Jonthered

3/4/2009 12:28:15 PM #

Ok, fair enough, but one sided review. Linux comes in many "flavours", just like Windows Operating sytems.
Those nice people stateside re-invent their OS regular and charge for the privilege, eventually they decide that its obsolete and stop supplying the bug fixes they like to call "patches" or "updates".
Linux has a army of programmers, people who contribute to the OS and the Applications, they do so without financial reward. Linux and Opensource is everywhere, not just desktop PC's but in mobile phones, set top boxes, hand held gaming devices and so on.

What does the internet back bone run on? and web servers? Unix and Linux, mostly.

There is a a big freindly community out there of people ready to help, but it takes effort from the user to get the best from Linux.

Those little netbooks with the solid state hard drives have soild millions, thats right, they sold like hotcakes when they where first on ebay and when the high street retailers got them they where a big hit. The Windows Option was a latter addition.

If you want to see how fast your laptop of desktop runs then run Linux.

Two of the best programmes avaialble for free, yes free, in the shape of Mozilla Firefox, and Open Office. Why pay for Microsoft Office when Open Office does the same thing?

Microsoft employ many people and have helped push the technology age to where it is today and will be tomorow. They have some nice products, but when you are a huge global company then any product can be marketed to great effect.

Oh and yes Linux can run dual boot with XP and Vista.

Giving up and paying someone to come and sort your techinal issues out is huge cop out, I've heard of people paying for technical knowhow to reinstall their Windows OS so that makes the statement comparable, and says more about the user than it does about the products.

Like they say a bad workman always blames his tools.

Andrew Deighton

3/11/2009 4:13:33 AM #

Why do people feel they must go around saying that the system they like is great and everything else is just rubbish? This irritates me beyond belief. This article should start with a huge disclaimer stating that if you have only ever worked with windows, and if you don't understand computing, and if you don't want to learn anything new, then Linux may cost you more time than windows.

Lets get things right here. If you buy a machine with windows pre-installed and take it home and turn it on, it will work. If you buy a machine with Linux on, and take it home and turn it on, it will work. If you buy a machine with OS X on, and take it home and turn it on, it will work.

If you try to put a new operating system onto an old machine it may or may not work. OK, you had problems putting Linux onto your old PC, and some printer did not work afterwards. How many tales of woe can you find for exactly the same problems when people put Vista onto old machines that used to have XP on them? How many old printers are there that do not have Vista drivers available? And how much do you need to pay Microsoft for Vista before you find out that your hardware will not work?

It is not linux that is causing your problems, it is changing your operating system that is causing you problems.

Just because you don't understand UNIX, does not make it a bad system. You have obviously missed out on an opportunity to understand computing if you thought that windows-only software would run in a linux environment. At the least you could turn the box over and read the minimum requirements on the back. Note that a windows operating system is required? Similarly, Linux software will not run on Windows, and OS X software will not run on either systems. (Unless, of course, you install an extra layer such as WINE, CygWin, etc...)

Another point that you completely missed is that you don't have to install Linux on your machine to work with it. Download Ubuntu, burn it to a disk and start your PC with the disk in the drive. This will boot into a fully functional Linux environment without making any changes to your old system. You can then play with it, learn your way around, and when you are comfortable, you can double click on the install icon on your desktop. If you decide not to install the system, simply reboot your machine with the CD out of the drive and you will be back with your good old windows environment. This is something that you can't do with windows.

I do not believe that Linux is "better" than windows, or any other system. Each system has its place. Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses. The thing that irritates me is people who refuse to see the weaknesses of their favoured system or to acknowledge the strengths of any other system.

Linux has its place, Windows has its place. OS X has its place. I know, I run them all - on the same machine. You should not translate your own inadequacy or lack of experience and know-how into a comment on the strengths or weaknesses of the system you are using.

As for Linux being expensive because of what you paid dear old Bobby, just think of the opportunities that learning Linux could open up for you. Investing some time in learning about computing could pay for itself many times over - just ask Bobby.

Stuart

3/11/2009 8:53:48 AM #

What a load of waffle. And this is from someone who calls themselves an IT professional? Your blog post is completely one-sided. You've obviously either a) Had the intention of writing a blog about how good Windows is without trying Linux, or b) Have no idea what you're doing with IT.

S Albert

3/17/2009 12:23:01 PM #

Some great responses from some clearly very knowledgeable technical people. Thanks.

Linux, UNIX, Windows, OSX, and even FreeBSD all have a purpose and I am not saying everyone should banish everything except Windows to the virtual dustbin. Of course not. What I am saying is this.

We know Linux has a great many uses in the following environments:
• Certain commercial environments (usually 'behind the scenes')
• Running many websites and firewalls and other internet infrastructure
• Some hardware appliances
• instances where the computer has a limited and specific function and has IT support people on hand
• for people who have a certain level of technical competence or want to gain to a certain level of technical competence
• normal everyday computer users who are not technical but have some time on their hands and are happy to sacrifice what they are used to and relearn what they know

For everyone else, which is most people, it is not that straight forward. At The PC Support Group we look after the IT for small businesses and home users who don't have the means to effectively do it themselves. We have seen what happens when people who are not technically inclined venture into the world of Linux - the result is akin to the scenario I outlined previously. Most people who are not technically inclined who have tried Linux WANT to go back to Microsoft. This is a fact based on our experience. This extends to some open source software too. Where we have helped people needing to meet tight budgetary constraints to move to Open Office, a great portion want to return to Microsoft Office because that is what they are used to. In a world full of change that moves at an extremely fast pace just to survive, particularly in business, people by and large don’t want additional complexity, confusion or change at all. Business owners who have tried this often see the hidden costs with having gone the non-Microsoft route and we are approached and asked to put them back to how they were before.

