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Why some people prefer to use Linux/Ubuntu over Windows?
- Thread starter IsaacMM
- Start date
I guess one reason I don't seem to have hardly any of these problems is because I don't like and therefore don't use Ubuntu or any of it's flavors or derivatives.
what do you use?
My preferred distro is openSUSE. On another system I'm currently testdriving Sabayon and Sidux and will hopefully get off my lazy ass and get Arch installed on it as well.
Sabayon is nice in some ways, especially in regards to autoinstalling the graphics drivers during installation. It's installed on a Gigabyte AMD 690G chipset based board and all video and audio drivers were installed and working before I even got to the desktop. However, it installs everything including the kitchen sink which is something I don't care for and don't ever see myself using it as my regular distro.
Sidux I haven't really messed with much just yet so I don't have an opinion regarding it.
DragonMaster
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The topic title would explain this a bit.
Sometimes you have to use Ubuntu's own proprietary driver enabler/disabler, but it might not be working and you're stuck with the mfg's utility that doesn't really work.
I've had less trouble fixing problems with Fedora 7 than Ubuntu 8.4, with unofficial repositories like Livna making proprietary packages way easier to deal with, along with a real root user and easier to use terminal apps. The package manager isn't as good as Ubuntu, and it doesn't support deb/dpkg packages IIRC. The problem is that Adobe Reader, Flash, Sun Java, etc. had to be downloaded and compiled rather than just selected in the package manager once the OS is installed.
... every 6 months. If you upgrade, your OS will be half-screwed and you'll have to deal with video problems, etc. If you reinstall, well, you have to reinstall every apps, codecs, plugins, drivers all over again.
I don't know where it's at now, but I hated upgrading and installing packages on this one. The package manager was SLOOWWWW.
I'd have to test Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva and openSuSE again some day. It would just be long to do.
I guess everyone's experience is obviously different depending on there hardware and experience level.
For me it's been pain free and just a lot of fun to play with. I'm using ubuntu on both my main system (see signature) and on a 3 year old Toshiba laptop and they both work perfectly, for what I use them for. Is linux pefect? Of course not, but neither is windows *cough* or OSx.
For me it's been pain free and just a lot of fun to play with. I'm using ubuntu on both my main system (see signature) and on a 3 year old Toshiba laptop and they both work perfectly, for what I use them for. Is linux pefect? Of course not, but neither is windows *cough* or OSx.
I've never had hardware problems with OSX for obvious reasons, and most windows problems are fixed due to the sheer number of users. Linux - just too many distros to code a unified driver for, so there's so many things that just don't work right.
I've never, EVER, had linux working well on a laptop. It just doesn't play nice. Especially ALSA (which I honestly hate - OSS worked, ALSA was a mistake from the beginning). On the other hand, I've never had serious problems with it on the desktop and used to use it all the time there.
cameron122000
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Arguing between whether Linux vs. Windows is completely ridiculous. Windows is a completely graphical OS supposed to be setup out of the box for the average user who has minimal computer knowledge, but has enough power user settings to still be able to be customized. It just hides them away so you can't accidentally mess it up.
Linux, on the other hand, is supposed to be an operating system made for power users out of the box. It drops you into a minimalistic Linux install, allowing you to configure it exactly how you want it (unless you use Ubuntu, etc.). The amount of time it takes you to set it up is gained in the productivity you produce because the entire operating system has been tailored to your needs. All you need to do now is update every so often to get the latest and greatest.
Using Linux does NOT mean you can't use your graphical apps. It merely means that you can't only use a command line. Most Linux users use Firefox, GIMP (open-source Photoshop), etc. All of you complaining about Photoshop not being in Linux, etc. just need to be able to realize that there are Linux alternatives. Just because Windows has a program doesn't mean that Linux or OS X should have it as well. The only reason why there are so many programs available for Windows is because Microsoft has advertised itself in a way that most computer users now use their operating system.
Don't blame Linux for not having your drivers, your favorite program, etc. Linux is an open-source community-driven project. The people that work on Linux generally don't get paid to develop for Linux, and almost all of the programs created for it have been donations of people's time. So if you really want Photoshop for Linux, contact Adobe, and tell them you're willing to put in hundreds of hours of your time and others' time to build it for them like everybody else has done.
EDIT:
It is also mistaken that there are thousands of different versions of Linux. This is incorrect. There is only one version of Linux. Distros are just different collections of packages, but they all revolve around the Linux kernel, which is Linux. There is also *BSD, which is different from Linux.
