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See the original image at linuxinsider.com —

One Less Windows User

linuxinsider.com — After nearly five years, I needed to update my personal computer. My old Dell Inspiron has long since been rendered quaint by advances in processor speed and hard drive capacity. Rather than buy a new machine running Windows Vista or take the Mac plunge, I decided to walk the open source walk.

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  • ptFoe, on 08/28/2008, -5/+124how does someone that writes for Linux insider for 5 years not use Linux
    • belumaves, on 08/28/2008, -3/+27he's an editor. and he's been there for a year.
    • arah91, on 08/28/2008, -1/+36still i don't see how you could even get a job there and not know how to use linux. It seems like that would at least give them some sort of training.
      • Zergvasion, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Editing does not mean he has to have knowledge on the product.
        Instead all he really needs to do is focus on a story and work with it.
        For all we know he was probably writing everything using Windows, ironic.
    • AchaIemoipas, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2It's obviously a lie.

      I would've went with "a friend of mine".
    • digitalpencil, on 08/28/2008, -0/+7well i'm glad to see some honesty from him..
      as a Linux user (amongst other OSs) it is kind of a pain in many respects. I like it but i'm the kind of guy who puts radios in toasters.. it's fun to tinker with, many things work perfectly, others require workarounds, many of which are arduous and far from obvious.
      but whatever, use what you want. if you like win2K, more power to you, if you're a linux-nut - go to town, if you're a mac-lover - love your shiny-box-of-love... just quit trying to convert each other to your respective platform!

      honestly, diggers are worse than evangelical Christians with a constant barrage of 'use this - you won't regret it' or '(x) is ***** and you're a retard of immeasurable stature for even considering letting it into your life'.
      grow up, get laid and quit bitchin'

      /rant
    • iampriteshdesai, on 08/28/2008, -1/+1Start using linux:
      http://helpforlinux.blogspot.com/
    • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Writing and editing are not exactly the same thing. I'm not going to pretend to know what all editing in a journalism context entails, I assume it is mostly correcting spelling/grammar, rephrasing and maybe a bit of fact checking. I don't see how doing that for a year means he has to use Linux or knows a whole lot about configuration/FOSS applications
  • Noxat, on 08/28/2008, -8/+62Holy ***** a blogger on linuxinsider.com finally uses linux??

    And this reads like every other "Hey you should use Linux, god damnit!" post I've ever seen: "Hey you know every application you're used to in Windows/OSX/OS2/DOS/whatever? ***** that *****, use this other program instead its just as good trust me!"
  • Cyhwuhx, on 08/28/2008, -17/+22.::: The iTunes comment is where I stopped reading. It's one thing that there is no solution for it, it's quite another to imply that willingly paying for music (DRM'ed or not) is bad.

    Sticking your head into the sand still leaves your body exposed.
    • LaughingMan89, on 08/28/2008, -7/+8He didn't say paying for music is bad; he said paying Apple (a company with no part in producing music) for music is bad.
      • Balanced, on 08/28/2008, -1/+5With iTunes (And this is much the same for Amazon's service) you're paying Apple to provide the infrastructure and service features (I.E. making iTunes user friendly) as well as hosting. THey pass on much of the money to the label, who provides some sort of service (This part, I'll admit, is a bit sketchy), who then passes on a little to the artists.
    • commernie, on 08/28/2008, -2/+17FTFA: "...but do you really want to pay Apple to tell you you can only make seven copies of your music?"

      It's clear that he only thinks paying for music from Apple is wrong (because of the known restrictions). Nowhere does he imply that paying for music in general is a bad thing.
      • Balanced, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2You can make more than seven copies of iTunes songs. Apple doesn't do that kind of DRM... You can only have 5 or so machines authorized at once to play said songs.
    • bdbr, on 08/28/2008, -2/+7He never said anything about purchasing from other sources. The only thing that was implied was that music purchased from the iTunes store would be restricted, and for the most part, that is still true (very little of it is iTunes Plus).
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2He wasn't implying that paying for music in general is bad, just paying for DRM'd is.

      And paying for DRM'd music *IS* bad. You are encouraging the use of technology that from the consumers point of view's entire reason for existing will be to arse rape you. And encourages piracy, I'm not paying for lockedup music when I can just download it and many others feel the same way. And it limits how you listen to the music.

      You will likely need to rebuy all your music in a few years time when you have gone through several computers due to artificial limits, you run the risk of the authorisation servers shutting down as we have seen recently happen (or almost happen) with the older Microsoft and Yahoo ones. You can generally only use the official blessed players rather than whatever the latest player is with the features you want. You won't be able to use them on the devices you want. And your locked to the OS they choose to support, for as long as they choose to support it, (if Zune had iPod level usage, MS could just declare that it would only work on Vista from now on due to DRM).

