Re: Is SuSe ready for me yet?

markzoom@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
I've tried Suse 8.2 and a previous one, on both occasions some
supposedly supported hardware took many days of fiddling around to get
going. When I tried to download progs from the net and install them,
the process was so involved and unintuitive (to me) I gave up.


Hello,

I understand your reason for wanting an easier OS. I also understand and agree with many things people here said. I have my own opinions but first I'm going to give you some possible solutions to your issues.

YOUR OPTIONS

Have you tried Ubuntu? With this distro, you can use Synaptic to search for thousands of programs that can be installed with just a few clicks. Most things work. I use this on my work notebook because everything just works. Wireless, hibernate and suspend, printers, scanners and just about everything else I've plugged in works (at least with the latest version Dapper). My favorite distro is slackware by the way but I can't use it on my notebook or desktop because I need many things to work and I don't have the time to spend to make them work. Suse 10.1 works better with wireless and other stuff I just plug in but Ubuntu runs faster on my notebook and has a larger repository of software I can install. With Ubuntu, installing such things as flash and mp3 support is done easily with a few utilities you can download. They also have a very good support forum were people aren't flamed for asking simple questions. Any Debian based distro would also have a large repository of software but Ubuntu is easier to use overall. If you prefer KDE, you can use Kubuntu or for a faster window manager you can use Xubuntu or whatever the other flavors are.

My second favorite distro is Suse. While their repositories have grown, they are not as large as Debians/Ubuntu and some of the stuff I've downloaded didn't work. Also, I don't like what they have done with the new update utility. I also don't understand why there are so many issues with it since it works fine in Ubuntu and Debain. Anyway, Ubuntu is the only distro that I think may fit your needs unless you're willing to be a bit flexible on your requirements.

I just added this after typing everything below. Try a Mac. You have better security and ease of use. The cost is too much? You have to take the good with the bad.

MY OPINIONS

I own a computer service/consulting company so many of your requirements for an OS are not new to me. I only service company's so their excuse is more understandable. I always tell people that when they make something easy to use, not only is it easy to use for them but also easy for others to attack and crack. It's easy to just turn on your computer and have it boot straight into your OS. It's easy to just double click on a file and have it install without needing to enter a root/administrator password. But this has been one of the main reasons why a virus/spyware can infect your entire system instead of just your user account. The more secure something is, the more you have to type or click to legitimately access it. If they do fix windows in the next version to eliminate these security issues, then it's going to be "harder" to use because you need to do more to get to what you want to get to.

I also never understood why people associate "easier" with progress. I used to be able to fix my car myself. I've taken an engine apart and put it back together again (yes it worked). I'm not a mechanic nor do I have any aspirations to be one. With a new car, I open the hood and I see a bunch of wires and an engine somewhere under that. Some mechanics I've known have complained that cars are more complicated and have bitched that they have to go back to school to learn the new systems. So is this not progress?

The reason windows is so popular is because people don't want to learn. They want stuff to be easy. When they learn something, they use what I call the learn and regurgitate method. They don't really "learn" something, they only memorize the question and the answer. Change the question around a bit and they get lost. In this case, they memorize to click on something but never know why they have to click. That's why you have people that double click on everything...even on links on a web page. If you don't want to pick up a book to learn something new, make an effort to actually learn something instead of just memorizing were to click then why should kids bother with school? Why do they need to learn history if what their chosen career has nothing to do with history? Why do they need to learn algebra, trigonometry, etc. for the same reason as the last question? I've met many other MCSE's that have a similar attitude. They don't want to learn anything new. They are happy pointing and clicking and don't want anyone to tell them otherwise. Which is why I never got any job were an MCSE was doing the hiring despite being able to answer all their questions and asking them questions they couldn't answer. It's not just you. Many people do everything in their power to not learn anything. They want to stay in their familiar little world and will persecute anyone who brings their laziness to learn out in the open. They're hypocrites. They push their kids to learn and to give it their all in school, yet, when they leave school, their learning stops. Your brain is like a muscle. If you stop using it, it gets weak. It's harder for you to learn something new now compare to when you were younger because you don't keep your mind active. Not because you're older.

As far as installing software, yes it can be a pain in linux but I don't think it's fair to compare it to a windows program. Well, it depends on what you are trying to install. If it's source code that needs to be compiled, then this is completely different than a program for windows. With source code, you can configure many things BEFORE creating the installation program. You have options. In windows, these decisions were made by someone else. You can't change them even if you wanted. If you want the same experience in Linux, then download the software in a format designed for your distro. If you're complaining about having to find the program for your distro, then try downloading and installing iLife for windows. You can't. It's just for a mac.

