Re: PROOF: Windows makes you stupid

From: Kaiser Bun (kaiser_at_bun.sandwich)
Date: 02/04/04 

Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2004 18:05:09 +0900 (KST)

Kadaitcha Man wrote:
>
> I'm toying with the idea of going back to Windows Server 2003 as a
> workstation solution and using Xandros as a file server and
> experimental platform only.
>
> Whilst the kernel is stable, the GUI is more unstable than any version
> of windows I've ever seen... and I'm not joking. The only difference
> is, everything fucking locks instead of GPF'ing.
>
> Duplicate workgroups showing up in the network.
>
> Mozilla choking on .swf files.
>
> Mozilla choking on its self.
>
> No real, half-decent disk imaging solution unless I pay big cash.
>
[snip list of problems encountered]

Foregoing the fact that you don't like Red Hat, I have to say that
none of these issues have plagued me under RH 9, save for the
following exceptions:

> No support for my RAID gear unless I work out how to compile the
> kernel, or compile modules for it.

No way for me to test, though I recall RH having RAID enabled and only
requiring kernel modules (drivers):
http://rpmfind.net/linux/RPM/redhat/9/i386/lib_modules_2.4.20-8_kernel_drivers_ide_raid_Tree.html

> I installed a web based backup server, but always get a mesaage saying
> that the connection to localhost was refused, no matter if I'm root or
> not. And I have no local firewall because I sit behind a NAT.

Not familiar with the software you chose.

> Numerous instances of applications failing to start and giving me a
> watch icon.

If the shortcut is to a shell script, it can sometimes cause problems unless
you have an absolute path to it or it is in the $PATH variable.

>
> Woefully inadequate documentation for numerous tools and utilities.

You're absolutely right there.

> The greatest concern I have is security. I am trying to reproduce an
> issue I had this morning on linux... I started the Xandros File
> Manager in root mode, did a few things with permissions then exited.
> A few minutes later, I started it again. Lo and behold, it did not
> ask for the root password, but instead started in root mode all of
> it's own.

RH has a similar feature that can "remember" the root user right assigned
to a particular tool, but it asks the user if he/she wishes to have it for that
tool for the current session only. I have that feature disabled.

On the subject of app and desktop stability, the old LinuxThreads
library sucked balls and did not have proper handling of signals and
such without developer work-arounds. Since RH 9 uses NPTL
(backported from 2.5.x) as its threading library, it could possibly be
one of the reasons for the userland stability I see of certain apps and
the desktop environment.