Re: Linux Just isn't ready for the desktop. Get used to hearing it or go and improve it.

From: Robert Newson (ReapNewsT_at_uk.co.fsnet.bullet3)
Date: 03/07/04 

Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2004 13:15:07 GMT

Jim Stevenson wrote:

...
> A majority of BSODs in windows are caused by badly written
> third party drivers and programs. Ok, you may not get BSODs in
> Linux but you still get badly written software and drivers and
> whilst it is possible to terminate a program without having to
> reboot the whole system it is still badly written.

But a good OS whouldn't require rebooting by a badly written thrid party
program, shirley?

> Another inaccuracy is that Linux gives you freedom of choice?
> to do what exactly? That choice is down to a severely limited
> choice of hardware.

Just like the choice of Intel x86 or...um...Intel x86 based systems on which
to run Windoze.

> Can you buy and install the latest,
> greatest video card, or USB device (Scanner/camera/pen drive et
> al) or Firewire device. In all honesty, you can't say yes to
> that question.

But whose fault is that...can you install (and fully use) said card
*WITHOUT* the included Windoze drivers. With the manufacturer support, the
answer is more often yes; but more of them are now beginning to see the
light in supplying Linux drivers.

(Which reminds me; when I installed the same NIC into 2 computers at home,
one Win95, the other W98/Linux duel(sic) boot I had less hassle with the
Linux OS: after power up, set up a few parameters and card up and running;
with W98 it required a reboot after setting the parameters; with W95 I
nearly tore my hair out as the registry got corrupted (by the installation
program) and I had to reload the whole machine with numerous reboots. I
also installed another NIC into a FreeBSD machine, but forgot that I had
taken network support out of the kernel as I wasn't using it and so had to
reboot after recompiling it back into the kernel - if I had remembered this,
I would have done the recompilation before taking the machine down to
install the card and the reboot wouldn't have been necessary.)

> I constantly read about people seeting up a Linux box for their
> relatives/friends/neighbours and everyone is happy. They can
> surf the web, send email, write letters which is all well and
> good, but what happens 6 months down the line? having had 6
> months to get used to their new computer and its nice stable
> Linux OS, they decide they want to expand their usage and
> toddle off their local hardware retailer and buy a nice shiny
> new Scanner and a digital camera. They eagerly take home there
> new goodies and plug them into their Linux box and hey
> presto.....Zilch, nothing, nada....."but it works on our next
> door neighbours computer and theirs is older than ours"....Oh,
> oh, you forgot to tell them they can't just go out and buy
> something and expect it work out of the box....wherever did you
> get that idea?

You do check the Windoze XP HCL don't you, or do you just assume that it'll
work...what's different about checking a LCL?

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cursor mysteriously moves all by itself
    ... >>> Download and install the latest drivers for your video card and mouse. ... > then you haven't run most of the Linux distros available for Free ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • HP OfficeJet and Linux -- a mini HOW-TO / short-story.
    ... experienced when installing an OfficeJet... ... It was to be the reincarnation of my last Linux box ... and I got the Windows systems to use their own drivers ... I downloaded the entire 980 MB install package in 15 minutes. ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Linux, the final decision
    ... >> how Windows deals with an analogous situation. ... > That drivers have access to the gui is not a hard and fast rule. ... >> Unreal engines can run under Linux. ... no one has to install Windows because the ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Install which Linux? (or avoiding dirty birds)
    ... >>that ran on Linux, then if the drivers were running on Debian, then ... DriverLoader is a revolutionary compatibility-wrapper allowing standard Windows NDIS drivers shipped by hardware vendors to be used as-is on Linux x86 systems .... ... I was able to install a baic Debian GNU/Linux etch system on the Thinkpad with the ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: Help, tailored Linux desired
    ... R>> linux myself? ... R> making my install smaller, ... no drivers of graphics card except the ... Since custom compiling a kernel (and ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)