Re: Why I dumped on windows and went back to Linux

From: The Real Slim Shady (Stan_at_your.house.com)
Date: 05/09/04 

Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 12:44:33 GMT

On Sun, 09 May 2004 01:00:11 +0000, chris wrote:

> On Sat, 08 May 2004 22:58:59 GMT, The Real Slim Shady
> <Stan@your.house.com> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 08 May 2004 18:59:18 +0000, chris wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 08 May 2004 14:31:17 GMT, The Real Slim Shady
>>> <Stan@your.house.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>- Maybe because my Matrox G400 was freezing xp pro after the first of
>>>>many reboots, with native drivers? One of the most popular video cards do
>>>>not work in winxp after being on the market for several years.
>>>
>>> Go download the latest drivers from Matrox.
>>That's what I did. It means xp needs some 3 years to make a trivial video
>>card work.
>>Now explain me how a beginner would install those drivers on a box
>>freezing as soon as the desktop shows up.
>
> Boot into safe mode? Now picture a newbie, say grandma, trying to
> install linux and discovering that X won't start because they have an
> oddball on-board video card. What's the likelyhood the newbie will
> know how to fix that?
>
You don't need X to use unix. You objection does not make any sense.
It's a false problem anyway. If the hardware is not supported because
the producer decided not to disclose any info on their product, just throw
it into the garbage can. It's not a linux problem. If they are happy with
crippled useless hardware, fine. I'm not going to buy a car for
sure that uses just your proprietary expensive petrol (gas for americans).

>
>>>>Needless to say it works perfectly on Linux, the clearest display one
>>>>would imagine.
>>>>
>>>>- Maybe because my AC97 audio of my ecs board cannot be recognised,
>>>>with a yellow ! on it? No way to make it work. Known bug.
>>>
>>> Again, go download the drivers from the MB manufacturer.
>>>
>>False. THere is NO WAY to make it work, known problem.
>
> Just curious, what motherboard? I have at least a few systems at work
> with ECS boards and working AC97 audio. Personally, ECS is not real
> high quality, but most people don't seem to have issues.
>
Again, it's a documented "feature". Use google, Luke. And yes, it's an
ecs k7S6. Working perfectly under linux. So no hardware issues here.
Now, that a multimedia oriented os is not capable of emitting any sound,
whatever the board is, sounds rather ridiculous, isn't it? Linux had never
ever big multimedia ambitions, still it's *the* platform for movie makers.
See for instance references on cinelerra, gimp film and so on.
>
>>>>Needless to say the sound is perfect on Linux, both video and mp3.
>>>>
>>>>- Maybe because after moving the same mouse from a ps/2 connector to
>>>>an usb one xp was unable to find it, forcing several reboots before
>>>>being happy?
>>>
>>> Never had that problem. In general, I find XP to have better
>>> plug-n-play than Fedora or RH.
>>>
>>Look, I don't care if you didn't have the problem. I had and that's
>>enough for me. This expensive crap is supposed to be user friendly and
>>easy for Fred and Wilma. Not hard to work out and crash prone.
>
> Ok, that's fine for me as well. Use what works for you. I submit that
> your experience is more of an exception, though, than the rule. I manage
> a few hundred systems and overall, I've had far less hardware driver
> issues with Windows 2000 and XP.
>
Great. Now tell me why in my University dept with hunderds of boxes,
few people still using windows have most issues. Why their boxes decide
to boot in vga 10% of the times. Why their burners produce a huge amount
of coasters. And why I could continue for a couple of days on the subject.
>
>>>>Needless to say a device change was more than enough for Linux.
>>>>
>>>>and so on.
>>>>XP = eXtremely Pathetic. Better use a rh 4.0.
>>>
>>> I find it amusing that the problems you describeed above are due to
>>> not hunting down the appropriate drivers. Without that ability,
>>> you'll probably have more troubles with Linux.
>>It's just the floating side of the iceberg. Those devices, pretty
>>standard by 2001 at least and quite common, are not supported in any way
>>by m$ drivers. The certified ones (tm). The same you should use. The one
>>packaged with the product THEY give.
>>Now it turns out that after throwing away some nontrivial money amount
>>for their latest and greatest crapware, I have to hunt out the most
>>recent driver (which besides means that all the precedent ones were
>>pretty useless) all over the net. For every key of this damned 102 keys
>>keyboard. Just to boot on a desktop designed by a 5 years old on acid
>>trip.
>>
>>Don't let me start talking about hd performance, scsi devices
>>recognition, process control (where the hell is the equivalent of kill
>>-9 ? task manager?? HA!!).
>>Let's pick the most common task. Writing. No Latex. No Postscript. Not
>>even pdf. Oh yes, lookout xpress. The name says it all. Please.
>
>
> I'm not arquing that Microsoft is better overall. I'm saying that the
> have a better handle on device drivers and broader support from the
> hardware manufacturers. That is slowly changing as linux distros
> improve, but it still ain't quite there.
Aha! But as I told you, lack of support for some hardware is not a linux
problem, but a producer's one. If they don't want to agree with GPL then
should provide us with binary drivers at least. If not, they won't have my
money. Easy.
Before buying some hardware, 5 minutes googling will be more than enough
to decide wether it will run under linux.

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