my flame. written by trevelyn.

[nwbell]

I guess I usually sum it up this way...

Do you have lots of money to blow on software?
Are you a n00b?
Does your boss dictate that you MUST run Windows or be fired, and you don't want to be fired?
Do you enjoy defending your machine against virii, spyware/junkware, etc.?
Do you have significant software that is Windows-only and you can't/won't run it in emulation?
Do you have significant hardware that is only supported in Windows which you can't/won't replace?

If you answered YES to two or more of those questions, or if you answered YES to any of the last 4 questions, you need to be using Windows. Otherwise you might do well to look at running Linux or getting a Mac.

edit: should read "last 4 questions"

[rbcp]

Do you have lots of money to blow on software?

No.  XP came with my desktop computer.  And I downloaded it for free for my laptop.  But even if I had paid for it (what's it cost, $200 or $300?) I think it would have been a fair price since it's lasted me the past 6 years.

Are you a n00b?

I started on a Timex Sinclair in the mid 80's.  So no.  I've tried various forms of Linux before and I just don't care for it too much.  Though if I do see somebody running Linux, I don't make fun of them for it.

Do you enjoy defending your machine against virii, spyware/junkware, etc.?

Nope.  That's why I use AVG and Zone Alarm.  I'm pretty sure I haven't had a virus problem since Windows 3.11.  I've had viruses show up in software that I've downloaded but AVG caught it for me.

[trevelyn]

pandas rule!! yay!!

[ghostman]

Eh?  I think, therefore I Mac?  Augh my head hurts... oOoh looky, pandas!

[hosh_spicer]

aww its just so small...

[trevelyn]

  Eh?  I think, therefore I Mac? 

OMG My own mediocre attempt at humor has been highly amusing to myself.!!! awesome quote!

[nwbell]

  Eh?  I think, therefore I Mac? 

OMG My own mediocre attempt at humor has been highly amusing to myself.!!! awesome quote!

That phrase was on a set of postcards Apple gave out back in '98. Other cards said things like "iMac: the odorless room-mate" and "Back in the '60s, they'd have marched for it".

And yes, it's a cool quote. I had it in my .sig a while back.

[trevelyn]

god damn you brought this back from the dead!! I SAID I WAS SORRY OKAAAY!!>??!?!?? just when people started to talk to me again too, thanks.

[MattGSX]

nw: not to beat a dead horse with this one, but it doesn't make Linux look better when instead of saying "you don't need proprietary software" you say "You can emulate Windows to run your software". I have a dual-boot system (XP and Ubuntu), both of which were free. The only thing I use Ubuntu for is taking notes and using the Internet when I'm physically connected to my router (to bypass bandwidth problems with my router). I have paid for 1 piece of software, which is for music notation (I'm a composition major). I have not paid for my wireless card (as it was given to me by a friend who also couldn't get it to run with any Linux distro).

Two things: There are only a couple linux-supported notation programs, and they pretty much suck. I'd be better off writing everything by hand and paying an engraver to print it for me, scan it, and save the PDFs for reference, which is even more work.

Two, to use my computer the way I would like to in Linux, it would cost me MORE money for new hardware than it is to simply run it in Windows. The only hardware Ubuntu supports on my laptop is my NIC card and my monitor. No matter how many times I follow online tutorials or have "Linux experts" look at it, my audigy sound card will not be recognized as anything other than an output-only sound device, killing mic/line-in usage. That alone kills linux for me.

trev, your high-handed, asshole attitude towards people that don't embrace your ideals is part of the same reason that Linux will never really catch on in the mainstream. Why should I build a new box, making sure that every single piece of hardware is on a supported devices list and spend much more than I'm willing just so I can run a free operating system hassle free? Why should I junk my laptop just because it works best with Windows? Your logical argument of "fuck you, buy a new computer so you can run Linux you n00b" lacks the ability to persuade me.

Also, most people who DON'T use Linux don't usually purchase a machine questioning if the hardware will be compatible with Linux. Why should they have to?

For reference, I started out on a 386 running DOS 5 or 6 and a terminal-styled operating system adapted from a bank computer. I wish I still had that computer.

[I-baLL]

Hey, Mattgsx, why all the hate-spewing?

Be nice to people

OR PANDAS WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!

Now what's the model of the soundcard that you're having problems with?

[Altalp]

 I really didnt see Trevelyn being an asshole, or being high-handed..  Personally I have enjoyed reading this thread, even the panda parts.  I have tried different versions of linux, and i dont see a reason why its better than windows.  I like windows because it does what I need it to do.  Maybe if i understood all the benefits of linux over windows, I could weigh them out better. I will assume Trevelyn understands linux MUCH better than I do and if he wants to praise linux for doing exactly what he needs, then let him.  I dont see him being an asshole for that.

[I-baLL]

Okay, i'll throw in my 2 cents.

Linux is better than Windows because it lets you, with the proper time and knowledge, do whatever you want with it. Since it's open source if you don't like how something handles you can change it. If you see a bug you can fix it yourself.

Another reason why Linux is better is specifically due to hardware support. Linux supports A LOT more hardware than Windows does. The only problem is brand new hardware. If the manufacturer doesn't provide linux-specific drivers for a product then it's up to the community to write them.

Windows is better because it's designed for the normal, non-technical user. You don't need to know how things function to get things to work. Everything's been done for you so all you gotta do is change some stying options and you're all set to go.

The problem with Windows right now is that they're chanfing their design waay too drastically. Like iin Win95 and 98 when you had a lot of windows open they all appear on the taskbar, shrunken. Now they're all the same width but you have to either scroll down to see if any of them are flashing or, if you don't have "Classic View" on, you have to click on a dlashing name and select another flashing subwindow.

So right now I'm seeing Linux as an imperfect OS that is improving and I'm seeing WIndows as an imperfect OS that is lessening in quality. Personally I'd recommend that people use both instead of one or the either.

[MattGSX]

All the hate spewing came from it being 2 in the morning and me being somewhat intoxicated. Sorry bout that.

But yeah, I think Linux has potential, but it's pretty much unsuited for my purposes right now. In the future, if they can get distros with better hardware support, I'd probably start using it more, but right now it doensn't do it for me.

[I-baLL]

All the hate spewing came from it being 2 in the morning and me being somewhat intoxicated. Sorry bout that.

But yeah, I think Linux has potential, but it's pretty much unsuited for my purposes right now. In the future, if they can get distros with better hardware support, I'd probably start using it more, but right now it doensn't do it for me.

Uhm, Linux has the best hardware support of any OS out there out of the box. I'm not sure how they can "improve" that. The only thing left to do is  to have the hardware manufacturers start writing more drivers for linux.

[rbcp]

Linux is better than Windows because it lets you, with the proper time and knowledge, do whatever you want with it. Since it's open source if you don't like how something handles you can change it. If you see a bug you can fix it yourself.

Windows is better than Linux because it lets you, without the proper time and knowledge, do whatever you want with it.