Linux is not hard, it's ignored - Column

I use to be a Windows Fanboi, then I discovered LINUX and started preaching the Gospel according to Tux.

Recently I've lost interest in the fanboi craze, probably because I have a real life and pricking around with OSes does not do it for me anymore. Since then I've realised that an OS is only as affective as the end user.

But I must say that my LINUX experience does make me more of a Windows power user as I now understand the concept (and reason for implementation) of many admin features. There is very little that WindowsXP cannot do when compared to LINUX: Powerful Scripting; CRON; User permissions; Web Hosting; etc ... its all there in Windows XP

Personally I still use LINUX, but its my joice.
 
This is a bit off-topic, but I installed Arch Linux today and I'm loving it! At first, it seemed very hard, but it turned into a very pleasant experience!
 
And let's face it....if you're an IT person in SA, you will come face-to-face with Linux rather sooner than later.

Conquer your fear. :p
 
Thing is, to deploy a virus for the Linux is considerably more complicated on for Windows, never mind that Windows machines are in the majority here.

In Linux you as the user have to actively elevate the privileges of the virus software, in Windows this happens by default.

In Linux, you download your apps and updates from community-verified and monitored sources, generally not so with Windows apps. If someone tried to deploy a virus through the main repositories or launchpad, they will be shutdown very quickly, if it even makes it to the masses. Of course, you can still install software outside of this sources, but applying the same common sense as installing exes from unknown sources applies here, and you should be fine.

And a malicious app cannot execute automatically, as the user will be asked for their admin password, and if you are not expecting to be asked this, say when intentionally installing an app, you can refuse to give an unknown app admin privileges. Of course, as Linux/Ubuntu becomes more common place, you might get the situation of a user receiving a malicous .deb file, or whatever format their distribution uses, and will be stupid enough to give it admin privileges when requested. I don't think that would be the fault of the OS, but rather the user.

But, let's see what happens in the future, maybe virus writers will work out a way around this, but I don't think that day will come. All they really need to do is play on the gullibility/greed/morals of the users, to successfully get their virus to infect systems and spread out from there. Again, this is something caused by the user more than the OS, be it Windows or Linux.

B
 
It's not free, it's (Windows) built into the price of the PC.

I don't think Linux is harder, I just think it's different. I actually find it easier to fix problems in Linux than Windows. In windows I usually adopt the practice of format & reinstall which I seldom do in Linux.
 
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adrianx said:
This is a bit off-topic, but I installed Arch Linux today and I'm loving it! At first, it seemed very hard, but it turned into a very pleasant experience!
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I absolutely love Arch ;) It's what you make of it, kinda like rolling your own distro.
 
ponder said:
It's not free, it's (Windows) built into the price of the PC.

I don't think Linux is harder, I just think it's different. I actually find it easier to fix problems in Linux than Windows. In windows I usually adopt the practice of format & reinstall which I seldom do in Linux.
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Correct ! We would all save R1000 bucks per pc or more if we were not forced to buy it with windows.... try and buy a new pc from say IC and tell them you dont want windows ?
 
The word is "difficult" not "hard" - FFS.
Right, now that I have that off me chest...



porchrat said:
Actually Linux makes up a a fair portion of the server market (13.8% of the total market as of 2007 according to the IDC and that number grows every year). Some of the world's most important information is stored on Linux servers.

Surely virus makers would be interested in that?

Unless you assume that virus makers aren't interested in how important the information is and are then instead motivated by fame. How famous would the virus be that decimated the supposedly secure Linux? Wouldn't that be enough motivation?

So personally I prefer the term 'more secure'.

It isn't just Linux. OpenBSD, Solaris etc. are all regarded as pretty secure.
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QFT

riempiestoel said:
Of course its not free, but it's hard to buy the computer without it... so...
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It is very easy actually. Just stop buying at IC etc. PC Intl sells without windows and a linux ready machine starts at under 1.5K
 
Taqyon said:
It's still hard.

I've recently spent the better part of a day trying to get a standard "linux compatible" NIC to work. I've eventually handed it over to my linux pro friend, which also spent a good 2 hours.
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Yeah, I agree with you, man, those Linux developers are too idle to create proper drivers for the hardware. And then, when they do reverse engineer the drivers, write the kernel mods and release the code (for free, nogal) they don't bother to provide proper instructions. FFS!
 
For any Linux-Based OS to become mainstream, it would have to be sold, together with the relevant proper support & paid development. The Linux community needs to standardise on what flavor they want for Desktops/Laptops and Servers and sell them. The money generated from that will assist in further marketing the OS and enable the building of more decent updates, with proper beta testing.

I reckon the Linux community knows this and it must be excruciating to see an OS like Windows be released to customers at a premium price (whilst still being buggy and unsecured), when knowing that, if they had the same budget as Microsoft, they could do a helluva better job at designing and building an OS.

There is no argument: A Linux based OS is a little more fiddly and technical compared to OSX or Windows. The majority of people who buy a computer aren't technical, that's why they go to a shop like Game to buy a PC with "Weendaows". If they struggle, the know of some nerdy family member who can help them to get that "cards" game working, open the "sums-program" and help set up the crappy Lexmark printer. Microsoft flourishes on these facts - they know the majority of people are still a little scared of computers and they build their OS's to facilitate the mitigation of that fear.
 
