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Why use Linux for desktop use?
- Thread starter calvincoetzee
- Start date
adrianx
Expert Member
As far as desktop use goes, I watch DVDs, video clips, play music (in just about every format that there is), browse the web, read RSS feeds, emails, the weather, edit documents, spreadsheets, graphics, do some 3D modelling (with Blender), play games (when I have nothing better to do), install/uninstall tonnes of free software, break things, fix things - you know, the usual stuff that you do in other operating systems.
I expect my OS to be free and to have more free software than I will ever be able to use. Bring on the bloat!
I also expect my OS to not keep secrets from me. If I want to look at source code, then I should be able to do so. Also, if one distribution really doesn't work for me, I know that there are many more to choose from. P.S.: It's also nice to not have to pay 3rd parties ransom (AV companies) to keep me "relatively" safe. I don't practice safe browsing.
okay thanks for all the answers, I know it is a very powerfull OS, but still not convincing enough for me to switch over.
I don't want to argue against the good points of Linux, I do believe you have to have a passion for Linux / have a grudge against Microsoft.
Feel free to post more ideas, I am interested in what people have done with their Linux systems to suit their specific needs.
It is a versitile OS so I'm awaiting creative ideas which people have come up with to hack their system to their liking
You say it's powerful, but you're aren't convinced it's powerful.
I don't have a grudge against Microsoft; I have a copy of Vista Ultimate.
But let's compare Vista Ultimate to Ubuntu:
VIRUS RISK
Vista: High
Ubuntu: Negligible
DRIVERS
Vista: My hardware comes with drivers which I have to install. Works fine 90% of the time.
Ubuntu: 80% of my hardware works without having to install drivers. The other 20% works after some minor tweaking (honestly... MINOR tweaking).
GAMES
Vista: Admittedly, Windows is still better for gaming. Most games are designed for Windows at the moment.
Ubuntu: Many (popular) games run on Linux. Some even natively.
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Vista: I have to pay for most useful software, e.g. Microsoft Office, MATLAB, Photoshop (admittedly, Photoshop is better than FOSS alternatives).
Ubuntu: Useful software found for Windows usually has a very good alternative in FOSS repositories. And unless you absolutely use every feature in the application to the full, you're likely never to come short. OpenOffice (it IS that good), GNU Octave (also available for Windows), Gimp.
CUSTOMISABILITY
Vista: Customisable, but only really through third-party software and hacks. This makes the interface change slightly (and even more buggy), and above all makes things slower (an extra application running in the background).
Ubuntu: Customisable by its very nature. Pretty much everything controlled by a few config files.
VIDEOS
Vista: Download codecs, install them, watch videos. Come across something that doesn't work. Download more codecs, install them, watch videos. Eventually get fed up with the cycle and install VLC
Ubuntu:
Code:
sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras
Code:
sudo aptitude install vlcUPDATES
Vista: Yearly-ish
Ubuntu: Weekly
PRICE OF OPERATING SYSTEM
Vista: R2456-00 plus shipping
Oh, but you also need Office; R2749-00 plus shipping
Ubuntu: R38-00 for 2GB local (700MB for the installer ISO, with plenty leftover for other downloads and updates.
Shall I continue?
Well it depends on what you want to use your desktop for. I put Linux on my laptop which I use for watching movies, coding and surfing the web.
For that, Linux is awesome.
Why did I pick Linux over Windows? Because trying to hack the XP installer was just not working (couldn't install onto sata drive) and Vista (even with Sp1) is just bloated garbage. Vista is not more "comfortable" than Linux. So before you bring your Windows arguement, be clear about the version.
XP is fairly logical, but it is getting a bit long in the tooth....
For that, Linux is awesome.
Why did I pick Linux over Windows? Because trying to hack the XP installer was just not working (couldn't install onto sata drive) and Vista (even with Sp1) is just bloated garbage. Vista is not more "comfortable" than Linux. So before you bring your Windows arguement, be clear about the version.
