what happens when you use windows

[dan171717]

what allways happens on occasions that you use windows. for me it crashes but it depends on what you are doing and what is running and how powerful the computer is. strangly in my opinion the newer a comp is the more it crashes. i have and old 400mhz 192ram 1.5gb hdd with win98 and it almost never crashes. i would like to install xubuntu when i get a bigger hdd for it and dual boot 98 because it plays worms armigeddon :) . but on an other 2.8ghz 512ram 80gb hdd (allmost empty) it crashes more?? but i still think windoze is a peice of rubbish (without being rude!!!)

[ThinkBuntu]

My office computer is surprisingly stable. I work on it 8 hours per day and only shut it down on weekends (sometimes only once a month though). Mostly using text editors, FTP, Firefox, different browsers, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Remote Desktop, and Photoshop. It hasn't crashed since I was hired last June.

[juxtaposed]

what allways happens on occasions that you use windows.

Nothing significant - it just looks bad and isn't that consistant. It can go fairly fast, then it slows down for a bit - then poof, back to decent. And I am really annoyed at it's lack of customizability and uglyness.

Other then that, usually stable. I just don't like it :P

[marco123]

Whenever I use Windows somewhere a puppy dies. :D

[starcraft.man]

what allways happens on occasions that you use windows.

If I'm not playing a game... I usually get this icky feeling like I'm dirty for using it >.>. I try to minimize my time on it, lest I become brainwashed by Bill's subliminal messaging :p.

Anyway, I probably won't be booting into windows anymore, installing it in my VM product, will make my life easy. Oh and my windows set up is very stable... i can't say I crash often if ever.

[dan171717]

If I'm not playing a game... I usually get this icky feeling like I'm dirty for using it >.>. I try to minimize my time on it, lest I become brainwashed by Bill's subliminal messaging :p. same here but i am stuck with win because my wireless doesnt work on ububntu.

[starcraft.man]

same here but i am stuck with win because my wireless doesnt work on ububntu.

Linksys card? I got mine to work via ndiswrapper, have ya given it a try lately? They might have improved support for yours >.>

Will admit, I cheated a bit, I keep an ethernet line into my comp at all times for router management (so never wasn't with internet) if I change settings of the wifi and a few other things...

[FuturePilot]

Well it boots up really slow, compared to Ubuntu. And the fans are like always running full speed. Then when I shut it down, I get a million of "This program is not responding" things and I have to click End Task on all of them until the system gradually shuts down with each End Task I press. And that's on a fresh install too:p

[rickyjones]

Well, for me it boots up as fast if not faster than Ubuntu (but I honestly don't time these things... more important things to do). I do all my work under Windows XP Professional SP2 right now on my laptop. I run Office 2007, use Gmail for all my mail, and just do my work. Work includes running my accounting software, setting up websites, web site development, school work, etc... I've never had a crash on my system.

I have a clients that run Windows and Linux on their network. All client workstations are XP Pro and the domain controller is server 2003 with a second server running Ubuntu to monitor the network. The only crash I ever had was the domain controller due to a hardware failure (motherboard or CPU fried, not sure which one though).

I've honestly never had an issue running Windows on any of my computers. As long as you maintaint it like any other system it will run just fine. Yes, this means practicing common sense and going by the book.

Just my $0.02.

-Richard

[use a name]

I try to do loads of stuff that work in linux. Most often copy/paste with select, mouse-click. Nothing happens, of course. Also ctrl-t in IE.

[karellen]

Well, for me it boots up as fast if not faster than Ubuntu (but I honestly don't time these things... more important things to do). I do all my work under Windows XP Professional SP2 right now on my laptop. I run Office 2007, use Gmail for all my mail, and just do my work. Work includes running my accounting software, setting up websites, web site development, school work, etc... I've never had a crash on my system.

I have a clients that run Windows and Linux on their network. All client workstations are XP Pro and the domain controller is server 2003 with a second server running Ubuntu to monitor the network. The only crash I ever had was the domain controller due to a hardware failure (motherboard or CPU fried, not sure which one though).

I've honestly never had an issue running Windows on any of my computers. As long as you maintaint it like any other system it will run just fine. Yes, this means practicing common sense and going by the book.

Just my $0.02.