The problem with Linux really isnt Linux .. its the users of Linux. Ive tried (at least 5 times) to migrate from windows to Linux .. in server and desktop environments, and every time Ive gone back to windows. The real problem, is when you get stuck with an install, and the response from Linux users is "well, its not Windoze", and "RTFM" or "well the super script diamond version H.K.M.P is the problem .. just write a new one .. you can get an example in the super script - Diamond section of this webpage written in greek, which you should easily be able to translate using the Package managers translate command".. obviously thats not a real response .. but its always way over your head as a windows user. Then when you bring up something you can do in windows .. which you are trying to set up Linux, and you dont know how, the Linux community responds with "well actually we arent trying to make it easy, its a different operating system .. and if you dont like it .. stop complaining . dont use it." or .."Linux isnt trying to be mainstream . its just there for people who want control over their pc's .. so forget about mainstream".

Unfortunately the reality (prepare for linux fanbooi flaming) is unless Linux take the approach that 99.9% of new Linux users are migrating from windows, and they are daunted enough without the snide comments and sharp witty linux geek comebacks, that Linux is NEVER going to be mainstream. And I know .. that at least 10 fanboois are going to reply saying Im an idiot and that Linux has no intention of going mainstream etc.

But think about this .. if MOST of the world like windows cause its easier, and Linux users are too far up their Linux distros to care to help with genuine useful replies and empathy for the guy who's taking a HUGE leap, eventually people will stop trying to migrate (like myself) and eventually .. when less people use a distro it will stop development .. and then more distros . .and more .. and then eventually its all over until another person starts Linux 2 or something and the cycle continues.. Windows is easy .. Linux .. is not as easy .. and that makes it too hard.
 
Great for networking, but desktop r belong to MS

I enjoy working on linux, I don't enjoy dealing with obnoxious Linux forum members :p

Seriously though, I used Ubuntu Netbook remix on my Acer Aspire One which was brilliant, fast to boot and user friendly...until Windows 7 came along. Didn't have to spend the first day optimising the OS for the SSD like you have to in Ubuntu.
How many releases of Ubuntu before the integrated Intel graphics was working without a hitch? Sure, you could run it in standard mode(ie. out of box Ubuntu) and watch your high quality videos displayed as Powerpoint slides. They finally got it right with 9.10. On 9.04 and earlier I ran into the a glitch with this particular model and eventually found a fix on the forums - a 20+ line script to free up hardware resources for the device to function correctly when the OS is loaded. Maybe the blame is not with Linux, but the hardware vendors not delivering proper drivers - either way it's a waste of time getting something to work that should really just work OOBE(out of box). For the record I tried other variants - Fedora 10 & 11 as well as Mint with similar experiences.
I never touched Win 7 for any hardware support, and the performance was staggering compared to Lnx. I had gotten so used the jerkiness of browsing(and video playback) on my netbook with linux that I only noticed it when I got Win 7. And using Chrome makes things even better.

Linux is brilliant for network services. I use pfsense and vyatta for routing, firewalling & VPN. Freenas is a brilliant NAS OS. Openfiler is a fantastic enterprise storage product for FREE. Windows has nothing on the performance and functionality of these products for their respective areas. But for now my desktops belong to Microsoft.
 
The reason why Windows has such a big market share is bacause when PC's became main stream, Linux were in fact still way too hard for the average Joe. Now, they are maintaining that by means of supplying Windows with every new PC/Laptop sold. Whether that is Microsoft's doing or the manufacturer is debateable, altough, knowing MS, I am sure they have some juicy deals going on for the manufacturers. Linux is not heard when it comes to distro's like Ubuntu. I think Canonical just needs to start a big marketing drive and PR the living crap out of it to get the word out. The fact remains that 98% of people out there have never even heard about Linux. As far as they are concerned, you only get Windows. Ignorence is bliss as they say.
 
Linux is most certainly not very difficult to use.

If you want to play games get a console. Honestly, that's what they are there for.

The only time I wouldn't use Linux would be for Photoshop/Graphic Work [gimp sucks], and I would run that in a VM version of XP on top of Linux, and for DAW [Digital audio Workstation] work that needs low latency and an external soundcard - I use OS/X for that.

Long story short - you don't need Windows.
 
n00berizer said:
If you want to play games get a console. Honestly, that's what they are there for.
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Not all games are console games. I still play StarCraft and Icewind Dale occasionally.

n00berizer said:
The only time I wouldn't use Linux would be for Photoshop/Graphic Work [gimp sucks], and I would run that in a VM version of XP on top of Linux...
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If you're going to run another system purely for graphic work, surely Mac is the way to go?

Linux is more difficult to use than Windows for your average user. But it is also terribly undersupported.
 
riempiestoel said:
Problem is that's never the case is it? There will always be that new printer, that digital camera that requires direct usb connection, that little extra to make your life 'easier' that will create so much havoc when trying to set it up. My wife likes her odd games - pop cap stuff, canasta, etc.

On windows she can diy :)
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Actually I spent about 3 hours last week to install a popcap game in windows, and still cannot get it to work.... So is windows hard as well?

Running Win 7 ultimate 64 bit on quad core 8 gig ram machine, and tried any combination of compatibility mode available, and still no luck.
 
ave said:
ok so in ubuntu I want to download a id3 tagger for my mp3 files-
1) I open software center-
2) type in id3 tagger- get a list of programs I can use-
3) click on the one that looks interesting
4) it downloads it and installs it for me automatically without me having to do or type a thing
5) open the program and use it

you can hardly get easier than that.
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Windows is not even this easy!
 
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