XP is fairly logical, but it is getting a bit long in the tooth....
MyWorld
Executive Member
For me the whole journey began as a philosophical one.
I just could not get it over my heart any more to buy Windows, and if you wanted extra features (XP Pro) you had to fork out another small fortune.
Want to do basic office work, fork out another R4k + since the normal cheap office doesn't have everything we need in our office work. And so it just keep piling up.
And after you sold your car to buy an OS for your PC, you are not allowed to share it on any of your other PC's!!!! And that right there is when I snapped. So I have to go and spend another R1k + to have a media PC for my daughter???? RIDICULOUS!
Bill and his crew lied, stole and cheated their way to the top (watch Pirates of Silicone valley), and now THEY want to dictate what I can and cannot use MY PC for (DRM, etc.)? This is when I leaned about philosophy behind Linux, that stuff like OS and software are meant to be shared, and I'm not going into this much further otherwise I'm going to start preaching (puts soap box back underneath the bed). Before this I only dual booted and played with Linux every now and then for almost 2 years (with a pirated copy of XP).
I played games, but I'm not going to let a few games dictate my happiness and ease of mind, and I'm at that stage in life that I not longer need games to keep me busy, I have actual work that does that.
On the productivity side, I believe I'm more productive now than I ever was on Windows. In the past you wanted to "test" a certain program you had to go hunt for a crack for it to work, now a simple Google search gives me a myriad of options of open source apps that most of the times only work on Linux.
My wife still uses XP, she is too lazy to make the switch (btw. XP was the last OS I ever paid money for, never again), and if I see the trouble she is having with it..... eish. Her PC is in desperate need of a fresh install, and for an office only PC that is a very shameful thing! That a few excel files and word documents can hammer a PC like that, it is unimaginable!
I worked on a friends PC the other day, Windows and it's silly problems, and after general maintenance and a fresh install of XP home he had nothing on the PC, every single program was pirated! I mean COME ON! Is your conscience so sheared that this doesn't bother you???? And now he has to go hunting for the cracks again, and yep, viruses with it to boot!
Just this week the wife's PC wireless just went belly up with sporadic disconnects, my daughters PC is just a couple of metres from her PC with ArchLinux and and ancient wifi card, not so much as a waver from it, it just keeps on chunking out bytes.
And if gaming really is important to you, rather invest in Cedega, for a small fee you can use their modified wine, with tutorials on how to get most of the popular games running on Linux.
Or, go open source for your gaming, and here is a great start, 100 of the best open source games:
http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/2009020806275229/Top100FreeGames.html
To sum it up, I'm complete and content with Linux, it has everything I need and some more. I'm not ashamed to share my PC in the event of someone finding a pirated version of xyz on my PC, and I have far less hardware upgrades now than I did a couple of years ago. It has been two years since I last upgraded my PC, it needs one very soon, but it is still super fast with an amazing super_pi score for such aged hardware... I'm very happy!
I just could not get it over my heart any more to buy Windows, and if you wanted extra features (XP Pro) you had to fork out another small fortune.
Want to do basic office work, fork out another R4k + since the normal cheap office doesn't have everything we need in our office work. And so it just keep piling up.
And after you sold your car to buy an OS for your PC, you are not allowed to share it on any of your other PC's!!!! And that right there is when I snapped. So I have to go and spend another R1k + to have a media PC for my daughter???? RIDICULOUS!
Bill and his crew lied, stole and cheated their way to the top (watch Pirates of Silicone valley), and now THEY want to dictate what I can and cannot use MY PC for (DRM, etc.)? This is when I leaned about philosophy behind Linux, that stuff like OS and software are meant to be shared, and I'm not going into this much further otherwise I'm going to start preaching (puts soap box back underneath the bed). Before this I only dual booted and played with Linux every now and then for almost 2 years (with a pirated copy of XP).