-Richard

I second you
:)

[MOS95B]

My windows machine hasn't been turned off or rebooted since at least Thanksgiving last year. It doesn't get daily face to face use, maybe 2 or 3 times a week, but it does Server duty for my home network. No issues in over 6 months...

[WalmartSniperLX]

I dont own windows anymore but If I did I would boot up and load up FEAR.

[WaeV]

I'm still transitioning to the gimp so I sometimes use it for photoshop. What's weird though is that when I do a clean install of windows is is BLAZING fast. No lag whatsoever. I've only really used it with Halo for the past month and it's already clogging up. Every time I log in it tells me some .MOM assembly is missing...? (Sounds like a virus or something) and there's a 15 second pause before anything appears on the desktop besides the background. 15 seconds is a loooong time.

[Billy_McBong]

last time i tried to boot windows it gave me the BSOD. apparently windows cant handle moving a HDD from one dell to another:p
im sure i could easily solve this but i just dont care enough

[rickyjones]

last time i tried to boot windows it gave me the BSOD. apparently windows cant handle moving a HDD from one dell to another:p
im sure i could easily solve this but i just dont care enough

If you are moving it to a new motherboard then yes, this probably will happen. Install the correct drivers before you move the hard drive and this won't happen. Would you expect Ubuntu to boot successfully without the correct drivers compiled in the kernel or as a module?

-Richard

[Polygon]

i used windows vista today on a really new laptop, and was trying to rip music from cd's to the computers library, but every time i put a CD in the drive, it completely locked up the computer until the disk had finished spinning up and windows had figured out whats on it.

And sometimes when i use my windows XP computer, windows randomly decides that my microphone is going to stop working and instead of transmitting my voice, it transmits static. Really annoying when im in a team based game and then suddenly my mic spazzes out, only to be fixed by a restart.

[PrimoTurbo]

Linux people wine too much about the instability of Windows, yeah back in 98 days it was unstable after a couple of hours of running. Ever since 2000, I have had no stability issues under Windows. I have had a Windows XP machine run for 77 days before a power outage took it down and it was being used everyday to play games 3d games like quake4, cs:s, movies and internet..

I think in general Linux GUI environments are FAR FAR more unstable, look at gnome. You apply an icon theme and your whole system can become unstable, not to mention you have to kill gnome-panel or nautilus.

[ArtificialSynapse]

Edit: Sorry.

[Polygon]

in my experiences both interfaces are pretty stable, its just that in windows 2000 and sometimes XP the interfaces have tiny quarks in them that really just annoy you

like in my bros windows 2000 comp, the icon for windows updates always shows up in his taskbar but when he clicks on it, it goes away. (because there are no updates)

with windows you can only have transparant text on the icons if you have a jpg image set as the wallpaper... and sometimes with windows XP even if its a jpg image set as the wallpaper the text still has a ugly solid color background.

the only time ive ever had X or gnome crash is when im running stuff with WINE or if i try to log out when there are two users logged in already, triggers some weird gdm bug that locks up X. Am i just lucky however?

[ceelo]

My Windows runs just fine. It was a bit slow but I was forced to reinstall (several times, partly due to Dell tech support) and ever since it's pretty fast now. I don't use it much at all but it's stable. I actually have not had much stability issues with XP. Windows 95 though, more than I care to remember. Then again, I was running Win 95 up until 2003 when I finally got a new system, so maybe i just stretched it too thin. :mrgreen:

[timpino]

Windows XP and I has always had a strained relationship, but with 2003 server I have non of those problems.

Problems are: Constant bubbles telling me to update or restart, Screen not redrawing, movies clipping, slowdowns, iTunes not installing and so on.... :/

Oh, and I never restart it, I keep it on 24/7 because restarting takes ~4 minutes :P I feel the urge for a clean sweep but I don't have the energy to do it...

2000 and 2003 server are on pairity in usability imo.

[dan171717]

Linux people wine too much about the instability of Windows, yeah back in 98 days it was unstable after a couple of hours of running. Ever since 2000, I have had no stability issues under Windows. I have had a Windows XP machine run for 77 days before a power outage took it down and it was being used everyday to play games 3d games like quake4, cs:s, movies and internet..

