Compelled by the endless debate of whether Linux is ready for the desktop, I wrote my own rant. It morphed into some kind of “my experience with Linux”. This is some kind of long term review of Linux, from the very specific viewpoint of someone who uses it to do research about computers and networks. It is not a distro comparison, or Linux vs Windows TCO comparison, or any such thing. It is just a story about a guy who found Linux.
desktop=XP; servers=FreeBSD.
Its a well-known truth that only Windows supports common standards to get some real work done. Internet standards like email, xml and file sharing.
I dont see how LINUX could ever catch up.
Think about it!
Apart I’m too busy reading such long articles not writen in my mothertounge:
Why do these people spend so much time writing the same dump articles on and on instead of just sit down and really improve the whole OSS-thing?
Write Tutorials.
Write Documentation.
Do Graphics Designs.
Donations.
Or even dive into the sourcecode.
>> Its a well-known truth that only Windows supports common
>> standards to get some real work done. Internet standards like
>> email, xml and file sharing.
you have forgoten the irony-tags, didn’t you?
Do not think so much – Do something!
OSAlert seems to have review after review, and argument after argument trying to decide if Linux is ready for the desktop. Do we really need this? I visit OSAlert almost daily to see if there is anything interesting happening, and any time I see the 15th Red Hat 9 review, the 10th Red Hat v Mandrake test I am ready to check some other sites.
When there are major changes it’s nice to hear about them, but subjective, personal experience type reports arn’t all that useful.
Linux is as ready for the desktop as any microsoft os ever was. I think people writing these reports are half considering themselves to be average users… but they are not. In Thailand many government depts have replaced windows and office with Linux and Star Office. The users didn’t need any training and productivity was the same following the switch. They saved money and the users really don’t know any different. They still write documents and save them and stuff.
The average user doesn’t actually give a toss about MP3 files, DVD playback quality, emulation and other nerdy stuff like performance. If it works it works.
Home users are a different matter, but they are not your average computer user.
Anyway I should find something better to do now.
When I talk about subjective reviews I was not referring to this article. I was talking about all the previous reviews. Just wanted to clear that up.
Man we spend a lot of time and effort filling forums and news sites with the same stuff, over and over. I think productivity is droping and this situation can’t be sustainable. It’s no wonder so many jobs are going in the IT sector.
“Home users are a different matter, but they are not your average computer user.”
Are there any actual figures for the proportions of PCs used in offices, homes, industrial installations, etc?
I would guess that around 80% are in offices, but that’s just a guess.
I use Linux as my desktop, have used it for years. I use GNU Darwin as my Server OS for my home. But the thing is that Linux is ready for some people for others it is not. I have put many people on Linux, some dont like it and switch back to Windows or Mac OS 9, more often people stay and use it. IF Linux does not work as a desktop OS for you, dont use it there are plenty of alternatives out there. I do not see why, if people are unhappy with it they proceed to write long reviews about Linux sucks. If anyone told you Linux was the cure-all save-all from MS Windows, then yes they were mistaken. If you want the best possible alternative to Windows without having to sell your firstborn to get a Mac, then Linux is it. Just remember, if you are a heavy gamer Linux will not work well, I use WineX for Gaming and so far all the games I have tried work flawlessly, If you need to have the latest and greatest multimedia apps, Linux is not for you. If you wish to do word processing, spreadsheet, presentations web browsing e-mail, MP3 encoding Linux is great. Use what works best for you, for me that is Linux.
I see lots of people saying “why do we keep seeing these Linux desktop articles?!” The answer is because Linux on the desktop receiving more press in general lately and people are weighing up whether it’s ready for them or not. So some people really do want to read these articles.
The bottom line is, if you want an alternative to Windows on the PC desktop, Linux is your most promising alternative at the moment. So it’s natural to see it receiving more and more notice as it gets closer to what the average desktop user might consider “ready” for them.
At least you can’t deny that this one was fun to read, especially the part where he claims the freshmen girls were sexually attracted to the guy who installed Linux on his box. I must say, this has never really been my experience.
