, in addition to Firefox crashes (even with the version installed by the upgrade process). Sad.
But then just last night, I spent 3 hours on my daughter's XP machine trying to get one of the updates to install. Never did. Still have work today to do to make it happen. At least the system didn't randomly lockup or drop the login. But still sad in its own way.
But then just last night, I spent 3 hours on my daughter's XP machine trying to get one of the updates to install. Never did. Still have work today to do to make it happen. At least the system didn't randomly lockup or drop the login. But still sad in its own way.
What on earth do you do to the poor machine? I get around 200 days of uptime, before a thunderstorm power dip causes a reset. Certainly no random crashes - or do you restart your whole machine whenever Firefox locks up?
Most likely, you have very dirty power and need a UPS.
Most likely, you have very dirty power and need a UPS.
I agree. It's either a crap power supply or your proprietary ATI/Nvidia video driver is not installed properly. And if you want stable, you probably shouldn't install it at all.
Almost right with stability. Unfortunately, I'm a Mandrake/Mandriva user. Hello, instability. 10.1 enjoyed random crashes daily. Upgraded to 2006 and the problem persists, in addition to Firefox crashes (even with the version installed by the upgrade process). Sad.
Having been a Mandrake user since Mdk 7.2 I can tell you what you should do: SWITCH TO DEBIAN-SARGE ASAP! It is far, far superior to Mandrake in ALL respects, it is as stable as any BSD version, and as secure -or better - if you SELinux it, it offers you many more applications (about 16'000), it is truly and completely free, you get world class support without having to join any club and, last but not least, the install is easy with the Sarge-installer, and it is VERY easy with Knoppix, Kanotix or DSL installers.
I switched last year. The best decision I ever made (next to marrying my wife).
I urge you to switch to Debian GNU/Linux without further delays: Nirvana exists!
Having been a Mandrake user since Mdk 7.2 I can tell you what you should do: SWITCH TO DEBIAN-SARGE ASAP! It is far, far superior to Mandrake in ALL respects, it is as stable as any BSD version, and as secure -or better - if you SELinux it, it offers you many more applications (about 16'000), it is truly and completely free, you get world class support without having to join any club and, last but not least, the install is easy with the Sarge-installer, and it is VERY easy with Knoppix, Kanotix or DSL installers.
I switched last year. The best decision I ever made (next to marrying my wife).
I urge you to switch to Debian GNU/Linux without further delays: Nirvana exists!
Using Linux is only boring if you load the distro from the CD and configure it only with what's there. If you want to change anything at all, say run the current version of KDE instead of the verison currently in Debian, you are in for a substaintial relationship with your computer.
Debian can even be exciting without the desire to change anything. There is no telling what will break, be removed or be installed when you do apt-get upgrade.
The tangeled interdependencies of linux systems are actually making average end users loose the freedoms they should be gaining by switching. They can't run the applications they want because they can't install them. They are fully dependent on the makers of the distros.
This problem is fostered by the notion that dynamically linking instead of statically linking to libraries and other programs makes upgrading easier. For example if there is a problem with a spelling module you just update that once on the machine and everything that uses that functionality gets the benefit of the update. From my perspective it seldom seems to work like that, the fix in the spelling function breaks 15 other things which now also need to be fixed.
Debian can even be exciting without the desire to change anything. There is no telling what will break, be removed or be installed when you do apt-get upgrade.
The tangeled interdependencies of linux systems are actually making average end users loose the freedoms they should be gaining by switching. They can't run the applications they want because they can't install them. They are fully dependent on the makers of the distros.
This problem is fostered by the notion that dynamically linking instead of statically linking to libraries and other programs makes upgrading easier. For example if there is a problem with a spelling module you just update that once on the machine and everything that uses that functionality gets the benefit of the update. From my perspective it seldom seems to work like that, the fix in the spelling function breaks 15 other things which now also need to be fixed.
I hear this all the time, but rarely experience it anymore. When I ran Ubuntu, I had plenty of stuff break with a dist-upgrade, but now as a Gentoo user, it doesn't seem to happen anymore. It doesn't make sense at all, since everything's a lot more 'cutting edge' and dangerous, but it's almost a year now since I switched and it remains. Perhaps Portage is just better. I RARELY see packages getting blocked. When I upgrade major components, the only thing that causes problems are getting things to compile. Things break until the installation is complete, and sometimes it takes work to figure out why something won't emerge, but once it does, problems are minimal.
