[wplug] Why I choose Linux

[Alexandros Papadopoulos]

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On Tuesday 11 February 2003 14:33, Coutch, Robert wrote:
> After reading the posts about showing off Linux to Windows users and
> the .doc file thing - I started to think (or ramble) ......
>
>
> Forget those arguments about greater stability or better
> customization or open standards and try this:
<snip>

Ah, don't get me started! :-)

I believe that many people appreciate the qualities of Linux, and even 
more appreciate that it's free-as-in-beer. Some people are actually 
interested in getting to know what it has to offer, and spend some time 
learning it...

BUT, Linux looses on the desktop because it has the "outsider" role.

Linux always has to try to co-exist with Windows, the de-facto OS. 
Special high-performance drivers for Windows, highly though-out 
configurations preinstalled... and then someone wants to install linux. 
They now have to go through the process of installing it *themselves*, 
which starts them off with an air of "linux is tough to use". These 
people have never installed and configured Windows XP and the 57 
applications they're running... if they ever got the chance to do both 
from scratch, they would realize that Windows is actually as hard as 
Linux to install.

Then there is support. In my school, if someone has a linux question 
they can't solve, they come to me, because if they go to Computing 
Services they will be given the canned "Sorry, we don't support linux" 
response. When people ask me, I sometimes answer, sometimes give them a 
link and tell them to RTFM (when it's something already documented very 
well), sometimes just grab their laptop and do it for them. On the 
other hand, if someone has a problem in Windows, they go to the 
"official" computing support people who take care of everything for 
them, and who already have all the answers (supported hardware, 
official drivers, official vendor support, pre-configured images). 
Heck, if worse comes to worse (and I know of 5-6 people in my class who 
had this done), the support guys just re-image the laptop with the 
original known-good Windows XP image.

In conclusion, by using Linux you're swimming against the stream. No 
support, no drivers, no guarantees. Everything is easier if we use 
Windows... the lock-in is so thick in the air, you can cut it with a 
knife.

- -A
- -- 
http://andrew.cmu.edu/~apapadop/pub_key.asc
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