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Software Returns to its Source
MindStalker sent us
linkage to an article from an upcoming PC Magazine that covers
Linux in a Major Way.
Distribution comparisons, an installation guide, and tips.
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March 23rd issue, I believe. I just sat there on the bus and smiled as I read . . .
A few years ago PC magazine started doing occasional OS/2 stuff because the OS/2 partisans demanded it. Unfortunately, that lasted just about as long as OS/2's popularity. Maybe they'll start covering Linux in a big way now.
Just Another Anonymous Coward
i read the first few paragraphs of the distro comparisons, and i had to stop reading...if they mentioned how easier MS is to setup one more time, i was going to freak out.....
Why is it that whenever I read an article about Linux Distrobutions they fail to mention S.u.S.E. Linux. I think it is a great Distro and should get some more recognition for the work that they have done. I think that SuSE would be right up there with Redhat in most of the comparisons I have read on Distros but I think they have something against the Germans. Plus, they have the cool Gecko/Chameleon thing. Well, I'm babbling now so I'm gone.
First, they say they tested the distros, but
where is the test data.
Second, when speaking about Debian they said
"The company
says it will include a new application installer in Debian GNU/Linux
2.1.". Which company are thay talking about ?
I mean seriously, since when did PC Magazine start covering anything but Windows-related stuff? It makes me mad to see that they're changing their tune now (perhaps aligned with the DOJ trial and all), so that Bill Gates could concievably say, "Look! Even PC Magazine is covering Linux, and their web site has an article about Apple! How could I possibly have a monopoly?" (PCMag online did have an article on Apple a few weeks ago.)
:)
Honestly, I think that something is screwy here... I mean, what Mac user would ever go _near_ PC Magazine?! (I stumbled upon it by accident.)
I just find it difficult to believe that PC Magazine is really looking to change its ways and finally provide the unbiased open forum which the industry really needs. Granted, they would probably be a great candidate for making this change (with the greatest effects in consumer awareness, perhaps); it would also ensure their continued existance after this DOJ thing all comes down on Microsoft. But does anyone else really buy into it?
I remember reading copies of that magazine years ago and being disgusted with its propagandistic drivel; in supporting the anti-competitive mentality, PC Mag became "part of the problem". I for one don't trust them.
PC Magazine's coverage isn't as "major" as it looks. Lots of little articles. A good first try, nonetheless. PCMag's Linux coverage had been a paragraph here and there, up to this point.
While I don't what to start a distribution flamewar, it seems Debian suffers in this type of comparative review because of two screamingly obvious flaws
1) dselect's admittedly flawed interface (which gnome-apt will fix)
2) The lack of hardware detection in the installer (which is not a major problem if you know what's in your box in the first place - and you should if you want to install ANY new OS on it).
Debian's virtues (alleged or otherwise), such as the sheer number of tested, integrated packages, superior security, and clean package configuration, are not really obvious until you use the system for a while.
Do others think that the format of a conventional magazine product review tends to expose Debian's flaws while not revealing the good features?
NO YOU'RE NOT. I am so fscking TIRED of hearing the CRAP about Linux being hard to install I could SCREAM!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!AHHHHHHHH!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
.inf file someone put together at Georgia Tech.
ITS a L I E!!!!!!
Just today (AGAIN and AGAIN) I watched 3 well educated and experienced computer engineers waste in-ordinate amounts of time struggling to get Windows 95 and 98 to do a simple direct connection from one PC to another via the serial cable. 2 days!! The MS supplied direct connection doesn't work and you have to download a special
This is only today's example. It's ridiculous.
Nobody installs their own Windows slop any more so STOP with the LIES you clueless Press jackasses!!!!
Sorry for that rant but I've just had it up to here.
Posted by Mr. Assembly:
Do you notice how these articles always start out by saying that linux is not for the mainstream yet, stay away and wait? Then you flip the page and there is an article "How to install linux"
That issue is the single biggest problem people complain about. It's only fair that it be stressed.
This was already posted to /. over a week ago. Look here for the comments from last time...