This is the most stable system I've ever had. I know it really shouldn't be, since I'm running more beta software than I ever have in the past, and emerging with -avuD seems to make more changes than most apt-get upgrades. But it is.
This is the most stable system I've ever had. I know it really shouldn't be, since I'm running more beta software than I ever have in the past, and emerging with -avuD seems to make more changes than most apt-get upgrades. But it is.
I find the same thing with my Arch Linux box. Takes some reading to install properly, but rock solid and so easy to upgrade everything with the Pacman manager. It's bleeding edge that works!
I came from the Debian world just a few months ago and was getting a bit irritated with apt-get and it's upgrading. But now, my Linux desktop is a REALLY boring place.<nobr> <wbr></nobr>;)
There's something to be said about taking time and learning about a good modular OS, like Arch, or Gentoo, or Slackware. You get so much more out of them. I'm sold.
I came from the Debian world just a few months ago and was getting a bit irritated with apt-get and it's upgrading. But now, my Linux desktop is a REALLY boring place.<nobr> <wbr></nobr>;)
There's something to be said about taking time and learning about a good modular OS, like Arch, or Gentoo, or Slackware. You get so much more out of them. I'm sold.
I purchased a laptop with Windows XP pre-loadded. I gave Windows about a month or two to impress me. The poeple where I was contracting at the time were real Windows zealots, so I used the new-laptop experience to try and fit in.
At the time, the laptop had become my every-day computer. After about six to eight weeks, I couldn't stand it any more. It felt so good to format the drive and install my fav. Linux distro (Arch Linux) and desktop environment (KDE).
Been using Unix for 22 years. Windows just feels like a clunky, toy operating system. What's been the big hoopla all these years?
At the time, the laptop had become my every-day computer. After about six to eight weeks, I couldn't stand it any more. It felt so good to format the drive and install my fav. Linux distro (Arch Linux) and desktop environment (KDE).
Been using Unix for 22 years. Windows just feels like a clunky, toy operating system. What's been the big hoopla all these years?
That's a cute tongue-in-cheek article, Robin. It's amusing while at the same time pandering to the zealous fanboys which is sure to increase the Newsforge page views. But, tell the truth Robin, was it composed on a Windows machine?
Don't get me wrong here, I could be described as a Penguinista by many people. I am indeed guilty of forgoing features and functionality because I am cheap/principled and have chosen to use Linux exclusively for the past several years. I'm sure too that you, Robin, have at least one Linux machine kicking around in your home office so, I won't say you are a total hypocrite. But, it does seem suspicious when you <a href="http://business.newsforge.com/business/05/11/09/2044220.shtml?tid=35&tid=136&tid=130" title="newsforge.com">write your books and create your videos using Windows.</a newsforge.com>
So, what's the truth Robin? Are you really a Pengiunista, like you seem to want your readers to believe? Or are you a realist who, though he loves the concept of Linux, realizes that business requires something that works well and works now so, you do your business on Windows? Did you write Point and Click Linux! on a Windows machine? Did you use Microsoft Word? Do you have any shame? Where's the truth?
Don't get me wrong here, I could be described as a Penguinista by many people. I am indeed guilty of forgoing features and functionality because I am cheap/principled and have chosen to use Linux exclusively for the past several years. I'm sure too that you, Robin, have at least one Linux machine kicking around in your home office so, I won't say you are a total hypocrite. But, it does seem suspicious when you <a href="http://business.newsforge.com/business/05/11/09/2044220.shtml?tid=35&tid=136&tid=130" title="newsforge.com">write your books and create your videos using Windows.</a newsforge.com>
So, what's the truth Robin? Are you really a Pengiunista, like you seem to want your readers to believe? Or are you a realist who, though he loves the concept of Linux, realizes that business requires something that works well and works now so, you do your business on Windows? Did you write Point and Click Linux! on a Windows machine? Did you use Microsoft Word? Do you have any shame? Where's the truth?
There are no zealots, no penguinistas, no nothing, nada... this is a weak way of Windows advocates to defend Windows usage.
What can one do to defend a system which has a long record of security failures?
What can one do to defend a convicted company?
What can one do to promote an OS that offers the same (or less) and is overpriced (when apps are taken into account)?
What can one do to fight a _free_ and costless alternative?
What can one do when someone offers the product you sell at _zero_ cost?
What one can do when amateur support is better than the "professional" one?
What one can do if he senses people will no longer need him?