Linux, on the other hand, is supposed to be an operating system made for power users out of the box. It drops you into a minimalistic Linux install, allowing you to configure it exactly how you want it (unless you use Ubuntu, etc.). The amount of time it takes you to set it up is gained in the productivity you produce because the entire operating system has been tailored to your needs. All you need to do now is update every so often to get the latest and greatest.
Using Linux does NOT mean you can't use your graphical apps. It merely means that you can't only use a command line. Most Linux users use Firefox, GIMP (open-source Photoshop), etc. All of you complaining about Photoshop not being in Linux, etc. just need to be able to realize that there are Linux alternatives. Just because Windows has a program doesn't mean that Linux or OS X should have it as well. The only reason why there are so many programs available for Windows is because Microsoft has advertised itself in a way that most computer users now use their operating system.
Don't blame Linux for not having your drivers, your favorite program, etc. Linux is an open-source community-driven project. The people that work on Linux generally don't get paid to develop for Linux, and almost all of the programs created for it have been donations of people's time. So if you really want Photoshop for Linux, contact Adobe, and tell them you're willing to put in hundreds of hours of your time and others' time to build it for them like everybody else has done.
EDIT:
It is also mistaken that there are thousands of different versions of Linux. This is incorrect. There is only one version of Linux. Distros are just different collections of packages, but they all revolve around the Linux kernel, which is Linux. There is also *BSD, which is different from Linux.
DragonMaster
Limp Gawd
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Network printing? Sorry, you can't unless the driver is MADE for it or the printer has a network connection. A Windows-shared or Linux-shared printer will not work, unlike with the two other OSes. And it just crashes too. Every times Apple releases something new, you need to wait for a 2nd generation to come to be sure there aren't hardware problems. I know someone with a 1st gen G5 iMac. Optical drive ejects CDs on the floor, noisy as hell, overheats and crashes (apparently, you can dismantle the whole thing to reach the CPU thermal paste and apply Arctic Silver instead to fix the problem), whole batch recalled for dying PSU problems, etc. Some Linux distros are made on the sole purpose of bringing an alternative to Windows. Are they really usable or not?
I don't wholly agree with this. In some cases this is correct but in others it is not. openSUSE is definitely not a minimalist install by default although you can pick and choose what you do and don't want during the install. My normal initial install footprint for openSUSE is around 3-4 gig which is expanded some later when installing software from non-SUSE repositories.
You also have Sabayon. The install footprint of that distro is almost 12 gig with just about everything including the kitchen sink installed by default. It's about as far away from minimalist as you can get.
I haven't used Fedora since FC6, but the install for that distro is similar to openSUSE from what I remember. I've also tried a few other distros that have similar install footprints to Ubuntu but are still mostly fully featured out of the box in regards to basic functions with the exception of 3D graphics capability.
Obviously there are many different distros depending on what you want to do with the system; barebones distros where you have to do just about everything to get it working and others where just about everything is done for you.
Disagree. Each distro has different ways of handling users, handling userspace, handling permissions and authentication, different init routines, different init levels, etc. Each could very easily be seen as a different version - administrating each is totally different.
For instance- Ubuntu does away with the wheel group for sudo. I'll be damned if I can tell how it does it honestly.
Some Linux distros are made on the sole purpose of bringing an alternative to Windows. Are they really usable or not?
Sorry, what I meant was hardware incompatibilities - OSX is designed for only a specific set of hardware, and works on that, and I've never cared about network printers at all - any decent one is going to have its own network connection anyway.
You won't see OSX having a problem with a sound card, like I am right now with ubuntu.cameron122000
n00b
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Sorry, what I meant was hardware incompatibilities - OSX is designed for only a specific set of hardware, and works on that, and I've never cared about network printers at all - any decent one is going to have its own network connection anyway.
The amount you pay for that is highly exorbitant, and in most people's minds, not worth it.
lopoetve said:
I believe they use the admin group instead. In /etc/sudoers, you will notice everyone on in the admin group can sudo. in /etc/group, you will see that your account is part of the admin group.
As for why I use Linux, it's free and I like the idea of open source. And call me an oddball or whatever, but I love solving all those ridiculous hardware issues and such. In the end, I usually learn a lot that I can apply sometime down the future. I miss using Slackware now...
ah, that'd do it. Haven't had a chance to look there yet, I've been fighting with ALSA drivers for the last 3 days.
I miss slack too - being as simple and straightforward as it was, it just WORKED. Nothing goofy, it just works!
