Top ten reasons why u should use LINUX

[Kasyx]

Therese no issue for me with Open office.

Sending someone a open office document via email for an example.
if the format was incorrect then that person has to reply and say sorry i cant open your document.
And the user has to either call his/her It guy to come and assist, thats what i mean by not being productive.

The compatibility between windows and Linux isnt the best.

Take ubuntu for an example, to install applications there is always a linked library thats out of date
and if you update the outdated one another outdated one pops up in a chain of outdated libraries.

OpenOffice gives one the option to save in a MS Word-compatible format.

Linux developers spend hours on ensuring Linux-Windows compatibility, Microsoft Developers probably spend hours on trying to prevent it. You can't blame Linux for Microsoft's anti-competitive behaviour. Linux devs getting their apps to be compatible with Windows is like hitting on a girl who wants nothing to do with you (pretty much what Linux devs deal with on a daily basis *sob*); it's all one-sided.

My statement was a bit broad I shouldive said not so computer literate people is unproductive, I personally like Linux, i'm a fan.
A person that doesnt have linux skills or great computer skills will struggle. Point.

If i had to give my dad a computer with windows on it , he will manage to install his Celphone for an example
Easily, with no help from an me or a computer shop, But give him linux , the first thing he will say is "Haal die K#k NOU! Af!"

This is the top cyclical argument when it comes to the case of Linux v. Windows:

Consumer *****: "I would use Linux if the every day applications I use worked on Linux natively"

Money-Hungry Developer: "I would write more applications for Linux if more people used it."

/catch22

Thats what i mean and

IE dont crash all that much, Firefox is native to Windows (displace that)
Windows Firewall, Atleast a user will have some protection, try to configure a linux application firewall if there are any)

Baloons thats not anoying to everyone.

BSOD, That also dont happen that often, I dont often fix BSOD screens in our office with +- 60 users ?

Spyware Malware Viruses Linux will have the same prob if it was as popular, Imagine what a mess it would be to sort it out on a linux system with millions of files and folders.

[/quote]

Because IE is piled in with Windows, you are always going to have some sort of issues with it, be it a fight for default browser, native Microsoft apps insisting on opening sites in it, Microsoft websites telling you to get stuffed unless you are using IE, etc.

Balloons may not be annoying to everyone, but when I have to stop what I am doing, or have my full-screen app slow down because some stupid "Help" Balloon pops up informing me of stuff I most assuredly couldn't care less about, I see that as somewhat counter-productive.

Yeah BSODs don't happen often, but when they do you have no idea why and pretty much have to rip your PC apart in order to find out because there are no convenient log files (read as /var/log/messages or dmesg) that tell you what is up with your system.

Spyware, Malware and Viruses would not be nearly as big an issue on a Linux box because it runs on a competent kernel. Sure, there are exploits are there geared towards Linux, but even if one day Linux had a predominant market share, there would not be nearly as many security issues with it as there are with Windows. Further more, OSX is pretty popular with the Mac crowd and makes up a decently sized demographic, yet there don't appear to be many viruses and spyware flying around that side of the sphere. I wonder why that is? Oh, because it runs off a unix kernel...

[Kasyx]

I am not arguing for all plebian office-biscuits to start using the Linux, what I am for is intermediate to advanced computer users to start looking into it. There are a lot of skilled computer users out there, and if even half of them gave Linux a try, it would already increase market share and start giving software companies a reason to start developing for Linux natively.

The switch to Linux isn't going to be due to users being forced by developers, but rather by developers being forced by users.

[rustypup]

Open office.

i cannot possibly imagine how you would draw a distinction between the two platforms' productivity based on office.... the ratio of, (what i would call), effective vs ineffective office users in our company is probably 1/400... the bulk of them still try to use word as if it were notepad or excel

know many users who use excel to browse cubes or have even a passing acquaintance with v/hlookup, not to mention users who may understand how to use the data sort tools, or how column/row references work?..

as to document flavours... this issue already exists around office 2003/2007 - while there may be a conversion tool available, if it's installed, it has a habit of pranging either the spreadsheet or excel... so... either the user is so dim as to be unable to "save as", (and i accept that this is largely the case), or you're back-pedalling...

to install applications there is always a linked library thats out of date
and if you update the outdated one another outdated one pops up in a chain of outdated libraries

i'd like to press the harrumph-alert button on this one... i am very rarely required to update libs outside of the normal update process... dependancy tracking has been improving all the time...

in fact, the only time i get planted in ballooning dependancy exceptions is when i'm mucking around with beta product... in which case - who's to blame?

if anything, the repo system makes for a far more secure platform... if you stick to the standard repos, your chances of doing something damaging to the system are significantly reduced...

because it runs off a unix kernel...

poorly timed reference there... i was waiting for one of the windoze crowd to mutter about how photoshop, etc, is required for 'productivity' in certain industries...