Also when a business or home computer user goes the Linux route it limits where they can turn for help. Like it or not, Microsoft based help is much easier to come by – and often cheaper as the market is more competitive.

What we are seeing from most of the comments is that as technical people you simply don't understand what users really want. The point is that most people outside the world of computing reading your reasons won’t understand what you are saying. You’re talking complete sense to me – I get it and I agree with you – but you’re talking another language to the average user. And it is this fact that underpins my whole argument. It doesn’t matter how coherent your arguments are about Linux, the point is simply that non-computer people don’t and often can’t get it. Just saying ‘read the minimum requirements on the back of a software box’ is absolutely unfathomable to most users. It’s understanding this that has made The PC Support Group successful.

So in summary, I agree that Linux may be right for you and other technical people – but based on my extensive experience looking after people, businesses and their computers, I do disagree that it is right for the majority of users.

Thanks for your interest.

S Albert

4/12/2009 7:30:18 AM #

Stop Press: it has just been reported in the latest PC Pro magazine that 40% of all Linux based netbooks are returned because people can't work out how to use them.

Computer Technical Support

4/27/2009 6:28:35 AM #

Nice and great informative post. Thanks for sharing .

Luke

9/4/2009 7:30:42 AM #

If there's one thing I detest about the Internet, it's people talking with absolute authority on matters they are so completely ignorant towards. You are a small business that deals with home users and SMEs, this does not qualify you to speak with such authority. Without meaning to mirror your arrogance, you are a small fish in a very big pond.

Most of what I wanted to say has already been said extremely politely by Andrew Deighton, so I shall just summarise the important points once more:

- The one sidedness of your post is astounding. If you're not on commision from Microsoft, you should be.
- I don't know if I've ever seen so much ignorance trying to be passed off as "extensive experience" before.
- The fact that you read PC Pro is telling; no doubt you enjoy the completely one sided egocentric articles by Jon Honeyball extolling the virtues of everything Redmond.
- I wouldn't trust my IT support to someone who finds it difficult to install Linux - a task that is carried out successfully by tens of thousands of teenagers without your 'extensive experience' every year.

To pick up on one point that infuriated me ever so slightly:

[i]"What we are seeing from most of the comments is that as technical people you simply don't understand what users really want."[/i]

Condescend much?

Also - you're an IT support company, and from the sounds of it you don't have the first idea about how to support PC's running Linux, in which case you solely support Windows machines. But with Windows being so excellent, cost-effective and "just working", it begs the question, how the hell do you make a living? Do your customers think that Windows has a low TCO when they're racking up charges with you?

I am not a Linux fanboy, I use Windows/OSX/Linux/UNIX extensively day-to-day. Each OS has their pro's and con's; each has their place in the world of IT. You are evidently not in a position to comment with any authority on where those places are.

Ewan Jobe

9/4/2009 8:52:57 AM #

I completely agree with most of the comments on here, apart from yours Simon. In fact, you don't even understand basic logic. Most Linux distributions are FREE. You know what that means? It means you don't have to pay money for them. You know what money is? It's something you work for and something you spend on either physical or digital things. Money is NOT time, or emotion. Linux is free, easy to use (no matter what you say, i'm 14 and i can use it perfectly so heaven help you, Mr IT Professional), less bloated, has a better philosophy and is actually enjoyable. I use Windows, but only for gaming, because Bill Gates somehow managed to convince everybody to use his software ages ago, you seem to have been brainwashed as well. And you know something? Forward planning is your friend. Anybody with an ounce of common sense will check that something is going to work before they actually do it. Not just do it and see what happens. And you completely underestimate the human race. Reading the packaging is beyond most people? Come on. Just because you didn't have the mind to do this doesn't mean that the rest of humanity can't.

I'm not even going to waste my time with you any more. And you know why? Because you should be ashamed. Ashamed that you can call yourself an IT Professional. Ashamed that you can't do even the most basic of IT tasks. And ashamed that people will look to this page for some honest advice, and what will they see? Complete and utter tosh. And i pray to god (who i don't even believe in) that nobody will take this seriously. Don't get me wrong, i respect personal opinion. I respect that some people are idiots. But when idiots try to force their personal opinion on people only because they are idiots and not accept that they are wrong when they have been proven so then you really shouldn't be in this line of work.

And you know what i just spotted? Mr IT Professional can't even learn basic HTML and CSS. Look to your bottom right.

Gareth

9/5/2009 8:38:17 PM #

Just wanted to respond to the 'Stop Press' post made by the author of this article:

"it has just been reported in the latest PC Pro magazine that 40% of all Linux based netbooks are returned because people can't work out how to use them."

This statistic was based on a comment made by a Microsoft employee. Excuse me for being cynical but I wouldn't read too much into something related to Linux that Microsoft claim to be true. Linux, along with OS X, is a huge threat to Microsoft's revenue stream. Naturally, they're trying to protect their revenue stream - and by extension their jobs - by criticising the competition, often with unfounded and incorrect comments.

Dell have gone on record saying that they disagree with Microsoft's findings about the return rate of Linux-based Netbooks being higher than Windows-based ones. Have a read of the following article at the Register

www.theregister.co.uk/.../

If you can't be bothered reading the whole article, I'll summarise it with the following quote:

"Dell has delivered a dose of reality for both Microsoft and the Linux community on the subject of netbooks.

Speaking at OpenSource World, a Dell executive deflated Microsoft's enthusiasm for making a case out of the number of Linux netbooks returned by unhappy customers.

Todd Finch, Dell senior product marketing manager, said the number of Linux returns are approximately the same as those for Windows netbooks. He categorized the matter of returns as a "non-issue".

"They are making something of nothing," he said of Microsoft's claims. "

montana rider

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