10 Reasons to Switch to Linux

1. It Doesn't Crash

Linux has been time-proven to be a reliable operating system. Although the desktop is not a new place for Linux, most Linux-based systems have been used as servers and embedded systems. High-visibility Web sites such as Google use Linux-based systems, but you also can find Linux inside the TiVo set-top box in many livingrooms.

Linux has proved to be so reliable and secure that it is commonly found in dedicated firewall and router systems used by high-profile companies to secure their networks. For more than ten years, it has not been uncommon for Linux systems to run for months or years without needing a single reboot.

2. Viruses Are Few and Far Between

Although it is possible to create a virus to target Linux systems, the design of the system itself makes it very difficult to become infected. A single user could cause local damage to his or her files by running a virus on his or her system; however, this would be an isolated instance rather than something could spread out of control.

In addition, virtually all Linux vendors offer free on-line security updates. The general philosophy of the Linux community has been to address possible security issues before they become a problem rather than hoping the susceptibility will go unnoticed.

3. Virtually Hardware-Independent

Linux was designed and written to be easily portable to different hardware. For the desktop user, this means that Linux has been and likely always will be the first operating system to take advantage of advances in hardware technology such as AMD's 64-bit processor chips.

4. Freedom of Choice

Linux offers freedom of choice as far as which manufacturer you purchase the software from as well as which application programs you wish to use. Being able to pick the manufacturer means you have a real choice as far as type of support you receive. Being open-source software, new manufacturers can enter the market to address customer needs.

Choice of application programs means that you can select the tools that best address your needs. For example, three popular word processors are available. All three are free and interoperate with Microsoft Word, but each offers unique advantages and disadvantages. The same is true of Web browsers.

5. Standards

Linux itself and many common applications follow open standards. This means an update on one system will not make other systems obsolete.

6. Applications, Applications, Applications

Each Linux distribution comes with hundreds and possibly thousands of application programs included. This alone can save you thousands of dollars for each desktop system you configure. Although this is a very small subset, consider that the OpenOffice.org office suite is included as well as the GIMP, a program similar to (and many people say more capable than Adobe Photoshop); Scribus, a document layout program similar to Quark Xpress; Evolution, an e-mail system equivalent to Microsoft's Outlook Express; and hundreds more.

For the more technically inclined, development tools, such as compilers for the C, C++, Ada, Fortran, Pascal and other languages, are included as well as Perl, PHP and Python interpreters. Editors and versioning tools also are included in this category.

Whether you are looking for Instant Messaging clients, backup tools or Web site development packages, they likely are all included within your base Linux distribution.

7. Interoperability

More and more computers are being connected to networks. No system would be complete if it did not include tools to allow it to interoperate with computers running other operating systems. Once again, Linux is very strong in this area.

Linux includes Samba, software that allows Linux to act as a client on a Microsoft Windows-based network. In fact, Samba includes server facilities such that you could run a Linux system as the server for a group of Linux and Windows-based client systems.

In addition, Linux includes software to network with Apple networks and Novell's Netware. NFS, the networking technology developed on UNIX systems also is included.

8. It's a Community Relationship, Not a Customer Relationship

Other operating systems are the products of single vendors. Linux, on the other hand, is openly developed, and this technology is shared among vendors. This means you become part of a community rather than a customer of a single manufacturer. Also, the supplier community easily can adjust to the needs of various user communities rather than spouting a "one size fits all" philosophy.

This means you can select a Linux vendor that appears to best address your needs and feel confident that you could switch vendors at a later time without losing your investment--both in terms of costs and learning.

9. It's Not How Big Your Processor Is...

Because of a combination of the internal design of Linux and development contributions from a diverse community, Linux tends to be more frugal in the use of computer resources. This may manifest itself in a single desktop system running faster with Linux than with another operating system, but the advantages go far beyond that. It is possible, for example, to configure a single Linux system to act as a terminal server and then use outdated hardware as what are called thin clients.

This server/thin client configuration makes it possible for older, less powerful hardware to share the resources of a single powerful system thus extending the life of older machines.

10. Linux Is Configurable

Linux is a true multi-user operating system. Each user can have his or her own individual configuration all on one computer. This includes the look of the desktop, what icons are displayed, what programs are started automatically when the user logs in and even what language the desktop is in.

Web Editor - Wed, 2021-03-09 09:17.
Categories:

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

I recently download Knoppix

I recently download Knoppix for a crashed Windows XP computer and found that the computer ran alot quicker under Linux than under Windows.

James (not verified) - Fri, 2020-08-24 06:19.

Lets live together...

After reading most comments, i found that some linux's supporters just dont let window's supporters to give their opinions. For me, windows cannot be threw away as there are people who really need it till the time when linux is ready to provide these people with what they call user friendlyness. Its not that linux is not user friendly. Indeed, it is very user friendly (at least in its own ways eg. Ubuntu). But these people just want it easier. Before that happen lets live together and exchange info and opinions in matured ways, not insulting each other. Which side I am? I'm a LINUX supporter and wanna see more desktop users believe in what i believe...(but i wanna preach them based on intellectual arguments not emotion).

