These Linux myths need to die

[JerryMungo]

I know, but since we talking about myths that need to die, I added said info.

Oh if you talking about desktop only should it not be GNU Linux then, seeing that Linux = only the kernel?

If you want to be pedantic, then yes
but the article was pretty clear... comparing Linux to other OS... with sub-topics such as gaming.

 

[JerryMungo]

Linux is only free, if you're not in a corporate environment and need support. RHEL, Ubuntu, SLES all have yearly licensing fees for support. Yes the OS is free and you could probably get away with using it and forums to a degree. But when a serious bug hits that no one knows, you cannot raise it to be fixed, then you have to rely on someone else experiencing it.

In other words it's comparable to Windows in the total cost of ownership. The cost is more than the sum of the license fees (or lack thereof).

 

[Lupus]

In other words it's comparable to Windows in the total cost of ownership. The cost is more than the sum of the license fees (or lack thereof).

In away yes, because also the admins for Windows are a dime a dozen and you can pay them less.

 

[JerryMungo]

Disagree entirely with this statement, because of how much you learn along the way, and I've only just scratched the surface.

Not sure I'm following your logic there...

 

[JerryMungo]

In away yes, because also the admins for Windows are a dime a dozen and you can pay them less.

And there's one of the main reasons Linux is not as popular everywhere, particularly on the desktop. The quality of Windows support is also mostly inferior since every tom dick and harry thinks their skillz are worth someone's money... and there's always someone willing to pay less without realising you get what you pay for.
It's harder to stand out as a Windows sysadmin / tech support guru.

Let's face it, Linux skills are harder to get and official cert institutions are not as common. All these things add up to the same results - Linux will always have an uphill battle to win the desktop war without a clear marketing and business strategy that only a commercial enterprise will likely have. Everyone is doing / trying their own thing. It is possible with the right strategy - just look at OSx. Some vendors are trying the same thing but just not really targeting the desktop as aggressively as MS. This is an ooooold legacy that's going to be hard to trump.

 

[Lupus]

And there's one of the main reasons Linux is not as popular everywhere, particularly on the desktop.

Ah but you can do more with less. As the linux machines need far less tinkering once they are up and running. I once had a Linux machine that was forgotten about, it hadn't been turned off or updated in over 6 years. Everyone thought the system had been migrated to a new one, but the new box was never actually touched.

 

[JerryMungo]

Ah but you can do more with less. As the linux machines need far less tinkering once they are up and running.

With Linux, the tools for tinkering are mostly hidden, or there's no interest in tinkering because it's boring and there's not a heck of a lot more you can do with it. That's a strength in the workplace but a weakness in the consumer market... and it's the consumer market that's driving our numbers today. It costs money to train new employees on the OS and your suite of apps every time you have staff turnover. People with Windows skills are all over the place.

I once had a Linux machine that was forgotten about, it hadn't been turned off or updated in over 6 years. Everyone thought the system had been migrated to a new one, but the new box was never actually touched.

Probably because it wasn't used for much. Again, a strength and a weakness. Windows boxes get repurposed all the time and employees moan that someone else has the pretty desktop while they have XP etc. etc. hence the turnover. Unfortunately 6 year old desktops in the business don't make money for many vendors so they aren't in the business of using that as a marketing strategy.

It's a bit like the OSx argument, or the iOS vs Android argument. iOS just lets you get on with the job and you have to tinker less with the OS. You also have less to tinker with, the major difference being that iOS has what consumers want, hence the numbers are up there. Linux is playing catch up there.

You've seen those game cellphone contracts that come with a nice game voucher... you actually pay for the voucher in the monthly contract, get less for your money, but consumers don't care, they hound the boss to get the contract at Game so they can benefit from the voucher... consumers very often end up influencing these decisions one way or another. In this case i'm not arguing that the OS is inferior, I'm just pointing out why IMO the numbers are lower in the desktop segment.

 

[Lupus]

With Linux, the tools for tinkering are mostly hidden, or there's no interest in tinkering because it's boring and there's not a heck of a lot more you can do with it. That's a strength in the workplace but a weakness in the consumer market... and it's the consumer market that's driving our numbers today. It costs money to train new employees on the OS and your suite of apps every time you have staff turnover. People with Windows skills are all over the place.
Probably because it wasn't used for much. Again, a strength and a weakness. Windows boxes get repurposed all the time and employees moan that someone else has the pretty desktop while they have XP etc. etc. hence the turnover. Unfortunately 6 year old desktops in the business don't make money for many vendors so they aren't in the business of using that as a marketing strategy.

