Linux - a rant

[darmstadt]

I like Linux, its good at what it does but if the Linux community wants to attack the Windows desktop world its going to need to pull its finger out.

I first started with Linux when you used to have to download a load of floppy disk images and there was no graphical interface. I still have the first CDs that SuSE bought out when it was based on Slackware. I installed the first Linux/390 on a commercial system in Germany. I've built numerous specialist servers and laptops running Linux many of which are still running 24/7 in a production environment. I run different flavours of Linux as VM images to check them out and do specialist tasks. My last contract was building Linux images to run WebSphere and for that my laptop was a Debian system which did the task admirably. My current project I have as my desktop machine a RHEL system which does its job fine, its for work nothing else.

On one of my personal laptops I decided to stick with Linux as it uses less RAM than Vista and I have a very RAM intensive application that I use quite often and it boots up a hell of a lot quicker. So:

- I tried Debian. No support for the webcam or my 3G dongle (alhtough I did eventuall kind of get it working
- I tried Ubuntu with both KDE and Gnome. It just blew out each time
- I then tried Mint 8 with the XFCE desktop and it was really nice but still no support for the webcam and sound was a pain. At original installation time there was sound. Install some more applications and there was no sound. Now do I try with Pulse or Alsa or OSS and do I use the Xine backend or GStreamer? Who the **** knows...
- As I quite like KDE and Mint was quite nice then an install of that combination was performed. Still no webcam but sound was there until for some reason the desktop disappeared and I would have to log in as root, start the xserver and then log in. Everything I then did had to run as root. Not ideal, in fact bloody stupid
- So lets try Mint with Gnome. Nope that just blew up after installation
- OpenSuSE 11.2 was looking good although still no webcam. After installation, configuration it too went tits-up

Luckily I hadn't deleted the Vista partition and that is what I am running now sadly, oh and everything works. Pity the poor bastard who has no computer knowledge hitting the problems that I did. The Linux community needs to set some standards so that people can easily install a distribution and use it like Windows. I mean say I'm running Ubuntu and I want to install an application, now do I download a .tar.gz, a .rpm, a .yum, etc. Things need to be easier for the general public (oh and they need to stop slagging each other off.)

[realityhack]

WHS.

With bells on.

[escapeUK]

Theres a reason its free.

[expat]

I wanted a unix-based system that worked out of the box because I've had enough of MS Windows but I've also had enough messing about trying to make linux work when I'd rather be using it for something. I value my time, more than either Windows or linux seem to.

It really really really goes against the grain to say this, but the thingy with the fruit on it does it.

[stek]

I wanted a unix-based system that worked out of the box because I've had enough of MS Windows but I've also had enough messing about trying to make linux work when I'd rather be using it for something. I value my time, more than either Windows or linux seem to.

It really really really goes against the grain to say this, but the thingy with the fruit on it does it.

Ahh, the Apricot!?

[lilelvis2000]

Still only good in a server environment. And all these distros confuse the heck out of me. I stick with Ubuntu or CentOS.

[administrator]

Have to agree - even the common Linux distros on new or slightly odd hardware = FAIL a lot of the time. Sad really as when it does work it is very good.

[stek]

Try OpenSolaris - You might be pleasantly surprised.....

[The Wikir Man]

I run Ubuntu 9.10 on my desktop machine at home, Linux Mint 8 x64 on my laptop, Linux Mint 8 on my wife's laptop, eeebuntu 3.0 on my eeePC.

I've yet to hit any major problems - worked out of the box first time on the four different machines that I've used, which is more than I can say for the last flaky install of Windows 7 Ultimate. Sound didn't work on my wife's old machine, but a quick check on google found a set of instructions on how to debug it. Simples.

Each to their own, though.

[voodooflux]

Ahh, the Apricot!?

I spent a few happy years working* for them.

*running the Quake server