Din (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-24 08:40.

You forgot to say the really

You forgot to say the really important reason to switch to Linux:
Windows is for the idiots, Linux is for intelligent people.

An - ymous (not verified) - Fri, 2020-12-08 21:38.

Why NOT to switch

If you give reasons to switch, the implication is that each one shows an area where that option is superior.

1. It Doesn't Crash.

Other users have pointed out it DOES crash; if not the kernel, then something attached to it.

Moreover, since Windows 2000 in 1999, Windows rarely crashes either. When it does, like Linux, it's inevitably someone else's beta driver that's failed.

2. Viruses Are Few

I've got news for your guys: It's almost impossible to get a virus in Windows. I couldn't do it if I tried; Hotmail and Gmail filter out suspicious spam, and lord knows viruses don't come from CNN.com.

The traditional virus isn't lucrative. Everyone's moved to adware, which isn't at all difficult to prevent. (Install Firefox.)

3. Hardware Independent

This is so irrelevant it doesn't even merit addressing.

4. Freedom of Choice (In Applications)

Another bullocks argument. There are more Windows programs, and they're more powerful. It's not even a question. Where's Photoshop? Where's Office? Where's all the shit people actually need for work? Four crap word processors do not equal one good one.

5. Standards

The virtue of being a monopoly is that your standard is everyone else's.

6. Applications.

Same as above. This author has a phenomenally skewed view of what 'equivalent' means. Equivalent is not, 'oh it looks about the same and you paint on a picture'. It's COMPLETE compatibility and a match feature for feature. Those who think Gimp comes anywhere near Photoshop haven't used either.

Windows inevitably has more and better choices. For servers, the story may be different, but we're talking about home users.

7. Interoperability

"Linux includes Samba, software that allows Linux to act as a client on a Microsoft Windows-based network."

Wow. That's brilliant. You know everyone else has to make their systems act as a client on Windows networks? Windows.

8. Community

"This means you can select a Linux vendor that appears to best address your needs and feel confident that you could switch vendors at a later time without losing your investment--both in terms of costs and learning. "

If the author actually believes anything in this section, I have a bridge to sell him.

9. Processors

Yep, Linux can be used with thin clients. What does this have to do with home users switching from Windows? Not a damn thing.

More recently, with Vista hardware accelerating the UI, I'd say Linux has some catching up to do.

10. Configurability

Damn right it's configurable. Too configurable. The whole OS is written for geeks, geeks who want options. Here's a newsflash: People DON'T WANT OPTIONS!

Linux is more configurable than Windows. Windows is more configurable than OS-X. Does the author suppose it's a coincidence that that list is in ascending order of usability? If it's done properly, it doesn't need to have buttons and options all over the place.

An - ymous (not verified) - Sun, 2020-12-03 21:16.

1 windows crashes all the

1 windows crashes all the time
2 impossible to get a virus on windows?........bs they're rampant
3 try networking mac and windows. possible but not fun
4 i want options
5 you're a whiner

An - ymous (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-09 22:39.

MY SWITCH FROM XP TO UNIX* OR LINUX

Hi, im a windows xp user... i like windows xp and my opinions are as follows:
1. I hear all linux ppl complaining about microsoft security... well if your good at windows xp, you would know how to secure it enough to keep script kiddies away? firewalls etc etc... i mean how many real hackers are out there to get YOU? out of million people... are you the target? NOT ME! NEVER BEEN!! its safe enough for me. Lets not talk about security for now ok.... for businesses its a different story.

2. secondly, you can use firefox in windows, how you gonna get a virus? i mean have you heard of kerio personal firewall? itll stop trojans sending or receiving information from and to your computer. Viruses??? worms? spybot search and destroy??? .......... come on dont diss microsoft!! all these viruses and all can be prevented if you took proper measures and not be lazy!! you dont like me by now do you? coz im a normal xp user and you agree with me? do i make sence?

3. well lets see, multimedia? well "legally" linux distros dont have support 100%, for DVD playback. although with tweaks and tricks you can do it... atleast in suse they say we cant watch commercial dvds... well most dvds... but you can tweak that... have you got time? lets add 2 hours here to do that ok?

4. did you say windows xp costs alot? did you say $300.00 ? :ssss so you would rather spend hours and hours to search for something for FREE just because microsoft wants a couple of hundred dollars for their hard work?.... dont be cheap skate mate... your time is more important... are you even paying for your copy of xp? haha! dont be a joker... xp is worth the price mate... you buy it and its yours!! yes think about it, once in a life time payment :PPPPPPPPPP

5. did you say we have to keep updating for security? blah... i still use service pack 1 can you beleive it? do you not update your linux ever? i see many security issues being raised for linux too..... dont be lame man..... dont mention updates to me...