-Erwos
>Its a well-known truth that only Windows supports common >standards to get some real work done. Internet standards >like email, xml and file sharing
Jens’ post almost seems tongue in cheek? But in case it’s not:
Mail started on unix. If I remember right, it took MS years to get hotmail off of FreeBSD. XML is just a file format. The only native support in windows is displaying it in IE. Anything else is a API, which Java and other non-MS languages have too. As for file sharing, read up on nfs and samba. The internet has it’s root in unix ( and Al Gore
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Its a well-known truth that only Windows supports common standards to get some real work done. Internet standards like email, xml and file sharing.
I dont see how LINUX could ever catch up.
Think about it!
Buhauahahahaha!
I guess that is what bugs me about Microsoft and keeps Windows installed within VMWare on my machine. Standards.
There are computing standards for almost every importent aspact of network computing. Microsoft abuses all that it can get away with. I had to use IE for a short period because a lot of sites didn’t work without it. MS Word continues to be a problem because 100% compatability is not there. Whenever I write in OpenOffice, I have to check with the copy of Word here at work that it looks ok before I send it on.
If there were some sort of law that forced software makers to follow standards if their software affected users of other platforms, the world would be a happier place.
Could people please stop posting ‘Linux is not ready for the desktop’ articles!
I JUST DON’T CARE!
I used to come here to read about interesting new developments in the world of operating systems. Not article after article rehashing the same things over and over about a topic I couldn’t care less about. If you must please make linrftd.osnews.com and put all articles related to ‘linux is not ready for the desktop’ into that section.
Hmm, I feel better now.
For all the people that are getting tired of the current OSAlert ‘problems with Linux’ fetish… I’m sure it will die down soon. My feeling is that we are going to get a long deluge of ‘what’s great with Windows and Mac’ very soon now!
I haven’t read the article (not even the intro), and I’m not gonna. Never going to read another Linux-on-the-desktop article. These things seem to come out everyday, and nobody’s mind changes.
Asking whether or not Linux is ready for the desktop is futile because there is no objective criteria for such an appraisal. Nobody asked whether Windows 1.0 was “ready for the desktop.” It was new (sort of), it was cool (sort of), and it made lots of things (very very specific things, like Reversi) easier (sort of). Just like Linux. Crap, even the hobby-OS’s paraded on this site fulfill those requirements.
So, let’s ask the questions we’re REALLY asking (in our heads):
1) Does Linux allow me to leverage my proficiency in Windows without learning anything new? No; use Windows.
2) Can I make Linux pretty without knowing how to use configure scripts? No; use Windows.
3) Are every Linux project and distribution ever going to form a monolithic organization that can standardize clipboard interfaces? No; use Windows.
4) Will Linux ever comprehensive corporate technical support? No; but neither does Windows (*snicker*).
By this criteria, Linux will *never* be ready for the desktop; at least, not for you.
But lots of us think it’s just fine.
Like ecerybody already pointed out, one needs to assess herself. It didn’t work out for me, because the tools I’m using are too slow on Linux (eclipse being the case). Mandrake 9.1 (the first distro I’ve tried) was okay, if you don’t count a broken kernel (cdrecord would get to 93% CPU utilization in kernel). Redhat 9 didn’t have that, worked okay (~5% overall) on the same speeds (40x ATAPI). But both were slow on eclipse (gui wise). Painfully slow. Had to switch back. I don’t know whether this can be attributed to the inefficiency of eclipse (I’ve tried motif version, GTK2+ implementation of eclipse is known to be inefficient) or the nature/implementation of XFree 4.3.0, but it is very slow, so I’m back to windows…
It’s nice to see someone talking about Linux from a personal point of view. The authour saying how they actually use it, rather than what they think Linux should become, or how it could be improved by adding symlinks.
The people who do use Linux, rather than just talk about it, tend to be more realistic and honest than those who don’t. The dreamers want to re-write it from scratch, the users have more practical plans, like the guy who wrote autopackage. Autopackage is a bit hackish, but is a practical and working solution *now*, with actual code! I’m a thousand times more impressed by this than vague plans.
This is not a ‘Linux is not ready for the desktop’ article!