It was actually being used everyday, the thing is everyone assumed the dev had moved everything across to the new machine, and that the sys admin at the time had decommed the old machine. You know what they say about assumption, the only reason it was found because Dell open manager moaned that a hard drive had failed. So I went to go replace the hdd and to my surprise none of them were flashing on the new machine.

 

[JerryMungo]

It was actually being used everyday, the thing is everyone assumed the dev had moved everything across to the new machine, and that the sys admin at the time had decommed the old machine. You know what they say about assumption, the only reason it was found because Dell open manager moaned that a hard drive had failed. So I went to go replace the hdd and to my surprise none of them were flashing on the new machine.

I hear you, and I love Linux, would love to see it at 50/50 with Windows on the desktop - that would open up new market opportunities for all vendors. On the server it's the hands down winner. The desktop numbers are mostly down to small to medium businesses who see the lower up front cost as more attractive - especially if you're still growing.
Small business owners want their 3-15 desktops to all be able to do the same thing. You don't want to have to buy a Windows machine here and there just for Pastel or your expensive CAD etc. while having the rest of the office on Linux and be dealing with incompatibilities / learning curves when shuffling staff or PCs... not to speak of the more expensive support team required for Linux (not always, but often).

 

[Lupus]

I hear you, and I love Linux, would love to see it at 50/50 with Windows on the desktop - that would open up new market opportunities for all vendors. On the server it's the hands down winner. The desktop numbers are mostly down to small to medium businesses who see the lower up front cost as more attractive - especially if you're still growing.

I don't easily see it on Desktop, not until vendors support it better. I still run Windows on my laptop nowadays, after running Mint/Ubuntu/etc on my laptops for years. I got tired of having to hack things to work on AD, on this app and so on. So I just switched back to windows. Though still love it on servers

 

[JerryMungo]

I don't easily see it on Desktop, not until vendors support it better. I still run Windows on my laptop nowadays, after running Mint/Ubuntu/etc on my laptops for years. I got tired of having to hack things to work on AD, on this app and so on. So I just switched back to windows. Though still love it on servers

On servers it kills Windows, especially when you look at cloud services or MS licensing models.

 

[Randy_The_Squirrel]

Most of the routers in people's homes are running an embedded version of Linux.
They just don't know it, and don't care.

Many of the devices in my home are Linux based and I can actually SSH into some of them.

 

[Lupus]

Most of the routers in people's homes are running an embedded version of Linux.
They just don't know it, and don't care.

Many of the devices in my home are Linux based and I can actually SSH into some of them.

TBH, why would they care? Does it work? Does it need to do what it does? Etc... The beauty of Linux is, if it's setup correctly the app it's being used for will just keep going.

 

[JerryMungo]

TBH, why would they care? Does it work? Does it need to do what it does? Etc... The beauty of Linux is, if it's setup correctly the app it's being used for will just keep going.

Yep, mostly because it's not configured to be a swiss army knife. Try doing that with Windows / OSx. It's not nearly as easy.

 

[Randy_The_Squirrel]

TBH, why would they care? Does it work? Does it need to do what it does? Etc... The beauty of Linux is, if it's setup correctly the app it's being used for will just keep going.

Well yes, it runs forever and a day, until loadshedding comes Thereafter the occasional fsck is needed when the power comes back on...

 

[access]

i just find linux still too finicky, its made huge strides, but its not there yet. i do like the OS.

set a machine up and leave it, it runs forever.

work around on the machine and random things need attention that is not so clear cut.

i dont have a problem with it, i can sort it out, it takes time sometimes, but for PC muggles...

 

[JerryMungo]

Well yes, it runs forever and a day, until loadshedding comes Thereafter the occasional fsck is needed when the power comes back on...

Not even the mighty Linux can weather Eskom's demise
It's time to come up with a new Linux based OS that works on air and sunlight.

 

[Randy_The_Squirrel]

So you might wonder what I use Linux for? well here is the scoop:

* I use it to fix things, from hard disks to pieces of hardware that just won't work and corrupted Windows partitions.
* I use it to hack things, like Huawei modems, and other networking items
* I use it to compile code for embedded platforms with GCC
* I use it to hack/sniff network protocols, and to quickly spawn socket listeners for other stuff such as vehicle trackers and IoT, it pretty much has everything you need- that awesome utility called netcat.
* I use it for everyday use, general browsing, etc..

I do have a Windows 7 box, and on there I run Steam, and all the uber-sexy graphic design crap that won't run on anything else other than Windows and are not supported by WinE