.............. now why i want to change after all my beleifs above......
now i have an option to purchase a nice operating system, SUSE for so cheap!! i like it its so cheap... i can just throw it away when i dont like it anymore....

.............. i want to be unique and simple...... microsoft has too many stuff inside.... i like plain simple stuff.

............... i bought a suse downloadable dvd version on ebay... yeah i couldnt be asked to download it so i bought it... to see if its good...

i got 4 discs.. 1 suse, 1 suse 64bit , 1 suse live dvd, 1 ubuntu dvd.

..................
i inserted ubuntu live and after about 4 reboots...... i got a desktop!! wow... i see firefox there already.... lets check is internet working???
woahhhh im shocked... wait a minute!! i didnt even install anything and ermmm im online? wow lets check out the menus...

i find an irc client inside too!! xchat or something?? just leave this one alone now... www.yahoo.com wow its really working.... eject cd please!! ubuntu is good....... but i have suse too :(((

off i go.... my dvd rom drive has always been faulty... i couldnt get suse nor ubuntu to power up again.... are the dvds i bought from ebay faulty or what?? lucky i got another laptop... switched it on with suse... live cd... always went into desktop... also looks same as ubuntu to be honest?? menus, desktop etc etc looks same...

SO FAR im happy with ubuntu and suse.... now theres many more out there........ i feel sad in a way... i would have liked to be unique... so im now reading upon pc-bsd... since freebsd is unix* not that i would know what unix and linux difference is... but atleast there isnt so many FREEBSD like os out there........ but suse looks so proffesional... im tempted to go on their website and purchase it and just start using it and make it mine!!!

NOW NOW... xp... well........ why linux and not xp? for a start, i just like the name linux... it sounds kewl!! secondly... im impressed of the fact that linux loaded my ethernet and d-link router without asking me anything? and then running from cd drive? just nice!!

now if xp came up with a live cd would be good :P and if we didnt have to install our routers etc etc after installing windows... like linux just does it all at once??? i mean thats the feeling i got from the live cd... way to go...

now me i just browser websites.. view some mpeg clips... my next move is to try pc-bsd and try run mysql/php on it.

oh by the way... tonight im going to format my pc and put suse 10 on. first i gotta save all ma passwords :P
NOW DONT DISS ME! IM GOING. i may not come back here.

noTIMEforLearning (not verified) - Sat, 2021-03-11 18:14.

re: MY SWITCH FROM XP TO UNIX* OR LINUX

noTIMEforLearning--

noTIMEforSpelling, either, eh?

jimbo (not verified) - Fri, 2020-10-06 10:09.

re:

Nice, couldn't have said it any better.

HoX (not verified) - Sun, 2020-12-03 19:34.

switch to linux

I tried (+/- in the following order):
Xandros 2.0 and 3.0 - Mandrake 9 and 10 - Suse 9 - Ubuntu - Kubuntu - and returned to Xandros Desktop 3.0, in my opinion the best for new users switching ll the other distro's failed to work out of the box with one or more applications - mp3, music- dvd movie playing - my Canon scanner)
With Xandros everything (except the WIFIcard of the ACER ASPIRE 180 Laptop) works out of the box.

guido dom (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-18 04:07.

Ease of use

I am a fairly new user. I have a few months practice with Suse 9.2, and 9.3, and Fedora Core 4.

First, I would like to say that I like the stability, the free aspect of Linux, and the relative immunity from viruses and other nasties.
The problems I have found are that it is difficult to get some new software and some types of hardware running with it. Specifically, the hardest thing I had to do was get a scanner configured. Initially I used Suse 9.2, and after a couple of very frustrating weeks, I finally got my Epson Perfection 1670 scanner to work. Then I decided to upgrade to Suse 9.3. Now I cannot get the scanner to work at all with that version, even though I used the same settings as those that worked with Suse 9.2.

I generally find it difficult to install new software I download as RPMs. The configuration is not easy.

My experience with Fedora has been even more difficult as far as configurations. I attempted to configure the scanner to work with Fedora, but gave up after a few days.

In short, I have found Linux to be very attractive as far as stability and reliability is concerned, and I would very much like to use it as my main system. I wish there were a book that provides help for Windows users wishing to migrate to Linux. Maybe it could describe common tasks that Windows power users would do, and provide the equivalent methods to do the same tasks in Linux. Even if it were limited to some of the more popular distros like Fedora and Suse - that would be a great help.

I think Linux will be ready for the desktop of the average home user, when it is easy to do the common tasks in it. Most of those are already very close. I think the hardware support for certain devices needs improvement, as well as some software tasks such as installing new software, updating existing software, and configuring software.

-Alex.

Alex (not verified) - Thu, 2021-01-05 15:27.

My point is

I think Linux will be ready for the desktop of the average home user, when it is easy to do the common tasks in it. Most of those are already very close.
My point is that linux will have the same % in future, as it has nowadays, may be a little bit higher.

