I'm Free! No more windows

[raskren]

What exactly are you free of? Now things will take much more time and effort and welcome to buggier, more unprofessional software.

People like to feel different. It makes them feel unique and important.

I guess he/she is free from being 'just like everyone else.'

[NullTrax]

With the latest version of Ubuntu......it has to be the easiest Linux distro I've used thus far.

Easy updates, easy software installation, user friendly gui, and best of all...Firefox :D

[Tek]

People like to feel different. It makes them feel unique and important.

I guess he/she is free from being 'just like everyone else.'

"m$ sux, linux r00lz"... I thought everybody knew this :laugh:

[shiven]

People like to feel different. It makes them feel unique and important.

I guess he/she is free from being 'just like everyone else.'

That's why i even tried SuSE in the frist place.. TO feel diff :D I might acutally load it on my old comp just to play around with it. :D

[[ucw]prophet]

What exactly are you free of? Now things will take much more time and effort and welcome to buggier, more unprofessional software.

One of the major things that Linux (and Mac OS for that matter) frees you from is the need to install and maintain/update an antivirus and antispyware clients, thus saving a significant amount of system resources to use for other tasks and freeing up your time so you can more productive on your machine. Linux, Mac OS and other *nix-based operating systems also operate in a way so that a regular user account doesn't have administrator privilages by default, unlike all previous versions of Windows released for home use (95, 98, Me, and XP). This prevents malware installing on your machine and causing significant problems outside of your home folder.

In regards to bugs, each operating system has its own fair share of bugs, holes, exploitations, etc. At this point, it's just a matter of preference regarding what bugs you can deal with. Linux in particular isn't any more or less buggy than any other operating system out there, assuming of course that you're not using a bleeding edge distribution.

And as far as unprofessional software, I have no problems with what I use on a regular basis.: OpenOffice 2 (my office suite), Firefox (my web browser), Evolution (my e-mail client), Gaim (my IM client), NetworkManager (my network management software), Banshee (my music client) or K3B (my CD/DVD burner). Each of these programs are extremely stable and have an easy to use interface. Nothing about them is unprofessional, either in looks or performance.

[Kreuger]

Coming from the old world of the 8-bit Atari 800xl computer to where I am now - I love being able to get into a system which still uses the command lines and terminals every so often. Not that xp didn't, but I could only take so much. Don't get me wrong, I still love windows, and will maybe even buy Vista, but think my primary system will be Linux 100% of the time from now on.

wow it isn't often you see people coming from windows that aren't afraid of a few cmds

Edit:

What exactly are you free of? Now things will take much more time and effort and welcome to buggier, more unprofessional software.

EULAs. BSODs (although kernel panics are similar, they're rather rare). most viruses and other malware. costs to purchase (unless you purchase a version of linux that is commercial for support). These are the main parts. Edited July 12, 2006 by Kreuger

[PNWDweller]

For those that say that Linux is hard - Sure it can be, but that is the fun of it. When I first started using a computer, I remember loading a cassette tape into the tape player, entering in the command to load it, and then play a game. That was the best it got until I moved to the old Atari. From there, I still had to use command lines to load my programs, for the time, it was the only interface available. Once Apple created the Mac which in my understanding was not the first window based GUI (xerox was), it still was not widely accepted until Microsoft developed the Win 3.x series then Win 95 was when it really took off. Command Line interfaces were not used as much and thus began the era of elimination of such.

I admit, I was afraid to go into Linux head first. I was constantly either downloading, or buying pre-pressed CD's with the distro on them so I could try it out. I did find the command line interface to be quite confusing as I was in the old school way of thinking with MS-DOS. I of course opted for the point and click interface with KDE, Litestep and the other window managers.

I have simply watched the distros mature and get more advanced and user friendly. In my opinion, the trend is to make the desktop experience more like Windows for a simple reason - To make it simpler and easier for the windows user to function in the linux environment. If my sister, or parents were to attempt to install a *nix varient, they would be completely lost even today.