Whatsisname
[H]F Junkie
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hardware drivers are an issue with the kernel and are not a distro specific technical problem. Get your facts straight.
Different distros use different methods for determining what modules to load and what versions of modules and kernel source to use, and come packaged with different versions and different open source vs. closed source drivers. While you can recompile everything to standardize, this isn't normally done so various versions of linux have different out-of-box capabilities than their peers.
GhengisKhan
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One main issue I have with Linux (which is the only reason I still have Windoze installed at all), is that I can't seem to get WoW running under Linux. When I try and run it with Wine it keeps telling me my CPU isn't powerful enough... dual-core X2 3600+ running at 2.8Ghz isn't powerful enough? But I will figure it out and get WoW running, then I will finally be done with Micro$oft once and for all.
dual-core X2 3600+ running at 2.8Ghz isn't powerful enough? But I will figure it out and get WoW running, then I will finally be done with Micro$oft once and for all.DragonMaster
Limp Gawd
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Decent (ie. Not Epson or Lexmark) multifuctions with networking are much more expensive than $200.
As for WoW, it seems you need a bit of tinkering to get it to work
http://www.wowwiki.com/Wine_(software)
The guide may be a little outdated, it talks about Wine 0.9
any decent printer is going to be more. Adding networking to a printer isn't nearly as bad as it would seem price wise - the ones I've added them to cost about $30 to add the internal port, and good Oki/Brother printers aren't much more than $500.
When your hardware doesn't work on a specific distro (i.e. Ubuntu), try other distros (Fedora, openSUSE, et al). Most of the time I just see comments that a certain piece of hardware doesn't work and they've tried a billion times to make it work (NOTE: You just tried it a billion times in ONE distro.), try to add the other distros on your 'tried a billion times'. If it still doesn't work...hehehe well...T__T?
And since the original question was why do I prefer GNU/Linux over Microsoft's Windows...well I have a couple of reasons.
1. Free (Desktop/Server Usage). Most of which do not have any licensing fees.
2. Total control right to the very source. Something you can never do to Windows.
3. I have this hate-thing going on with proprietary stuff. And if I can find an open source alternative I will gladly try and convert myself to use it.
4. Uptime as far as restarting the computer because an update has been installed is concerned.
5. She is jailed on her home folder and she has no idea whatsoever how to get out.
I don't hate Windows. I use it from time to time to play Peggle Extreme and other games for kids or if I'm near one and I have to use a computer at that time.
BSD and Solaris are fun too! It's just that most people have been used to Windows for such a long time that it seems to be really easy now for them.
People tell me that when they switched to another OS another than Windows their nightmares went away.
People also tell me that as soon as they switched to Windows their nightmares went away too.
Do you still not get the point? Hehehe.
And since the original question was why do I prefer GNU/Linux over Microsoft's Windows...well I have a couple of reasons.
1. Free (Desktop/Server Usage). Most of which do not have any licensing fees.
2. Total control right to the very source. Something you can never do to Windows.
3. I have this hate-thing going on with proprietary stuff. And if I can find an open source alternative I will gladly try and convert myself to use it.
4. Uptime as far as restarting the computer because an update has been installed is concerned.
5. She is jailed on her home folder and she has no idea whatsoever how to get out.
I don't hate Windows. I use it from time to time to play Peggle Extreme and other games for kids or if I'm near one and I have to use a computer at that time.
BSD and Solaris are fun too! It's just that most people have been used to Windows for such a long time that it seems to be really easy now for them.
People tell me that when they switched to another OS another than Windows their nightmares went away.
People also tell me that as soon as they switched to Windows their nightmares went away too.
Do you still not get the point? Hehehe.
BrotherLen
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I just installed Ubuntu Studio last night. I know that the windows/mac versions of pretty much the same software would be several thousand dollars.(legit copies). That gives people the oppertunity to use creative software, that wouldn't have access to it and don't want to pirate it. I thnk it's great. Gimp has professional capabilities. I haven't explored it to it's fullest yet. Just messing around last night, it was very close to CS3 and not as forgien as Aperture.
Because of the post directly above mine an hour and a half before me. Besides, it's not like this thread is all that old even, it's still on the first page of this subforum....
DragonMaster
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It's just too bad that the real-time kernel on the 8.10 version doesn't support SMP (stuck with one core). I installed it recently and had to use version 8.04.
Thread title:
"Why some people prefer to use Linux/Ubuntu over Windows?"
BrotherLen's opinion:
Servant of Shodan
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I like the choice of which OS to run. Linux is free, and I can try all the distros I want.
