Re: Linux Fails The Family Test BADLY!
From: John Thompson (john_at_vector.os2.dhs.org)
Date: 05/26/05
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Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 03:05:08 GMT
On 2005-05-25, Robert Strunk <the_strunk_family@yahoo.com> wrote:
> A month after wiping the family computer of Windows XP and installing
> the SUSE 9.3 Professional Linux my good intentions are being
> challenged. What started out as a way for me to cut down on computer
> fiddling has turned into my worst nightmare.
>
> The family HATES LINUX, and I mean HATES!
> The biggest problems are with my teenagers and the web sites they
> visit, which are laden with plugins and so forth, that simply do not
> work well with Linux.
We've had different experiences here. The fact that linux is not
susecptible to drive-by download and installation of spyware, viruses, and
other malware is seen as a huge plus.
> Another sore point is kopete and gaim neither of which seem to be able
> to support downloadable buddy icons, can't save messages very well and
> disconnect at all times randomly for now reason. Yahoo chat seems to
> have it's problems as well.
Once again, different experiences. I'm not sure what version of gaim you
were using, but buddy icons have been available for quite some time
already. Nor do we see the problem of random disconnects. In fact my
daughter, in her teenage eloquence, describes AIM as "sucky" compared to
gaim!
> My daughter is working on a team project with several schoolmates and
> as a result they are sending files back and forth via email as well as
> with the forementioned USB devices.
> She has had never ending troubles converting the files, editing them
> and then converting them back to Microsoft formats just so the others,
> all of which who are using Windows and OSX, can read them.
FWIW, I've been using OpenOffice.org for all my team projects in my
Master's degree program and have had no problems exchanging documents,
spreadsheets, presentations, etc. with fellow students using Windows.
> Online gaming doesn't work properly with most sites.
That is true for sites that use proprietary Microsoft extensions, but for
sites that use e.g. flash, java, etc. we've had no problems. But it's
hardly linux' fault that Microsoft doesn't support its stuff on anything
but Windows.
> Many internet streaming sites (radio) don't work because they are WMP
> only, or even if they support Realplayer the site doesn't realize that
> I HAVE the Linux realplayer installed.
Mplayer supports WMP codecs in linux.
> It's just a mess and quite frankly I have had all I can take of Linux.
> I can't imagine anyone who would want to waste so much time trying to
> make things fucntion correctly under Linux.
If you could buy a PC with linux pre-installed the way you get Windows PCs
you would probably have a different opinion. Or if you had to start with a
bare machine and install and configure Windows and all the stuff to do
what you describe above, you would likely find it just as frustrating as
you've found linux to be. Microsoft does everything in its power to
discourage PC vendors from selling pre-installed linux machines, but they
can be found if you look hard enough.
-- John (john@os2.dhs.org)
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