I think in general Linux GUI environments are FAR FAR more unstable, look at gnome. You apply an icon theme and your whole system can become unstable, not to mention you have to kill gnome-panel or nautilus.

i have win xp on my laptop and i cant go one week without a crash. on ubuntu it crashes or freezes about every few mounths and when ever i change a gnome theem it is fine and never crashes

[dan171717]

Windows XP and I has always had a strained relationship, but with 2003 server I have non of those problems.

Problems are: Constant bubbles telling me to update or restart, Screen not redrawing, movies clipping, slowdowns, iTunes not installing and so on.... :/

Oh, and I never restart it, I keep it on 24/7 because restarting takes ~4 minutes :P I feel the urge for a clean sweep but I don't have the energy to do it...

2000 and 2003 server are on pairity in usability imo.
bad idea. keeping a comp on 24/7 causes overheating and other problems and will also distroy the contense of your wallet. with windows just hibernate it because it takes only about 20-30 seconds to load. maby faster

[mitching]

yeh i think so to xp is one of the worst

[Adamant1988]

what allways happens on occasions that you use windows. for me it crashes but it depends on what you are doing and what is running and how powerful the computer is. strangly in my opinion the newer a comp is the more it crashes. i have and old 400mhz 192ram 1.5gb hdd with win98 and it almost never crashes. i would like to install xubuntu when i get a bigger hdd for it and dual boot 98 because it plays worms armigeddon :) . but on an other 2.8ghz 512ram 80gb hdd (allmost empty) it crashes more?? but i still think windoze is a peice of rubbish (without being rude!!!)

I've actually never had my Windows XP system crash on me (With the exception of a problem that caused it to overheat, which was hardware and not Windows).

[Enverex]

It loads up, I log in, play some games...
What else is supposed to happen?

I do dispise having to dual boot though.

[Paul820]

When i was using my XP i was always getting winblows explorer has encountered a problem...etc...then all my windows disappeared, then the taskbar went. I couldn't stand it anymore. When i did an update the damn thing stuck that wga on my computer, My windows was/is legit. I don't use it now so it does'nt really matter.:p

[Error1312]

Up to a few days ago, XP ran really smooth on my laptop, being installed for over almost half a year. Then, the next day I start my computer and without a decent reason it crashes during boot. I tried many things but couldn't fix the problem.

That really did it for me. A system that runs without problems for about half a year and then suddenly decides to hang up on you just like that can't be trusted in my opinion.

So I decided to reïnstall ubuntu and never go back to Windows. Now let's see how long I can keep that up... :p

[Outrunner]

When I first read the thread's title I instantly thought "I get a virus!". Well, that's not true, I didn't get a virus for quite some time now. To tell you the truth nothing significant happens. I mean, it crashes once in a while, but that happens with Ubuntu sometimes aswell.

[muguwmp67]

For a while, I died a little bit each time I booted into Windows, even if it was just for gaming.

The last time I booted into native windows, I recieved a 'missing hal.dll' message. At that point I wiped my windows drive and have used Ubuntu since. I do have VMware installed so I can use windows for the one critical client who uses a sonicwall vpn, but otherwise I haven't used it at all for the past 4 months. I do miss some of my games, but other than that, no withdrawal pains.

[EdThaSlayer]

Nothing really happens with me. Windows does boot a bit faster for me(probably because I haven't touched that Windows partition for anything besides games). It does annoy me to have to dual boot all the time to play some games. :o

[MellonCollie]

It just works! :) I never had any problems with XP, and Vista's been running great since I got it in February.

[jackmc]

I switched from XP, and basically haven't been back, for 2 main reasons:

Windows is 10x slower than Ubuntu. Everything takes forever to start (If I reinstalled, this might be fixed...)
I like fiddling (Linux is far more modify-able than windows IMO)

I still use it at work every weekend, and at uni. Its only when I'm at home that I get to play with Linux :)

[starcraft.man]

I switched from XP, and basically haven't been back, for 2 main reasons:

Windows is 10x slower than Ubuntu. Everything takes forever to start (If I reinstalled, this might be fixed...)
I like fiddling (Linux is far more modify-able than windows IMO)

I still use it at work every weekend, and at uni. Its only when I'm at home that I get to play with Linux :)

Hehe, slowdowns in program loading and overall use are generally problems with the registry... been a while since last reinstall? I do agree with linux is much more customizable, windows is more about doing what MS wants you to (especially lately that is) or unless you pay for a company's hack for a new visual.