Fellowmate (not verified) - Sun, 2021-01-29 16:55.

this might help

My techbuilder articles:
Almost all my Linux how-to pieces are here (URL in above link). They're written for Fedora Core 2, should work on 3, ... and they should be close enough on other distros to let you figure out what you are supposed to be doing with the tools on your own distro. Of special interest might be my articles on how to get a Windows emulator running, how to get multimedia running, and how-to on backups. (I wrote two articles on backup, start with the second one.

They're written for newbies, and they do NOT assume you were born knowing how to read a man page.

My informit articles... got one on how to use GPG on Linux, and there will be more.

A. Lizard (not verified) - Thu, 2021-01-05 23:02.

Techbuilder

Thanks, Lizard. I've looked at some of your articles and they're very
interesting; I'm sure to refer to them and sources like TUXMagazine for
a lot of specific issues.

As for Alex, I feel your pain. I have an Iomega zip drive and a Sony
DVD burner that simply refuse to work with SuSE 9.3. Even though I can easily do what I want in Windows, I'm still trying to get it to work in Linux. It's the challenge more than anything else. Hang in there.
-Vern

Vern (not verified) - Fri, 2021-01-06 14:03.

Games, games, games...

I've been a hobbyist since 1980 and tried many different OS' and machines. (CBM, Atari, IBM...) As fascinated as I've been with computers, the thing that really drew me in and still takes up a lot of my time was/is games. Really slick looking graphics and cutting edge games keep me using windows despite it's many flaws. I'm attending college courses at night for a CMIS degree, and I have had to use UNIX for several of my more recent classes. Since I can't always be online to the university mainframe, I installed an extra drive on my desktop computer and run both Win XP Pro and SUSE Linux Pro 9.3 as dual systems. Here are a few thoughts on both:

Windows comes in many different varieties now and XP is about to be rendered obsolete as well. I had to buy XP Pro because the ORACLE software I needed for a class wouldn't run on XP Home. After paying hundreds of dollars for the operating system I could only install it once, on one machine. I've had to reformat hard drives on an older computer and then buy ANOTHER copy of XP when I've got the disks laying in front of me. (I know that can be hacked, but I don't feel like taking the chance on pirate crack, especially since XP needs to update online almost daily.) When I bring home work, I need advanced features from Windows office because that's what we use where I work and I have to be confident of absolute compatibility.

SUSE Linux is growing on me as I use gain experience with it. Most of my classes have been programming and database oriented, so I appreciate the GCC and MySQL being built in. Installing the system was relatively easy although I assumed that it installed everything automatically ala Windows. It was very aggravating to attempt some programming, install packages manually, or even use some standard Linux commands only to find out that it wouldn't work because a library or additional code had to be installed from the disks. Once I understood YAST and discovered by trial and error how to use it to install packages things got much better. Linux is great for programming and sys admin work, but it is difficult to configure. I'm using Mozilla and Konqueror for web browsers but after repeated attempts still can't get the plug-ins to work correctly (real player, Kaffein, java, etc); that's a painless procedure in windows IE that takes seconds! Unix is dominant on the server market, and requisite knowledge for someone wanting to work in the computer industry - but it doesn't work well for the average desktop. Sorry this went much longer than I had intended, so I'll try to summarize the pros and cons.
- Windows is expensive and predesigned for obsolesence
- Windows is the defacto standard (especially working for the government)
- Windows is totally automated and easy to use
- The latest and greatest software only comes for Windows
(WINE is good for older stuff, but...)

-Unix is required knowledge for CS degrees
-If you want to run a server, well...
-If you want to shift between programming languages quickly and customize commands then UNIX beats Windows hands down

I will continue to use both systems although I see the Linux OS as a challenge.

Vern (not verified) - Thu, 2021-01-05 12:49.

I disagree with in you

I disagree with in you saying UNIX is the best for programming. With UNIX, you cannot run all the state of the art development tools, such as .NET, the upcoming WPF, WCF, C#, ASP.NET, and so on.

Erel (not verified) - Sat, 2020-08-12 13:06.

What?

When did ASP become "cutting-edge"?

Michael (not verified) - Wed, 2020-10-04 20:11.

That's IMO

XP is a good system for users while browsing online, Linux is good operating system to host your sites, to use perl, c++, etc. That's IMO.

Tobordeaux (not verified) - Sun, 2021-01-29 16:47.

Linux doesen't crash? BS!

I have been using SimplyMephis 3.3.2 test 3 for quite some time. The other day, for no apparent reason, I lost sound. No matter what I did I could not get alsa to work. Then, a few days later, I was trying out OpenOffice 2.0 base. While I was setting up a new database my computer froze. I tried everything I knew to get a new, usable console, but it was stuck solid. After a hard reboot I was stuck with a box that would not boot to a gui. After mucking around for a bit I was able to get it to boot to a gui but not with nVidia drivers. I still can't get the gui with that driver so I can play my gl games. I am not giving up on Linux, but PLEASE don't say it doesn't crash! I was not doing anything "cutting edge," I was simply using my machine to do simple tasks. I'm sure whatever went wrong was my fault and not the os's fault, but even so, what happened to my system is not indicitave of a bullet proof operation system.

