Re: I've thought better of Linux


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 are a
poor way to estimate their numbers. Don't get me wrong, I think the
Linux-on-desktop as Windows-killer is a ways off yet, but a heck of a
lot closer than it was a couple years ago.


>
> 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.

I personally know some people with Math and Compsci Masters degrees who
can't write C programs much less set up a network. And a few years ago
I worked with a guy who had some vague associates degree from a
community college who was lead programmer of a 8 or 10 person team
developing a big financial system for a federal gov't agency.

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


>
> > And then sometimes XP wants to reboot when the IP config changes and
> > sometimes it doesn't. And then while uninstalling the shovelware,
> > I had to reboot a few more times.
>
> When you are installing OS patches, is rebooting a big deal?
> I have to do this about every third week or so.

I do my Solaris patches a couple times a year when my users are offline,
I just init 1 the system, run smpatch to automatically download &
install the patches, followed by a single (and optional) reboot just to
cover the case of kernel patches. On Linux I simply recompile new
versions of software as required. Don't need anti-spyware, anti-virus
or anti-anything updates because I don't use a broken-ass, ill-designed
toy operating system which is an enterprise-wide IT security risk from
email & web-borne worms/virii or simply from poorly designed network
services. On bad Windows-virus days its sort of fun to watch people
scurrying around while I just keep on working.

I'll add one more thing, the biggest pain in my ass IT-wise is all the
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.


> My Windows machine does not require using key switches to input
> the octal bootloader program I've memorized, nor do I have to read
> in a paper tape after that, nor type commands on the TTY to finally
> load the OS from disk and start it. On mine, I just press "OK",
> and then it comes back up. What kind of machine do you have?

I don't have machines like that either, they boot up to a nice tty so I
can log in and run startx or not as required. I just don't like having
to reboot an OS just because some software is added/removed or when some
subtle aspect of IP configuration changes. Or when the OS just starts
going wonky and theres nothing else to try. Its funny how often Windows
people reboot their systems...

Gregm
.

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