If you grew up using Linux, then you would be saying similar things about Windows. Windows is what you're "used" to. Being used to something doesn't make it good or even the right choice. One of the reasons so many viruses and spyware/adware exist and can infect a windows machine so easily is because of many peoples lazy demand for something easy and Microsoft providing it. If Microsoft would fix all the security issues in windows, then installing software wouldn't be so easy to install. Actually, what would probably happen is they would fix the whole permission thing then when people get tired of alway having to type in an administrator password just to install software, they will start creating user accounts with administrator privileges therefore circumventing the fixed permission issue and returning to the insecurity of the previous windows versions. They do it in linux by using the root login as their primary login.

My point to all of this is if you want better security, then you are going to need to drastically revise your requirements for an OS. It's like a scale with security on one end and knowledge on the other. Add more security, you need to add more knowledge to balance it. It's going to be this way until they develop artificial intelligence so the computer will be able to rationalize what it's being asked to install.

The computer is no longer just a high tech toy for geeks and nerds. There are many households with several computers. In some homes, the number of computers out numbers television sets. Even Grandma is using a computer to communicate. It's a tool now that many cannot live without. So your excuse of not being a computer hobbyist is irrelevant. You're going to need to change your attitude regardless of what OS you use. If you stay with windows, security fixes that actually work, DRM, software certificates on Vista and other things Microsoft has planned, will make things more complicated to use. It may not be so easy to download freeware from the internet and install it on windows. You may not be able to. There are many other things but I'm getting tired of typing.

Anyway, if you want things to be easy and have a brainless approach, then don't complain about viruses and all that other crap. All this crap is a product of lazy people who do not want to be bothered by security. Progress can't exist without an increase in knowledge. After all, any firewall on any OS has to be configured to filter out all the bad stuff. It won't do it automatically unless it's something that has been around a while and is known to be bad. All this configuration needs to be done by YOU. Which means you need to KNOW this stuff. Anti-virus software will only find viruses that are known or behave like something that is known. It's up to you to be the first level of defense. You need to know what not to click on, not to open, sites to not visit, etc. You can't just click on stuff to see what happens. Anti-virus software and all that other useless protection you can buy is supposed to stop stuff that got by you or is stuff that doesn't need any action on your part. All this requires that YOU have knowledge. Just like your car. You need to know when to get it serviced, what are the normal sounds and smells, how to check the oil and other basic maintenance things. You can't use the excuse that you're not a car enthusiast.

Try Ubuntu or a Mac. If neither of these suits you, then it probably doesn't exist or will exist for a very long time. You probably are thinking that is does exist in windows. Well, not according to your requirements. You want to get away from dealing with viruses and spyware and possibly the hight cost of paying for an OS. In this case, not even Windows will suit you unless you make some modifications to your requirements and accept less security. So is Linux actually harder to use when you consider having to remove viruses and spyware/adware, always making sure to install updates because you have to even on a computer not running as a server, the expense of the software (I'm assuming you are using legitimate software), having your anti-virus software, firewalls and other stuff configured properly and updated, installing that free program you downloaded and not knowing if it can be spyware or a virus?

I use windows and linux. I'm on windows right now. I know the possible problems I can have with windows. Some software I use only works in windows and I can't find a suitable replacement on Linux. But I don't complain about the problems. Everything has it's consequences. I have 5+ year old HP scanner that works perfectly. I have hardly used it. I shouldn't need to throw it way. Well, It doesn't work right in Windows XP. Even if I download the latest drivers from HP. It has a known problem. If I unplug it, I have to resort to removing several references to it in the registry, manually removing left over files after uninstall, reinstalling everything all over again and hope it works. It worked the first couple of times, now I can't get it to work. I plug it in Linux and Ubuntu recognized it automatically and installs it. In Suse, it's just a few clicks to install. The scans come out better than they ever did in Windows. The scanner is an HP scanjet 3300CSE. So both OSes have their advantages and disadvantages. You have to take the good with the bad. Either take the brainless OS and also take the security issues or take the more secure OS and take the fact that IT'S DIFFERENT so somethings will not work the same and you have to learn something new.


.

Relevant Pages

  • RE: Lost My Desktop
    ... Some of this does not apply if you have Windows XP SP2. ... Make sure of these settings and nothing will install without you ... Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer) ... [[Specifies to automatically download and install Web components if a Web ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: FTC Complaint filed
    ... There is no way to limit what M$ wants to install on your system because they hide the descriptions, ... And they don't need that particular download at all to put more copy protection code on your pc. ... I have long said, in my opinion and pre-Vista, that Windows 95 was the best OS Microsoft ever made. ... should be with your PCB software maker. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsmedia.player)
  • Re: 16 Bit Error
    ... Something was wrong with the download. ... was just lumped in with whatever the Repair Install did. ... MS-MVP Windows Shell/User ... sure that the directory path exists, and disk space is available. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: please assist
    ... And also when i finally get into windows and just doing regular tasks as ... If you removed any softwares in step 7, restart computer. ... and Windows will want to install video card graphics drivers, ... then download the file to your ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • RE: please assist
    ... And also when i finally get into windows and just doing regular tasks as ... If you removed any softwares in step 7, restart computer. ... From this CD/DVD, install ... Select the language you want, then download the file to your computer, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)