Yes, MS makes a piece of software that is superior in virtually every way to its competition....
You say this like they have a choice. Microsoft is either directly or inadvertently responsible for the virus plague that exists, depending on how you look at it. They damn well better make a "superior" product.
Agreed. As an IT pro, I have been asked by family members and friends to "fix" their virus-ridden computers for years. Three years ago, I made the announcement. "I will fix your computer for $75.00 an hour OR I will install Linux and give you a virtual Windows environment in Linux for free." The screams of outrage could be heard for miles. I stated at the time that the lingering insecurity of MS systems should have a MS supplied built-in solution. This goes a long way to do that. Maybe now, I won't have to remote into Uncle Bill's computer and install it for him. He wouldn't know a legitimate download site from a goat porn, flash-infected cesspool. As much as it grieves me to say so, MS got this one right. About time.
When you can't win the argument, simply change the argument.
As a long-time Linux advocate and Linux user, I know where the fight is. The common home desktop user is mind-locked into Windows. Many are the Charlie Brown's of computer users.
"Trust me Charlie Brown...kick the football, I won't move it again". If they read the MS EULA, they would know differently.
There's really no hope to change that outside of a small percentage of free-thinking people.
Linux will dominate the mobile market...it's well on it's way to do so. There are just those MS apologists who cannot concede defeat on any level.
Or so it would seem.
Most of my countrymen risk highway carnage and exhibit less than civil behavior on their way home to watch Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. They immerse themselves in Survivor and Big Brother, never realizing that the real Big Brother is numbing their minds with digital morphine.
I've developed the rather jaded opinion that most American's are self-indulged morons that would rather live vicariously through some TV image than pay attention to what is really going on around them.
Oh crap I gotta go...Burn Notice is on.
Five years ago, my company budgeted for the purchase of several dozen printers at a cost of over $4000.00...having just migrated to Linux, I had the task of researching the most productive printers for the Linux environment. I was told to "lean" toward Canon printers. Like that was going to happen. I took the time to write to Canon and tell them that we would not be purchasing their product due to their lack of support for Linux. You can see a copy of their response here half way down the page here:
http://linux-blog.org/more-printer-mayhem/
Canon may have, by now, released drivers for Linux. I could care less. They were not available for me when I needed them. HP and Samsung were and still are and any printer purchases we make will be through those companies.
I wonder at how many decision-makers have done the same.
there will be some sort of referendum which will see what the PEOPLE want
Given the history of American Appellate courts overturning laws enacted by Prop 8 and Prop 25 in California, it won't matter a whit. The American Voter has always had the illusion of holding the power...that is until someone whispers in a Judges ear...
Ubuntu is about Ubuntu
That's the point. Here in Austin a month does not pass that we don't get at least one call saying "I tried Ubuntu but I didn't like it, I think I would like to try Linux". Fanboy-ism may be partially to blame here and possibly the marketing measures by Canonical. Ubuntu has not become synonymous with Linux, Ubuntu has become synonymous with Ubuntu. Let the distro wars rage...if MS was correct about anything, it's that the strife between distro users will ultimately prove to be our largest fail-point.
And to the point of "freedom". The majority of people we switch to Linux don't care about Free as in speech, fact is many of them see it as a non-issue. They want their computers to work and even after being spoon-fed the meanings in Microsoft EULAs they could care less. For the majority of people, we come off as wild-eyed fanatics when we preach "Freedom".
I am the Director of a Texas non profit that refurbishes cast off computers and gives them to kids who cannot afford them. We load a customized version of Linux Mint on each of them and to date, we've placed just over 1100 machines. the problem isn't between which is harder, it simply comes down to what the user is comfortable with. We spend less than 30 minutes with the child and parent and show them how it works. There is no drama, there is no angst...once they know how it works, it works for them. A few minutes of mentoring and instruction make all the difference, Are you going to get that with each new computer Dell or anyone else sells? Of course not but the fact remains that Windows Users are not a lost cause.
When I have 12 year old kids picking the system up in minutes, The "Windows is harder than Linux" myth evaporates.
because they either think their computer speed is directly related to penis size...
