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What Keeps You Off of Windows?

Posted by Cliff on from the broken-panes dept.

J. J. Ramsey asks: "schnell has already asked the question What's Keeping You On Windows? It seems only fair to ask the opposite question. For those of you who have elected to not use Windows, what keeps you away from it? Concerns about stability? Security? Dislike of Microsoft's business practices? Or are you simply a fan of your chosen platform and just don't care about Windows one way or the other?" Might recent events sway your decision to keep Microsoft's premier software offering off of your computer?

2 of 2,071 comments (clear)

  1. The fact that it is so difficult to administer. by YankeeInExile · · Score: 5, Informative

    Curiously, in the last year I have actually started using Windows for the first time.

    It has been the most difficult platform I have ever had to administer. Setting up even trivial network configurations is near impossible, with seemingly endless screens to move through, and very poor documentation.

    Tasks that are trivial under Unix, have thus far eluded me. I still don't know how to set up DNS under Win2K.

    Doesn't that sound like precisely the Why $FREE_UNIX_SYSTEM Can Never Succeed on the Desktop Argument? I am sure that Windows is no harder to administer than Unix. But I have fifteen years of Unix adminning experience, and zero Windows experience. To people who grew up on PC-DOS and Wintel, it is as intuitive for them as dd is to me.

    So, for everything that matters to me (writing, email, network infrastructure) I use the Sun. For everything that is trivial and fun (websurfing, chat) I use the Winblows box.

    --
    How does the Slashdot Effect happen given that no slashdotters ever RTFA?
  2. Re:One thing by pclminion · · Score: 5, Informative
    Get VMWare, install your system how you want it inside the VMWare, then burn the disk images to CD. Now, whenever your installation gets hosed, you can simply use VMWare's "revert" feature to go back to the last working snapshot, or, if things are really fucked beyond repair, just restore the disk images off the CD and bam, you're back to a brand-new install, 10 minutes later.

    In addition, if you change workstations you can take your virtual system with you. You'll never notice the difference.

    VMWare costs money, but compare the price to the hours you waste fucking with hosed Windows installations. It's a freaking deal.