Mr. Mepis (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-04 00:22.

If possible, please upgrade

If possible, please upgrade to 6.0 stable! And NEVER expect a beta to be stable!

vk (not verified) - Thu, 2020-10-05 15:52.

It's your nVidia module

add
--cut--
Option "NvAGP" "0"
--cut--
to "Device" Section in your xorg.conf/XF86Config file

Alien (not verified) - Fri, 2020-07-21 08:42.

Re: Linux doesen't crash? BS!

I think you are missing the point. Linux did not crash, your sound driver/mixer/etc crashed. I have Oracle servers that have been running (RedHat AS 2.1) for over 3 years with 0 downtime. That includes service packs and patch installation (with the exception of kernel upgrades).
The only time you should EVER have to actually reboot a Linux machine is to begin using a new kernel. Aslo note that the word "test" in your OS name means it is not a stable release, and is therefore itself, "cutting edge". You may want to try a stable release version.

A Linux Admin (not verified) - Wed, 2020-05-10 20:00.

hence your using a testing

hence your using a testing right ? go figure..

An - ymous (not verified) - Sat, 2020-05-06 17:53.

Have had a SUSE machine

Have had a SUSE machine running for over 2 years 24/7 now.. no reboots, nada. just works fine.. my daughters windoze laptop gets rebooted every week.. always something crashing.. LOL

An - ymous (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-04 12:32.

Not Crashing

As indicated by your post, it states you are using "test 3" of Simply Mepis....you cannot base Linux stability on a beta product which is prone to crashes...

Shawn McCuan (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-04 06:32.

I noticed that the "10

I noticed that the "10 reasons to switch to Linux" didn't include "it's easy to use", "it's easy to install new software", "it's as easy to use as Windows", etc.

Despite all of the happy talk, wishful thinking and dreaming that goes on and on about Linux (by the Linux community), the fact remains that it's not a threat to Windows on the average home desktop pc. If it was, you wouldn't be writing magazine articles to try and get people to switch to Linux.

The peculiar structure of Linux itself prevents it from being easy to use. Linux is it's own worst enemy, and no amount of hard-selling is going to change that.

Linux on the desktop is slowly getting easier to use, but only to the degree that it mimics what the average desktop user already uses...Windows. The Linux community asking the average home desktop pc user to "re-learn" how to use an operating system so that they can use Linux (and they obviously don't need it or want it), is like some Johnny-come-lately car manufacturer telling a car buyer that they are going to have to re-learn how to drive a car so that they can use their car. It's absurd.

Average home desktop users don't have time for that crap...because they have "LIVES", and those lives don't (can't) include spending hours wrestling with Linux, reading man pages, reading info pages, reading FAQ's, reading all the previous posts in all the forums to be sure that their question isn't already answered somewhere, reading a HOWTO that tells them how to ask a question after they have done all of that other reading, failed dependencies, rtfm, and on and on and on.

"Ease Of Use" is KING to the average home desktop pc user and it always will be. They cherish it above security, they cherish it above stability, they cherish it above "free as in freedom" and "free as in free beer". Convenience is the natural result of ease of use. There are a hundred jillion convenience stores in America and around the world because convenience stores are easy to use...at only twice the price:),
and they couldn't care less about the Microsoft monopoly or the Open Source VS. Closed Source crap. They want ease of use and convenience. PERIOD. If it was any different we wouldn't be having this conversation.

You think Linux is better than Windows? Well take a good look around at who's using what on the average home desktop pc. Is Linux better than Windows? Guess what...THAT DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!

Remember the TNT movie "The Pirates Of Silicon Valley"? Near the end after Gates had beaten Jobs, Job's last act of defiance was to mutter, "our stuff is better". Gates finally lost his composure and shot back, "you still don't get it...THAT DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!".

To get onto the average home desktop pc, the Linux "Community" is going to have to COMPETE with the Microsoft "Business Empire" for the business of the average home desktop user. There is simply no other way to get there. It'll be David against Goliath, and David didn't bring down Goliath by writing irrelevent magazine articles, pointing people to endless oceans of documentation, telling them to rtfm, and blaming his inadequacies on the user. And neither will the Linux Community. That's just the way it is. The Linux Community will either give the average home desktop pc user what it is that they really want, or they will remain nothing more than an obscure, fanatical, computer subculture in the eyes and mind of the average home desktop pc user...if they think about you at all.

An - ymous (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 23:33.