      Use Amazon or the LimeWire store which just got a bunch of DRM free stuff.

      Also there are DRM removers for iTunes if you are stuck with it.
      http://hymn-project.org/
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QTFairUse (apparently not for the very new stuff but stuff before Jan 2008 should be fine)
      myFairTunes6 v.0.5.7b (Supports iTunes 7.0.1.8)
    • iampriteshdesai, on 08/28/2008, -2/+1Start using linux:
      http://helpforlinux.blogspot.com/
    • rpgmaker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2Practically, he said buy your music from Amazon MP3.
    • jellygraph, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2If it wasn't for the fact that I have an iPod, I would be pretty pissed off that I couldn't play my music on my MP3 player of choice. It kind of locks you into buying an iPod forever more.

      Fortunately, I'm happy with my iPod, so I don't really care too much, but in principle, its wrong... and Apple had already promised to stop with the DRM. I'd still use iTunes if they did, so I don't see what they are so scared of.
  • mynameistux, on 08/28/2008, -2/+6The main reason viruses don't effectively work in linux, is you don't run as root user, and your applications don't run as root user, they only have the rights they need to do their job. This means that if you try and, say format your harddrive, you will be asked for your password. A bit of a pain, if you wanted to format your harddrive, but worth it, considering that viruses just might work properly for linux, if it didn't say "you can't do that, I'm gonna need to see some ID."
    • SpamBuntu, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3don't forget about things like SELinux and AppArmor. great stuff.
      also those techniques at deeper levels like the memory address randomizer, ...
    • murk, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3you are about to format your harddrive. cancel or allow?
    • rolf, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3Also services don't run as root either, nor even as your account, but they tend to have their own limited accounts in linux.

      In Windows, even when running a limited account, there's a bunch of services running with admin level access - once those get compromised...
    • theaceoffire, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I think another reason Viruses don't work for linux is that most viruses are copy and pasted, with minor changes. Take away the C: drive and over 80% fall apart.
    • rpgmaker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1The funny thing is that Microsoft can implement this if they *really* rewrite Windows. Is not completely necessary to rewrite it in order to do it but I think is the best they can do to Windows at this point.
  • kidtechguru, on 08/28/2008, -12/+1Linux rockz!
  • 9bpm9, on 08/28/2008, -5/+10And someone who sure as hell didn't want a Mac.
  • havek23, on 08/28/2008, -2/+26Wow... he writes for a linux magazine and has been using Windows... and DOESNT know how to make a Dell machine boot from a CD? You just have to hold down F12 during the POST and choose "Boot from IDE CD-ROM" or F2 for BIOS and change the boot priority. How can someone so dumb survive Linux?
    • Zalyster, on 08/28/2008, -5/+1He said it wouldn't let him boot off of CD, so maybe it just wasn't an option.
      • Zergvasion, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2Why wouldn't it be an option?
        Unless he doesn't know how to make a boot-able disk?
        Sigh. This guy needs to get out of technology all together.
        Maybe Dell tech support is hiring.
    • iampriteshdesai, on 08/28/2008, -4/+1Start using linux:
      http://helpforlinux.blogspot.com/
  • duckyinc, on 08/28/2008, -5/+3Not another why you should switch to linux guide -.-, the title is all inaccurate he never was a windows user.
    • norman619, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2Well use your head. Dell only sells 2 OS's with the desktops. Since this is about how he started using Linux it's safe to assume that means he was using some flavor of Windows. It's called deductive reasoning.
    • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Someone obviously didn't even bother to glance at TFA...
  • Ouze, on 08/28/2008, -2/+29linux, better then windows? What a novel new idea, never before discussed on Digg

    /yawn
  • Julz, on 08/28/2008, -3/+32another Linux user added to the 0.80% market share...
    • djgreedo, on 08/28/2008, -2/+8Well now it's a 0.800000000000000001 market share! Suck it, Micro$haft Windoze!

      Why do these lame 'articles' get on the main Digg page so much? It's quite sad that this community would rather read about some idiot trying to be cool by not using Windows than they do about the important things in the world.
      • Krissam, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3maybe because WE think that using open source IS IMPORTANT if more people were willing to sacrifice 5 hours of their lives to install linux and play around with it a bit, maybe microsoft wouldn't be able to enforce every single thing they want (Not saying they're doing it, just saying they could).

        Also a lot of peoples opinions about linux ages back from back in the days where they heard about some geek spending 50 hours and failing in getting his sound drivers working, just typing commands in a black window with green text.

        I've switched to linux on my laptop (My pc is my gaming platform so it need directx, you know what was the only thing not working around 15 minutes after putting in the disc? the Wifi, you know how long it took me to get it working as a complete linux noob? around 1 google search and i got a guide clearly describing all the 10 commands i need to put into the console, and now it works flawlessly.
      • gavintlgold, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Because as linux users, it's our job to spread the word. Microsoft and Apple may have loads of cash for marketing, but linux is nearly all word-of-mouth. If we see something that will promote the operating system we love, we try to spread the word.

