12 Apr 05
Just being curious here, but i have a question for the Linux users.
Did you purchase your pc with Windows software. If so why? If you was going to use Linux anyway, surely that`s just throwing money away, and is no different than buying Windows in the first place.
Also how easy is it to get Linux and all the other bits (associated programmes) from the local computer shop? If for some reason your pc falls over, or your internet connection goes down, they cannot be downloaded.
What about the whole school scenario ? At the moment (i think) all schools use Windows. How easy would it be to cross train a child to use Linux?
This is by no means a knock at Linux, or the users here. Just curious questions.
13 Apr 05
1 edit
your probably going to call me crazy.. but do your research first...
ive know this for years..
Windows is more secure than linux..
im a slackware user too
.. but use 2k-pro for my day2day needs
we use linux for web-serving in work.. apache.. which I think is 100* better than IIS..
like I say do your research first before I have to provide ten million links...
13 Apr 05
Originally posted by PaulieI buy my machine without an operating system. So I don't pay for what I don't use.
Just being curious here, but i have a question for the Linux users.
Did you purchase your pc with Windows software. If so why? If you was going to use Linux anyway, surely that`s just throwing money away, and is no different than buying Windows in the first place.
Also how easy is it to get Linux and all the other bits (associated programmes) from the l ...[text shortened]... use Linux?
This is by no means a knock at Linux, or the users here. Just curious questions.
The local computer shop does not stock Linux. I buy Linux from an on-line auction site - most Linux distributions run from one to five CDs so it is much easier to buy a copy than to download. The sellers download it and burn it - for about $2 a CD. All legal as there no restriction on copying and distributing Mandrake, Redhat or other Linux distributions. The CDs boot into linux so you can start with a blank hard drive ( or one containing Windows) and create either a sole Linux box or a dual boot ( ie you can run either Linux or Windows). So a re-install is easy.
As for training - once up and running, the desktop on Linux machines look very similar to Windows. Programs like Firefox look identical.
If you are curious - get a copy of Xandros which can run Linux from your CD drive, without touching your Windows settings. Message me and I will send you a CD - although I might take a while to get from where I live.
13 Apr 05
Originally posted by CenterNutwindows may be more secure, i don't really know. but what i do know is that there are very much fewer viruses for linux than for windows. i also know that microsoft are too fullk of themselves to produce decent programs any more - word 2000 produced nice xhtml, it must be said. word 2004, on the other hand...
your probably going to call me crazy.. but do your research first...
ive know this for years..
Windows is more secure than linux..
im a slackware user too
.. but use 2k-pro for my day2day needs
we use linux for web-serving in work.. apache.. which I think is 100* better than IIS..
like I say do your research first before I have to provide ten million links...
also - IE for windows is not W3C compliant. IE for the mac is...
microsoft confuses me.
13 Apr 05
I like office 2k3 .. I recommend slackware to all who wishing to try out linux. but its not easy install like rh + mdk ..
heres link for you all.. I suggest getting the iso images.
www.slackware.com
heres link to 1GB/s site with the iso's
ftp://ftp.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.slackware.com/slackware-10.1-iso/
you dont need the source disc's just installs
13 Apr 05
Originally posted by geniusA majority of desktop users run Windows, and a vast majority of Windows users use IE. I think it's Microsoft's way of saying "you don't need W3C when you have IE!"
windows may be more secure, i don't really know. but what i do know is that there are very much fewer viruses for linux than for windows. i also know that microsoft are too fullk of themselves to produce decent programs any more - word 2000 produced nice xhtml, it must be said. word 2004, on the other hand...
also - IE for windows is not W3C compliant. IE for the mac is...
microsoft confuses me.
Microsoft Office (the later versions) is crap as you say! There is no consistency when saving files. In fact, I've found that numbered lists have the numbers hard coded into the document. It's crap because they stick by their rediculous help system (even after Clippy became an optional feature) which never returns the results I want. It's crap because it costs so much, even with a free alternative. OpenOffice has a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation program, equation editor (which is far better than MS Equation 3.0), and as of 2.0 Beta, it has a database program too. All OpenOffice programs have built in capability to export PDF files; all OpenOffice programs are free with the support of the community.
What are Microsoft to do when their next features are later integrated with open source software and available everywhere? Microsoft's big threat of a Cluster OS is rediculous! Why would anyone cluster their computers with an OS where the GUI is mandatory?
13 Apr 05
Originally posted by CenterNutShow to me that a Windows server setup, (set up by a non-MSCE) is more secure than Linux. As I say, most people think that they install Linux and security comes naturally. Unless you are willing to spend as much time or more as a MSCE, Linux won't be very secure either.
your probably going to call me crazy.. but do your research first...
ive know this for years..
