Which Linux

[NickFitz]

I never liked the brown of Ubuntu. Always makes me want to top myself.

So you won't be purchasing a Zune then?

[Board Game Geek]

There's never a simple answer with Linux is there?

Indeed and therein lies the problem.

Too many flavours and no overall control.

Can Joe Public go in to PC world and pickup a copy of Linux, go home and install it and get it working with zero effort ?

Or do they have to mess around with CLI's and stuff that scares the average home user ?

Linux may be good for the people who like to dick around and waste time (and I've seen the "Crazed Linux Look" in some of their eyes), but seriously, what is the appeal of starting all over again with an OS ?

Is it really that big a deal to some people ? Really ? Seriously ?

[Fred Bloggs]

Indeed and therein lies the problem.

Too many flavours and no overall control.

Can Joe Public go in to PC world and pickup a copy of Linux, go home and install it and get it working with zero effort ?

Or do they have to mess around with CLI's and stuff that scares the average home user ?

Linux may be good for the people who like to dick around and waste time (and I've seen the "Crazed Linux Look" in some of their eyes), but seriously, what is the appeal of starting all over again with an OS ?

Is it really that big a deal to some people ? Really ? Seriously ?

You're absolutely right. You only need to look at the monkeying around I had a few weeks ago just to get a simple USB wireless LAN adapter to work under Ubuntu. It took quite a bit of surfing to understand how to get a USB wireless LAN adapter to work and it was command line instructions all the way. If a non IT literate punter had that they'd just give up I'm sure. I mean a wireless LAN adapter has to be one of the most common peripherals used at home today? I was very surprised what a pantomime it was getting it to work under Ubuntu. These things simply work out of the box with Windoze.

[Scotchpie]

These things simply work out of the box with Windoze.

Well from my experience they do in Ubuntu. I have a similiar set up and its just two clicks to get on the internet with wireless.

As for learning a new OS which someone has mentioned, lets not forget that Mac is based on another Unix-like OS, namely Darwin BSD. A mate of mine has just converted to Mac and loves it. Sure he had to relearn things but it was well worth the effort by all accounts as he just loves his Mac and says he'll never buy another Windows OS.

The same could be said for linux. Once you put in the effort, which to be honest means about a day or so over the weekend playing around with it, the benefits are clear. I'll never go back to running Windows on my PC/laptop.

[Fred Bloggs]

Maybe I'm a bit thick but a BT Voyager 1055 Wireless USB Adapter was right royal pain in the neck to get working under Ubuntu and there's plenty of threads about the issue in Google so I'm not the only thick person with that kit!

I also find that installing software applciatoins that don't come with the standard distro isn't as intuitive as with Windoze either. But then again, I have only dabbled with Ubuntu and OpenSuse, never intended being a serious user really.

[DimPrawn]

It's good to see people dicking about with 1980's style OS's rather than just getting the job done on Windows.

Linux is only free if your time is worthless.

Keep plugging away. Keeps the decks clear for us professionals using professional tools.

[bogeyman]

It's good to see people dicking about with 1980's style OS's rather than just getting the job done on Windows.

Linux is only free if your time is worthless.

Keep plugging away. Keeps the decks clear for us professionals using professional tools.

1970's

You'd know all about being a 'professional tool' eh DP?

[Scotchpie]

It's good to see people dicking about with 1980's style OS's rather than just getting the job done on Windows.

Linux is only free if your time is worthless.

Keep plugging away. Keeps the decks clear for us professionals using professional tools.

Well in a speech given by David Cameron last year, if Tories win the next election then open source and Linux will play a big part in government departments.

This government is already suggesting that public and civil bodies must soon include open source technologies in IT business cases with strong reasons for going down the proprietory route.

In healthcare, the largest software vendor in the UK, McKesson, is already porting its products to linux whilst a hospital in Ireland saved the eqivillent of nearly £8mill over five years by switching its X-Ray dept. to open source.

[bogeyman]

Well in a speech given by David Cameron last year, if Tories win the next election then open source and Linux will play a big part in government departments.

This government is already suggesting that public and civil bodies must soon include open source technologies in IT business cases with strong reasons for going down the proprietory route.

In healthcare, the largest software vendor in the UK, McKesson, is already porting its products to linux whilst a hospital in Ireland saved the eqivillent of nearly £8mill over five years by switching its X-Ray dept. to open source.

An admirable aim, but I don't trust anything a politician says when it comes to computer technologies.

Whatever the deficiencies of Windows (and there are many), the fact remains that it's probably the best desktop platform out there for the general user.

More importantly, there are so many specialist and vertical applications written only for Windows that switching to another platform is pointless or even harmful.

Sure, you can run these apps in a VM but then you take a big performance hit, so what's the point?

Windows is cheap in the order of things when you start considering porting specialist apps.

[DimPrawn]

1970's

You'd know all about being a 'professional tool' eh DP?

I knew you'd bite Bogey.