[SWLUG] Re: Giving up Windows

[Adam Rykala]

On Wednesday 02 March 2005 2:02 am, Rhys Sage wrote:
>
>
> I have considered using Linux but run accross two
> problems:
>
> 1. A lack of anything like Windows ease of use. My
> personal use of Linux is restricted to SME Linux which
> I use on my server. I have tried Mandrake 10 and found
> it to be awkward for dial-up access and somewhat
> processor intensive. In addition the desktop
> environments weren't quite as good as Windows. I did
> find one that I could almost live with though.

I've been Linux only for several years.... Id argue that its Windows that has 
a lack of ease of use. You only perceive it as Windows winning as you have 
had more experience in Windows...

Case in Point - I started on * bits, went to CP/M then was trained in Unix...

As another case in point, KDE walks all over Windows UI in a number of areas. 
There is NOTHING like dcop in Windows. With dcop I can script and change 
things and have a very fine control of the desktop

>
> 2. Most of the software seems to be of the
> compile-it-yourself variety. I just want something
> that'll run without having to compile because - let's
> face it - I don't know much about Linux, less about
> programming under Linux and don't have an awful lot of
> interest in doing the fiddly bits.

Then only install RPM's (if say RH,SuSE, MDK) and don't compile your own. With 
YaST, urpmi etc there is a huge amount of pre-compiling ready to run 
software.....

>
> I'm not even sure which programs will run under which
> versions of Linux. There seem to be so many - ubuntu,
> red hat, mandrake, suse etc. Everybody seems to be
> trying different versions as though they're unhappy
> with the previous version, which is rather
> disconcerting. People have been somewhat disparaging
> about SME Linux too yet it works for me as an offline
> server.

They're not so much versions as distro's - People change cause their tastes 
change, besides the major distro's tend to focus on particular areas. Its a 
choice that is refreshing - after all its ALL Linux - there's no 
incompatibility issues... it will run

>
> My primary concern is data security on the hard drive.
> I'd hate to lose loads of irreplacable data before it
> could all be archived.

Then have a backup schedule. You DO backup your data do you? Cause if you 
don't - then ANY OS is a point of concern

-- 
adam rykala / adam at rykala.demon.co.uk / pgp key id: 0x7f3c5776

		 Be creative -- invent a perversion!