Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Switching to Windows, Not as Easy as You Think

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the turnabout-is-fair-play dept.

rchapman writes "Mad Penguin writer Simon Gerber has published an amusing review of Windows XP as seen from a Linux users point of view. He really makes you feel like you are trying to use Windows for the first time after exclusively using Linux. The article covers everything from the hideous installer and its lack of partitioning/formatting capabilities to the utter wasteland that is the Windows desktop, devoid of useful applications and everything in between. A fun read."

4 of 803 comments (clear)

  1. Reminds me of another article by kestasjk · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://os.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/05/18/20 33216&from=rss Not sure if the author of the new one got the idea from this.

    --
    // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
  2. RTFA by donscarletti · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just because a summary says something doesn't mean that the article says the same thing. The article acknowledges the presence of a partition tool but bemoans the limited features of the tool.

    --
    When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
    1. Re:RTFA by Southpaw018 · · Score: 4, Informative

      One of the failures of the Linux community is recognizing the fact that most users don't want and don't care about such a tool. If you want full Linux-installer-style partition and format control over a Windows install, it's there, and it's not that hard to find.

      For most users, a partition is something that's between them and the guy in the next cubicle. They don't want to know what a computer partition is, they don't care, and they don't even want to see it - not even "Do you want the computer to partition for you?"
      Forcing such a thing on them is annoying at best, and for some especially inexperienced computer users, it can actually be scary. One of the things I had to get used to on the job was two of my users (out of 35) who would call me at the slightest hiccup because they simply didn't want to deal with anything at all out of the ordinary. That's my job, they'd say.

      --
      ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
  3. Probably less biased & more useful info by fionbio · · Score: 3, Informative

    Making Windows Usable for Old Linux Farts

    Still shows that making Windows workable is rather hard task.