        I do admit that this article is not that unique, but I think linux-using diggers still feel it's a sort of achievement to have so many stories. And there are so many readers out there browsing digg without registering, and these people just might be willing to try it out if it worked for others.

        Long Live Linux! :P
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Actually its up to %1.91: http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

      And for a tech user centric site its at %3.9, http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

      Tech user specific stats are important as we are the ones more likely to be responsible for large datacenters and requiring drivers for hardware, purchasing new CPUs etc, encouraging the use of specific technologies and such.
  • MaxMWood, on 08/28/2008, -7/+35Im sick of these little Linux stories. Whats next? My dog died so I decided to move to Linux. Top 10 reasons why you should move to Linux. No thanks. I really don't care about Linux, I have used Ubuntu on my other PC and compared to Windows XP its terrible, and you can argue all you want but it really is terrible.
    • Orsenfelt, on 08/28/2008, -2/+10Dugg up. Unless you are really into it, It sucks. Maybe it is because it's different from Windows, I really don't care... It feels broken, Until it doesn't feel broken it will never get the usership it wants.

      Infact, It comes down to 1 single thing. If I ever have to see a command line in an operating system, In this day and age, It's not finished.
      • jonathandyer, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2Okay, by your definition of an incomplete OS, then there is no OS that exists thats been complete, and probably one will never exist. Every OS has a use of a command line or terminal, they are extremely powerful tools, but there usually are GUI's that allow the novice (noob/newb/nub/you etc) to avoid the terminal.
      • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -1/+3If you can't access a decent command line then something is wrong.

        I agree that the CLI shouldn't be required for day to day tasks, but there is just some stuff that is impossible to do from a GUI and a lot of other stuff that is possible but much less efficient or very inflexible.

        Also a normal Ubuntu install shouldn't need the command prompt at all now days, you only get stuck with it when something goes wrong such as video card drivers screwing up which happens much less often.
      • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1"Hmm, I don't know how to program and with today's technology, everything should just be point & click. Any system that has a keyboard or compiler must be broken/unfinished. If I can't/won't use them, no one should!"
      • DteK, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1well that makes sense to a person who cares not how the system works, but just want it to work, to you I say stick with windows. For people like myself that want to learn how computers and OS's actually work and how they are interoperable, linux is the way to go. i dont care about main stream acceptance of linux, cause it just means more junk in the distributions in an attempt to make it idiot proof. (Ubuntu).

        Besides those points, if you need to work on a remote server, terminal is much faster and more useful than a gui.

        oh yeah, its free to.
    • djgreedo, on 08/28/2008, -2/+6It is funny to read those '10 reasons' lists. There are thousands of reasons people use computers and the Linuxtards can't even put together a list of 10 that isn't full of lies, exaggerations, and FUD.
    • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -3/+5Thank god for common sense.
      I have and always will think that Linux users are just living in denial. It is why Linux fanboyism is so strong. They need a sense of security because they are constantly doubting their choice in OS.
      I know for certain tasks, Linux is preferable to Windows. But for a typical @home computer user, Linux is a waste of time.
      • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -1/+3It really depends on your definition of typical @home user, if all the user does is send email, type the occasional document or browse the web then Linux is a great choice,

        Its not a few hundred $ extra onto the cost of a system, it won't get taken down by a virus (Or faulty MS update) in 6 months time and won't start to run dead slow due to fragmentation or software cruft.

        If they need something more advanced such as Photoshop, or they are doing a lot of document editing then its probably not the best choice.

        For what I do Linux is the best choice, a lot of that is programming and other things. I also couldn't see Windows being used as a server for anything serious.

        Then again you do have xp in your name.

        ☢
      • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1^haha i assure you the xp in my name bares no relevance to Microsoft's trademark.
  • Czechxican, on 08/28/2008, -1/+7What is this Linux? It's so new and fresh. Completely novel idea!
  • oli35, on 08/28/2008, -2/+3Has anyone here ever tried ReactOS?

    http://www.reactos.org/en/index.html

    It appeals to me quite a lot considering its compatibility with Windows software. Don't know how good it is though (even if it's an alpha). Can anyone enlighten me?
    • Sammi84, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2ReactOS won't be anywhere near ready for daily use for some years. Don't get ahead of yourself. Be patient.
      • oli35, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2Not getting ahead of myself :-) I know it's still an alpha, but once it is ready I will most probably try it.
      • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Unfortunately by the time the compatibility layers are working the Windows API will have gone though another complete redesign (Windows 7), DirectX whatever, new .NET.