I suppose you have evidence to support the fact that the correlation does not exist?
Of course if it does, I can probably cancel that scheduled RAM upgrade for all the good it will do.
Agreed...the market share argument has been more than destroyed. It boils down to the three little pigs...the third house stood because of its construction integrity. File system engineering and permissions make Linux more secure...Runaway nailed it. Vista tried to get its users to deal with admin rights and users squealed like the first two little pigs. When the PWN 2 OWN competition ended in 2008, Linux remained untouched. The hacker involved stated that if he had "another 20 minutes" The laptop running Ubuntu 7.10 would have fallen. Well, it's been two years. I haven't heard a word from the people who made the twenty minute claim. Seems they would have announced that breakthrough. They haven't and they won't... However, there is no guarding against a stupid computer user...any OS is insecure when the user gives rights to a script or app.
Yeah, the market share argument gets old and most of us just roll our eyes when it is trotted out. Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it to correct another person who refuses to think a matter through.
I've been using Mint since the 7 release. It's obvious that Mint is more than just a cosmetic release of Ubuntu...They tend to fix "bugs" that the Ubuntu Devs ignore for two releases or more. The silly Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to logout was never removed (or reinstated) and they've vastly improved their software installer as compared to the Ubuntu offering. It just goes to show what a community can do when they take pride in their work. Not to mention that I don't have to add flash, Java, etc.
I'm just sayin'...
The main reason Windows gets nailed is that it's more profitable to write malware for Windows than for anything else. If Linux had the market share of Windows, it would have as much, or nearly as much, malware.
This is one of the most common fallacies people spout during the Linux vs Windows debate. It's all about file permissions. Windows allows any program to be accessed by default, Linux does not. Sure an idiot user can screw up but most users have no idea how to assign root privilege to a file. Their ignorance is a sysadmin's bliss. The Network is a whole different story but on the desktop, the Linux file system and its permissions make it secure. In the end, it's user education that makes a machine secure, Linux just expands that education. Hence, a world of Windows users who click blindly and hope for the best.
That's why we do not use it on the machines we give to the HeliOS Project kids. We do 3-400 installs a year and most of them 3-5 at a whack. Using an Ubuntu derivative like Linux Mint gives us the ability to install a system with all the proprietary stuff already there. I don't have any religious or philosophical reasons for using Mint, it simply saves us tons of time. I will note however that Mint seems to quickly fix bugs and annoyances that Ubuntu has held for 2 or 3 releases.
I wonder if anyone got Old Boss to read the EULA for any Microsoft Product. Along with all that "support", he is allowing Microsoft or any third party vendor to stomp around inside his computers and networks at their whim.
Probably not an issue for Old Boss. Old Boss has long ago sacrificed his freedom for convenience.
and if you use your computer to talk to the real world sometimes you are stuck with windows if you want to get the work done.
That is so much crap that I gotta get up from here because of the stink. We've migrated Dr's offices, real estate brokers, entire trucking firms and are currently working with two banks. These are not partial migrations but full fledged "get Windows the fsck off my computer" migrations. These companies don't do "real work"? They do real work and they do it much cheaper and effectively than they do in Windows.
Might I recommend to you a 2007 or later version of Linux to try...
If you think the corporates have any interest in marketing GNU/Linux or Free software, please take a minute and educate yourselves. This was a real eye-opener for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG9HhXBFDUM
This is par for Google. The road to riches for Google was paved with Linux. Tens of thousands of servers hum along, stuffing cash into the Google coffers and what do we get? Summer of Code? Geek Please. It's nothing short of a slap to the face of Linux Users. We wrote about this in 2005.
http://blog.lobby4linux.com/archives/44-Google-Wha t-Have-You-Done-For-Us-Lately.html Looks like audacity is more than a sound file tool...
keywords: ungrateful, jerks, oblivious to what side thier bread is buttered...
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It could be that the "linux youth" read the MS EULA and they weren't quit comfortable with it.
Yes, MS makes a piece of software that is superior in virtually every way to its competition.... You say this like they have a choice. Microsoft is either directly or inadvertently responsible for the virus plague that exists, depending on how you look at it. They damn well better make a "superior" product.
