Re: I've thought better of Linux

Greg Menke <gregm-xyzpdq@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> cstacy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Christopher C. Stacy) writes:
>
> > Greg Menke <gregm-xyzpdq@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> > > Just yesterday I set up a Toshiba laptop w/ XP preinstall, had to
> > > intersperse 3 or so reboots between various mysterious downloads
> > > before the antivirus/anitspyware software would quit nagging.
> >
> > Is your claim that, if Linux ever attracts lots of users,
> > that installing that same software will be less mysterious?
>
> It will be a lot less necessary. And btw, Linux has LOTS of users- they
> just don't show up so often on marketing surveys and sales figures

We're talking about desktop users.
Linux is not yet a significant player.

I am sure that Linux use has increased greatly recently.
However, if you think that Linux is comparable to Windows
in its adoption in any desktop market, I think you're living
in fantasy land. I would be interested in some proof of your
assertion. (So far, your proof consists of your claiming that
all the available information is wrong.)

> > If I were Joe Luser, or his mother, on Linux, there
> > is absolutely no chance that I would figure it out.
> > Windows is infinitely superior to Linux in that way.
> > And do please bear in mind that I rather hate Windows.
>
> After seeing secretaries with nothing much more than Word Perfect and
> Excel experience learn SQL and roll their own queries against complex
> financial systems, I don't talk about "Joe Lusers" very much.
> Some people choose not to learn how to operate and maintain their
> computers and some don't- and its not so easy to predict which way a
> given user will end up.

Oh, you're talking about the "corporate desktop" world,
not the personal/home computer market. Those secretaries
have a professional system administrator for their machines.

> security measures put in place in an attempt to keep Windows
> problems from wreaking havoc on enterprise systems, applied across
> the board to all systems vulnerable or not. Now I have to rename
> .zip file attachments to emails because of f@*&ing stupid Windows
> email clients will try and execute whatever crud they receive- so
> the standard procedure is to change the name of the extension
> to .fred or some such crap.

Someday when lots of people are using Linux, why won't they
have stupid email clients that attempt to open attachments?
I think that you're actually complaining about particular
Microsoft applications. I use Windows for my email, and
I never, ever have the slightest problem with viruses.
But of course I don't use Microsoft programs for email.
The Mozilla applications that I use lately are subject to
many of the same vulnerabilities, on either operating system.

> I'm sure not going to attempt to predict what a given
> person can choose to learn or not.

I will continue to make assertions about what I think
the "average home user" can deal with. And I'm right!

The quality of desktop Linux is currently poorer than Microsoft.
Even if a home user purchases Linux pre-installed on the machine,
so that they don't have to do the initial administration,
it's still not going to work as well as Microsoft Windows.

It is possible that Linux could get to be good.
One can hope.
The core technology is in many ways better than Windows.
I do not know if this will true of Longhorn, however.

> Its funny how often Windows people reboot their systems...

Speaking of either Windows or Linux,
see "it's a good thing it boots fast!"
in the Unix Haters Handbook.
Except of course, that it's no longer true.
(That is, neither one boots terribly fast.)
.

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