Linux......Come of age!!!!!

BillScarab

To the OP, crimninal prosecution is nothing to do with Windows or Microsoft. If you break the terms of the licence then you are liable to prosecution, just as you are if you rip off Mac OSX, or copy DVD's or any other copyright infringement.

Thanks for the history lesson, I am fully aware of the history of Windows and DOS, I've worked on PC's runnign pretty much every OS and GUI since the PC was introduced. I've even worked on ones running GEM.

I still think describing Windows as cobbled together is worng though. After all recent versions of Windows don't run on DOS and many of the security advantages of Unix/Linux are included in Vista such as not running an admin account be default.

juno

I love Linux. I love Ubuntu, but Xubuntu is good too, and I like my EEE

[Deleted User]

Dread wrote: »

As for the "cobbled" together software

To be fair, Linux distributions are far more cobbled together than Windows is. The distributions are akin to a patchwork quilt. The head honcho of the foundation that releases Ubuntu has even admitted there are issues that are far from perfect, in particular multimedia. This is what I was aiming at when I stated that I don't see any distribution of Linux being a competitor for Windows on the desktop market. There are what, 3 sound subsystems implimented in Ubuntu?

I don't have anything against it other than it is driving a constant need for upgraded machines and we are all ending up with PC's cluttering up the loft/garage/shed. I have 2 laptops in the loft and my kids machines are creaking under XP so what option do I have when Microsoft withdraw support for XP.......I shell out several hundred pounds for a new Windows machine including the licence for software or I start using a free, perfectly acceptable OS like Mandrive or Ubuntu Linux.

What you've got to bear in mind that Windows is still the best operating system for gaming with no sign of anything being able to remotely challenge it at all. PC Gaming is driving hardware advancement at a massive rate and this is pushing the requirements of Windows forward to be able to meet the demands of gaming. Linux cannnot begin to compete with Windows on this level, if anything it is more suited to Business workstations, not the home PC.

be-alright.......... I would be interested to know what version of Ubuntu you used as accusing 8.04, which has it's official release tomorrow I think, as "fun for the hobbiest and 'power users', but it's not matured enough to be of any competition to Windows" is an incredible statement to make in the face of my experience over the past two weeks. I installedan OS from one download which required nothing more than a broadband connection to install and configure a laptop without any intervention from me other than typing in security and email settings, can you find me a Windows version that can do that because I can't. So what operating system is dragging its heels, My Ferrari came with a variety of driver CD's as did my Toshiba and if I try to load Windows on either of them I would get nowhere without them. As for guides to get XP running quickly........on a 6 year old machine???.....talk sense. As hubris said, switch off anti virus software and it will run faster but who in their right mind would do that?

You do not need to disable your antivirus to have XP running well. There are guides available to strip down the services that are running in the background to make it more efficient and you can also get programs that do it for you. Windows XP will run more than fine on a six year old machine that meets it's requirements.

Hopefully now that your out of University and in the real world having to pay for software you will begin to realise what a boon Linux is and if you care to try some of the more recent Linux Distro's you will find there is scant need for a command line so you may well be able to get on with it. I have tried Red Hat and it's not in the least bit user friendly and designed primarily for the expert so it's no wonder you didn't get on with it.

I've left university and I've been two years in my job as a software engineer. I admittidly do get access to the entire MS catalogue through MSDN, but it still doesn't change my opinions so far. I have a partition on my hard drive that I have reserved for 8.04 to expose myself to it. That said, I will still continue to code on my Vista machine because I have no issues with it. Once you reach a certain spec of machine, performance doesn't factor into the choice of operating system.

I will report back.

Just to add to the previous point regarding security on Windows. The user was set up as an administrator account by default, which meant any program that was installed and used would run with the same account privilages as the account logged in and executing the program. Obviously, this means any program has the top level of access across the system which was/is a fundemental flaw of the NT archicture. Any program could be targetted to exploit this access. Vista was re-engineered to address this and required elevation into the administrator account in Secure Desktop in order to make changes that would affect the system. A change that Windows was well overdue. This now forces software developers to write their software in such a way that their program will run on the lowest privilages that it can, ie no admin access = no exploits system wide.

[Deleted User]

foofi22 wrote: »

Linux runs the majority of Internet servers - if that doesn't demand high security I don't know what does.

About 80% of the UK banks run on Microsoft software.

superscaper

be_alright wrote: »

About 80% of the UK banks run on Microsoft software.

Not to mention the pcs and laptops used by the MoD etc.

foofi22

be_alright wrote: »

About 80% of the UK banks run on Microsoft software.

My example wasn't meant as a dig as MS - despite you taking it that way - it was intended as an example to show how widespread Linux really is and that everything doesn't just run "xp".

Yes some things use MS others use OSS - 99.999% of computers in the world run MS does it mean its the best?......yes for some, probably not for others.

foofi22

superscaper wrote: »

Not to mention the pcs and laptops used by the MoD etc.

Yeah those ones they leave in the back of cars...

I used to work for the MoD - yes most do they are brought from Dell with it pre-installed - but a fair amount of stuff goes on using Linux machines.

[Deleted User]

foofi22 wrote: »

My example wasn't meant as a dig as MS - despite you taking it that way - it was intended as an example to show how widespread Linux really is and that everything doesn't just run "xp".

Yes some things use MS others use OSS - 99.999% of computers in the world run MS does it mean its the best?......yes for some, probably not for others.

I never took it as a dig at all, don't worry about that.

I agree, it's horses for courses, different strokes for different folks etc. Just thought I'd dime in with my view on things.

foofi22

be_alright wrote: »

I never took it as a dig at all, don't worry about that.

I agree, it's horses for courses, different strokes for different folks etc. Just thought I'd dime in with my view on things.

Sorry about that - I feared you may be a fanboi

...one man's meat is another man's poison etc etc...

Dread

Hang on, this is a money saving forum not a geeks hang out. I have used office software suites pretty extensively, over the years I have owned and worked in businesses that required me to provide comprehensive reporting and I know that as a heavy user anything I can get from Linux has been more than up to my demands. Windows, on the other hand has proven buggy, crashy, over demanding of hardware and extremely costly as I'm not a student.

I logged into and accessed files far easier from a Linux PC on my home wireless network than I ever have using Windows and as foofi22 pointed out, Linux has more robust security (that's pretty well indisputable) and I don't think Windows can do anything Linux can't except look pretty.

I'm not a 'power user' and neither are the majority of users in the world never mind on this forum so to continually laud Windows over Linux as a power user is to simply destroy the point of the forum. If you guys are such experts you ought to be encouraging people to try a free distribution out especially if it can be done from a CD and helping them with advice on where to go for help.

As for your remarks BillScarab, if you understood my comments on criminal prosecution did you post your remarks merely to be antagonistic. Who on earth would be the principle witness in a copyright infringement case with, say Microsoft........let me see, Oh thats right.......Microsoft! so if Microsoft refused to act as said witness would the authorities proceed with the case?...I really don't think so. Besides which it was the principle I was highlighting rather than the practicalities. Of course Bill Gates isn't going to prosecute Jo Normal for giving a copy of Windows to his pal to use but it's entirely possible.

Like I said, why should we (except students of course) pay silly money for an OS or Apps when there is a perfectly credible, free alternative with many advantages downloadable over broadband that will run perfectly well on machinery Windows wont look at.

Thats rather the point of this forum.