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Microsoft Free, One Year Later
madgreek writes "Last year I wrote of my switch from XP to Ubuntu at work. Now a year later, I am back to reflect on one year of being extremely productive at work using (almost) nothing but open source software in a Microsoft world."
Linux has a Visio Clone: Kvivio. Import the Cisco Symbols from DIA and you are all set.
Then go install OpenOffice on your vista box and discover that it can read more document formats (and more variations on MS's own formats) thatn MS's software can.
the audio skipping sounds related to a pulseaudio problem people were having.
Updating to the latest kernel in hardy-proposed fixed that for me.
A two minute search on Google yields CDBurnerXP as a freeware CD burning tool and Daemon tools as an image mounting tool for Windows.
It might not be free as in speech, but it sure is free as in beer.
Jean-Francois Im's blog
It's not capitalism at all. It's binary blobs in the kernel. The two are orthogonal -- plenty of very profit-driven companies have discovered that it is useful to have Linux support, and it is far less work to do so when you release source and let the community maintain it. Oh, and the drivers end up better, too.
Oh, and this is just hilarious: The wireless card stops running after 2 hours. Ubuntu makes a fine server, but geeze does it suck cocks as a desktop. WTF? Why does your desktop have a wireless card?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Google for "read ISO Windows" gave this link as the first hit. It has a link to an ISO mounting utility from Microsoft:
http://weblogs.asp.net/pleloup/archive/2004/01/15/58918.aspx
Funny, a friend of mine had a similar experience with XP SP2 the other day. After it fell over he tried to reinstall it. Turns out windows didn't include the drivers for his network card, sound card, video card etc... and since this is a a rather old box he couldn't find the CDs with all the drivers on them. Kinda sucks when you can't get on the net to search for them. Anyway, I gave him an Ubuntu CD and it booted fine , got him on the internet without installing a thing, and allowed him to download the drivers he needed to his ipod (the guy is addicted to his windows games ). After 48 hours since the first attempt at installing windows he had his system back up an running, with a little help from ubuntu.
Of course he probably has a couple of pets on the thing now seeing that it took him quite a while to even get it into a state where it would accept updates and we all have external IPs.
For reference, on the latest Ubuntu I have my 3D acceleration ( on both screens ) and wireless on the laptop out of the box. My main gripe is the flash plugin for firefox crashing every now and then, but I'm guessing that is really adobe's fault.
Knowledge is power:
- Windows Reskits have cdburn.exe and dvdburn.exe - very capable tools for recording media
- D-Tools is free and is an excellent tool
I have multiple machines running Linux and Windows (this particular laptop I am posting a reply from is a Linux only Thinkpad) and Linux is not really more desktop capable. I am playing the devil's advocate here: good for you if you managed to figure out that Linux works better for you.
It doesn't work better for everyone. I need Photoshop (Sorry, I am not too bright to use GIMP), I need a couple of my RTS games that I play casually and I need my Windows Rhapsody client. I use wine for Photoshop, Caesar3 and I use Vmware + Windows 2000 for Rhapsody. I also need Windows to watch streaming Netflix and I'll be creating an XP image in the near future just for Netflix (Netflix supports only WinXP and higher).
So now do you get an idea? Linux isn't desktop ready because a majority of the rest of the world isn't ready for Linux. This is a 100% Linux laptop and still I need to rely on wine and Vmware to use the applications I really want/need.
My first Linux distribution was Redhat 5.2 and it's been quite a journey - Ubuntu 8.04 for me is the closest I've seen to a perfect Linux desktop but as much as I love it and use workarounds to keep using it fulltime, the distribution isn't there yet. Linux *isn't* there yet. I want it to be and I'll rejoice the day I have to stop using my workarounds.
I love using my Linux laptop over my windows machines at home (one's a high end gaming machine, the other's a pretty decent Windows Media Center box) and I love using my Linux machines at work (5 boxes running Linux and one Windows notebook) but I do keep windows around for Windows does tasks that Linux cannot do for me yet.
I usually bash Microsoft and Windows freely but I also do acknowledge Linux's shortcomings. If you believe otherwise, well, there is this certain cliche about ignorance and bliss...
I also gave up windows entirely around the first of this year. I had been running debian on one system and windows on the laptop up to that point, but more and more I was using debian for almost everything. Visio was a big deal for me too, but I am getting used to using Dia. Visio is better, there is no doubt, but Dia is adequate, and I am slowly converting all my drawings to Dia. I sure wish there was something that could read .vsd files.
The other thing that kept me on windows so long was that I could not get my work's VPN to work on linux, but I was trying to get it going on Fedora. It seems to work ok on Ubuntu. Thankfully, the wireless drivers also work well on ubuntu, so at this point, I have very little need for windows.