[JAPrufrock]

Whenever I use Windows somewhere a puppy dies. :D

lol

[kamaboko]

My XP Pro never crashes, and I haven't turned the computer off for months. Some things I do on MS and some things on Ubuntu. Neither is a religion for me.

[brim4brim]

I use Windows at work and have XP installed on my laptop with Ubuntu which I use for games.

I have no problems using Windows, I've been using it since 3.11 so I'm used to it and it quirks. I've switched to Ubuntu because it just works. None of the maintineance tasks, setups, hacks required for Windows to get it to do stuff I want it do. Even simple stuff like theming is a pain in Windows.

I should explain that I didn't use Ubuntu as my main OS until 7.04 as everytime I tried it, although it felt like a complete OS at first, I found myself using the terminal more than I'd like (I'm not against CLI as I grew up with C64 and DOS but I prefer GUI's for modifying settings especially on a system I'm unfamiliar with).

With the latest version of Ubuntu, it just works out of the box. All my hardware now works and I got out of college and am living with people who'll chip in on broadband so I've got it on the web. My ATI card now works out of the box (which is important for trying out Linux games for m). I've also become much more comfortable using the Terminal in this version for the little things I need it to. That is mostly because I have used previous versions of Linux and have been trying to learn the commands.

Anyway I just thought I'd post my thoughts (again on it) as Linux is now converting people who know everything about Windows down to what each service does and I've memorised common registry settings I need to edit sometimes etc... so I know a lot about Windows but have been wowed by Ubuntu to the point where I've made it my main OS.

Apart from a few things (like printing as someone mentioned in the idea section), Ubuntu seems a lot easier than windows to use for the majority of tasks as far as I'm concerned. Its just way more intuitive and Gnome's interfaces tend to be a lot more consistent than Windows.

[ghandi69_]

Usually, after about 9 months of using ubuntu... I usually say to myself "Man, my nvidia 7600GT could use some work, and I really miss counter strike source."

At that point I usually install steam and play counterstrike for the evening(after spending about an hour find cd's and websites to find drivers for my video card, lan card, soundcard, etc...).

After playing CS:Source, I think about configuring my computer for everyday use... At that point I realize... that windows oem comes with absolutely nothing that is useful to me out of the box. Cannot play DVD's.. doesn't not have any kind of burning software to burn my new feisty .iso to, not as many good free IDE programming environments.. etc.. and I usually go back to linux, and am completely happy for the next 9 months.

As for stabability, I find windows xp to be relatively stable.. I havent had to reboot my work computer for about 2 months and it still runs fast..
(however.. it does have a quad-core xeon processor, a $1600 nvidia quadro video card, two raid 10,000 RPM hard drives, and 2 gigs of expensive *** ram and a slick looking 19 in DELL flat panel display.. all of this for an INTERN!!!!)

However... just imagine how stable ubuntu would be if hardware and software vendors were bending over backwards to make sure their products worked well under linux?? I'm pretty sure it would run forever.

[billdotson]

nothing happens at all. I do whatever I want to do and have no problems.

[samjh]

Windows has worked almost flawlessly for the 12-odd years I've been using it (from 3.1 to XP).

Only suffered a couple of major crashes (both on Win 95). And I have really pushed Windows to the limit, usually for software development, running half-dozen applications, compiling assembly and C programs, interfacing with custom hardware devices, continuous uptime for several days, etc.

XP has been especially stable, Win 98 SE also very stable. The Win 2000 workstations at my old university were extremely good too, despite the great deal of abuse done by students with crappy experimental code. :D

At work, XP performs somewhat inconsistently between systems. I think this is more to do with the user than the operating system itself. It seems that the more computer literate and tech-minded users have less problems than the computer illiterate.

[BLTicklemonster]

Um...
What happens when I run Windows XP?

It boots fast as lightening, runs smooth as silk, and is as dependable as a trusty work horse.

I have no problems with it.

But I fix other people's computers that have XP on them all the time. I guess I need to ask THEM what happens then THEY run windows, lol.

