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4 Linux Distros Compared To Win XP, Mac OS X

Posted by timothy on from the from-a-certain-point-of-view dept.

Morf writes "The Australian Consumers? Association has evaluated Xandros, Linspire, Mandrake Discovery and SUSE personal and compared them to Mac OS X and Windows XP in its latest Computer CHOICE magazine. The article is very much focused on "mums and dads", and concludes Linux is just about ready for consumers, although installing new software could pose some problems for those who aren't really computer savvy. The report is available free for a short time."

6 of 729 comments (clear)

  1. I disagree by mOoZik · · Score: -1, Troll

    Linux still has a long way to go to become desktop-ready. For any "study" that finds Linux is suitable for "prime time," I'm sure there is one or two that says the contrary. Let's not forget that groups favoring OSS exist alongside those who do not and I don't know whether or not the people who made the study - regardless of their admitted lack of bias - are more favorable to Linux, etc.

    --
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    1. Re:I disagree by Junichiro+Koizumi · · Score: -1, Troll

      Does Linux even have pf yet? Until it does, Linux will continue to be a niche OS.

  2. I do not like "Linux" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    It is to hard to instal programs and you can't use certain printers etc. I like OSX it comes free witht he Mac plus macs are so small and quiet. Window has too much the hacking and spies ware.

  3. Installing software: the bad way by mboverload · · Score: 0, Troll
    It seems, to the consumer, the goal of Linux is to make things as hard as fricken possible. This is something they (me included) would say:

    The install process is horid. I DONT want to extract a tar file. I DONT want to compile code. I DONT want to search through 4 places just to find the freaking configuration file. I WANT links to be added to the "Start Menu". I WANT links added to the desktop. I WANT a central place to uninstall files.

    Sadly, linux just doesn't "do" this.

  4. Get real, allready! What planet do you live on? by trezor · · Score: 1, Troll

    I'm not saying slackware is a bad distro, but as far as mums and dads go, I wouldn't even let them touch CDs.

    Slackware, still with a commandline installer. Asks you to run fdsisk manually. Requires you to have actual knowledge of your desired network-setup... The list goes on.

    It may be a good distro for it's uses (which for me was learning Linux without all those fancy config-tools), but for the avarage n00b? It's will be a hell for them and a true hell for me having to assist them all the time. And just in case you havent noticed, ordinary users don't want to even know there is a commandline.

    Do you even live on this planet? I call troll.

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  5. Re:An amazingly bad artcicle by ivano · · Score: 0, Troll
    windows wins hands down in installing
    Umm..no. OSX does. hands down. Then windows, then most *nix's.

    Now lets look at uninstalling software. OSX wins again, then *nix's and then be a long margin Windows.

    Ciao