"Linux on the desktop is

"Linux on the desktop is slowly getting easier to use, but only to the degree that it mimics what the average desktop user already uses...Windows."
I look at my nice little dockbar on the side of my screen, with its list of virtual desktops and widgets, and can't help but laugh at this comment. Yes, the default configuration of a lot of distros starts off with a very Windows-like configuration and interface so beginners won't feel lost, but that's where the similarities end. Linux can look and act like Windows if you want it to, but that's the keyword - "if you want it to". The system can look and act however you want it to look and act. The way in which it's getting easier is that it's gaining more and more GUI tools for configuration, and has finally gotten to the point where there's very little configuration that can't be done via the GUI (There's even a book called 'Point and Click Linux'- guess what it's about?). You really don't think Windows started out with all the GUI tools it has today, do you?

An - ymous (not verified) - Thu, 2020-10-05 16:10.

It's not harder to use. It's

It's not harder to use. It's just different. The problem with transitioning someone from Windows to Linux is that they've developed a mental library of GUI expectations, file paths, and abstractions from their OS.

The hardest part of moving someone from Windows to Linux is deprogramming them. No one just starts using an OS exactly as they want -- it takes time to learn the conventions.

An - ymous (not verified) - Wed, 2020-10-04 20:17.

Re: I noticed that the "10

I noticed that it took a "Winblows Troll" to come into a Linux Magazine site to spout his or her crap. Not even capable of spelling anonymous correctly. Had to be funny, while not contributing anything worth while, by spelling it as "An - ymous". Typical of fault finders.

I have been using Linux for the last five years, and I can do everything that I had on my Winblows box. Well not everything. I do not have to reboot every two hours. I do not have to upgrade my anit-virus software on a daily basis. I do not have to go through and purge my system of trojans, or adware on a daily basis, just so I can get more speed out of the system.

Yes, I had to relearn how to use the new O/S, but then I am more productive that anyone on Windows. I do not have to do the daily fight in the previous paragraph, and oh yeah, I can leave the machine on without worry, of some application calling home for a new update, and the so called security software, resetting the user's setting, thus breaking the user's apps as new .dll files getting installed destroying pathways for those apps to run. Heh, heh, Winblows has security by breakware.

I've had my machine stay on for over a month, and no degradation or slowing of the system. Enjoy the tool "xkill", as when an application does on the rare occurance lock up, just use it to kill the app, and not have to reboot the whole system. And restart the same app within seconds. My desktop on Linux is KDE and I have no trouble using it. Everything runs great. It is easy to use.

When you learn new things, you do have to exercise the grey matter, the stuff between the ears. For some that takes a great deal of effort. For learning Linux, that was me. But it was well worth it. And as for you spouting off about the so called conflict between the two systems, me thinks you complain too much. I couldn't care less. Where I have a problem, is when you M$ trolls come into a Linux site and start your crap looking for a fight. Spouting your lies, thinking you are going to get converts to go back to you.

Listen, when you climb out of sewage, and are able to breathe fresh air, there is no way you are going to go back into the sewage again. Give it up, and leave us alone. If you wish to learn Linux, we will be willing to help you, but if you are going to spout crap, then crawl back to your sewer, where you belong, with all the other stinking garbage.

QuickSHASOWMAN (not verified) - Fri, 2021-01-06 07:18.

That was such a stupid post.

That was such a stupid post. Most of his points were legitimate. Your response, however, was garbage. The implication of intellectual superiority is not going to win you an argument.

An - ymous (not verified) - Sun, 2020-12-03 20:49.

Linux is amazing...

By using multiple partitions, when I got tired of Fedora Core 3, and wanted to switch to Debian, the switch was relatively painless...all my files were preserved and though I had to recreate users, the user files were still there. I also optimized partitions for security.
There are problems, though, like the fact that there were connection problems with the Debian net install, and I still haven't even gotten a GUI to work on Debian. However, I really dislike running windows, even though my windows boot has so much ported linux software, even a multiple desktop client. I didn't bother signing up for computer priveleges at my high school because I'm so used to the speediness, efficiency, and useful features (multiple desktops) of the linux system that I don't want to use windows unless neccesary (like at the moment...I still have to get a GUI for Debian)
Linux has gotten me more interested in computer hardware and software, and I started learning programming and hunting down old computers. I'm even going back two of my own computers ago to a 486, and see what I can do it.

An - ymous (not verified) - Thu, 2020-06-02 04:04.

LInux in my house

Linux is used in our house and has been used for years. Well, not by all at first. I had so many complaints by my wife and kids about the trouble they would get into using windows. But no one wanted to try Linux. It was learning a new operating system and they wanted to use windows but they didn't want to maintain it they wanted me to. Winows would get viruses, pop-ups would go out of control, crashes... ect. I have to fix windows for a living I didn't want spend all of my life fixing windows. I set up a cuple of computers running LInux and left XP to a wireless laptop. It didn't take long for everyone to start using LInux. I made sure I had all the goodies everyone uses right on the desktop. Next thing ya know kids and wife are chating with gaim, surfing with Opera, using Kmail, and school work with Open office. After a year.. the only time the XP laptop is used is when the desktops aren't free to use and it's a last resort. Our Family loves Linux, in the end the migration was painless! :)

xstep (not verified) - Fri, 2020-05-13 16:13.

