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Thread: Computers don't suck.

  1. #1
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    Computers don't suck.

    Operating Systems suck. All of them. Lately, I've been hearing a bit too much of the following, and would like to state my opinion for discussion.

    I've heard a lot of, "Windows suck, due to <problem fixed since Win98>," and "Linux/Ubuntu sucks because it's not familiar," and "Mac's are the best, they can do ANYTHING!"

    Well, first of all, Windows has a lot of issues that just don't crop up in Unix-based OSes. Unfortunately, people are used to these problems as just the baggage that come with a PC. This is definitely a problem, and although I won't use Windows for personal reasons, I hope they can turn around and start to fix some of their problems.

    Saying that Linux sucks due to a lack of familiarity compared to a completely different system is also a null argument. That's like saying that, since you just bought a Mac, they should rework the interface to look like Windows. It's simply short-sightedness.

    And, just because Macs come with a useful set of programs, that certainly doesn't mean it can do ANYTHING. Just means you're a bit delusional and you have a narrow understanding of 'anything'. All three of these OSes can do the basics.

    And that brings up my main point- just as Mark has stated, Windows getting better and more dependable is GOOD. It means that modern computing has a better chance of evolving and going somewhere, and it will give better exposure to the true benefits to each system, instead of a raging cynicism.

    I personally believe that, due to portability and extensibility, Linux will easily and quickly be able to support any feature within a reasonable timeframe. Along with increasingly cross-platform solutions and an open-minded software industry, this means that eventually all Operatings Systems will just be trying to come up with the innovation Linux has always found natural.

    This is already happening. So, rather than lauding the benefits of Linux over another option, or insulting the past faults of any company, I think it is important to Ubuntu, as the most popular Linux distribution, to be humble.

    It is important for the community to have an introspective view of the operating system, not an elitist view. Let people who do marketing do the comparisons- the happy users should be heading to Brainstorm and thinking of additional features that could improve usability and productivity. That is, unless you really don't care XD.

    We have a chance to see technology reform itself into our digital lifestyles with open source software, and as with any blessing in our lives, we should try to nurture and cultivate it, rather than simply proclaim it as awesome.

    That said, I do believe that Linux is the most advanced and extensible operating system to date, and I can't imagine how any proprietary operating system can match it at the root level, with customizability and personalization.

    Sure, we might have all the same open source applications and abilities on all operating systems, but why not have all that for free, and with stability and speed? The choice is obvious, and whether we become the majority or not, we should act as if Ubuntu has the majority of the market and focus on really improving the experience.

    Any comments? Disputation? Agreement? What do you think about current OSes, the responsibilities of the community, the future, etc?

  2. #2
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    I virtually agree with many, if not all of your statements. But to clarify the reason for so many cynical views and comments aimed at windows from linux users derives from the fact that Microsoft is a (failing) monopoly. Through marketing they distribute their faulty software that costs an arm and a leg, and nickel and dime you for anything else you may want to add to your HDD (Mac is just as bad with stealing your wallet). You would think that Bill Gates could have made some solid improvements to his OS with all that money. But no, the crap comes on virtually every single PC sold in stores, and since the vast majority of the consumers aren't the most computer literate, they fork out their money on overpriced computers due to the pre-installed software because they don't know any better or cant warm up to the "daunting linux thing" since its not advertised on t.v all day as some friendly entity.

    But one of the up sides to the linux community being a minority is that it will continue to stay virus, spyware and adware free since their is less meat on our side of the table to steal.

    Thankfully linux is being spread more throughout less developed countries, so those people can actually afford computers and they can potentially start businesses of their own. With the money it takes to buy one computer pre-installed with windows, could buy two (or maybe more) computers ready to have the buyers linux flavor of choice to be installed. Or the [circa] $300 saved could go elsewhere useful.
    Use.Improve.Ask.Share.Enjoy.

  3. #3
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Very true. Anyone who's planning to do anything unrelated to 3d graphics and hardcore gaming should definitely keep the computer they have and use Linux to further their current productivity. You shouldn't have to buy a buggy operating system that slows down your computer just to run the same programs you've always used. That's devolution of the Operating System, in a sense.

    So yes, there certainly are good, concrete reasons for the spite, and it just goes to show that Microsoft has been a victim of this lauding elitism that inhibits growth.

    It's interesting though, to see how many socialist and communists countries are picking up Linux due to Microsoft's monopolism. We're seeing a lot more naked computers these days.

    Then again, could just further America's self-image as a Microsoft-lovin' country. I really think that it'll be crap for our economy to invest in a company who the rest of the world will soon abandon due to the obvious variety and appeal of valuable alternatives.

    The last thing we need in our society is to waste money on a waste of company resources on something with little improvement at the core. But I guess we'll if it's worthwhile to spend money on any operating system, since they all suck to some degree.

