Good advertising for LINUX

Or "how I learnt to love Windows "

Some bedtime reading from one perspective

Read it all if you want or scroll down to the list of rants:
http://radsoft.net/resources/rants/20060928,00.shtml

 

The majority will stay with Windows, and I'm glad about that --- A smaller user base means more security --- No one wants to waste their time targeting .01% of the market. M$ has people trapped, they aren't interested in changing -- they're stuck -- only too happy to point to myths that linux is too hard, not user friendly enough, not enough software ... yad yad yad --- when it's all just fud. (That said, the average user doesn't even know Linux exists)

For those willing to invest in themselves --- you'll be rewarded with not only knowledge, but a fatter wallet (thanks to Free & Free $$$ software) and enjoying real quality time with your PC, doing what you want rather than endless applying security solutions and system maintenance etc..

General users just don't care, if anything; they follow what they're feed, Yellow Box - Red Box, maybe patch windows ... click this; click that ... infection after infection --- give up and get a new PC, thinking it'll be different somehow this time --- only to repeat the cycle. Bless them --- they keep everyone else happy with the endless flow of money --- those end users are the only ones that suffer.

 

I love that expression "(L)USERS". Nice pun.

 

I am very happy to be a (L)USER.

Lamehand

 

i love the term LAMP - Linux, Apache, MySQL PHP/PERL/Python

however, WIMP isn't so cool

Windows, IIS, MySQL, PHP/PERL/Python

seriously though, maybe Vista will be good??

i read an article which mentioned The Cathedral and the Bazaar which was written by Eric S. Raymond which i liked. the cathedral being windows and the bazaar linux.

the article mentioned how linux has short release cycles (ubuntu is every 6 months) and in between the releases the users get to test the testing of the next version. which means users have a much bigger say on what is included in the OS, so, if something is included which isn't liked by the users, or is broken, it's easy to take out, or rewrite.

but, as windows has longer release cycles and is closed source the users don't have the same kind of say and control. it means something can be put into windows which isn't liked, or isn't used, but because it's been there for so much of the build other features rely on it so it just can't be taken out. or maybe MS doesn't want to take it out for whatever reason

also, as linux is open source programs can be forked and improved by a greater number of people. there's greater competition with which programs to use in each distro, which windows doesn't have.

but, having said that i heard the new MS office has been improved alot and is good. lol

and most people who have used linux, windows and macs prefer macs lol however, if we're all honest with ourselfs we all know which OS is really the best

 

Hello,
Nice one. (L)users was indeed great.
Mrk

 

If I had a dime for every time I heard that from a burnt out tech... L-user, ID-10-T (idiot), error 15 (error is 15 inches from the screen), everyone should need a license to use a computer, etc etc etc. This is why radsoft will not be seeing any of my money (bit ironic, really).

I hold open source projects in some of the highest esteem, but really dislike the attitude that anyone that doesn't use it exclusively is stupid. It's that ever-present balance between time and money, and both commercial and open source software have their good points. There are some situations that Linux is the very clear better choice, but for the desktop I would really say it's a matter of personal choice.

This reminds me of the article, some time ago, about the elitist attitude being a real barrier for some people wishing to switch from Windows to Linux.. the general attitude probably does more harm than good. Publicly insulting Windows users probably isn't the best way to get people to switch, especially when part of that insult is about paying for Windows software, and being said by a company that sells Windows software for $180 that could mostly be replaced by SysInternals' free tools, jv16 PT for around $30, and maybe a few other pieces of free software.

 

AFAIK, the only product sold by Radsoft is Extreme Power Tools, which is a Windows application.

"Rants" is a Radsoft message board. The rants were posted by other folks, not Radsoft per se. Or did I miss something?

Yet another alternative to Windows (& Linux) is MAC. One of the main reasons I haven't switched yet is I enjoy Wilders, CastleCops, DSLR, et alia.

By the way, I understand that Microsoft is under heavy fire from the likes of Symantec, McAfee, EU, etc, because Vista presently is structured to put a lock on its kernel -- supposedly in the interest of better security, but some say it will squeeze out certain security programs. Hmmmm....