Now that I have played with Ubuntu and spent literally more time using it over the other distros, I can honestly say that I have actually figured out some of the commands and can fully appreciate the logic. For those that don't understand the command line interface (terminal) - play with it in a live cd environment where no harm can be done. If you destroy the kernel some how, reboot. No harm no foul. Take the time to troll some of the many many linux support boards out there and you will find that a lot of stuff is even spelled out for you to do. Heck, I did that and even used some of the stuff last night while installing some new proggy's.

For those of you that are afraid to jump into it, remember like the other ones have said here, Linux is not for everyone, Mac OS is not for everyone and neither is Windows. I for one will still support windows at home and at work on everyone else's machine, but for my own, I prefer Linux for it's purpose it serves for me. As for the support for hardware and drivers, remember, that these things take time. To support every piece of hardware would take the opensource community and commercial vendors a lifetime to produce. It is up to each and every manufacturer to decide whether or not they want to produce drivers for linux. But they don't either because they choose not to, or there is not that much of a market for it.

The reason that I made my post title to say I was free no more windows is that I was free since I did not need to rely on windows as much as I thought I would have needed to. With 20+ years computer experience and skills, I have made my informed decision to use Ubuntu based on my experience.

For the fanboys of each operating system, they would surely tell you that they use their OS based on their experience (or would at least admit to it if it really came down to it). I am not professing to be a fanboy of windows, linux of any other OS, but am saying that when it call comes down to it, you need to make the informed decision to choose the OS of your liking. If someone comes out and bashes you because you support Windows, it is their problem, same with the *nix and Mac OS. These are computers and not people (Prepares for bombardment about analogies). At the end of the day, you can either shut down the computer, walk away from it, or destroy it. The choice is yours.

I know that in this thread there hasn't really been any bashing, but I have seen it before and really don't want it to head that way. I appreciate all of the postive feedback from other members and have found it great to see that they have some of the same fears that I had which is why I guess I rambled on here. It is not to create a stir or cause a disruption, rather offer some encouragement for those that are sticking their toes into the water and pulling them back before diving in fully.

[kaptain chump]

lol i left ubuntu linux because it didnt support (corrent me if im wrong) the newer versions of flash. My surf report charts were in flash and it's something i checked every day. Also, I didnt like the file association business with media files and i just didnt want to go diving super deep into another operating system just to fix that when my windows box with firefox (that rhymes :p) runs excellent. I made everything else run great with some simple fixes i found on forums and stuff, but i just couldnt resist the urge to make everything 'simple' again. Beauty is not in how complex something is or how many features it has, it's the ability of something really complex to appear simple. Maybe thats why the current linux distros are maturing in that direction.

The only people ive seen have trouble with windows are those that dont understand what to run and what not to run. I havnt had an antivirus program on my computer in years and i dont plan on it; everything works awesome. My install is approaching two years.

happily writing you from windows,

kaptain chump

[illegalStuff]

That's good.

Edited July 12, 2006 by illegalStuff

[Tek]

[ img] ... [ /img]

You're not impressing anyone.

[illegalStuff]

You're not impressing anyone.

??

[markwolfe Veteran]

Wow. Leave for a while, and a lot of Linux-bashing trolls pop in.

Trust me, if Linux was harder for me to use and administer (daily or long-term), I would not have been using it as my sole desktop OS for the past 3 1/2 years.

[MrCobra]

When I first started using a computer, I remember loading a cassette tape into the tape player, entering in the command to load it, and then play a game.

I remember those days. Makes you feel old doesn't it?

I used to use RedHat and tried SuSe briefly. I don't think that any OS is hard to deal with. Different maybe, but not hard. The thing that really puts me off of *nix is it doesn't do entertainment. I hated having to dual boot between *nix and Windows just so I could play a game.