SPF support for most open source mail servers can be found at libspf2.
They more often don't mention Debian (which is larger than SuSE (three times if you believe /. polls))
I'll bet the only reason they mention it here is that they seem to think Debian is a company...
What does S.u.S.E stand for by the way?
Seriously. Nobody can provide comprehensive analysis of those distributions. It's up to you to try them all out and decide which to use. But man, the author who wrote that should do some research before he actually writes stuff like that for everyone to read.
I dunno....anyone out there installed Debian and it worked from the first try? I know I did, and I know it worked. Whats so hard about using your brains to detect some hardware manually, and not rely on some 'Hardware detect wizard'. If someone wants everything done for them, go to Windows and stay there.
I take it you have never had the 'pleasure' of reading any other ZD pubications. One of their writers claimed that "Windows NT is the internet's most popular operating system" He then defended his statement when confronted by a letter writer.
I have read PC Magazine since the 80's and once they covered Linux, which is not surprising. At least not as much as the way they treated netware during its reign or the way they continue to treat Unix. They seem to take pleasure in being M$ attack dogs, denigrating all competing technologies and alienating many readers.
If the US had as strict ad laws as the UK PC Mag's slogan "The independent guide to Personal Computing" would be banned, as would M$ claim that Windows is fast and stable.
Woe be on to them, all who rise against poor people, shall perish in a the end. Buju Banton
Amen. They are spineless lackeys who depend on Redmond for ad revenue in their business of selling clay-coated paper stock. PC Mag and their ilk started out to make it easier for PC Users to get the most out of their machines.
As their advertising revenues grew PC Mag became just another device of Microsoft's to keep PC Users from getting the most out of their machines, unless they use Windows(tm).
--vead
"When Laws are outlawed, only Outlaws will have Laws." - Justin Case, Barrister
Why does the mainstream media continue to ignore Windows NT? It could be a major player, if only people knew about it.
--
Beef
"Raging Moderate" of the
Truth hurts eh? I love Linux but it is a bitch to set up, especially for the regular user. So if Linux is to expand beyond programmers, sysadmins and hackers this has got to change.
Never by hatred has hatred been appeased, only by kindness - the Buddha
You know, as a programmer, I find most of that stuff by hand myself anyway, even on Windows, when I do an install (I just want to be sure I get the right version of the drivers). The key is, of course, I'm a programmer. This shit is my life. Unfotunately my mother the 911 dispatcher would rather just plug it in and let it be done for her, since she doesn't know computers that well. Ditto for my sister the hairdresser or my brother the cop. Actually I suspect that's true for most people outside of our profession. They just want to USE the computer to help them in their jobs, not be an expert in hardware or programming.
Given that, be careful what you wish for...everyone may just "go to Windows and stay there". Then where will Linux be?
Nowhere.
Never by hatred has hatred been appeased, only by kindness - the Buddha
Gee that's funny... I did it yesterday in about 10 minutes with out down loading anything
Never by hatred has hatred been appeased, only by kindness - the Buddha
kmj
kmj
The only reason I keep my ms-dos partition is so I can mount it like the b*tch it is.
"detect some hardware manually..."
This involves a screwdriver, moving
a lot of cables out of the way,
and wrenching your video cards out
of their slots, right? Because even
if you still have the wrapper, manual
or driver readme files, not one of
them tells you exactly what model
your specific card is.
This isn't really something that's
fun to do during an install.
The reason you never hear about S.u.S.E is because the mainstream media is still a bunch of babbling idiots when it comes to computers. Be thankful they even know what a Linux box is. Hell the only reason in my oppinion they are finally catching on is the MS-DOJ trial.
"Although the company remains skeptical of the open-source model, Microsoft has distributed
source code for some of its products in certain cases. For instance, Microsoft has released
portions of the code for Windows and Windows NT under nondisclosure agreements to various commercial and research entities."
Why did he even bother writing this, the phrase "as you do" comes to mind. I hardly think that the phrases "non-disclosure agreement" and "open-source" belong in the same paragraph!!
D.