[Kasyx]

What I love most about Linux is the repo system. I think it is quite possibly one of the best inventions in terms of OS usability.

[SBSP]

Kasyx is see your point and i'm not arguing

OpenOffice gives one the option to save in a MS Word-compatible format.

I know but people still tend to save in the default OO format.

This is the top cyclical argument when it comes to the case of Linux v. Windows:

cus its the truth.

The baloon thing, Dis able it in the rigistry if you have to, LOL, I dont get baloons all the time or to such an extent that it annoys me, so i'm not sure what you are talking about.

Yeah BSODs don't happen often, but when they do you have no idea why and pretty much have to rip your PC apart in order to find out because there are no convenient log files (read as /var/log/messages or dmesg) that tell you what is up with your system.

I doubt that a non it guy will sort it out like that , so that uses less anyway.

Spyware, Malware and Viruses would not be nearly as big an issue on a Linux box because it runs on a competent kernel. Sure, there are exploits are there geared towards Linux, but even if one day Linux had a predominant market share, there would not be nearly as many security issues with it as there are with Windows. Further more, OSX is pretty popular with the Mac crowd and makes up a decently sized demographic, yet there don't appear to be many viruses and spyware flying around that side of the sphere. I wonder why that is? Oh, because it runs off a unix kernel...

Fair enough

@ Rusty.

i cannot possibly imagine how you would draw a distinction between the two platforms' productivity based on office.... the ratio of, (what i would call), effective vs ineffective office users in our company is probably 1/400... the bulk of them still try to use word as if it were notepad or excel

know many users who use excel to browse cubes or have even a passing acquaintance with v/hlookup, not to mention users who may understand how to use the data sort tools, or how column/row references work?..

Nope i dont know many users that does,but the few that i know of , is excel users.
does open office even have those features ?

[RuadRauFlessa]

Therese no issue for me with Open office.

Sending someone a open office document via email for an example.
if the format was incorrect then that person has to reply and say sorry i cant open your document.
And the user has to either call his/her It guy to come and assist, thats what i mean by not being productive.

The compatibility between windows and Linux isnt the best.

Take ubuntu for an example, to install applications there is always a linked library thats out of date
and if you update the outdated one another outdated one pops up in a chain of outdated libraries.

OpenOffice gives one the option to save in a MS Word-compatible format.

Linux developers spend hours on ensuring Linux-Windows compatibility, Microsoft Developers probably spend hours on trying to prevent it. You can't blame Linux for Microsoft's anti-competitive behaviour. Linux devs getting their apps to be compatible with Windows is like hitting on a girl who wants nothing to do with you (pretty much what Linux devs deal with on a daily basis *sob*); it's all one-sided.

You have no idea how frustrated I was with desktop users last year. the brass decided we have to go over to OO and I got called out for every single, file corruption, call. And these are trained users. They are not the scraps you pull off the streets. They have to pass an exam on computer use and such as they give desktop support to customers. End of the story. I had to waste 2 days to go round to all the pc and configure it to save in office formats by default. They just simply can and will not read what is right in front of them on the screen.

[Hex_Rated]

Linux = good server OS
Windows = good consumer OS

end.

Yes Linux can be used as a consumer OS, but unfortunately 99% of people would prefer to double click an icon to install drivers or applications than to mess around with editing cfg files and pull all sorts of weird things to get the program / HW to work. That's why we moved away from MS-DOS.

Put most people in front of a Linux box and they will break it within days and not be able to fix it. Laptops with Linux on them were returned a lot more than those with Windows on them. I'll find the figure and link.

[Kasyx]

At the end of the day:

People are stupid, Linux is not.

This will forever be Linux's downfall.

[RuadRauFlessa]

At the end of the day:

People are stupid, Linux is not.

This will forever be Linux's downfall.

For once I would have to agree with the statement.

[SBSP]

At the end of the day:

People are stupid, Linux is not.

This will forever be Linux's downfall.

Finaly

But!!!



If the developers of a linux distribution was clever enough, they would realize this.
Things will get allot better, Ubuntu comes the closest.

[Kasyx]

At the end of the day:

People are stupid, Linux is not.

This will forever be Linux's downfall.

Finaly

But!!!



If the developers of a linux distribution could realise this.
Things will get allot better, Ubuntu comes the closest.