-- -- Warning. Do not stare directly at the sun.
and couldn't be happier. Some background: I've been using Unix (real Unix, mind you) and fake-Unix (Linux) for the last 15 years, through college, grad school (PhD), and now industry work as a software engineer. I'd been through a lot with Unix. It's good for what it does: server-side code and client-side software engineering for writing that server-side code. I've spent and will continue to spend many years using desktop Unix, including using Motif, CDE, twm, fvwm, 4dwm, KDE, gnome, and a slew of other interfaces and tools. I've spent more time on vi/vim than most of you have spent watching porn.
Nothing on Linux today approaches anything near the user experience and breadth of applications that Windows or Mac OS X provide.
Don't delude yourselves. OpenOffice is just as good as Office! Gimp is just as good as Photoshop! Yeah? Is your tricked-out Honda Civic as good as that BMW down the street too? Of course it is. People and corporations are just too stupid to know it.
This is the year of desktop Linux! Yeah, well this is the year just as much as 2002 was and as much as 2015 will be. But the Linux community is working hard on improving the experience! And don't you think Windows and Mac OS will move forward as well?
The Linux desktop experience today in 2008 has the appeal, driver support, and aesthetics of Windows 98. Oh wait, Win98 did have driver support.
Take Linux for what it is: a tool on which to get your work done, just as Windows and Mac OS are other types of tools with which to get your work done.
Section "Monitor"
identifier "Generic Monitor"
vendorname "Generic"
modelname "Flat Panel 1680x1050"
HorizSync 31.5-90
VertRefresh 60
Option "DPMS"
modeline "1680x1050@60" 147.14 1680 1784 1968 2256 1050 1051 1054 1087 -hsync +vsync
gamma 1.0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
identifier "monitor1"
vendorname "Generic"
modelname "Flat Panel 1280x1024"
HorizSync 31.5-90
VertRefresh 60
Option "DPMS"
modeline "1280x1024@60" 108.0 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync
gamma 1.0
EndSection
Section "Device"
identifier "NVIDIA Corporation NV40? [Unknown nVidia Card]"
boardname "nv"
busid "PCI:1:5:0"
driver "nvidia"
Option "LogoPath" "/usr/local/lib/nvidia/Cloudy.png"
screen 0
EndSection
Section "Device"
identifier "device1"
boardname "nv"
busid "PCI:1:5:0"
driver "nvidia"
Option "LogoPath" "/usr/local/lib/nvidia/Cloudy.png"
screen 1
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "NVIDIA Corporation NV40? [Unknown nVidia Card]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
Option "LogoPath" "/usr/local/lib/nvidia/Cloudy.png"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
depth 24
modes "1680x1050@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
#
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Monitor "monitor1"
Option "LogoPath" "/usr/local/lib/nvidia/Cloudy.png"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
depth 24
modes "1280x1024@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerFlags"
option "Xinerama" "true"
EndSection
Whats preventing many businesses (larger firms) is that most have a huge amount of software written in-house.
Porting that in a live business environment would be a nightmare (though there would be the benefit of not having to "upgrade" to the new version of windows every time it comes up - enough work there...)
I am very sucseptible to "let's have another drink"
...And that's why Linux won't yet replace desktop Windows! True Story. Wow... so much effort. So little accuracy.It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.
It is also possible to authenticate against an open ldap server (actually osx uses open ldap) and setup kerberos. The LDAP schema (i suck with ldap) has two fields that are used to push down policies. Apple uses an XML format to describe all the policies which can be used even without OS X server.
The reason I feel that OS X is not ready for big environments is that it's inflexible. You can only hack around so many "features". For instance, we had a hack that's worked for 10.4 to bind to a Novell eDir server on campus without using Novell's schema changes for Mac support. We do not control the Novell servers. However, this appears to be broken in Leopard (10.5).
For the most part, we've had good luck migrating from a windows and mac environment to Mac only. I work for the computer science department at a university. I did not make the decision to migrate as I would have chosen BSD or maybe Linux based on our needs.
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
is there a program that works like yum / apt under windows?
If there is, it would be rather pointless since the whole basis of yum/apt etc. is the large trusted respositories that they rely on, and these do not exist for windows software. I suppose there's no reason though why a 'trusted' company (Mozilla foundation?) shouldn't set up Windows repositories of some sort containing all the important FOSS stuff.
If you want to "taste a problem" then try converting a corporation to Linux desktops (as opposed to say running a corporate web server). There is a reason it's called "vendor lock-in". Not only do you have to retrain thousands of people you also need to manage user access as good as windows for large numbers of people quickly with fine granuality. This is before you even think of rewriting tens (if not hundreds) of millions of lines of windows style glue.