        But it will mean the only solution to running older Windows software will be open source solutions like reactos and Wine, since it will be unlikely that you will be able to run older software and MS won't support them any more in favour of selling new stuff (Like we have seen with XP when a majority of people prefer it over vista). This is already the case for DOS, Windows 3.x and some Windows9x programs.

        Also the catch up on the new APIs should be a lot faster too since they will hopefully be cleaner (Ie no stoneage Win3.11 compatibility crap in them because some MS friendly Fortune500 companies don't want to pay someone to upgrade their code).

        ☢
  • nesagwa, on 08/28/2008, -0/+30I put black socks on this morning instead of white socks like the most people.

    Heres a 500 word article about why.

    Of course you care about this.
    • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6Strangely, I do. I really do.
    • frepnog, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2your newsletter. i wish to subscribe.
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I normally wear black socks.

      I'm also a Linux user.

      Coincidence‽‽‽‽?!!?!?!interrobang

      ...sometimes... sometimes I even wear... brown...

      ☢
    • gavintlgold, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2I've noticed Europeans tend to wear black socks...
  • aftern9ne, on 08/28/2008, -4/+16Why does anybody digg this *****. I don't care if you use Linux.
    • djgreedo, on 08/28/2008, -2/+7But they are using Linux to be 'different', and they want to be different to be noticed. It's a self-fulfilling deal.
  • Ookadoo, on 08/28/2008, -6/+8I switched 4 years ago to Ubuntu solely on my desktop and am SO much happier using my computer now. For all the mean ***** who love to bash these posts, STFU and go back to playing minesweeper. :D
    • djgreedo, on 08/28/2008, -4/+7I will shut up and go back to playing Crysis. Want to join me on Windows Live for a game?
      • infernal6, on 08/28/2008, -3/+2I have to say, even being an anti-Microsoftie myself, he was just asking for that. Dugg
    • stubear, on 08/28/2008, -1/+0I think you have things backwards. Windows users have real games, we don't have to sate our gaming appetites with tiny little crumbs like minesweeper...er....wouldn't that be kGNUTuxPatrol?
  • cbeach, on 08/28/2008, -3/+8PC user has been editor of a Linux journal for a year? Unlikely.

    Buried.
    • Slade605, on 08/28/2008, -3/+2What do you do for a job? Is your upper management good at your job?
      I do tech support. My supervisors are worthless for a resource. I don't see the problem with this guy working for a company that is primarily about something he doens't use.
  • thankyoupatrick, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2Am I the only one who feels this article was cut entirely way too short? I expected him to go on about his experience with other distros... I guess that just fits his style being a longtime writer for a linux related publication as a Windows user.
  • sandiegodude, on 08/28/2008, -3/+9Eh, I do my day to day work from my Ubuntu 8 machine at work (on it right now in fact). It was my first real plunge into Linux as a workhorse. I've worked on LInux/Unix servers regularly for the past 10 years, so I'm not CLI shy or anything, just never really bothered. I have to say, it has its definite bonuses as well as drawbacks. BTW, if you really want itunes on Linux, you can use Wine, along with a handful of other windows only apps.

    My honest opinion? As a knowledgeable systems admin I absolutely love Ubuntu, it does everything I need it to do with some tweaking. It's not 100% perfect and I've done a lot to get it just the way I want it, but it serves my purposes here at work just as well as my previous Win32 box did. I don't think Ubuntu is quite the "every man's" OS yet however, as there is still a learning curve that your average user who just wants ease of use out of the box (yer gettin' a mac dude) won't be able to put up with. It's pretty damn close, I'm happy to report, but not quite there yet.

    ... Of course, that's the beauty of open source OS. It will get there, and its evolution sure as hell is faster than closed source OS's.
    • Greg2k, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2I have a 5-year-old Inspiron 8600 with a 1.4Ghz Pentium M and a newly installed 80GB HDD. I'm running Ubuntu 8.04 and find I can get around it so long as I do all my updating and software downloads through Synaptic. The thing that boggles the mind is how on earth can Compiz Fusion pump out so much awesomeness from my crummy GeForce Go 5200. The thing flies! Motion blur is pretty strong, 3D desktop cube, wobbly windows, reflections...not only does it look gorgeous, it's actually usable.

      I can see myself using Ubuntu on this laptop for taking notes in class and just surfing the web. Problem is I could never commit to having Linux as my main OS on the desktop PC because I need to get some gaming and video editing done every once in a while. Still I appreciate the strong advances in Linux distros and despite being a strong Windows fan, I will always give Linux a try every now and then.
  • norman619, on 08/28/2008, -2/+9So the guy is using an OS that suits his needs. Not to mention he works for a Linux site. I use Windows because it suits MY needs. My website developer buddy uses OSX because it suits his needs. I think it's a safe bet people in general use the OS that does what they need it to do. Fanboyism is annoying.