Agreed. As an IT pro, I have been asked by family members and friends to "fix" their virus-ridden computers for years. Three years ago, I made the announcement. "I will fix your computer for $75.00 an hour OR I will install Linux and give you a virtual Windows environment in Linux for free." The screams of outrage could be heard for miles. I stated at the time that the lingering insecurity of MS systems should have a MS supplied built-in solution. This goes a long way to do that. Maybe now, I won't have to remote into Uncle Bill's computer and install it for him. He wouldn't know a legitimate download site from a goat porn, flash-infected cesspool. As much as it grieves me to say so, MS got this one right. About time.
When you can't win the argument, simply change the argument. As a long-time Linux advocate and Linux user, I know where the fight is. The common home desktop user is mind-locked into Windows. Many are the Charlie Brown's of computer users. "Trust me Charlie Brown...kick the football, I won't move it again". If they read the MS EULA, they would know differently. There's really no hope to change that outside of a small percentage of free-thinking people. Linux will dominate the mobile market...it's well on it's way to do so. There are just those MS apologists who cannot concede defeat on any level. Or so it would seem.
If I were to eat, drink and be Mary, homophonic friends would come out of the would work.
Most of my countrymen risk highway carnage and exhibit less than civil behavior on their way home to watch Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. They immerse themselves in Survivor and Big Brother, never realizing that the real Big Brother is numbing their minds with digital morphine. I've developed the rather jaded opinion that most American's are self-indulged morons that would rather live vicariously through some TV image than pay attention to what is really going on around them. Oh crap I gotta go...Burn Notice is on.
Five years ago, my company budgeted for the purchase of several dozen printers at a cost of over $4000.00...having just migrated to Linux, I had the task of researching the most productive printers for the Linux environment. I was told to "lean" toward Canon printers. Like that was going to happen. I took the time to write to Canon and tell them that we would not be purchasing their product due to their lack of support for Linux. You can see a copy of their response here half way down the page here: http://linux-blog.org/more-printer-mayhem/ Canon may have, by now, released drivers for Linux. I could care less. They were not available for me when I needed them. HP and Samsung were and still are and any printer purchases we make will be through those companies. I wonder at how many decision-makers have done the same.
there will be some sort of referendum which will see what the PEOPLE want Given the history of American Appellate courts overturning laws enacted by Prop 8 and Prop 25 in California, it won't matter a whit. The American Voter has always had the illusion of holding the power...that is until someone whispers in a Judges ear...
'nuff said
Ubuntu is about Ubuntu That's the point. Here in Austin a month does not pass that we don't get at least one call saying "I tried Ubuntu but I didn't like it, I think I would like to try Linux". Fanboy-ism may be partially to blame here and possibly the marketing measures by Canonical. Ubuntu has not become synonymous with Linux, Ubuntu has become synonymous with Ubuntu. Let the distro wars rage...if MS was correct about anything, it's that the strife between distro users will ultimately prove to be our largest fail-point. And to the point of "freedom". The majority of people we switch to Linux don't care about Free as in speech, fact is many of them see it as a non-issue. They want their computers to work and even after being spoon-fed the meanings in Microsoft EULAs they could care less. For the majority of people, we come off as wild-eyed fanatics when we preach "Freedom".
I am the Director of a Texas non profit that refurbishes cast off computers and gives them to kids who cannot afford them. We load a customized version of Linux Mint on each of them and to date, we've placed just over 1100 machines. the problem isn't between which is harder, it simply comes down to what the user is comfortable with. We spend less than 30 minutes with the child and parent and show them how it works. There is no drama, there is no angst...once they know how it works, it works for them. A few minutes of mentoring and instruction make all the difference, Are you going to get that with each new computer Dell or anyone else sells? Of course not but the fact remains that Windows Users are not a lost cause. When I have 12 year old kids picking the system up in minutes, The "Windows is harder than Linux" myth evaporates.
Anyone who kills and processes the meat of Unicorn deserves what they get...I mean they shit rainbows for God Sakes...
because they either think their computer speed is directly related to penis size... I suppose you have evidence to support the fact that the correlation does not exist? Of course if it does, I can probably cancel that scheduled RAM upgrade for all the good it will do.