"Linux can and does work well in a corporate environment."
Agreed (or at least it does where I work), however it's still along way from breaking the MS 'lock' on the corporate desktop and there doesn't seem to be any 'killer app' to drive the corporates toward a Linux desktop (unless your counting Vista). .
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
I think if that was the only thing keeping me on MS's suckware, I would find a way around it.
The main reason businesses run Windows is the same exact reason most home owners run Windows, because it is the default OS. They never give it much consideration to begin with, it's just what comes in the box.
The fact that this monopoly has been allowed to continue all these years is outrageous, really. If 90% of people owned Fords, it would mean that either Fords are way better or that they have unfair competitive advantage.
The Microsoft monopoly in the OS market is the single greatest problem in technology today and the negative effects of the monopoly cascades in every direction.
Visio became popular, not based so much on its merits, which I'm sure it's a fine piece of software, but more because MS leverages the Windows monopoly to push software of every sort. People then used Visio and the closed, proprietary formats of Visio and now because they have so much work stored in these formats it is a deterrent to considering an alternative OS. The problem comes full circle.
So there's my anti-Microsoft rant for the day
FAQs are evil.
I started using GNU/Linux nearly 6 years ago. I had dabbled occasionally before that, but went back to Win2000, and when I first installed there were odd times when I dual booted into Windows on my old hard drive (mobile phone software, Half-Life 2 etc.).
:)
Now, I use GNU/Linux exclusively. Everything I do at university I do on Linux (and every single maths lecturer at Edinburgh University, or Heriot Watt University - also in Edinburgh - uses Linux). When I did my master's degree in Quantitative Genetics I never used or needed Windows. In my PhD I'm looking at the role of badgers and tuberculosis in cattle, and I use Linux, mostly doing simulations in C. The one time I needed a program that was Windows only (for calculating inbreeding coefficients), it worked perfectly in Wine. Even down to the same error message
So that covers being Microsoft free at work and university. How about home and non-work stuff?
I can use the web no problem, flash works (there's the odd time it fails, but I hardly notice), email, IRC, etc. are fine. I can play all my DVDs, CDs, music, anime collection, episodes of House I downloaded with Bittorrent. Admittedly the games front isn't very exciting, but I can still play a few reasonably fun games, I got Half-Life 2 working (granted buggily), and my Wii covers the rest. I'm not sure what else I need it for, but when I do need to do something I can usually find a Linux solution.
My flatmate used his Linux laptop to generate a 3d-movie from scratch to use as the menu for a horror film he took part it. All the editing for the movie was done in Linux. He's also pretty good with the Gimp, but I've never used it for anything particularly interesting so I can't comment.
Result: after 5 years, my knowledge of the command line is still fairly minimal, other than for re-encoding the odd movie into a VCD for a friend, and editing some config files. Things still go wrong, but I've never had a problem I couldn't fix, provided it was fixable (forums are brilliant), and my flatmates helped me at first when I got stuck. My completely non-techy fiancée uses my computer, and finds GNOME's interface easy to use. I am officially Microsoft free, and I don't look back. Also I build my own computer from components, so no Microsoft tax.
So yes, I think it's perfectly possible. It needs some patience though, and help from friends. Pre-installed Linux is definitely a good thing. However, if you gave a completely non-techy person a computer without Windows installed, and asked them to set it up themselves from scratch, they might find it difficult too.
I run my own translation agency, and have not used a Microsoft product for 8 years. Everything I need is available to me in Free/Open Source alternatives, and, I am more productive, and have lower overhead. I used Fedora/RH for about 6 years, then switched to Ubuntu, but now use my in-house selfrolled distro (which is also, of course, available to the public), Linguas OS - gnu/linux for translators (www.linguasos.org). I wouldn't use Microsoft of they paid me to do so. Just the time I save not dealing with viruses, malware, crashes and other stupidity probably saves me thousands of dollars (and countless headaches) a year.
-- tonybaldwin.me
It's called win-get: http://windows-get.sourceforge.net/ Of course, I know nothing about it, since I use Linux, but, it does exist.
-- tonybaldwin.me
I tried switching to Ubuntu this year too and my results were different.
I was entirely unproductive in achieving any entertainment with games. WINE was a lot of work to get things playing and even then they didn't quite play correctly. Steam was a pain in the arse, so was WoW. I didn't even bother trying once Age of Conan came along.
On other applications, things were generally fine, I've kept Ubuntu running on basically a glorified Gmail + browsing box. I've also got a Mythbuntu PVR running. I still use BSD and Linux in server situations.