It's a learning experience, and learning about different processes is fun.
I can do anything I want with it and not worry about breaking some EULA or run afoul of installing it on too many systems.
The only thing I really need Windows for is to play my games (and you can even sort of do that in WINE some of the time... but not very well...)
It's a learning experience, and learning about different processes is fun.
I can do anything I want with it and not worry about breaking some EULA or run afoul of installing it on too many systems.
The only thing I really need Windows for is to play my games (and you can even sort of do that in WINE some of the time... but not very well...)
I prefer Linux as well.
I get to learn my computer more intimately than I would with Windows. If something doesn't work I have a broader understanding of why it isn't than I ever would with Windows.
Also I got tired of worrying about downloading torrents of software. Finally those days are gone. I have taught myself SQL, Cisco CLI, PHP, and network security and it's all because of Linux.
I get to learn my computer more intimately than I would with Windows. If something doesn't work I have a broader understanding of why it isn't than I ever would with Windows.
Also I got tired of worrying about downloading torrents of software. Finally those days are gone. I have taught myself SQL, Cisco CLI, PHP, and network security and it's all because of Linux.
I guess I just use it for various tasks instead of for everything.
I have an untangle server, and a Ubuntu dev box, and Fedora in a VM for admin work/programming on the go. I don't use it daily for a main OS at home - my main goals for my main desktop systems are playing games, music, and web. Linux won't do my music choice (I use iTunes, whatever you want to say about it, it's convenient), games are a pain in wine (it's just easier in windows, and after a day of admin work I don't want to mess with anything anymore), and while the web is actually easier / nicer in linux, that's not a big enough priority when I'm home.
I love it for servers and workstations though, just not quite what I want for a desktop OS.
I have an untangle server, and a Ubuntu dev box, and Fedora in a VM for admin work/programming on the go. I don't use it daily for a main OS at home - my main goals for my main desktop systems are playing games, music, and web. Linux won't do my music choice (I use iTunes, whatever you want to say about it, it's convenient), games are a pain in wine (it's just easier in windows, and after a day of admin work I don't want to mess with anything anymore), and while the web is actually easier / nicer in linux, that's not a big enough priority when I'm home.
I love it for servers and workstations though, just not quite what I want for a desktop OS.
The Cisco IOS has nothing to do with Linux. The only thing they have in common is that their command line based. If you can type, you can learn the Cisco IOS.
I disagree. I've found that alot of the commands for bringing network interfaces up and down to be similar. Creating RSA private keys, I didn't even begin to start doing that in windows before I started doing it in linux. Accessing firewall settings on certain cisco devices again made waaay more sense once I started doing them on linux first. I didn't say that linux is Cisco CLI, but it most definitely makes one comfortable with accessing network devices via command line compared with Windows which has a tendency to make you use the gui first.
InorganicMatter
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I'll be the devil's advocate here: what if it's not in a repository? What then? Ever seen MATLAB in a repository? Nope, me neither. Ever installed MATLAB on Linux? To say it's a pain in the ass would be a very generous understatement.
Same goes for any proprietary professional software. You know, the stuff that costs money and can be used to make more money. What then? Most professional software isn't even abailable on Linux, and the stuff that is available is a pain in the ass to install. Don't even get me started on how Linux/BSD still can't run (and doesn't have a good substitute) for Photoshop, Logic Studio, Final Cut, SONAR, Cubase, etc.
I'm trying to figure out why Photoshop will not work on Linux. I mean, it works on OSX, but of course that's a commercial OS, but still has the same roots... it seems like it wouldn't be hard to get it running, at least on Adobe's side, in Linux. Do they just refuse to do it?
Private_Ops
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Pretty much.
Apache which powers many many websites is definitely professional software and it's VERY easy to install.
Photoshop all the way till CS3 installs on linux just as easily as it does on Windows.
Ardour with Jack is extremely powerful in it's ability to remix, resequence,and reroute outputs from multiple programs simultaneously. This can come close to Sonar and Cubase. Considering Ardour is free you are basically weighing features vs. price.
Cinelerra offers a professional environment for editing video, which is one of the few programs that offers OpenEXR support (the file format of Lucasfilm) and the realtime rendering of OpenGL effects, along with render farm support.
Blender which is a 3-D open source content creation suite which can rival some of the best. Videos of it can be found on Youtube.
Considering all of this stuff is free, a collection of software this powerful would be in the thousands of dollars easily.
None of this stuff installs easily and I will admit that. However, the rewards from the money saved usually justifies the time spent.