I played games, but I'm not going to let a few games dictate my happiness and ease of mind, and I'm at that stage in life that I not longer need games to keep me busy, I have actual work that does that.
On the productivity side, I believe I'm more productive now than I ever was on Windows. In the past you wanted to "test" a certain program you had to go hunt for a crack for it to work, now a simple Google search gives me a myriad of options of open source apps that most of the times only work on Linux.
My wife still uses XP, she is too lazy to make the switch (btw. XP was the last OS I ever paid money for, never again), and if I see the trouble she is having with it..... eish. Her PC is in desperate need of a fresh install, and for an office only PC that is a very shameful thing! That a few excel files and word documents can hammer a PC like that, it is unimaginable!
I worked on a friends PC the other day, Windows and it's silly problems, and after general maintenance and a fresh install of XP home he had nothing on the PC, every single program was pirated! I mean COME ON! Is your conscience so sheared that this doesn't bother you???? And now he has to go hunting for the cracks again, and yep, viruses with it to boot!
Just this week the wife's PC wireless just went belly up with sporadic disconnects, my daughters PC is just a couple of metres from her PC with ArchLinux and and ancient wifi card, not so much as a waver from it, it just keeps on chunking out bytes.
And if gaming really is important to you, rather invest in Cedega, for a small fee you can use their modified wine, with tutorials on how to get most of the popular games running on Linux.
Or, go open source for your gaming, and here is a great start, 100 of the best open source games:
http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/2009020806275229/Top100FreeGames.html
To sum it up, I'm complete and content with Linux, it has everything I need and some more. I'm not ashamed to share my PC in the event of someone finding a pirated version of xyz on my PC, and I have far less hardware upgrades now than I did a couple of years ago. It has been two years since I last upgraded my PC, it needs one very soon, but it is still super fast with an amazing super_pi score for such aged hardware... I'm very happy!
Asha'man X
Expert Member
Each system has it's pro's and cons, with impassioned supporters on either side slinging a lot of mud around to make things even more murky to make your way through.
The reason Microsoft only does updates once or twice a month is so that they can efficiently deliver everything on Patch Tuesday. This was mainly for corporate benefit, and with a steady stable pattern, IT departments can test and check before rolling out. If you are getting updates every day, makes things a little tough.
In order to really succeed, Linux needs to simplify some of it's more obscure features, and get lots of software to run natively on the platform, by this I mean quality commercial apps that people use every day.
A wonderful feature about Linux is that almost everything is standards based, which helps people to keep things steady. However, what it really lacks is a polished way of combining all those standards into a polished tight package that an amateur user can use and appreciate. It's getting there, but still needs plenty more work.
The reason Microsoft only does updates once or twice a month is so that they can efficiently deliver everything on Patch Tuesday. This was mainly for corporate benefit, and with a steady stable pattern, IT departments can test and check before rolling out. If you are getting updates every day, makes things a little tough.
In order to really succeed, Linux needs to simplify some of it's more obscure features, and get lots of software to run natively on the platform, by this I mean quality commercial apps that people use every day.
A wonderful feature about Linux is that almost everything is standards based, which helps people to keep things steady. However, what it really lacks is a polished way of combining all those standards into a polished tight package that an amateur user can use and appreciate. It's getting there, but still needs plenty more work.
MyWorld
Executive Member
This has been tried with "Click and Run" from Linspire, with very little success, and the more n00b friendly distros you open package manager and just click install, I cannot see how this can be more simple.
What we really need is people with solutions, and I'm not flaming anyone here, but simply making a statement and not giving an example or solution is not very productive.
I'm 100% sure that the developers of various applications are eager to better their products, but there are very, very few people that have vision on how to better a product.
I would encourage visionaries to join a project that they want to support, even only for testing, and then give your input. This way the nerds (devs) can keep their fingers on the pulse of the public's needs (you).
smokey
Honorary Master
I Really don't know how people can still be complaining about Linux now. I am typing this from Ubuntu - and it took me around 5 minutes to setup my install. Really easy.