(but I love ubuntu, and really want to get to where I don't ever use XP, but that just won't happen due to stuff I do that Linux can't do)

[Happy_Man]

My processor usage never dips below 90% from when I boot to when I force it to shut down. No idea why. *shrugs*

[Enverex]

My processor usage never dips below 90% from when I boot to when I force it to shut down. No idea why. *shrugs*

Spyware, viruses, 5 million programs running on startup...

That above list is normally the reason why people claim XP is slow too. The only time XP is ever slow (unless running on old hardware) is because people have broken it.

[insane_alien]

i get frustrated really quickly because its slower than my older computer even if its running on faster hardware.

ubuntu has made me an impatient b*****d when it comes to computers. i have really high expectations now.

[mousejunkie]

It works and runs the software (for which I have to pay) I want to use without problems or viruses.. .

nb: Out of the box I'd only go online with Windows to download latest updates and 3rd party security software. Something which I cannot explain as I have only been using free (not cracked) security software. I see no reason why Windows (any OS for that matter) can't be secure in a freshly installed form.

I started using MS products with DOS 5 on a 286 by the way and consider myself an above average Windows user.

One thing I found interesting was that I recently upgraded form XP Home to XP Pro to work from home (no pun intended) - my company paid for the upgrade. I installed (dual boot) Ubuntu Studio several days later... and behold, I can work from home with Ubuntu, installed without any extra configuration.

[Happy_Man]

Spyware, viruses, 5 million programs running on startup...

That above list is normally the reason why people claim XP is slow too. The only time XP is ever slow (unless running on old hardware) is because people have broken it.

Actually, I'm pretty good about viruses. None there.... I've checked the process list. Perhaps it's the five million startup programs..... but you would think 2.5 hours would be enough for them all.....

[argie]

Windows is actually pretty okay for me, except I'm one of those unfortunate souls who keeps getting blue screens often (minimal install, no internet connection, legit), and when some resource intensive stuff is done it sometimes stops responding and then that blue 'busy' comes up, and when I press a key after a while a blue 'unstable' comes up.

Windows 98SE mind you, I never went to XP. So, as far as I know, Linux is for non-experts like me, having the time and inclination to learn to use an OS differently, but not expert enough to keep it perfect. Most Linux distros I've tried fortunately start off pretty stable, so no magic required on my part.

[dan171717]

IMO win98 isthe only windows worth using becusee all th others are for me unstable. me and vista are the worst then xp then 95 then 3.1 then 2000.

[MrHorus]

I have a hyperthreaded P4 3GHz at work with 2GB of RAM.

When I log in everything loads pretty swiftly and for the most part, things work well.

[MrHorus]

Windows is actually pretty okay for me, except I'm one of those unfortunate souls who keeps getting blue screens often (minimal install, no internet connection, legit), and when some resource intensive stuff is done it sometimes stops responding and then that blue 'busy' comes up, and when I press a key after a while a blue 'unstable' comes up.


Sounds like you might well have a hardware issue there.

Dodgey RAM perhaps?

Boot a Linux cd that has memtest on it and leave it for a few hours, see what happens.

[argie]

Sounds like you might well have a hardware issue there.

Dodgey RAM perhaps?

Boot a Linux cd that has memtest on it and leave it for a few hours, see what happens.

That's what I suspected then, because the last time that happened it was because my processor wasn't cooling properly. Strangely though, Linux works perfectly this time, and gives me no problems. It isn't as fast as windows 98se was (menus aren't instantaneous, those little icons take time loading) but it works fine. Memtest spots no problems after 15 minutes and Ubuntu recognises all my RAM. Maybe my Windows CD was bad, or a hard drive bad sector in the FAT partition. Doesn't matter now, though.

[fuscia]

every time you use windows, an angel loses its wings.

[AndyCooll]

The only thing that happens is that a furrow begins to appear on my brow and my brain starts to become a little addled (quite an easy thing to happen actually!).

I've just been given a laptop with XP for work (yeah, our council is just moving over to XP!) and it works fine.

I've never really had any big problems with XP in terms of reliability, When I used it at home I took all necessary precautions and had a virus program, firewall and pop-up stopper and kept them upto date. And everything generally ran ok. It's simply that I prefer my Linux environment, my unlimited access to free-software and my freedoms.

:cool:

[aysiu]

I'm not sure this question makes sense.