"Show me a car that can win the Indy 500"..... Unfortunately it wasn't this one...trust me...I know... http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9723221-1.html
Agreed...the market share argument has been more than destroyed. It boils down to the three little pigs...the third house stood because of its construction integrity. File system engineering and permissions make Linux more secure...Runaway nailed it. Vista tried to get its users to deal with admin rights and users squealed like the first two little pigs. When the PWN 2 OWN competition ended in 2008, Linux remained untouched. The hacker involved stated that if he had "another 20 minutes" The laptop running Ubuntu 7.10 would have fallen. Well, it's been two years. I haven't heard a word from the people who made the twenty minute claim. Seems they would have announced that breakthrough. They haven't and they won't... However, there is no guarding against a stupid computer user...any OS is insecure when the user gives rights to a script or app. Yeah, the market share argument gets old and most of us just roll our eyes when it is trotted out. Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it to correct another person who refuses to think a matter through.
I've been using Mint since the 7 release. It's obvious that Mint is more than just a cosmetic release of Ubuntu...They tend to fix "bugs" that the Ubuntu Devs ignore for two releases or more. The silly Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to logout was never removed (or reinstated) and they've vastly improved their software installer as compared to the Ubuntu offering. It just goes to show what a community can do when they take pride in their work. Not to mention that I don't have to add flash, Java, etc. I'm just sayin'...
In other words Pot...Kettle, Kettle this is Pot...
The main reason Windows gets nailed is that it's more profitable to write malware for Windows than for anything else. If Linux had the market share of Windows, it would have as much, or nearly as much, malware. This is one of the most common fallacies people spout during the Linux vs Windows debate. It's all about file permissions. Windows allows any program to be accessed by default, Linux does not. Sure an idiot user can screw up but most users have no idea how to assign root privilege to a file. Their ignorance is a sysadmin's bliss. The Network is a whole different story but on the desktop, the Linux file system and its permissions make it secure. In the end, it's user education that makes a machine secure, Linux just expands that education. Hence, a world of Windows users who click blindly and hope for the best.
That's why we do not use it on the machines we give to the HeliOS Project kids. We do 3-400 installs a year and most of them 3-5 at a whack. Using an Ubuntu derivative like Linux Mint gives us the ability to install a system with all the proprietary stuff already there. I don't have any religious or philosophical reasons for using Mint, it simply saves us tons of time. I will note however that Mint seems to quickly fix bugs and annoyances that Ubuntu has held for 2 or 3 releases.
and it works... http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2009/11/stunning-breakthrough-in-wireless.html
He is not...! Now get off my lawn.
I wonder if anyone got Old Boss to read the EULA for any Microsoft Product. Along with all that "support", he is allowing Microsoft or any third party vendor to stomp around inside his computers and networks at their whim. Probably not an issue for Old Boss. Old Boss has long ago sacrificed his freedom for convenience.
and if you use your computer to talk to the real world sometimes you are stuck with windows if you want to get the work done.
That is so much crap that I gotta get up from here because of the stink. We've migrated Dr's offices, real estate brokers, entire trucking firms and are currently working with two banks. These are not partial migrations but full fledged "get Windows the fsck off my computer" migrations. These companies don't do "real work"? They do real work and they do it much cheaper and effectively than they do in Windows. Might I recommend to you a 2007 or later version of Linux to try...
If you think the corporates have any interest in marketing GNU/Linux or Free software, please take a minute and educate yourselves. This was a real eye-opener for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG9HhXBFDUM
This is par for Google. The road to riches for Google was paved with Linux. Tens of thousands of servers hum along, stuffing cash into the Google coffers and what do we get? Summer of Code? Geek Please. It's nothing short of a slap to the face of Linux Users. We wrote about this in 2005. http://blog.lobby4linux.com/archives/44-Google-Wha t-Have-You-Done-For-Us-Lately.html Looks like audacity is more than a sound file tool...
keywords: ungrateful, jerks, oblivious to what side thier bread is buttered...