What one can do if campaign after campaign fails? (remember Linux as toy/not serious, communist, cancer and other bs?)
What one can do if employees quit?
What one can do if years pass and the competitor can't/won't die?
What one can do if even dumb people start using Linux for banking because they know it's safer?
What one can do if little hobbyists start using Linux as a basis for their own lil' OSes (which can become the Next Big Thing)?
Almost nothing works, huh?
Well, one can always play dirty and call names.
That's what they do: call Linux users zealots, penguinistas, fools, morons etc.
Well, I don't care. Call me moron, unprofessional... whatever. That's why I don't have much respect for Windows users: because they don't have any for me.
And this is not a natural thing: no BSD user ever offended me. Nor OS/2 users. Nor Mac OS users. They just happen to believe their system is better than Linux and have chosen accordingly. Props to them! May they have always the opportunity of choice.
But not Windows people, oh, no. The first question they say is "Why don't you use Windows like everyone?" or "Why do you want to be different?"
Windows is boring, but Windows people suck more.
What can one do to defend a system which has a long record of security failures?
What can one do to defend a convicted company?
What can one do to promote an OS that offers the same (or less) and is overpriced (when apps are taken into account)?
What can one do to fight a _free_ and costless alternative?
What can one do when someone offers the product you sell at _zero_ cost?
What one can do when amateur support is better than the "professional" one?
What one can do if he senses people will no longer need him?
What one can do if campaign after campaign fails? (remember Linux as toy/not serious, communist, cancer and other bs?)
What one can do if employees quit?
What one can do if years pass and the competitor can't/won't die?
What one can do if even dumb people start using Linux for banking because they know it's safer?
What one can do if little hobbyists start using Linux as a basis for their own lil' OSes (which can become the Next Big Thing)?
Almost nothing works, huh?
Well, one can always play dirty and call names.
That's what they do: call Linux users zealots, penguinistas, fools, morons etc.
Well, I don't care. Call me moron, unprofessional... whatever. That's why I don't have much respect for Windows users: because they don't have any for me.
And this is not a natural thing: no BSD user ever offended me. Nor OS/2 users. Nor Mac OS users. They just happen to believe their system is better than Linux and have chosen accordingly. Props to them! May they have always the opportunity of choice.
But not Windows people, oh, no. The first question they say is "Why don't you use Windows like everyone?" or "Why do you want to be different?"
Windows is boring, but Windows people suck more.
Are you on drugs? Put down the crack pipe and try to be just slightly coherent. Your post above is completely incoherent and does not seem to relate in any way to the parent post. Your post looks like a psychotic episode. If this was 1970 I'd say you were on an acid trip.
What can one do?
What can one do?
Stop offending other people?
That seems a sensible thing to do.
That seems a sensible thing to do.
I'm offended by that.
RE: But lately Microsoft has started to embrace op
Posted by: Hillbilly on January 08, 2006 02:41 AM
what part of embrace and extend do you not understand, i could not count how many times they play the nice guy just long enough to get some objective achieved only to show thier fangs and some element of freedom dies of a bloody bite mark...
the sooner you realise microsoft is in it only for the money and could care less for thier customers the better off you will be...
the sooner you realise microsoft is in it only for the money and could care less for thier customers the better off you will be...
I must be using the wrong distros, because nothing is easy on my machines, and I haven't used Windows for a long time. I write little bash and Perl scripts and Java tools to do things that I do repeatedly. That means when something changes, my tools break. Plenty of tweaking to do.
Want adventure? Try running any OS on a PPC machine. OSX, Linux, or BSD. You will have plenty of trouble getting things to work.
Having said all that, I'm using FreeBSD on a machine that I just set up with a DVD burner, and life is pretty boring. Everything just works. But my PPC iBook is always there, ready to blow up.
BTW I have to agree somewhat with the Mandriva user. I am fond of Mandriva, but it does blow up quite a bit. Kind of like driving a Peugeot. In fact I first installed my DVD drive and Mandriva on the machine, and K3B, instead of copying the contents of the DVD to an image file, appended the contents of the DVD to my<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.xsession-errors file. Hee hee! Windows users would never see that! Then, it tried to dump the DVD to a printer. Cool idea, never watched a movie on a printer before. Luckily I don't have a printer set up for K3B to dump random values to. Encore, tres bien!
Want adventure? Try running any OS on a PPC machine. OSX, Linux, or BSD. You will have plenty of trouble getting things to work.