The reason I use Linux is because I don't like using a condescending OS. I like the fact that my OS expects me to have a brain in order to use it effectively.

What I love most about Linux is that if something doesn't work, it is my fault, not that of the OS. This means that it is in my power to fix the problem.

"That command didn't work? Clearly I am an idiot. Let me RTFM."

[SBSP]

If companies had to implement Linux as a desktop, LOL that would be major job creation.

[Hex_Rated]

Lack of standardization is also another problem with Linux and the consumer market. And I agree, although lots of people are really stupid, some are relatively clever but just not computer people. I'm just lazy, which is why I like Windows better.

Besides a good server OS, it makes an awesome embedded OS as well though. I love my WRT54G router with modded firmware.

[hamin_aus]

All this talk about how good Linux is as a server OS... I wont debate that but:
Unix?.... and Windows don't make a half-bad server OS either.
2K3 was solid, and 2K7 looks to improve on that.

[GreyWolf]

and in recent news:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/02/06 ... i_1000_uk/

[SBSP]

All this talk about how good Linux is as a server OS... I wont debate that but:
Unix?.... and Windows don't make a half-bad server OS either.
2K3 was solid, and 2K7 looks to improve on that.

Dont think anyone was rambling off on how good of a Server os it is.
The topic is about moving people over from a win desktop to lin desktop or converting windows 'users' in general.
But yes Win3K is awsome!
There is nothing that beats exchange especially, and like you say its solid

[shiv]

Linux is OPEN SOURCE.
If hackers analyzed the SOURCE CODE, couldn't they easily attack Linux??

I quote from that site:
Try to install your wireless router and a wi-fi dongle on 4 computers with Linux. It takes a few minutes with XP, weeks with Linux. I did it. Read the forums. System administrators and software engineers can’t do it. The only option is to buy different hardware that fits Linux.
Linux is for geeks who want to spend more time ******** around with their computers than using them.
That about sums it up for me

[rustypup]

Linux = good server OS
Windows = good consumer OS

linux makes for an excellent media center OS as well... tiny, stable and flashy...

nevermind the fact that it doesn't waste clock cycles clamping HD playback.....

@shiv: that wooshing sound just now was the point flying directly over your head... it takes me less than a minute to break into a windows install.... probably 5 minutes with a decently configured linux box... what's your point?...

and when did the OS become responsible for a lack of drivers?... surely this is an issue with the vendor?...

[RuadRauFlessa]

and when did the OS become responsible for a lack of drivers?... surely this is an issue with the vendor?...

OOh that is the biggest vendor fail in history. Drivers. and they get away with it cuz the id10t consumers just sees the OS as the culprit instead of their fav manufacturers.

[Hex_Rated]

Linux = good server OS
Windows = good consumer OS

linux makes for an excellent media center OS as well... tiny, stable and flashy...

nevermind the fact that it doesn't waste clock cycles clamping HD playback.....

I'd call that an Embedded system since it has one purpose, even though it, strictly speaking, is a PC. I've heard good things about Linux media centers.

[hamin_aus]

and when did the OS become responsible for a lack of drivers?... surely this is an issue with the vendor?...

OOh that is the biggest vendor fail in history. Drivers. and they get away with it cuz the id10t consumers just sees the OS as the culprit instead of their fav manufacturers.

[RuadRauFlessa]

Now come on jamin_za, you know it is not the end of the world. You won't have to resort to a console YET!

[hamin_aus]

Now come on jamin_za, you know it is not the end of the world. You won't have to resort to a console YET!

Have a look at Server 2K8 Core... the console is back in Windows!

[RuadRauFlessa]

*click* *click*

There is no managed code support in Server Core (all code must be native Windows API code).

There is life in for the old C yet

[shiv]

Linux = good server OS
Windows = good consumer OS

linux makes for an excellent media center OS as well... tiny, stable and flashy...

nevermind the fact that it doesn't waste clock cycles clamping HD playback.....

@shiv: that wooshing sound just now was the point flying directly over your head... it takes me less than a minute to break into a windows install.... probably 5 minutes with a decently configured linux box... what's your point?...

and when did the OS become responsible for a lack of drivers?... surely this is an issue with the vendor?...

@rustypup:
if linux becomes as popular as windows (or close enough) to warrant the attention of hackers, then surely linux is more vulnerable since it is open source??? i mean if the source code is sitting right in front of you, then hacking must become sooooo easy??

the point about drivers is that setting up hardware can be a pain.
with windows its just installing the drivers off the disc.
with linux it could be doing some obscure things, which could take days or months.
i know that the hardware support in linux is great, but there are still exceptions.