Oh, yes, it does crash!

Oh, yes, it does crash! Mandrake 10.1 and Knoppix 3.7 do, anyway.
I'm still investigating Linux to see if it might be something I'd like to use and I have to say that while it has many things going for it it also has numerous deficiencies, like it's inability to play nicely with ATI. (I buy only ATI video cards.) And Mandrake developed an extreme dislike or fear of the internet to the point where it refused to even connect to it, later developing a fear of booting up, taking either 20 minutes or multiple attempts before coming up. I'll be scrapping the Mandrake altogether and testing Debian, next.
I can never get Wine to work with anything; maybe I'll have more luck with Cedega.
Command line is hard to get used to after so long without DOS, and the commands are so dissimiliar.
Jury's still out but I've seen enough to pique my interest. I'll keep testing and learning and, just maybe, I'll figure out what the hell I'm doing and make the migration away from Macrosuck.

Message written on Macrosuck's Windoze 1900, complete with Millenium Bug and the Blue Screen of Death theme pack.

tdatb (not verified) - Fri, 2020-05-06 11:33.

ATI cards... speak with the

ATI cards... speak with the people who own and create the cards for better support. IMO ati should die. GO NVIDIA(true performance)

An - ymous (not verified) - Sat, 2020-05-06 17:55.

Maybe you started with the wrong OS

Maybe your bad experience was caused by the wrong distro. My observation about distros like Mandriva, is that those that like them, really like them. And those that don't, well, you know.
I did over a year of window shopping the Linux distros before I made the switch to Linux. Distrowatch.com was my browser's home page for 6 months. Instead of opting for a windows friendly transition distro like Mandriva, Xandros, or Lycoris, I decided to go all out to a full Linux distro. I installed Libranet 2.8.1. It was newbie friendly with out trying to clone a windows experience. It was great.
The only time Libranet got clumsy with me was when I didn't know how to do a tweak on some software. The biggest problem I had was learning how to download new software. I nearly didn't figure it out. But I did, finally.
But I never had problems with pop-ups, crashing, instability, viruses, security issues...you know, some of those things legacy software users accept as a way of life... And pay huge amounts of money to defend themselves against.
Libranet, or another newbie friendly, full linux distro would be a good choice for anyone wanting to make the switch. The learning curve isn't that steep. After about a week's break in period, you'll be running like a pro, almost.
I am currently running XP on this machine. But it is brand new with warranty stipulations. But as soon as the warranty expires, it gets a fresh install of NetBSD. I have 3 months left. By MArch, I will be running Open Source again.

Moge Roithe (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 10:01.

ATI Correction

A agree with the replys posted that "Linux" does not crash, but some application might. I also agree that to most users it does not really matter. When there is a hang up, all they know to do is turn the power off and start all over (instead of just killing the app via 'top' or 'pkill' or such)

BTW - you are talking about so "cutting edge" distros. You might want to try some more stable distros and see the difference.

Anyway, I REALLY felt the need to comment on the ATI thing. If you ONLY buy ATI, then you should know about the company better. You should know that it is not Linux's "... inability to play nicely with ATI", but the other way around. ATI not playing nicely with Linux.

Linux is open, and follows standards. If a piece of hardware does not work, it is ONLY due to the fact that the company is not "playing nice". If you pick your hardware properly, you don't have any problems. This goes for any OS - Windows, Linux, Solaris, Macs, etc.

Kevin (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 09:36.

Let's make one thing clear.

Let's make one thing clear. When people say "Linux Doesn't Crash" that's absolutely true. Linux doesn't. X-Windows on the ohter hand does crash. I still think it's more stable then Msft Windows, but it does crash. Alt+Backspace should kill X and you can start up again without causing your entire system to crash.

just my $.02

An - ymous (not verified) - Fri, 2020-08-19 17:30.

Sorry it does crash

I have Fedora Core 4 running on a server with an email server, backup, openldap authentication and a few networking services. When it crashes, maybe once a month, it does so with all the determination of a windows crash. No keyboard/mouse or network access possible. The only solution is to turn it off and on again. Nothing in the logs to indicate the cause.

My feeling is that there is a memory leak somewhere that eventually freezes the system. I've seen it in one of my own runaway applications. Maybe one day I'll get around to tracking down the cause, but it has certainly dulled the excitement about Linux with other staff, particularly as the old Windows NT server hasn't crashed for nearly 6 weeks.

Ken Sarkies (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 17:54.

6 Weeks???

Lol....that's nothing to be proud of...My personal home file/streaming music server has been running Gentoo 2005.0 for 5 1/2 months without a single reboot.

Shawn McCuan (not verified) - Wed, 2021-01-04 06:42.

When people have a system hun

When people have a system hung, they say it's crashed. Do they care what specifically crashed it? No.

This sort of communications-disconnect is typical when geeks try to correct users.

An - ymous (not verified) - Sun, 2020-09-11 15:45.

Yeah it fdoes, but not as much.