-> Applications -> Add/Remove
in search box "mp3", gives you restricted extras -> add
in search box VLC -> add
--
Then I got a little notification that I need to enable restricted drivers. one lcick - then catalyst control centre downloads and installs.
-----
In short - no use of the command line. Now how difficult is that to do? Even for a relative newbie? I mean seriously...
EDIT: Must mention this was the first time I actually installed any Linux to dual boot on my machine. I'm decent enough with "komputerz" having started using them in the DOS days, but am far from a techy/enthusiast. Everything is just very bloody logical.
-> Applications -> Add/Remove
in search box "mp3", gives you restricted extras -> add
in search box VLC -> add
--
Then I got a little notification that I need to enable restricted drivers. one lcick - then catalyst control centre downloads and installs.
-----
In short - no use of the command line. Now how difficult is that to do? Even for a relative newbie? I mean seriously...
EDIT: Must mention this was the first time I actually installed any Linux to dual boot on my machine. I'm decent enough with "komputerz" having started using them in the DOS days, but am far from a techy/enthusiast. Everything is just very bloody logical.
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I use linux because of all the millions of amazingly powerful small utilities which allows you to fix problems, not force you to reinstall to sidestep problems.
The powerful scripting tools are indispensable for any administrator.
The ease of installing and removing software through the numerous package management systems available from local mirrors.
Not having to worry about licensing issues when deploying a image to 500 computers.
The millions of websites,mailing lists and irc channels dedicated to linux support.
The do-it-yourself/hacking ethos that the open source community fosters.
The use of open standards allows greater integration of software to make the perfect system.
And those are some of the reasons why I use linux.
The powerful scripting tools are indispensable for any administrator.
The ease of installing and removing software through the numerous package management systems available from local mirrors.
Not having to worry about licensing issues when deploying a image to 500 computers.
The millions of websites,mailing lists and irc channels dedicated to linux support.
The do-it-yourself/hacking ethos that the open source community fosters.
The use of open standards allows greater integration of software to make the perfect system.
And those are some of the reasons why I use linux.
calvincoetzee
Well-Known Member
Thanks very much for this post, yes I understand.
I'm just interested in Linux, I was obsessed with the OS and the distros at one stage but kept backing out and moving back to Windows for compatibility.
I have uncapped local on 4Mbit so downloading the distros is no problem.
I will try OpenSuse again, currently running Vista and future plants to switch to Windows 7 ( not a bad OS at all currently)
Thanks a lot to the rest of the people for the posts I read them all and find them interesting.
Also thanks for the codec advice.
Much apreciated all
MyWorld
Executive Member
The reason why so many distros do not ship with codecs is because very strictly speaking it is illegal and proprietary.
Illegal:
It is illegal to have the DVD codecs reversed engineered like Linux did. This is in fact the only codec that suffers from this AFAIK.
Proprietary:
WMV belongs to MS and is not and open standard, same with MP3, realmedia, quicktime and probably a host others I'm not even aware of.
Many purists feel they violate everything Linux stands for by allowing these codecs, but at what price? I must admit that I have very, very few of these media files on my PC, I usually opt for OGG, Xvid, etc. and there is not violation to the Free software code of ethics that I can see. If you do not want them, do not use them, no one is forcing you, but also do not step in the same pot-hole than MS and tell me what I can and cannot do with MY PC.
Therefore you will usually find especially Debian based distros with a bee in their bonnets on said issues, but luckily there are enough community developers that have more common sense with extra repos.
Illegal:
It is illegal to have the DVD codecs reversed engineered like Linux did. This is in fact the only codec that suffers from this AFAIK.
Proprietary:
WMV belongs to MS and is not and open standard, same with MP3, realmedia, quicktime and probably a host others I'm not even aware of.