Actually, I'm a CP/M fan, ever hopeful that the TRS-80 will someday return.

 

Hello,
Even if delivered with arrogance, the message to use opensource is a very good one. It is actually amazing how much good, undiscovered stuff there is on sourceforge. Seriously. It's a treasure island.
Regardless if some people are being cocky about it, it's worth a try. After all, at worst, you'll be wasting your time and not your money.
Mrk

 

I don't think so...? The title of the section is "Rants of the week", it's in plain HTML (instead of a posting board like Wilders), has "Copyright © Radsoft" at the bottom, and has the same sentiment when you click "Products" > "Take the XPT tour". I've pretty much always found Radsoft rather unprofessional to begin with, but to make blanket statements calling Windows users "losers" is a bit much, IMO. To insinuate that part of the reson that they're losers is because they pay for software, when they actually sell Windows software, just shows little respect for their paying customers. They've got a corporate security tool out now, I wonder how their corporate customers see this?

IMO open source deserves all the support it can get, but that level of abbrasion just doesn't help the cause. Yelling: "Hey dumb***, don't be a loser, get a real operating system! What? You heard it's hard? That's because you're a loser!" ...just doesn't do much to win people over, and is probably validating a few people's fears that Linux is still too elitest for any but those with lots of time on their hands to tackle without doing something like paying for support.

Yes indeed, Mac is a very viable alternative. For many it's probably more viable than Linux (nothing at all against Linux). Each has their strong points, and each has their weak points, it all really depends on what you want and what you're willing to invest in terms of time vs. money. Personally I like the PCs because of the widespread compatibility and choice.

As an overall technology enthusiast, I think that if you want to go Mac, and have the resources, then you should do so without hesitation. The information in these forums will be relevant at some point (you'll be better informed than many Mac users that don't worry about security at all), and you don't have to get rid of the PC.. you could use both; use the PC for play and the Mac for your serious surfing and personal stuff. You could even use Synergy (free) to control them with the same keyboard and mouse, just like they were one computer with a dual display.

 

This problem is not underestimated at the Ubuntu-forums, they are aware of the fact that it's not easy to switch and therefore they have made guidelines for answering in the 'beginners forum'

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=65842

Wich is a good thing i guess.

Lamehand

 

Ok. I AM one of those folks that knows nothing but windows.

I would like to switch to linux, but am worried that many of my programs (that I am use to) will not work on a linux based machine. I am not worried about the learning curve, I can overcome that.

My question: What linux would you recommend? I see plenty of different ones out there, and that alone is confusing. I would like one that is free. If I was going to pay for it, I feel I should just stick with windows. What are your thoughts?

 

Hello,
Well, you could try Ubuntu or SUSE. They are rather easy to use. Furthermore, you can install a virtualization software inside a linux, inside which you can install windows, and then you will not need to worry about programs that you might lose in the transition.
I have written a number of step-by-step tutorials. You might wanna take the look.
Mrk

 

Mrkvonic>

I bookmarked your site. I will try and ease my way into linux. Thanks.

 

I agree The kind of attitude I speak of isn't exclusive to the Linux community, unfortunately it can rear it's ugly head in just about any technical forum (the fact that it doesn't happen here is one of the main things that kept me coming back). I've seen good questions from knowledgable people slammed for no good reason. It's just not needed, justified, or helpful, and serves only to turn people away.

 

i would definitely recommend Ubuntu over SuSE, mainly because of support. if you have a question about Ubuntu you are just about guaranteed to get an answer within 5 minutes using either the forums (either asking, or searching) the wiki, or IRC. you can't say that for SuSE.

the Ubuntu install cd is also a livecd which means you can run it from your cd drive, it loads into memory and doesn't touch your hard drive. there's an icon on the desktop you can click to install it to your hard drive.

BTW, Ubuntu is free. here's a video showing how to install it if you want it.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-3273941228217568559