    Maybe I should write an article about how I made the switch from crunchy to smooth peanut butter?
    • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -2/+2Ah I remember when I made that switch. Good times good times. Never forget that last crunchy sandwich.
  • nickert0n, on 08/28/2008, -3/+9LOL
    "One Less Window's User" - And the entire article is about stating what you cant do in Linux, or how hard it is to do mundane tasks.

    Ba Ba Ba Burried
  • thejackel161, on 08/28/2008, -3/+5Fewer.......Fewer. Apparently Linux users don't know grammar.
    • AnarkeIncarnate, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Maybe he also got injected with Gardasil. You know, that cancer vaccine (which is a total BS lie, as it protects against a few strains of HPV, but a competitor's product is going to kill them if they can market it better, as the new product protects against more strains of HPV, which have only been linked to a certain type of cancer, but lets not tell anybody that, lets call it a cancer vaccine and force all girls age 11 and up to get it)
    • DteK, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1actually he is a windows user who just switched to linux.
  • diggopolous, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3I really wish digg would seperate the unix/linux categories into their own seperate category.
    I am a unix user and although I use linux and like linux I wish I could use a filter to filter out linux because as a lot of people commented in this post and elsewhere 90% of Linux posts here
    come down to just cheerleading Linux. So, I have to wade through and put up with so many cheerleading articles just to chance that I come across an interesting unix or linux submission.
    • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Other Unices do not evolve as fast as Linux and typically most FOSS software is developed on Linux and added to multiple distributions before it ever reaches anything else. There simply aren't enough stories about or users of other Unices to warrant it's own category
  • davidkeithjones, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Another Linux switcher article....yay.

    Heres the deal: Linux works just fine when you get it setup, some distros are less painful than others. You can do almost everything that is done in Windows except game (properly) and use MS office products (a major drawback for some).

    The big thing is try different OSes and see which one serves you best.
    • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -2/+6"You can do almost everything except...[goes on to list two major things that people want an OS to do]".
    • stealthc, on 08/28/2008, -2/+6Also no iTunes, no support for popular media codecs unless you commit copyright infringement, unpredictable hardware support, no competent video editor, scarce documentation, and software packages that break each other. But you do get to have that feeling that you've stuck it to the man by using an unpopular desktop OS.
      • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -2/+1I call *****.

        "unpredictable hardware support" - *****!
        "no competent video editor" - *****!
        "scarce documentation" - *****!
        "software packages that break each other" - *****!
      • plingboot, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1hmmm... Scarce documentation?? Are you sure, in my experience of getting annoyed at linux, the lack of documentation was never the problem, there's tons of it and tons of people that will help out.

        Linux is still pretty much a geeks OS. If you're Mr average mainstream then, yeah, probably best to stick to Windows. The day mr average starts using linux (I dunno, lets say > 8% usage) is the day most of the linux crowd will have moved to something else.

      • stealthc, on 08/28/2008, -1/+1You can call "*****," but that doesn't change the fact that getting Linux to run on a laptop is like having to solve a damn Rubic's Cube. See a webcam you like at Best Buy? Good ***** luck getting it to work on Linux if it's not exactly the right make and model. Kino is passable as an entry level video editor, but crappy even when compared to Windows Movie Maker. Cinelerra might as well be written in Sanskrit. Documentation is almost non-existent from the point of view of a non-ultrageek user. In Windows or Mac, I can whip out a Help window and almost always solve my problem. I don't have to go to WindowsForums.org and plead for weeks for someone who had a similar problem to speak up and maybe, just maybe, sort of help me.

        As for the software packages: nVidia.

        If Linux was as easy to use as the zealots claim, then it would be at least as popular as MacOS. It isn't and it's not.
      • smotpoker, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1"You can call "*****," but that doesn't change the fact that getting Linux to run on a laptop is like having to solve a damn Rubic's Cube." -*****!
        The last laptop I installed Ubuntu on, the most complicated aspect was enabling 3D with nvidia and installing/configuring compiz, neither of which were *required* to do anything useful. Details? Selected "nv" and "compiz-fusion" checkboxes in synaptic, clicked "apply", selected "advanced settings manager" in the system menu and enabled the compiz effects I wanted.

        "See a webcam you like at Best Buy? Good ***** luck getting it to work on Linux if it's not exactly the right make and model." -*****!
        ...most likely. While I haven't done this in a while, the last webcam I bought was plug-n-play, as were the two before that which were given to me. I didn't even have to bother with the pesky driver cds. Imagine that...