Having said all that, I'm using FreeBSD on a machine that I just set up with a DVD burner, and life is pretty boring. Everything just works. But my PPC iBook is always there, ready to blow up.
BTW I have to agree somewhat with the Mandriva user. I am fond of Mandriva, but it does blow up quite a bit. Kind of like driving a Peugeot. In fact I first installed my DVD drive and Mandriva on the machine, and K3B, instead of copying the contents of the DVD to an image file, appended the contents of the DVD to my<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.xsession-errors file. Hee hee! Windows users would never see that! Then, it tried to dump the DVD to a printer. Cool idea, never watched a movie on a printer before. Luckily I don't have a printer set up for K3B to dump random values to. Encore, tres bien!
It is surely a funny article but what i do is that once i make the distro i am using perfect, i install a new one. I like Arch linux for that because i can be close to the kernel. Though i often use Redhat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server (i didnt pay anything, i just use an evaluation), i dont like it because it just works no matter what i do. I know how you feel<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:)
I use a web application for work which absolutely requires the Windows OS and IE. Emulation, wine or none of that other bullshit will work.
Until they make the company portal to work with other browsers and other OS's, I'm stuck with windows.
Believe me, I've tried everything. You can't even get firefox or Opera to work on the site in Windows.
Now I hear IE for the MAC is toast. What are we to do. The 90's seemed so much better, at least we had hope with BeOS and an updated IE for MAC.
Microsoft has won, get over it:(
Until they make the company portal to work with other browsers and other OS's, I'm stuck with windows.
Believe me, I've tried everything. You can't even get firefox or Opera to work on the site in Windows.
Now I hear IE for the MAC is toast. What are we to do. The 90's seemed so much better, at least we had hope with BeOS and an updated IE for MAC.
Microsoft has won, get over it:(
use a virtual pc with a Windows install for your windows needs
What does using a virtual PC save me? As far as I can tell, it only adds a layer of complexity and cost to the equation.
If you have to run a virtual PC, why not just run Windows and be done with it? Wine makes some sense but, a virtual PC to run Windows and its application is just ridiculous.
If you have to run a virtual PC, why not just run Windows and be done with it? Wine makes some sense but, a virtual PC to run Windows and its application is just ridiculous.
>><nobr> <wbr></nobr>... Windows and its application is just ridiculous.
Well, that's rather simplistic, but I guess you figured the whole thing.
Well, that's rather simplistic, but I guess you figured the whole thing.
Not quite getting around it, and only works on windows. But its better then nothing.
Oh darnit, now I'm sad. A web application that doesn't run on web standards. Geez.. That is something to consider.
have you tried changing the user agent? Try User Agent Switcher for firefox, that fixes most sites that don't work in firefox.
Sam
Sam
I'd say your supposedly humorous article is revenue-inspired, as you appear to glorify one OS over another in a mixed way. But to help end your search for FUN, try PUPPY LINUX, and I guarantee you that all the fun in computing will be yours...
Hello Robin!
My advice for curing 'boredom' is to install Gentoo.
Although it can be rock stable running without any fuss, still you can tweak it the whole day by going to ~arch and living on the edge - subscribing to Gentoo ebuilds RSS feed (<a href="http://packages.gentoo.org/gentoo.rss/" title="gentoo.org">http://packages.gentoo.org/gentoo.rss/</a gentoo.org>) and by experimenting with the masked packages (M~).
I can guarantee that you will be busy the whole day - no more boring hours.
Hope it helps.
Sincerely,
Gour (Gentoo user)
p.s. The above piece advice is realized in the past, works in the present and will (hopefully) work in the future too.
My advice for curing 'boredom' is to install Gentoo.
Although it can be rock stable running without any fuss, still you can tweak it the whole day by going to ~arch and living on the edge - subscribing to Gentoo ebuilds RSS feed (<a href="http://packages.gentoo.org/gentoo.rss/" title="gentoo.org">http://packages.gentoo.org/gentoo.rss/</a gentoo.org>) and by experimenting with the masked packages (M~).
I can guarantee that you will be busy the whole day - no more boring hours.
Hope it helps.
Sincerely,
Gour (Gentoo user)
p.s. The above piece advice is realized in the past, works in the present and will (hopefully) work in the future too.
How could you be bored wth Gentoos and 3 security fixes PER DAY.... And not to mention if you're REALLY bored you could install it again, that should take a week or two up for you....
You are really funny
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 07, 2006 07:15 PM#