Many purists feel they violate everything Linux stands for by allowing these codecs, but at what price? I must admit that I have very, very few of these media files on my PC, I usually opt for OGG, Xvid, etc. and there is not violation to the Free software code of ethics that I can see. If you do not want them, do not use them, no one is forcing you, but also do not step in the same pot-hole than MS and tell me what I can and cannot do with MY PC.
Therefore you will usually find especially Debian based distros with a bee in their bonnets on said issues, but luckily there are enough community developers that have more common sense with extra repos.
Unfortunately, this
also installs extra rubbish like flash and quicktime. If you just want to watch DVDs, do the following:
Then, once the download is complete:
and the media players should pick up your DVDs
Code:
sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extrasalso installs extra rubbish like flash and quicktime. If you just want to watch DVDs, do the following:
Code:
sudo apt-get install libdvdread3Then, once the download is complete:
Code:
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.shand the media players should pick up your DVDs
i like linux cuase of the control i have on my system everything can be tweaked also i have had enough viruses and malware and comstatntly hunting for cracks on windows is i must say no fun
i dont game i watch alot of movies rip dvds music etc i can do all this in linux only thing i use windows for is my simulation software for electronics design i cant find a linux equivalent
linux also has taught me alot about computers especially good info on partitions in windows i used too have everything on one partition come a clever virus and had too format loosing all my data imagine with todays drives 350gigs and above some stuff being so rare i cant remember where i got it formatting is just not an option . i noticed thats one thing about windows when something goes wrong you cant really fix it its just format . all the so called experts in computers i know all they do is format your pc
i dont game i watch alot of movies rip dvds music etc i can do all this in linux only thing i use windows for is my simulation software for electronics design i cant find a linux equivalent
linux also has taught me alot about computers especially good info on partitions in windows i used too have everything on one partition come a clever virus and had too format loosing all my data imagine with todays drives 350gigs and above some stuff being so rare i cant remember where i got it formatting is just not an option . i noticed thats one thing about windows when something goes wrong you cant really fix it its just format . all the so called experts in computers i know all they do is format your pc
Zombrainy
Well-Known Member
I just installed Ubuntu 8.10 yesterday and being a complete n00b when it comes to linux (always was a windows fanboi
) i got everything via updates (on local, i might add). The only thing I had a problem with was installing nvidia drivers. Everything else seemed easy and intuitive
I'm a retro gaming fanatic and within seconds i found nes, snes, gameboy and mame emulators to play my old games with. All I need now is a sega one and I'm sorted
) i got everything via updates (on local, i might add). The only thing I had a problem with was installing nvidia drivers. Everything else seemed easy and intuitiveI'm a retro gaming fanatic and within seconds i found nes, snes, gameboy and mame emulators to play my old games with. All I need now is a sega one and I'm sorted
Its such an enthusiasts OS that most of the worlds super computers run it. Silly fanatics!
adrianx
Expert Member
Not to mention my 67 y/o mother. She's really into awk, sed, emacs and vi..... not!
SuperAntMD
Expert Member
Thanks very much for this post, yes I understand.
I'm just interested in Linux, I was obsessed with the OS and the distros at one stage but kept backing out and moving back to Windows for compatibility.
I have uncapped local on 4Mbit so downloading the distros is no problem.
I will try OpenSuse again, currently running Vista and future plants to switch to Windows 7 ( not a bad OS at all currently)
Thanks a lot to the rest of the people for the posts I read them all and find them interesting.
Also thanks for the codec advice.
Much apreciated all
Hey, to each there own and it sounds like you have lots of past experience with linux but im not sure Suse is such a fantastic choice for playing around.
Maybe consider the new Debian "Lenny" or the latest Ubuntu 8.10
d0b33
Honorary Master
I'f you're a Linux noob get a Linux compatible PC and install ubuntu(recommended for noobs) then you'll see why it's so popular, a fully linux compliant PC will work out the box without a need to configure anything.
If you're a serious gamer just stick with windows.
If you're a serious gamer just stick with windows.
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