yet another couple rants and rambles about linux.

i had a couple rants n rambles on a facebook comments for the pc, mac or linux question.



GNU+Linux! Or any other open-source software, there are plenty others besides linux kernel based free operating systems. shop around, there's plenty to choose from, and easy to try 'em out since they are FREE!!!!

but really, when we say linux.... which one are we talking about? there are literally THOUSANDS of flavours of linux distros to choose from!!!



i ascribe the matter not to be mere shallow vanity, loyalty or preference, but a very important issue regarding one's rights and freedom.

many champion the cause of open-source for it's pragmatic benefits to the development process, making better software, developing faster, and more diversity to choose from, faster running, no viruses, etc... See More
I think the more important matters revolve around assurance of no spyware, and freedom.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy
http://www.fsf.org




if you can use it?? who cant use linux? it's pish easy. gOS, Ubuntu, Slax, Puppy, etc. so many noob friendly distributions these days.

oh, do you mean like if you're boss or work are forcing you.. yeah, that'd suck.




amazed at some of the comments from wintards here. methinks they never actually tried anything else.

i use linux for making music and artwork. i know people who use it for games, for office stuff, for networking stuff (obviously), for engineering stuff, for software development and programming stuff, for super computer stuff, for cracking and security testing stuff, for a backup os to rescue their data when windoze breaks, for astronomy stuff, for nerdy science stuff, for simple media (music n video) stuff, for DJ/VJ stuff, and on and on and on.

i stopped using my old windoze when i saw how much faster linux was. how much better it makes use of ram. how many times more stuff i could have open at any one time on older hardware using linux, than i could even on newer hardware running windows. it was insane!... See More

windows was too restrictive, and i kept pushing it harder than it liked to go, getting blue screened too often for comfort.

i ran my first linux desktop for 6 months solid, with HEAVY use, without ever restarting (!!!), no problems. only reason i had to stop at 6 months was because my flatmate didnt pay the electricity bill!

some folks try one linux distribution for a day, n give up. they missed the point. there is not just one-linux-distribution-fits-all. there are hundreds to choose from, so choose something like you want, and then u can completely customise it even further to juuuust like you want it. so the question windows, mac or linux is a bit of a misrepresentation.
it should be windows, mac, fedora linux, ubuntu linux, suse linux, gentoo linux, debian linux, slackware linux, etc etc etc etc, and then also mention, reactos, haiku, aros, irix, unix, solaris, riscos, and on and on with all the others that also so rarely get a mention. ... and of course mention all the BSD's too.

http://makethemove.net/
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

mmmm, freedom.

i still have winxp installed too... but i just dont bother ever booting up into it. no point waiting for a bloated piece of crap like that take 10 minutes to boot up and settle down, just so i can fragment my harddrive, get viruses, have to constantly maintain spyware checking and anti virus, avoid certain sites cause they'll infect me, choke out all my 2 gig of ram in no time, and not be able to open a hundred apps if i feel like it because it'd choke and grind to a halt after probably not even a dozen.

seriously... if you think windows is the best, you've not tried the alternatives.
...(or somehow missed all it's failings and it does miraculously suit your needs... like if u never go online, and just do software testing for windows.) :P

Mac's are just a noob-friendly coated BSD these days now anyways, so u might as well switch to a free BSD distro if you are a mac user, so then u can poke around under the hood easier, get to learn some of the more cool stuff.
...and it wont cost u ridiculous amounts.

frankly, i dont see any reason not to at least have a free operating system AS WELL AS your expensive corporate-ware. and there are plenty reasons to go for it, no matter your needs or skill level.






"i have a question for everybody how many games can u run linux, mac? how many design software for CAD can u run on linux,mac not really any? Solidworks is a big time software for CAD. Solidworks can only run on windows. Solidworks is a big time software in the world next to pro/e. i am a windows Fanatic. and always will be. i tried linux as couple of times. but to install games u have to use wine and that sucks."

yes... using wine does suck. almost as much as having to pay a weeks wage to the richest corporation in the world, just to rent out a piece of your harddrive to them. :P actually, not "almost as much"... it's still way better. ;P
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there are already numerous open-source AND proprietary games titles that run on linux though. one big name example, "id" open-source all their titles after a little while.

the day all games developer's finally "get it" n switch to an open-source development model, is the day when the quality of games really explodes.

proprietary development model cannot compete again open-source model. handful of guys in an office, compared to millions of users and developers and enthusiasts around the world... hrmmm. :P

there's loadsa cad programs for both mac and linux. what frikkin universe r u living in?
and not only that, but u can try your much loved "solid works" in wine on your 'nix install. and there are always virtual machines.
better yet though, you'd join a development team to help make your dream cad program, even better than solid works, like all the great pioneers of their respective feilds have done throughout history. from aristotle, to mozart, to da vinci, to tesla, to rms... they all made their own tools. except now with open source software, it's easier... the community shares most of the work for you. :)

seriously, this isnt an "OR" situation. it's "AND/OR". ;)

u can still stubbornly be a windoze fanboy for life, even if you do have a 'nix install too.

i wonder, which distros did u try, and when, and for how long?




s'pose i shuda just started with this (lol):
currently installed and use:

CRUNCHBANG LINUX #! 9.04 (heavily customised)
Sabayon Linux 3.5 (heavily customised)



cant wait for vlmc. then linux & opensource will (i presume) finally have an excellent video editor.... cos frankly the current offerings are all a bit unstable and lacking in one respect or another.

as a creative chap, i cant stand macs.
i know, sounds weird right?





anyone notice, there are more comments about how crap windoze is than there are for mac or linux? :D i wonder why that is? ;P





if only microsoft (and apple for that matter), would stop being such selfish greedy whores who want to spy on you... and release their source-code!

then i might move back to windoze... once we can see what's in it, and gut out the corporate spyware crap, and let the community develop the kernel and api to be even better. and maybe even find a way of making the whole os secure enough to be safe to use online.

...cos despite all my previous comments here... there are divisions of microsoft who have done some cool stuff! NTFS, and the NT kernel... really quite cool! and what about all those other lightning quick things they did, just to show off, but didnt release them!? wtf. and the whole seadragon thing, WOW! very special.

alas, thats me about run out of cool things to say about microsoft, and their coolness is undermined by the lack of freedom conferred to the users.


if you read my previous comments, you can probably guess i have thousands of positive comments to make about free open-source software. :)

well, i'm gonna stop commenting here, i hope it's been an education for some of you who didnt know what linux is.