As of now, the only time I ever touch a *nix installation is to configure the firewall software of my "router" pc.

[Phixion]

Linux seems to be heading the same way as Windows with 3-click installation, etc. Soon Linux will be dumbed down to a point where it's nothing more than an open source Windows clone.

And whats wrong with that? As far as I see it Linux needed to move more into the user friendly domain. *nix based OS with windows usability? Sounds good to me!

That said though, my Windows XP install is as stable as my Linux, it all depends on your hardware and setup.

[SolidSapphire]

That's great that you've finally found your way out of Windows. I myself have just joined the Mac wagon and i like it A lot. Sort of makes me miss Windows when i see other people using it though. But all in all i still love my Mac. Congrats!

[_I am Reptar]

I could never use a system that doesn't let me play mp3s out of the box.

[Barney T. Administrators]

Well ths has turned into same old Windows vs Linux "which is better" thread.... :no: There must be dozens of these on Neowin.

As I have stated many times, whatever OS works for you is the correct one. The world of computing is large enough for everyone and thank goodness for the chance to choose.

Why people feel the need to bash another's choice of operating system is beyond me. Computing is like a large oak tree. There are many branches to play in.

Barney

[Kreuger]

Im too lazy to climb the tree :p but this thread has actually been decent

[PNWDweller]

Well ths has turned into same old Windows vs Linux "which is better" thread.... :no: There must be dozens of these on Neowin.

As I have stated many times, whatever OS works for you is the correct one. The world of computing is large enough for everyone and thank goodness for the chance to choose.

Why people feel the need to bash another's choice of operating system is beyond me. Computing is like a large oak tree. There are many branches to play in.

Barney

I for one never intended for it to go this way. :no: But then again, I guess it has to be done to satisfy some people. I had the feeling when I composed the title that it may turn this direction. I guess I should have made it something different like "I finally found a Linux I like!"

Oh well...

[YBG]

I could never use a system that doesn't let me play mp3s out of the box.

Oh noes, don't check three packages in Synaptic and then click apply! At least in Ubuntu.

Like, if that's all that was stopping you..I dunno man.

[markwolfe Veteran]

I could never use a system that doesn't let me play mp3s out of the box.

The implication being that "Linux" cannot play MP3s out of the box...

Perhaps you never heard of Linspire or SUSE? You pay for these distros, but that is for the licensing fees for media codecs and such. Maybe you should find a different reason to say you don't like Linux.

I, myself, might counter that Microsoft doesn't offer an OS that has an office suite, photo editor, ftp server, and full-featured CD/DVD burner out of the box.

What is included by default isn't terribly important. It is what can be done that matters to me.

Running Firefox, GIMP, Apache, etc. can be done on both platforms. With that set of apps, I find that Linux just works better for me.

[_I am Reptar]

I need Photoshop

I don't need Firefox to be super slow and sluggish

I need REAL fonts

[Arkaic]

linux is what you make of it. right now im running it. Ubuntu. and its the first distro... that actually seems to be well enough for me to learn on.

the first time i tried linux was red hat 6.? then mandrake 10. neither was good for me had 2 much of a learning curve.

but ubuntu is nice. im using the 6.06 LTS Live cd right now but prolly installnig it later. plus it'll be more responsive installed. :)

[markwolfe Veteran]

I need Photoshop

I don't need Firefox to be super slow and sluggish

I need REAL fonts

That's a better attempt.

Photoshop works best under Windows. Some versions run with Cedega, but I have never tried it.

Firefox runs just fine in Linux. Better, in my experience, than in Windows. This seems like a pro-Linux point.

And "real" fonts, eh? Install them in Linux. There is nothing magical about truetype fonts.

[Phixion]

I need Photoshop

I don't need Firefox to be super slow and sluggish

I need REAL fonts

I'm guessing you didnt install your gfx card drivers if you experienced a sluggish OS... alot of people make that mistake. It's like running Windows with no gfx drivers installed.