No one is god. But linux is closer to god then windows. Linux crashed aloooot less then windows

An - ymous (not verified) - Wed, 2020-05-18 19:20.

Grammar people...please

I think you meant "than" not "then."

An - ymous (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 09:36.

Me too

That typo of using "then" when they meant "than" can be see all over the www. It's almost taken a life of it's own. I don't know whether people do it on purpose, or whether it is the single most common typo in the English language, but it makes my skin crawl everytime I see it. It just irks me.

Moge Roithe (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 10:09.

then vs than

I CANT STAND people using "then" instead of "than". The instant I see its incorrect use, my respect for their intelligence drops dramatically.
The pandemic must be stopped!!

An - ymous (not verified) - M - , 2020-12-04 22:41.

Need to stay realistic

I know the thrust of this magazine is to get people learning linux so they use it regularly and that builds a market for it which promotes development and advertising dollars for you. But we must remain realistic. Alot of what you have stated are not full truths. For instance, linux does crash and it is not hardware independent. In fact, there's alot wrong with having drivers that aren't fully implemented and saying something doesn't crash when clearly I see OSes crash, systems go into a spindive, etc. No, I haven't seen the equivalent of the BSOD but I know that others have.

I am not here to demean linux. I use it every day all day for everything I do (well, with the exception of a few things), and I love it, but I'm not going to see a product that is still difficult to use and maintain sold as a wonder of the ages with no crashes and independence from hardware manufacturers.

Jimb (not verified) - Thu, 2020-05-05 11:14.

it only crashes if YOU have i

it only crashes if YOU have installed things incorrectly

An - ymous (not verified) - Wed, 2020-08-31 19:15.

agreed

I agree entirely. I run Ubuntu 6.06, and was experimenting with window managers and found that Gnome and Enlightenment would ocassionally crash for no apparent reason, forcing me to Ctrl+Alt+Bkspc. Then I tried out Fvwm and haven't had a strange crash since. I assume it was a case of PEBKAC or misconfiguration, but still, it entirely depends on the software. Linux itself is as solid as they come.

An - ymous (not verified) - Thu, 2020-10-05 21:55.

Installing

Keeping in mind that most new users will be trusting the operating system to install things correctly, and that it is possible for linux versions to stuff things up.

(Mandrake 9.0, 9.1 spring to mind.)

I'm presently using a much-patched version of Mandrake LE 2005 and Ubuntu, and I've seen lockups in both.

Joal (not verified) - M - , 2020-10-10 01:53.

Hardware could be a problem

Linux is Great... as long as your hardware is compatible.
How do you tell if your hardware is compatible easily?
Well you .... um did you say easily ... like not having to know the ID nums and types of all your hardware. Well I could be wrong but I have not found any "easy" way to know if hardware is compatible.
Even the so called "live CD" test won't always tell you if another version of Linux is compatible. I have Knoppix and it recognises my Cruzer USB memory stick. But my version of Fedora totally freezes up whenever I insert the stick into the usb port. Even when an old version of W**ws dosn't recogonise a piece of hardware it rarely causes the entire system to totally freeze up, and XP certainly doesn't.
So the moral MS may be evil but its market dominance means just about all hardware will work with its operating system. Something Linux can't claim.

Keith Rowley (not verified) - Wed, 2020-05-04 17:53.

Easy way to tell - look for

Easy way to tell - look for "IBM compatible" on the box. This has yet to fail for me. Also, don't buy "exotic" or "bleeding edge" hardware.

Distros compile their kernels differently. This is part of the reason why a piece of hardware may work on one and not another (among some other things). That's one of the reasons why live cds are good. You can pop one in and test your hardware with it before committing it to your hdd.

I've had various devices fail to recognize before, but I've never experienced one freezing up the system. Also, this is the only distro you've experienced this with, right? Then why are you blaming it entirely on Linux in general?

And I'm guessing you've never had a major hardware driver fail on Windows.

vk (not verified) - Thu, 2020-10-05 16:41.

LIAR!!!

You are saying lies!!! MSWindoze crash with unrecognized harward and with the very recognized too!!! The best way is to use the manufacturer drivers. When you install MSWindoze it puts its own drivers that are not the best, because in the 99% this drivers makes the system crash. Putting the original driver from the manufacturer is best, with MSWindoze or with Linux. With Linux you cant have this drivers, like in windoze, because the manufactures rarely provide it to linux. IS A FAULT OF THEM NOT A FAULT OF LINUX!!!
The Linux comunity makes a great work developing drivers FROM ZERO, without support from the manufacturers. MSWindoze dont makes the hardaware to work -properly- its that manufacturer driver that makes this work for you, THEN MSWindoze -like linux- CAN'T CLAIM IT TOO!!!.
AND with the live CD topic: if you will install Fedora then -please- use a Fedora based live cd. It's so hard to understand? The hardware recognition is a different design from distro to distro.

Astaroth (not verified) - Tue, 2021-01-03 10:08.