But for desktop, for me at least, if it's inconvenient for games, regardless over whether Microsoft is an evil empire or not.. it's just a no go as a Desktop OS. Games are what separate it, otherwise it's just a browser box and I can do that without a desktop at all.
Maybe other folks get more mileage out of Gimp vs Photoshop, though I doubt that too unfortunately, My take on Linux after all these years is still that the desktop experience unfortunately lacks.
Wishful thinking isn't cutting it. I wish it would.. er, okay now that's just going in circles.
??? My wife and I have exactly the same hardware. She runs XP and I run Linux. My machine performs as much as 4 or 5 times faster on a routine basis running the same apps (openoffice, firefox) or similar apps. I open applications and get right to work while she's left staring at a spinning cursor and waiting for her machine to stop locking up. Furthermore, her XP can't handle more than one or two applications running on the desktop, while I routinely run as many as 7 distinct applications while working without any noticable deterioration in performance at all. (It might help that I made my own light distro, with a fluxbox wm and other features that keep it light and fast).
-- tonybaldwin.me
http://windows-get.sourceforge.net/
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=572739&cid=23649597
The problem is that nobody knows about it, and it doesn't come with Windows, and since it isn't iTunes or BonziBuddySpywareGetVideoPlayer2000, few will even be interested in it.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Years ago, when we said "operating system", we meant what today is called a "kernel". Of course, the OS came with enough utilities to organize and execute programs. And there were often extras thrown in.
Then software in general, and OS's in particular, became products that competed. This meant having lots of features became important to the vendors. "OS" came to mean as much, if not more, the stuff that goes around the kernel. When people ask "Is Linux ready for the desktop?" they aren't talking about the kernel, which has been excellent for many years. What they're really asking is, "Does any Linux distro add enough of the right features to make it usable for mass desktop usage?"
As you say, that's been true for years. In fact, you get more out of the box -- far more -- than you do in any proprietary system.
But, we've come full circle. We used to be focused on the hardware, because it was fabulously expensive. But now hardware is incredibly cheap, which recreates the problem: because it is cheap, there is lots of it, in great diversity. That means managing it is a big problem again.
Linux contributors do a positively amazing job at supporting the vast diversity of hardware out there that users might have, especially when you consider that the hardware vendors do this for Microsoft. But amazing is not the same as consistent enough for some newbie to grab a linux install CD and reliably experience open source bliss. Taking a kernel upgrade from your distro often means having something break, which might mean messing with BIOS tables, or building your own custom kernel, or doing without. The first two aren't that hard to do technically, but most users without support will do without and be unhappy.
As it stands, there is no reason an enterprise couldn't go Linux on the desktop, so long as it regulated the hardware in use so it has good Linux support, or that they efficiently deal with any problems that come up. Likewise, consumers who buy Linux preinstalled from somebody like Dell ought to be pretty happy with it. But the dominant user model, where somebody downloads the installers and puts it on their own machine, is not a good one for most users.
Until vendors of hardware make Linux a priority, there are only three ways that Linux works on a desktop: (1) A sophisticated Linux user doing self-support; (2) An IT department with a small number of standardized hardware configurations; (3) Linux preinstalls supported by the manufacturer.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Better yet, compare the systems after a period of time of average use. I think we'd find the XP system starts degrading over time and normal use.
My ubuntu installs all updated to RC1 of Firefox last week.
So... why are you still on Firefox 3b5?
"The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
All of that functionality except the virus testing is available on freshmeat.net, which points you to home pages - which hopefully have links to official download sites.
Of course, download.com sounds a lot nicer than freshmeat.net. But whatever.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Please read my embedded comments. I am going to assume the "Gnome" desktop.
/usr (or below) takes care of it.
/usr is automounted (or a piece of it), -or- software is automatically deployed, this issue is simply "solved".
- Lock-down user desktops with varying levels of security restrictions depending on their login Organisational Unit (i.e Accounts, Developers, etc)
Please note that the entire "/usr" tree is automountable. In particular, this gives you automatic lockdown on desktop by user, machine, OS level, and a number of other characteristics (x86 vs Power architecture, for example).
- Auto-mount specific network shares
Unix (linux) accomplishes this by means of the "automounter". Automounter is fed by NIS or LDAP.
- Centrally configure a patch management system (WSUS equivalent) for each workstations' software updates.
Of course this is common, as is OS loading. I don't know "WSUS", but centralised upgrades are as easy as configuring your own repository in Redhat, SuSE or Fedora. I am sure other distributions have equivalent features.
- Deploy & install automatically software packages depending on OU.
That would be "kickstart", and network booting.
- Set automatically firewall policies
Why? I really don't understand this. Do you mean packet filtering rules on the local machine? Again, automount of
- Brand each machine with company screensaver, etc, etc.
Again, once
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061