Mircosoft

[The Miker]

Yeah, if you have an ATi card and want to try Linux...forget about getting hardware acceleration/DVD playback to work unless you want to spend about 3+ f*cking hours doing it all.

[BobTheHob]

 

I just think that the bottom line is this:

 

Windows has one distinct advantage over Linux, and that is its ease of use. Let's face it, it is a slow and painful process to get anything done in Linux, whether it be watching a DVD or taking a picture with your webcam. I remember the only program I could get to take a picture from my webcam required about 5 switches, and overall about 40 characters in one command...just to take a simple 320x240 picture. These are things that most people would just want to be able to do quickly and painlessly, so people stay with Windows. Most people don't have the time/intelligence to learn Linux so they stay with Windows. Hell, I would bet that there are tons of people that would just love to switch to Linux, but can't because they need something that Windows offers but Linux does not, or does offer but needs a lot of work. I should know, I'm one of them. If it weren't for the fact that I love to play games (D3D accelerated games) and have an ATi card, I would switch to Linux.

 

Say what you'd like, but Windows > Linux in terms of overall usability. However, Linux > Windows in terms of overall stability and even speed. I think most people (read: idiots) would prefer usability over stability and speed. Simple as that.

Fact not, Linux is about as easy as Windows. It just takes a little time to get used to the new way of using the OS, but really it is much more simple.

 

Want a new application?

 

No need to rush out on the Internet and find it, just start a shell and type;

 

 

$ sudo apt-get install <program> [<program>,...]

 

 

You can get applications within seconds.

 

I updated my entire system within 2 and half hour ( because of my slow connection speed. ) and then I just had to reboot. But while it was updating my entire system, I could do anything as I was used to, only difference was the Internet was a bit slower.

 

NOTE: apt-get is only avaible in Debian like Linux distros.

This is so true, Linux and UNIX ( albeit harder to use than Linux) arent really hard to use persay. The day to day use of UNIX/Linux is really quite as easy as windows. The hardest part for a newcomer would be the intial configuration. This is why it costs more to run a UNIX network, because it is harder to set up, yet employees generally pick up on it just as fast as a newcomer to windows (this is because there is no configuration done by them). This said, while many UNIX's are still hard for a newcomer to configure, there are many many Linux distros now where it takes I would say, even less configuration than windows. Ubuntu Linux is a perfect example, it is well known for usually needing no configuration after installing (with the install process being even easier than windows). I have put on alot of machines for people new to linux with great success. A nice thing about ubuntu is it actually has a graphical package manager, it has pretty much any progrm you could need, just check the box and hit install. I like to use Ubuntu to introduce people to Linux because it gets them up and running with a working install, which they are then able to experiment with without haveing to do the hardest part of configuration before they learn the things they need to know more. I happen to like BSD/UNIX more, but a good starting point for people is usually some form of linux.

 

 

 

NOTE: apt-get is only avaible in Debian like Linux distros.

This makes your entire post null as far as I'm concerned. Not every distro is like Debian..and in fact there are tons that aren't, including most of the major ones. Plus there are literally hundreds of packages that apt-get cannot find.

 

The fact is, and I'm sure you already know and just feel like bitching, is that most every disro now days has some form of package management utility. About your ATI card problems, I have seen tons of installs with different ATI cards, all of them worked just fine with almost no configuration (maybe like 3-4 minutes), try not to judge based on individual experiences

Edited May 5, 2005 by BobTheHob

[The Miker]

Psst, you f*cked up your quote tags.

 

Anyway, yeah I know, my install ran perfectly, but without DVD playback and 3d accel. You can't tell me that Linux has ever just had those two work automatically on an ATi card..that's bullsh*t, and impossible.

[ilikensrs]

Anyway, each os has its place and purpose. Windows is great within its intended use, as is OS X, linux, and possibly even os/2. The people that piss and moan about Micro$hit, Micro$haft, and Internot Exploder are usually those who have seen a lovely old bandwagon trundling by, and decided that if they hopped on it then people would assume they actually knew something.

"Usually" is the key word here. I have been using UNIX since before it was fashionable to do so, back when it earned you a title of "nerd".

That's great for you, but it brings no relevance to the topic at hand.

 

Miker, what packages do you want? Almost anything you need can be gotten through apt-get, assuming you're still using ubuntu.

You need to use sudo to edit /etc/apt/sources.list, and enable the extra repositories. sudo apt-get update, and then you should be able to find what you need.

[The Miker]

Nah, the Linux I use now is SuSE 9.1...which I've heard lacks support for tons of good stuff.

[Exkabewbikadid]

Why do I despise Microsoft? Simple economics; they're a monopoly, meaning they have no real competition to ensure that their products will steadily and substantially improve. Look at the analogous situation between Intel and AMD. For years Intel was (and to a lesser extent, still is) regarded as the chip giant. AMD wasn't much of a threat until the K7 (Athlons) processors came along and trumped the Pentium 4s. Intel couldn't just stand still, so we saw 3+Ghz chips by the beginning of 2003. Otherwise, without AMD, we wouldn't have near the selection or power to choose from in CPUs right now. We'd probably still have sh*tty P4s on a 400FSB. *shudders*. A similar story can be observed between Nvidia and ATI.

 

But really, the same thing is happening to Microsoft on a smaller scale. If it wasn't for Firefox, IE 7 wouldn't have been announced, and by the time it would be announced, Microsoft probably wouldn't be listing new, Firefox-inspired features and security.

 

Simply put, I praise the open source community for outshining Microsoft and thereby lighting a much needed fire under their asses however they can. It's really the only way to keep the big guy in check and ensure that customer expectations and satisfaction will be met. Otherwise Microsoft will just do as it pleases i.e. sell costly, inadequate software whilst convincing the masses that it's better than before.

[BobTheHob]

Psst, you f*cked up your quote tags.

 

Anyway, yeah I know, my install ran perfectly, but without DVD playback and 3d accel. You can't tell me that Linux has ever just had those two work automatically on an ATi card..that's bullsh*t, and impossible.

I didnt say automatically, I said 3-4 minutes. Did you install DRI?