Windows is more secure than linux..
im a slackware user too
.. but use 2k-pro for my day2day needs
we use linux for web-serving in work.. apache.. which I think is 100* better than IIS..
like I say do your research first before I have to provide ten million links...
The problem with Windows is that it lacks proper file permissions and ownership. With a Unix type file system, you can mask owner permissions, group permissions and everybody else's permissions. On a good system, most of the masks end with 0 or 4, but probably 0.
I'm running Win2k at this very moment (not as administrator), and I can just walk straight into C:\WINNT and I have read/write permissions on just about anything. Enough to screw up the system. I can even go into C:\PROGRAM FILES and screw up a few things here and there.
The truth is, Windows can be more secure than Linux if you have MSCEs or the likes setting them up. If you know and understand TCP/IP, and not just "packets, ports and IP addresses", and you make good use of iptables, then you can set up Linux to be far more secure than Windows could ever be.
14 Apr 05
Originally posted by PaulieThere are hundreds of different distributions! Creating a distribution is fairly easy - because you can build on top of an existing distribution. So a lot of them are hobby projects - and there is tough competion to have the flavour-of- the-month distro. Linux users argue about what is best and some look down on some Linux distros as being too easy - " I compile everything and use only the command line" snobbery.
Thanks for the info. How come there are so many different versions, and do thet differ that much?
Basically, a distribution is just a package around the Linux operating system and the GNU applications. Which is great - Linux's weak point has always been trouble free installing and maintenance and the work done on the distributions has improved it from " computer science degree required" to normal people can do this. The core is the same - just the choice of what you get and how is packaged differs. And you can always add what was not included in your distribution later.
RedHat is angled towards servers and enterprises, SUSE is strong in Germany, Mandrake the average user, Slackware is for the hard core. An evolutionary struggle - there are many niches, and the distro battle is making a better product. Just look at Internet Explorer to see how improvement stops when the competition stops.
14 Apr 05
Originally posted by steerpikeThanks,
There are hundreds of different distributions! Creating a distribution is fairly easy - because you can build on top of an existing distribution. So a lot of them are hobby projects - and there is tough competion to have the flavour-of- the-month distro. Linux users argue about what is best and some look down on some Linux distros as being too easy - " I ...[text shortened]... uct. Just look at Internet Explorer to see how improvement stops when the competition stops.
That make it a lot clearer now. I had a poke around on ebay and there`s tonnes of it about. And so cheap lol.
You`ve been a great help, in answering my questions, thanks.
14 Apr 05
Originally posted by steerpikeSlackware was the first distro I used and I didn't find it terribly hard to operate, definitely not as hard and timely as Gentoo. I would recommend Slackware for anyone ready to rip right into Linux and learn things quick. Nothing is hidden or covered like a few other distros (Xandros for example was designed only to be used within XWindows), you can see how Linux works and where everything goes.
RedHat is angled towards servers and enterprises, SUSE is strong in Germany, Mandrake the average user, Slackware is for the hard core. An evolutionary struggle - there are many niches, and the distro battle is making a better product. Just look at Internet Explorer to see how improvement stops when the competition stops.
14 Apr 05
Originally posted by DreamlaXSaying Slackware is not as hard or timeconsuming as Gentoo - where you are expected to build your system from source files, after setting compiler options - is a bit like saying the Mediterrenan is not as wet as the Pacific. 😉
Slackware was the first distro I used and I didn't find it terribly hard to operate, definitely not as hard and timely as Gentoo. I would recommend Slackware for anyone ready to rip right into Linux and learn things quick. Nothing is hidden or covered like a few other distros (Xandros for example was designed only to be used within XWindows), you can see how Linux works and where everything goes.
Great for the hard core. And I also bet there are people who would prefer to buy their new car as a heap of parts and assemble it to "see how it works and where everything goes." Me, I want to turn the key and go - I suppose that is the difference between Linux the operating system and Linux the religion. I would suggest any new user avoid Slackware as their introduction to Linux.
Now I hope I have not set off a flame war between Linux distribtions.
15 Apr 05
Originally posted by Svin1A CS undergrad and you intend to use vim?
I just got my hands on an old P2 and I'm going to shove all my old hardware in it and install Linux--any suggestions to what distro to use? All it's ever going to run is fvwm2, vim, gcc, latex and ftp/ssh, no need for fancy-smancy stuff.
Definitely hard-core - sounds like a Gentoo, Debian, Slackware or FreeBSD type of user.