It's a bit like asking, "What happens when you go to work?" or "What happens when you leave your apartment or home?" Well, it depends on the day. Sometimes I use Windows and get stuff done. Sometimes I use Windows and get other stuff done. On the rare occasion, something really bad happens--just like on Ubuntu. Windows is an operating system that runs programs that help you get things done--same as Ubuntu.

[Sceptical]

What happens when I use Windows? That depends a lot on what I ask it to do for me.

My computer(s) are tools and toys. Between 9am and 5pm most weekdays they are tools: I use them to do my work and run my business using office apps such as Word and Excel, graphic apps such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, and web and FTP apps. In the evening and at weekend they are my toys: I play with different OSs, try out different bits of hardware, fix my friends' machines, use IM, listen to CDs and MP3s, exchange 'social' emails, and so on.

When I switch the machine on (though it is rarely powered down), Windows always boots successfully. I don't time it - but it gets up pretty fast. Then I use it to do my work, usually all day. Now and then an app freezes: I use Task Manager to end the process and carry on. Once in a blue moon, the whole thing freezes and Alt Ctrl Del is the only way out. I've never had a BSOD with W2K SP4 but I have had with 9xx and both XPs.

I've been using Windows for over 15 years. After MSDOS and Gem (remember that, anyone?) on an Amstrad PC1640 in the late 80s, I got a 386 with Windows 2 then a 486DX with Windows 3.11. I used that one for years, missing Win95 and moving straight to 98SE.

At home, I used W2K for several years then tried various installs of XP (first Home then Pro with SP2) but have since gone back to W2k SP4 because it is simpler, less "featured" and a hell of a lot more stable than any XP install I've tried.

I've used a Mac at work, and tiddled about with *nix boxes. At one workplace, I used NT4 for six months. I have used 9xxME too and it was as terrible as everyone says!

I've experimented with Linux a few times briefly in the last two years - Libranet, Puppy, Knoppix - but I am a novice: I am certainly a complete newbie to Ubuntu.

I digress! What happens when I use Windows is that it works for me. I know it well. I can tweak it and am happy to hack about in the registry. I know enough to make it relatively secure and I am cautious when online. I also know and like many of the Windows apps I use (particularly Photoshop).

But that doesn't mean I 'like' Windows. Nor does it mean I think it is 'good' or 'better'. From a security point of view, a default install needs quite a lot of hardening and IMO Windows is inherently less secure than a *nix-based system. The integration of IE into the OS is a major security issue too - I would never let IE anywhere near the internet! Installing Windows is a pain IMO - it is slow and needs a lot of user interaction. And, depending on your hardware, it then needs quite a few third-party drivers too. And no version of Windows has networked to my router and the other machines without a bit of hassle.

Ubuntu installed first time, recognised all the hardware and - so far - it just works. A pain-free install hasn't been my experience since the six floppies of Win3.11. Of course, with Ubuntu I'm having to re-learn a lot. But I love doing that! And I keep reminding myself that Linux isn't Windows nor is it meant to be.

To me (and this is purely personal) Ubuntu feels better than Windows. What's more, everything seems to be there if one spends a bit of time finding it! For example, I have two FTP apps on my Windows machines to upload my web pages: I delved into Gnome looking for one and, not finding it, turned to this Forum and discovered I can log on to my web host's server using Nautilus then simply drag'n'drop pages and pics to and from my desktop! Magic!

But by far the biggest issue for me is that Ubuntu (and Linux generally, of course) is free: not only in price but in the sense of 'liberated'. Windows, on the other hand, is costly to buy and costly to upgrade, it's "closed" and made and marketed by an aggresive and monopolistic corporation. I have no "hatred" towards Bill Gates but equally I do not want to make him any richer.

And that is what really happens when I use Windows - I help perpetuate Microsoft's iron grip on the market.

Now I must do some work! :)

Sceptical B*st*rd

[petay]

I have been using computers for a fair while and for all sorts of different things and to be honest i have not really had many issues with windows. On the other hand i have lots of friends/neighbours/relatives who have lots of problems with windows, although this may be down to pooor usage, neglect, spyware, viruses, etc.