        "Documentation is almost non-existent from the point of view of a non-ultrageek user." -*****!
        I originally switched exclusively to Linux because of the great documentation and support which were utterly lacking and spam-site infested under Windows. The only suggestions I could ever get were reboot/reinstall or wait for an update. No one knew how to do jack *****. Copy/pasting an occasional command if you are having a problem does not make you an ultrageek or require special understanding/skill, sorry to burst your bubble, and is usually a lot faster than clicking through 10 install/configure dialogs.

        "In Windows or Mac, I can whip out a Help window and almost always solve my problem." -*****!
        I cannot speak as to Macs since I've never really used one, but Windows Help I know for a fact is and always has been utter useless *****. This includes technical support, MSDN and the help included with the programs.

        "If Linux was as easy to use as the zealots claim, then it would be at least as popular as MacOS. It isn't and it's not." -*****!
        Linux has no marketing budget and usually doesn't come with shiny new hardware all the teenage girls can rave over. It is also relatively new as a multimedia editing platform which is what like 90% of the Mac market is interested in
      • stealthc, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I'm glad your experience was different, smotpoker, but it sounds like you simply got lucky with your hardware selection. My laptop has problems suspending or hibernating no matter which distro I use, and none of the maintainers are interested in fixing the problem. This is most true for Ubuntu.

        I've used Linux off and on for about six years. Fedora 2 or 3 was fantastic on a desktop and I kept it for about a year. Linux operating systems tend to improve the longer you use them. I'm no stranger to the command line, or to writing scripts, or to manually editing a .conf file. In fact, the reason I keep trying Linux is because its powerful command-line makes certain tasks easier, and it certainly makes it easier for someone with more knowledge to communicate to others what to do to solve a problem.

        My beef with Linux and the zealots that claim it's "ready for the desktop" is that I shouldn't have to do those things. Peripherals and hardware add-ons can't simply be added to your system because you like their features. You have to take into consideration whether or not someone volunteered to write a driver long enough ago that it's usable now.

        I love using Linux when it works, but I have so many other things I'd rather be doing with my time than doing the Patented Linux Troubleshooting Process: Google -> Forum -> Attempt Solution -> Fail -> Google -> Forum -> etc., ad nauseam.

        When I use Linux, the computer itself becomes a project whether I like it or not. I'd rather be doing things *with* the computer than *to* it.
    • davidkeithjones, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1In case it wasn't clear, I'm not pushing Linux. I use Ubuntu in a VM for safe browsing but thats it. XP is still my home.
  • inajeep, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2I am glad he seemed to have the standard problem with booting older laptops from CD-ROM, printer drivers and the wireless networking hassle/issues which made it impossible to have someone without Linux knowledge switch. Ok, not impossible but so frustrating that they would say f* it, I'm buying a new system w/ windows preinstalled.

  • mrogi, on 08/28/2008, -10/+1Don't be a douchebag. Don't be a tofu eating, granola munching, tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, recycling idiot. Beef eating, beer guzzling, plastic bag using, SUV driving, red blooded Americans choose Windows now and forever.
  • DigeratiMVP, on 08/28/2008, -1/+4He fails to do his homework too. There is a pretty good backup plan called Time Vault that he could use as a backup plan that is scheduled. http://www.howtoforge.com/snapshot-backups-with-ti ...

    Also they make a picasa for linux so no need for wine.
    http://picasa.google.com/linux/

    You would think someone from Linux Insider would know these things.

    Have a nice day!
    http://www.userbytes.com
    http://www.seizethepage.com
    • mythz, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2> Also they make a picasa for linux so no need for wine

      Picasa uses wine to run on linux
      • DigeratiMVP, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I dont see that in the system requirements

        System Requirements

        Should work on any Linux system with Intel 386-compatible processor,
        glibc 2.3.2 or greater, and a working X11 display system.
        Desktop Integration features require a current version of Gnome or KDE.
        Camera detection and integration requires kernel >= 2.6.13, hal >= 0.56, libgphoto2, and gnome-volume-manager or equivalent.
        Downloading from Picasa Web Albums requires a Mozilla-based browser like Firefox.
  • mohsenxp, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2I don't think quaint was the right word to use.
  • elbenja, on 08/28/2008, -1/+1i'll think turning into Linux, after the day Adobe has its application for Linux...
  • Mr.Gone, on 08/28/2008, -0/+7I bet his farts smell amazing!
  • ifruit, on 08/28/2008, -6/+4Vista is a great OS. Just do the 10 Vista tweaks when you get it. it's rock solid and fast.
  • stealthc, on 08/28/2008, -3/+9Linux is the dungeon crawler of operating systems. Every single task has a puzzle to solve before you can move on.
  • DryMaltExtract, on 08/28/2008, -2/+3Hi guys, today I ate a cheese sandwich. Normally I go for peanut butter, but I was out, just thought I'd let you know. I'll let you know when I have to take a dump, because it's really important that you know.

