A polite observation regarding Linux bashers

[FRuMMaGe]

I would just like to point out to people a small observation I made while watching Windows vs Linux debates on various forums.

I think it is stupid how nearly every Windows user who has something bad to say about Linux have never even tried Linux before. They make their assumptions purely on peer pressure.

On the other hand, nearly all Linux users started out using Windows, got sick of it and eventually moved onto Linux.

I think this gives Linux users far more objectivity and right to decide which is better than Windows users. Comments?

[M$LOL]

Yes, but that's in general. I know Windows users who prefer Windows and have extensive knowledge of both OSs. Equally I know Linux users who know nothing about the strengths and weaknesses of Windows, but still insist that Windows is crap. It works both ways.

I'd agree though, in many cases it is the Linux user who is better informed.

[tigerpants]

I think life is too short to bother with this sort of thing.

[Irony]

If it wasn't for Windows, Linux would still be at the command line.

[vexorian]

And that would have been a good thing. People are losing too much time navigating through GUIs , time we could use to fix the world's problems!

Nah, but I also doubt windows is the reason Linux got GUI, afaik windows is not even the first thing to have GUI...

[Arwen]

in many cases it is the Linux user who is better informed. It's maybe because linux user is more open-minded sometimes.You know,when sth goes wrong in linux(sth really common for a noob),you google around and may find sth.You learn to live with that.A not-experienced windows user who probably didn't setup his own OS,expects it to work fine and when it suddenly doesn't he freaks out and changes pc :-P(yeah,I've encountered cases like that:shock:

[aks44]

If it wasn't for Windows, Linux would still be at the command line.

X (1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System)) was there before MS Windows (1985 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows)).

No need to say more.

[phrostbyte]

A lot of Linux users are also much more technical and knowledgeable about the different aspects of both OSes and the hardware then Linux-bashers are. But that is changing as Linux becomes more mainstream I think.

[karellen]

I would just like to point out to people a small observation I made while watching Windows vs Linux debates on various forums.

I think it is stupid how nearly every Windows user who has something bad to say about Linux have never even tried Linux before. They make their assumptions purely on peer pressure.

On the other hand, nearly all Linux users started out using Windows, got sick of it and eventually moved onto Linux.

I think this gives Linux users far more objectivity and right to decide which is better than Windows users. Comments?

don't make false assumptions. I, for example, tried both platforms for some years. I've been using linux since 2004 and windows since 97...so I can speak about both with some background knowledge ;)

[Iceni]

Most of my friends have tried both at one time or another but still most of them tend to stick with windows. Reasons are the usual - games and work-related stuff. Most of them run linux servers tho. But then we are not the typical user base.

[NoSmokingBandit]

I've tried linux but dont use it due to the fact that my key hardware doesnt work (soundcard, network card). The response i got from a few people was similar to "just deal with it and use your integrated hardware." Well, if i wanted to use integrated i wouldnt have bought a pci soundcard and network card. I use windows because for me everything works fine. Obviously this is not true for everyone, but i based my os decision based on which one works for me.

[DoctorMO]

I've tried linux but dont use it due to the fact that my key hardware doesnt work (soundcard, network card). The response i got from a few people was similar to "just deal with it and use your integrated hardware." Well, if i wanted to use integrated i wouldnt have bought a pci soundcard and network card. I use windows because for me everything works fine. Obviously this is not true for everyone, but i based my os decision based on which one works for me.

Hopefully though you followed through and complained to your network and sound card manufacturer and posted a request to launchpad as well as looking at possible kernel solutions etc etc. seriously I don't have anything that doesn't work _at all_ in linux; although a few things are less than perfect such as Canon drivers etc.

[Darkhack]

I have and continue to use both operating systems although since Ubuntu 7.04 was released, it has become my primary operating system at home. Both operating systems are good in their own ways.

Windows Advantages:
- Pre-installed on most computers
- Lots of support
- Plenty of commercial software and all the popular games and applications run on Windows
- Application development is a bit more consistent since Microsoft builds all of the APIs and they are all designed the work together.

Linux Advantages:
- APT is vastly superior to Window's Add/Remove programs.
- Free and open source and highly configurable as a result.
- Shell is more powerful
- A lot more secure and basically immune to viruses with only a couple of exceptions (they've been patched, but I bring this up because who knows what future security flaws might be lurking inside of our OS)

There are a lot of disadvantages to these operating systems as well. Overall I think Linux is a superior operating system from a technical standpoint but because the world is still Windows centric, that gives us a few practical disadvantages; such as a lack of support for commercial software like Adobe Creative Suite and other big-name applications.