I am currently moing more towards linux and especially ubuntu, mainly because the more i use it the more i like it. I just totally formatted my pc and started from scratch, installing win2k for those times when i have to use windows and then ubuntu 7.04 to get back to normallity ;)

win2k installed ok, although i had to find my mobo drivers, graphics drivers, and sound drivers. even then it currently does nothing more than boot and......... thats it :(

then on to ubuntu, well i would be lying if the install went smoothly. probabyl due to my strange partitioning decisions, every time i installed and rebooted i got the message "cannot mount selected partition". after downloading the alternate install cd everything went back to being good again and i have 7.04 with beryl and all the nice apps i use in normal day to day times.

I know that windows does have its problems, but then so does ubuntu, and any other operating system yo care to mention, but at the end of the day, if it wasnt for the microsoft push to get computers in every home, i probably wouldnt even know what a computer was. Its currently a microsoft world when it comes to working with computers but things are changing, like dell offering ubuntu as an install option. as soon as linux becomes more mainstream and hardware gets tested to work with linux as well as windows then life will become so much easier

thats just my 2 pence worth anyhooo!!!

[BLTicklemonster]

Let me tell you what doesn't happen in windows:

I never do a kernel upgrade and lose X. (of course, XP doesn't HAVE an xserver, but you know what I mean)

Yes, kids, once again, the Ticklemonster has stupid-ed out and done an update/upgrade, and yes, once again, nothing I do brings my nvidia drivers back. Envy doesn't do it, sudo sh nvidia.run (you know what I mean) doesn't do it. sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg after either of them doesn't do it. AND I have once again lost my forward/back button functionality for my logitech mx-310 mouse.

If it were up to me, I'd put a moratorium on kernel upgades until such time as the system can right itself after such upgrades. Do you have any idea how many people walk away from Ubuntu when this happens? And I'm no spring chicken when it comes to this stuff. I've been around with this every time there's an upgrade. But this is absolutely ridiculous.

Now I have to run XP to play Unreal Tournament until such time as I feel I have the time to freaking piddle around with Ubuntu for hours on end trying to fix this.

This is absolutely insane. At no point should anyone ever have to redo anything to keep their machine working. Ever. If an upgrade is going to crunch X, then there's something seriously wrong here. Perhaps linux will never be ready for the (casual user's) desktop if this is not corrected?

So yeah, I'll sit and watch the flames go by. It's to be expected, so have at it... :popcorn:

[Chrisj303]

I only use windows for certain applications that Ubuntu cannot match. And i have had Ubuntu crap - out many more times than Windows.

[cunawarit]

Windows is perfectly stable for me, today is the 1st of June, this Windows XP Pro machine has been up for almost a month:

PS C:\Links> net statistics server
Server Statistics for \\DEVBOX


Statistics since 5/3/2007 1:16 PM

It gets used heavily, it is my development machine at work.

[3rdalbum]

Yes, kids, once again, the Ticklemonster has stupid-ed out and done an update/upgrade, and yes, once again, nothing I do brings my nvidia drivers back. Envy doesn't do it, sudo sh nvidia.run (you know what I mean) doesn't do it. sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg after either of them doesn't do it.

You've got an Nvidia card. 99% of kernel-update-Xorg-breakages happen with Nvidia cards. I've got an ATI card and I've never had a kernel-update breakage. My iMac can't use the proprietry drivers and so it's just using the open-source drivers, which have never had any problems.

I suggest complaining to your graphics card vendor.

[petay]

i have a nvidia gc and i have never had a problem with updating.

i have been messing about with different linux distro's for a few years now and i have found ubuntu to be one of the best. the package management is easy enough and you can even use the nice and simple add/remove appy. ubuntu makes all of the function keys work properly on my laptop too!! and finds my wireless card. even beryl runs on the low spec intel graphics card, somethin vista probably wouldnt even boot on.

i used an XP machine at work and it constantly had to be restarted every time there was a bug fix or update, and it used to do some very strange things, the icon for the c drive is still missing ](*,).

at the end of the day, every OS has its problems!!!! it just depends on which is the easiest to live with, work around, or get fixed!!!

[cunawarit]

What happened this morning was a blue screen, driver issue... *sigh* It had been a long long time since I had seen one.

[kamaboko]

Perfect and flawless. Up time has been over six months w/o a restart on my main box at home. But then I know how to setup MS products properly. I have Win95 & 98 machines at work running small services that haven't been restarted in years.

[gashcr]

It happens that I get bored... then I need to do something else and quit working