Please read it before commenting!
good lord who really gives a shit anymore instead of writing why I like this why dont people invest time in someting more usefull. Maybe a how-to or something to that length because this “i like this os” SHIT is getting really old. Many people get by happily with windows AND linux. I do belive linux is ready for the desktop the desktop of the user that knows what he is doing and willing to learn a little to get all his special hardware working. IT IS IN NO WAY for the new people that just want to use the computer and get on with it. these people are not interested in the computer and more interested in what they are doing with it. The unfortunae thing about it is that a lot of people are just stupid and have a real hard time figuring this stuff out. Actualy I take that back they arent stupid maybe they have trouble adapting their thinking maybe they dont like it maybe they just dont want linux. But that very same person could be a nuclear enginier.
My god, look how lazy you are. Everybody is bitching. The article really isn’t about “is linux ready for the desktop?” The article is primarly a persons experience growing up around linux and unix and windows. How they all interacted (primarily linux) and affected his life.
It is long, but it is entertaining, and definitely better then all the crap coming out of the biased windows site reviews these days (activewin, vbrad, winsupersite.. come on eugenia.. lets go with some more nonbiased sources.. fan sites suck for reviews).
I’m disgusted by all the people bitching. Read the article; don’t just make blind comments. You only come off looking like a fool. It’s people like you who have caused the 8 second sound clip to become the standard. Anything more and you won’t listen.
Read the article because it is good, and then comment on it.
the only on-going linux odyssey is this endless trail of every single “personal experience” linux article found on the web… this is getting real old real fast
come on eugenia.. lets go with some more nonbiased sources.. fan sites suck for reviews
OS News is about finding interesting news OR OPINIONS from around the Internet. Some I skip, some I read because I know they are going to be biased and I want to have a laugh.
I admit the amount of articles on the Linux vs World topic is getting a bit much but it doesn’t detract from the quality of the other articles, and you don’t have to read them after all.
I skip whole chunks of the morning newspaper because I am not interested, but I am not going to condem the newspaper for reporting them.
Thank you for including this article. It was entertaining and funny. Well written. Thanks
Who’d’ve thunk it?! OSAlert is actually featuring news…about OSes!!
I don’t know why people are grousing and complaining about “Linux on the Desktop” articles. That’s what’s being published on the internet. This is OS News. If the current news about OSes happens to about Linux on the desktop, that’s what you’ll see here. If you don’t want to read it, you have a simple option: don’t click through.
But anyone else who comes here to bitch and moan about the articles being written elsewhere is getting modded down. Don’t click the links if you don’t want to, but don’t waste our time in these comment sections crying about it either.
“Nobody asked whether Windows 1.0 was “ready for the desktop.”
Actually a lot of reviewers at the time did exactly that. There were reviews and discussions comparing early versions of Windows to DOS and other GUIs like GEM. Most people decided that Windows 1&2 weren’t ready for the desktop, Windows didn’t become really popular until Windows 3.1 in the early 90s IIRC. Also, I know quite a few people who switched to Wintel from Amiga/Mac/Acorn/Atari after the release of Windows 95, as it was the first version that they considered ready for their desktop.
I agree with your points about Linux, but I think that’s a real shame. I’d like to think that someday Linux could catch up with Windows in every way and be a better choice for all users. Also, I think the reason Linux newbies expect a level of ease of use and refinement similar to Windows, is that Linux zealots and even some distribution creators make that claim. Things like the inconsistent GUI and the need to edit config files tends not to be mentioned by a lot of Linux advocates.
Excellent read, Parijat. Very well written (better than anything else here recently), entertaining, funny and realistic. Really appreciated it.
Pity it’s title is a bit misleading; this, I guess, may lead some people to believe it’s yet another Linux distro review that we’ve seen here in great numbers lately. Perhaps, too, this accounts for so many critical comments on your posting (or, rather, on Linux). Or maybe this is some sort of a general trend on OSAlert recently, this overflowing negativity, don’t know. Anyway, thanks for the article.
Zbyszek
You’re right about the whole Windows thing. I posted too early and with too little self-monitoring, and I retract my earlier statement (which you quoted).
My biggest point was that, in the end, Windows should not be the measure of whether or not an OS is “ready for the desktop.” I have no vision, dream, or desire to see Linux topple Windows. I don’t care. If I wanted Linux to emulate or displace Windows, I’d just use Windows instead of Linux. As it is, Linux fulfills a specific need for my desktop that makes me more productive. That makes it ready today; for me.