    Wow, some guy switches to linux. WHO THE ***** CARES?
  • ronaldmonster, on 08/28/2008, -2/+2Still waiting for the Zune to be cracked before I make the full transition...
  • xxl3w, on 08/28/2008, -1/+9man, sounds like he's spending the majority of his time trying to get his hardware/software working, other than using a computer to be productive +1 to linux! YAY! luckily he's an editor of linux insider, so he doesn't have to be productive, he just has rub the fanboys' tummies.
    • davidkeithjones, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3Oh ya! Right there! Whoa! Too low dude, not cool.
  • seltaeb4, on 08/28/2008, -0/+5You get what you pay for. That's why Linux is free.
  • Zergvasion, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Am I the only one thinking just use both?
    Seriously, people, it isn't that hard to dual boot.
    • xxl3w, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1you're not the only one who knows, but why dual boot a useless OS? everytime i dual booted linux, i'd be configuring hardware when i was under linux, then i'd get tired of it and say "hey, i need to get some work done". i'd have to reboot to windows... linux is like windows 95 for hardware with a OS X interface.(you can replace the blue screen with a black screen that says "KERNEL PANIC!!!!"
      • Zergvasion, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Fair enough.
        To be honest I removed Linux from my dual-boot because I really didn't use it at all. All of my work / editing and gaming was obviously done on Windows.
        I only used it when I first installed it. Was one of those "Hmm, so this is it" moments.
  • polyp2000, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2wtf ?
    from the article..
    Is there a driver for my printer?

    Yeah, but that doesn't mean it works out of the box, like it would with Windows.

    Now, I dont use windows day to day - but in the experience i've had with windows in most cases hardware devices require the installation of a driver before they can be used. Generally speaking most linux distributions come with drivers and supported hardware does work out of the box. Now I know that there is hardware out there lacking in good linux support - which is why I always make sure hardware will work with linux before I pony up the cash.(Something you should do when buying hardware for any os). The point that im trying to make is that hardware supported by linux will work out of the box without any need to install drivers.
    • xxl3w, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Out of the box printer drivers for windows server 2003 is a big NONO. out-of-the-box drivers are garbage.
    • plingboot, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Indeed I had no issues at all with any of my hardware; old digital camera, printer, scanner all worked from the first boot without any hassles with Linux... which surprised me... XP however, I had to fish out 5 year old setup CDs install god knows what bloatware to get each of my devices running... I even had to fish out the motherboard CD before the onboard sound would work, wtf is that all about.

      Linux has its problems, but hardware support isn't one of them. imo.
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I have more driver issues with Windows than Linux, Linux actually supports more hardware.

      The problem is that the very latest hardware might not be supported out of the box, this is also a problem for Windows to some extent but on Linux its more of an issue because that hardware generally won't include a nice cd Linux compatible CD.

      If your system is older than the latest release of a distro (many are released about every 6 months and different times for different distros) then you generally won't have issues unless its some fairly obscure hardware. If you have a bleeding edge system then you can run into problems,although in many cases its generic enough that there aren't problems and if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you can try and upgrade your kernel.

      ☢
  • Viriatus2, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2so this guy has a ton of problems with Ubuntu, can't use ITunes and dumps Windows.

    yay, who cares...

    BURIED!!
  • someone2, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Another I switched to Linux story, what about ppl like me who enjoy all of them without constantly pointing their shortcomings and advantages. Seriously get a life, write something worth reading oh and make sure the door doesnt hit ya on the way out
  • Her3t1k, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2I tried using nothing but Linux. As a pc gamer it didn't work for me. But for everyone else I see no issues. (unless you rely on retail software for which there is no open source counterpart.) I still use Linux only on my laptop and I prefer it greatly to windows. I am of the opinion that if every retail software manufacturer made a Linux version of their program the majority would choose Linux. I think the biggest complaint is that it's hard, and it's not hard so much as it is different imo.
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I hope that the Intel plan to replace GPUs with manycore CPUs takes off because it might be then possible to virtualize the games.

      You can't yet pass a video card directly to a VM (Xen might be able to but only if its a 2ndry unused card) but if you are rendering in software all you need is the virtual CPUs.

      Virtualised systems take very little in the way or performance hits.
  • stealthc, on 08/28/2008, -1/+2Short version of the article: "I switched to Linux and almost everything was a chore. I love it though!"

    Kind of sums up my feelings about FOSS as well.
  • manicleek, on 08/28/2008, -1/+1I have a PC running XP, a laptop running Ubuntu and a Mac.

    I like them all equally, I don't get viruses on any of them because I'm not stupid enough to, and they all do what I want them to do perfectly.

    Ubuntu however was an absolute ***** to set up, and there is no way a general user would ever have been happy to go through that
    • Culyt, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Most of my Ubuntu installs have been painless.