[hessiess]

Windows Advantages:
- Pre-installed on most computers
- Lots of support
- Plenty of commercial software and all the popular games and applications run on Windows
- Application development is a bit more consistent since Microsoft builds all of the APIs and they are all designed the work together.

Linux Advantages:
- APT is vastly superior to Window's Add/Remove programs.
- Free and open source and highly configurable as a result.
- Shell is more powerful
- A lot more secure and basically immune to viruses with only a couple of exceptions (they've been patched, but I bring this up because who knows what future security flaws might be lurking inside of our OS)

most of these are also disadvantages

windows has lots of support/ but it is expensive
pre instaled on most computers/ it is prittymutch imposoble to get a comp without it......

shell is more powerfall/ puts off new users
nerly complete lack of commercial software etc

[ruibernardo]

X (1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System)) was there before MS Windows (1985 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows)).

No need to say more.


Nice one, aks44.

If only people knew that M$ didn't invented the computers. In fact M$ didn't invented nothing, even their first MS-DOS was «based» in unix, only to work as a single user O.S. and without any networking (Disk Operating System) and was bought from "Seattle Computer Products" (86Q-DOS). IBM didn't launch its IBM-PC thinking that it would have any success in 1981. They even preferred to contract an outsider to make the O.S. (M$) to make it usable.

Windows too was an "copy" of lisa/mcintosh from Apple. Apple put M$ in court for this and it last for more than 10 years, ending with a deal between them (http://news.com.com/MS+to+invest+150+million+in+Apple/2100-1001_3-202143.html) both ($150M + M$ software bundle to work in Apple computers).

There are many other examples of the way M$ created their applications, most of them just by buying the concurrence (hey, who said monopoly?) and naming them Access, defrag, etc (http://www.vcnet.com/bms/departments/catalog/catalog.shtml), back in the '90s.


No need to say more.

Damn, I talked too much #-o

[lisati]

X (1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System)) was there before MS Windows (1985 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows)).

No need to say more.

I encountered GUIs on a MAC long before I encountered Windows.......some time in the early-to-mid 1980s

I've found that sometimes features provided through Windows suits what I'm doing, and sometimes features offered through Linux & other systems suit what I'm doing better..... it's a combination of personal preference and what's available,

[cooney]

X (1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System)) was there before MS Windows (1985 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows)).

No need to say more.

Actually before the Macintosh there was the Apple Lisa and before that there was the Xerox Alto and before that...

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_graphical_user_interface and http://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/1005.html .

[aks44]

Actually before the Macintosh there was the Apple Lisa and before that there was the Xerox Alto and before that...

Of course, X wasn't the first GUI ever. I was only commenting on that "without Windows, Linux would still have no GUI" thing.

As epimeteo put it, some people tend to forget that most of the innovation has *not* been made by MSFT, so it can't be bad to wake them up a bit (even if the argument lacks completeness)... ;)

[danny joe ritchie]

I would say that some people who complain about linux, really are people who have not tried it .

I think that the majority just bash linux because they want it to be a Windows clone or they are used to doing things in a certain way and they don't want to change. (not saying that they should)

I'm not really sure who's more qualified, but the " average" linux user does seem more knowledgeable than the "average" windows user!

Just my opinion and I'm a newbie!

[cooney]

Of course, X wasn't the first GUI ever. I was only commenting on that "without Windows, Linux would still have no GUI" thing.

As epimeteo put it, some people tend to forget that most of the innovation has *not* been made by MSFT, so it can't be bad to wake them up a bit (even if the argument lacks completeness)... ;)

Actually my response was more geared to the bold text above. The links were provided to jog peoples memory or to educate the ones who didn't know. There's a lot of facinating history on the subject of GUI.

Didn't mean to offend or mislead anyone.

[vexorian]

I've tried linux but dont use it due to the fact that my key hardware doesnt work (soundcard, network card). The response i got from a few people was similar to "just deal with it and use your integrated hardware." Well, if i wanted to use integrated i wouldnt have bought a pci soundcard and network card. I use windows because for me everything works fine. Obviously this is not true for everyone, but i based my os decision based on which one works for me.
If you wanted to try to use non-integrated hardware you should have bought hardware that's compatible with Linux, it is not like there aren't sound or network cards that work fine, mine do... . Also are you sure they didn't work ? What if there were just hard to configure?

Not really saying your decision is wrong. Just wanted to ask that last question.