For me, Linux is already fulfilling my desktop needs, and others should seriously evaluate this from a personal experiential perspective. A review, rant, or walkthrough can not, and should not help you determine whether Linux is the right desktop OS for you.
Thanks for the correction, JK.
My biggest point was that, in the end, Windows should not be the measure of whether or not an OS is “ready for the desktop.”
I disagree with this, strongly. Since Windows is the desktop that is being used by about 95% of the desktop-using population, it is basically the ‘standard’ by which other desktop OS’s should be judged by.
And I’m not talking about whether an OS in itself is better/worse than Windows on a technical level, because if that were the case, Linux would win hands down. What I am talking about is the ability for an ‘alternative’ OS to interact with Windows, to be able to load documents saved in Windows, to be able to support hardware that Windows supports, and be able to run the same kind of apps that Windows does.
This is the reason why the question “Is Linux ready for the desktop?” is a very relative one. Someone might say if you primarily just surf the web and check email, Linux would be perfect for you. But what about if you’re using a Winmodem that Linux doesn’t support and you can’t afford to replace it? Yeah, it’s a simple (and probably far-fetched) example, but it still serves the main point. True, Linux can run a lot of hardware & apps, but for some, if it doesn’t support THIS piece of hardware or THIS kind of app, then all of its technical advantages mean nothing. So as such, the answer varies from person-to-person.
Some people will make hardware/app sacrifices (if necessary) because of their strong anti-MS sentiments, but people without political motivations may have a harder time with this kind of resolution.
Though I used to enjoy these kind of articles and argueing with the Linux zealots, I will agree with others that this is really getting old.
Then the question is not “Is Linux ready for the desktop?” The question is “Can Linux function as a seamless replacement for Windows?” Something which I stated I had no interest in, and most die-hard Linux users have no interest in, either. If I wanted to use Windows, I would use Windows.
Desktop readiness, for *me*, has nothing to do with Windows compatibility. For others, it is the primary factor, which I understand. In the end, people must make individual appraisals of Linux as an OS.
Back when I had a winmodem, Linux wasn’t ready for me. Then I got cable, and suddenly it was! Woo hoo!
In any event, it’s senseless to come up with a checklist to objectively determine Linux desktop readiness, since everyone has different needs. My needs cannot be met by Windows in its current state (well, application availability, rather). It’s different for everyone.
SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dunno what people around here are smoking. This article was hilarious. Loved the writing style. It may not be a review or a howto guide, but it’s nice to see that we have at little talent in geekdom
A most refreshing change. Did anyone who posted first actually read this?
Nothing but crap, not helpful and a severe waste of time. Pure, rabid, Linux zealotry.
I really enjoyed this article. I agree with the one poster that asked if the people who posted negative comments actually read the article. It wasn’t linux zeolotry or anything remotely like that. The auther even states, there was a time where he looked down upon people who didn’t use linux, but he now pretty much says the right tool for the job. That’s exactly how I feel too.
When I first started using linux, I was all about everyone using it, and down with M$. I still can’t stand M$ (just attempted to do a group project for school in M$ Access, I absolutely hate that program), but anyways I think that there are a lot of people that just should use windows. They dont’ care about what is under the hood,they just want to check their hotmail and chat on AIM. So let them be.
Anyways, really a great article, I wasn’t going to read it at first becasue of all the crap that’s been posted on this website in the last week or so, but I’m glad i did. The author really seems intelligent, unlike the authors of a lot of the articles that hae been posted recently. Eugenia, more things like this, and less “use linux or die” or “if you us linux u’re a sucker” articles.
I couldn’t find the article amidst all the misused punctuation. Next time get your humanities buddy to proofread.
Having just tried to install ALTLinux Junior 2.2 and failing to connect to the internet, and getting a BSOD at the end (had to pull the plug), I tried to subscribe to their mailing list and _failed_ even that. (happily I have subscribed to many mailing lists so this failure did not make me feel ignorant.
However, ALTLinux had a _glowing_ review shown at OSAlert
One swallow (review) does not make a summer.