      Did you run into specific driver problems>

      Normally hitting next a bunch of times is enough (Dualbooting is a bit more work but not a whole lot with the automatic repartitioner's that work around NTFS).
      • manicleek, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1It was mainly drivers and wireless networking. I was by no means an expert on this at the time, but did it purely for educational purposes.

        No doubt if I were to do it again it would be far less painful, however that just wouldn't be good enough for your average user
  • esuomikim, on 08/28/2008, -1/+1While reading this kind of articles I feel like listening to Jehovah's Witnesses...

    "Sir, have you heard about the Linux? Can I take you a while? Let me explain..."
  • violentvinyl, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2The OS is just a workbench you keep your tools on. Each one only holds certain types of tools. Like anyone who uses tools, you want the best ones for the job because they make you more productive. You pick your toolbench based on the tools you're going to use, it's as simple as that. Some people will need more than one toolbench, and some won't need all the features that a particular toolbench offers. Others will want a well designed, impressive looking toolbench, while others prefer a more utilitarian, minimalist one. As long as these OSes are developed and supported by different communities, they will not be "one size fits all", and nor should they be. Competition among them is healthy, and if one starts to rise above the other in market share, the others will quickly adapt. This is a good thing. It's why computers work, and will CONTINUE to work.
  • FyberOptic, on 08/28/2008, -2/+1I was going to say something, but then checked the comments first, and found a refreshing amount of comments calling out the ***** of this "article" already! I found it strange since usually Linux whoring is commonplace, and anyone speaking bad of it or open source or anything gets voted down bigtime.
  • EagleRock, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1OH MY GOD. Someone on Digg switched to Linux. And OH MY GOD, he's using (K)UBUNTU. I've totally not seen this before! And I totally won't see it again!

    Not that I particularly hate Ubuntards, but I'm sick and tired of hearing these "I've used Windows for 82 years, now let's experience Linux" tales. They make dumb and useless comparisons that justify Linux because "Compiz-Fusion is so cool." The guy in the article even realized he wasn't really learning (or really using) Linux, as he was doing everything through KDE and learned nothing on the command line. His attitude is like most people that install any Ubuntu-based distro: "Yeah, you're right, I should do that. I really should get around to do that." People tend to get in ruts like this and sell themselves short.

    PEOPLE! If you really want to try Linux, try a real distro that doesn't dumb things down for you and leave you in the dark in exchange for some precompiled visual glitz-and-glamour. You'll do so much better by hitting up a hardened mainstream distro like Debian, Fedora, or openSUSE. Debian is a great perfectly-free distro, while SUSE and Fedora are the free versions of the two big corporate flavors. Trust me...you'll learn a lot more about the OS and computers in general.

    And if you REALLY want to learn, install Gentoo. And don't cheat by using the graphical LiveCD installer. Do a nice Stage3 install manually. You'll learn more about Linux by the time you get it installed then you ever will running Ubuntu and putting around in Gnome or KDE.

    < /rant > You are now free to Digg me down.
    • AnarkeIncarnate, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1Not everybody WANTS to learn everything about their OS. However, I do feel that people who use Ubuntu are just like the Prius driving asshats who yell at you about whatever it is YOU drive because you are not doing enough about the environment.

      They feel so full of themselves, until you mention the devastation caused by the heavy metal mining that is used in their batteries.

      Ubuntu is great in that it helps people realize there are alternatives. However, they need to realize there are ALTERNATIVES to Ubuntu.
      They don't get that Ubuntu takes most of the work done by the Debian team, pretties it up, and then calls it their own.

      Sure, they have made some good strides in usability, but I'll take a real root user, default sshd install, and a bit more "under the hood" stuff for myself

      I use OpenSUSE, and frankly, I think that the OpenSUSE 11.0 YaST package management is leaps and bounds above what it used to be, which was still good, albeit slow. It is now fast, zippy (heh) even.

      If you add a few repositories (or even 1 click install them) you practically never have to go searching for an RPM again.

      Oh, and for all those guys who are on about Compiz, Gnome, etc..........Novell/SUSE are where they started.
  • mnk0, on 08/28/2008, -1/+0Yes! im so happy to hear that theres one more linux user out there!! :) and it's surprising that as many others pointed out .. that the editior for linuxworld was not using linux. lol
  • MaxMWood, on 08/28/2008, -0/+2Linux diggers need to get the message, sure you hit the frontpage but you still only got 266 Diggs so far and it hit the frontpage 8 hours ago. You know what I mean?
  • Ouze, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1I think the best part of this story was that an editor at "LinuxInsider" magazine couldn't get his wireless to work properly at home, and never figured it out so uses an ethernet cable.

    Congratulations, Linux, on 17 years (and running) of failing at basic tasks that windows 98se could do, such as being compatible with a wireless protocol from 1999.
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