  4. #4
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Computers are pretty much fraught with problems from top to bottom, it's not just operating systems. I mean, look at the hardware: the most important piece of equipment in your computer (the HDD) is also the most likely to crash and burn. It's got moving parts, it's susceptible to electrostatic discharge, physical shock, power surges, and dust; and to top it off, a good percentage of them are just duds destined to burn out after a few months of usage. Would like to see hardware become a bit more rugged as time goes by.

    I mention that only because as a computer tech, a large percentage of the problems I have to fix on desktops come down to corruption on the HDD or bad RAM, and thus hardware contributes a good bit to the general cynicism about computers.

    Overall, though, I think the big problem now is lack of standards. Companies (hardware, OS, software, etc) don't rely on them, and don't take advantage of them. I mean, look at how much trouble comes from network and video drivers. Have you ever had a problem with a SATA/IDE driver? A lot of people probably don't even realize HDD's use a driver! And they shouldn't have to. You plug in a HDD and you know it's just going to work. Why not so with network cards? Really, what do you need from a network card but to put packets on the wire as fast as possible? Why should that require a unique driver to be written? Can we not come up with a simple standard a la VESA for Video?

    But no, for some reason when Broadcom or Nvidia put out a new chip to put packets on a network, they have to make it so that the OS must now talk to it in a completely new unique way. Silly.

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  6. #6
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Yeah, hopefully with the advent of solid state drives, and as well as more compact processors and safer methods of holding components come into place, computers will become more rugged.

    Maybe we'll be able to have fool-proof computers that can literally be thrown at a wall, fall to pieces, and just put back together again like legos. That'd be an interesting future- and I imagine it would make upgrades easier. But yes, if we want a more consolidated future in computing, we should have hardware companies agreeing and building upon standards.

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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Quote Originally Posted by murderslastcrow View Post
    Operating Systems suck.
    No, this is what sucks:



    Yeah, believe it or not, a 7" USB desktop vacuum! It sucks!
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  8. #8
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Maybe we'll be able to have fool-proof computers that can literally be thrown at a wall, fall to pieces, and just put back together again like legos. That'd be an interesting future- and I imagine it would make upgrades easier. But yes, if we want a more consolidated future in computing, we should have hardware companies agreeing and building upon standards.
    LOL! Well said!


    Like others are saying... Comparisons between OSes based on productivity don't seem really enlightening. They can all do most things (except where hampered by greedy corporations). What seems important is how applications are made.

    Mac applications are designed specifically for a standard hardware, so naturally they work very well. But you can't do 'anything' with them. The source code is not freely available, so one is pretty much stuck (for better or worse) with what Apple gives you. The model is: computer as sophisticated information appliance. (Home Electronics)

    Microsoft managed to get Windows onto so many home computers that hardware companies had to collaborate with them in designing hardware. It is easy to be cynical about the Microsoft badges on computer cases (and I am), but there is truth to them. Preinstalled versions of Windows are guaranteed to work decently on the hardware -- or at least as well as it is possible to design software for every possible hardware configuration. It's not great, but passable -- the home computer as second-rate information appliance. (The clone)

    I think that with Free Software OSes (GNU/Linux/BSD) we have something completely different. The model for the home computer is no longer better or worse information appliance, but something more like a home computer lab. They can perform all the usual appliance functions, but more importantly the user is no longer just a user, but a designer. (Home Computer Lab)(Computer as computer)

    I know that a lot of linux people put a high priority on having distros work "out-of-the-box", striving to be make information appliances that are better than Windows and maybe almost as good as Mac. But how realistic is this? We don't have standardized hardware under our control like Apple, and we don't have a single corporation, like MS, to negotiate for compatibility with the many hundreds of hardware companies.

    Whether we like it or not, there is an inevitable degree of work required by the user to configure linux for his or her hardware configuration. But maybe this is not such a bad thing.

    I would like to hear people stop (always) thinking of this is a liability. If the inertia of the lazy appliance user can be broken through, there is a chance that they could relish the challenges and victories of "designing" their own personalized operating system.

    Maybe we can turn it around, at least in our own minds, to see the advantage in what we have. He have in our Free Software OSes the chance to truly explore computing, and to design our own computers from the ground up (from kernel to desktop environment). Neither Mac or PC can say that. This is our niche (for now at least), let's celebrate it.

    If societies in developing and socialist countries are embracing Free Software, I hope that it is more than simply availability of cheap (as in beer) information appliances. I hope it has something to do with educating their people in information technology and giving them the mental tools to design their own computers.

    The last thing we need is another over-blown information appliance, free (as in beer) or otherwise.

    Who remembers the arguments in the 1980's about Atari versus Commodore?

    Computers don't suck, and they shouldn't have to pretend to be glorified telephones, typewriters, and television sets either.

  9. #9
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

    Quote Originally Posted by chris200x9 View Post
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    Re: Computers don't suck.

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