Topic: Things I can do in Linux that I can't do on Windows.

[Lepton]

2/ It has licenses to allow it to include media playing abilities.
3/ It sells more media playing ability as well

All that brought to you by xine which is free.  Why am I gonna pay for xine??!!

[Sirgod]

Linespire s only 13 bucks also... http://www.pcclub.com/product_details.cfm?itemno=A7202008

It's going on a PC as soon as  I finish building another one.
Stephen

Did you notice this part? 

*Must be purchased with any hardware*

Depending what they mean it could be anything from a full system to buying a token piece of hardware for $1.

This part:

· Exclusive CNR Technology (“click and run”) makes installing, updating and managing Linux software literally as easy as one mouse click.

Is no longer valid.  They have begun to make deals to put it on other versions of Linux starting with Ubuntu.  They are also basing future versions of Linspire on Ubuntu.  So it is no longer "exclusive" to Linspire.

I completely missed that BRo, good eye. still I buy so much from the North May store there, adn the manager is a friend of mine so...

Lepton, I had completly forgot the link to distro Watch. Thanks man.

Stephen

[Nemesis]

2/ It has licenses to allow it to include media playing abilities.
3/ It sells more media playing ability as well

All that brought to you by xine which is free.  Why am I gonna pay for xine??!!

Xine can't be bundled with WMA (Windows Media Audio) or deCSS  (DVD decoding) ability without a LICENSE ON THE PATENTS which as I keep repeating the free versions CANNOT LEGALLY do.  What part of that is unclear?

Why doesn't Microsoft just copy the iPod software functions and the iPod encryption?  Simply because the CAN'T legally do so just as the free software cannot do the same to either the iPod, WMA or DVD playing. 

[Nemesis]

I completely missed that BRo, good eye. still I buy so much from the North May store there, adn the manager is a friend of mine so...

Stephen

I have enough experience with these "special" prices that I know the usual hooks so I looked for them.

[Lepton]

2/ It has licenses to allow it to include media playing abilities.
3/ It sells more media playing ability as well

All that brought to you by xine which is free.  Why am I gonna pay for xine??!!

Xine can't be bundled with WMA (Windows Media Audio) or deCSS  (DVD decoding) ability without a LICENSE ON THE PATENTS which as I keep repeating the free versions CANNOT LEGALLY do.  What part of that is unclear?

Why doesn't Microsoft just copy the iPod software functions and the iPod encryption?  Simply because the CAN'T legally do so just as the free software cannot do the same to either the iPod, WMA or DVD playing. 

PSH, I think you missed the point where xine recommends that you download the proprietary codecs from the Mplayer site, where CNR was designed by the Linspire guys to allow linux users to download proprietary software and codecs with one click and then passed this tech onto all the other linux distros, and where I can play DVDs without a problem with MPlayer.  I could care less about the legalities.

My point is simple and you keep missing it.  To the degree that one can rather easily break a Linux OS, break X windows, have to edit files manually to get screen resolutions, etc, etc i.e. to the degree that Linux is not user friendly, it will not be the OS of choice.  It's going to have to work better than Windows for people to switch.  I am well aware of the limitations of Windows.  I am well aware of the limitations of Linux.  However, until I can see Linux as being more stable and easier to use I cannot make it my regular OS and I think many feel that way.

By the by, Linspire is 60 bucks on their site which includes absolutely no OS updates and you are basically buying chopped-down Kubuntu, whereas SLED is 50 bucks for basically the same deal.  However SLED is from Novell and we all know Novell and Novell is making significant investments in Linux.  So why would I buy chopped-down Kubuntu from some company I have never heard of when I could get SLED for less from a well-known company that isn't going to evaporate overnight?

Recommending Linspire is about the dumbest thing I can think of to recommend.

[Sirgod]

I understand where your coming from and as weak as this arguement that I'll make is, It's still there.

One thing about using Linux, is I am able to learn more way way way more on how the pc works. Now for the PC novice, Take my sis in law who calles that big Case on her desk a Hard Drive, It wouldn't be right for her.

I've never been scared of a learning curve, But any build seems to me a challenge. That being said, remember, Guys like me and Scott Bruno where Micromon, amiga, C128/64 types of guys, and we wrote miles of code in Hex no less.

This new stuff, with Windows 3.11 and even Linux, blows my mind. Hell I have Basic 6.0 and it falls far behind what i was used to doing.

Bleh, You both have good points, I might still do a dual boot, just to learn more about alternative OS's. Hey I tell ya though, I still use open office ahead of Microsofts office to this day.

Stephen

[Nemesis]

To the degree that one can rather easily break a Linux OS, break X windows, have to edit files manually to get screen resolutions, etc, etc i.e. to the degree that Linux is not user friendly, it will not be the OS of choice.

Refer back to the links to Microsoft and their fixes they show that Windows breaks every bit as much as Linux (which you ignore).  So how is it any more user friendly even ignoring the DRM in Windows?

I could care less about the legalities.

The distributors however have to care about legalities as they have no reason to risk economic ruin for your benefit.

By the by, Linspire is 60 bucks on their site which includes absolutely no OS updates

False.

Look at this line from Stephens post:

· Exclusive CNR Technology (“click and run”) makes installing, updating and managing Linux software literally as easy as one mouse click.

There are two levels the free and the paid for.  Linspire can use the FREE version of Click and Run which gives security updates.

You complain that the free Ubuntu has TOO MANY updates now you complain that the commercial Linspire has too few?  The Linux community are not the 3 Bears and you can't expect them to customize everything for you personally and that seems to be all that would satisfy you. 

I hope you are happy when Microsoft blocks your further use of XP and forces your "upgrade" to Vista.  Others such as myself will be happily on Linux, BSD or Mac.

I'm tired of your ignoring the flaws in Windows while nitpicking about things that are only an issue for you personally and I see no reason to continue this discussion.

[Lepton]

Really.  I have no doubt of the flaws of Windows.  What I tire of is your unabashed optimism about Linux.  That is mainly why I came into this thread.  To offer a reality check.  Can you acknowledge the problems with Linux in an objective fashion?  I don't think so.  If I pick up a Linux-based magazine I can see a more thorough and critical assessment of Linux and those gents have some stake in seeing Linux succeed as they are publishing a magazine on that very subject.

As to the legalities, Ubuntu made a conscious choice not to include proprietary programs, etc in their distro, yet those proprietary things are easily obtained and in fact the functionality to install those packages are now wrapped directly into Synaptic as far as I know.  Ubuntu is not seriously concerned with the legalities and neither is anyone else.

My point regarding Linspire and OS updates is that you are paying for a distro that is not going to give you a full OS update.  Yes, security updates.  That's it.  If Linspire is based on Ubuntu, uses the same damn packages, why am I going to pay 60 bucks for some pseudo-legal distro, when I can get full distribution upgrades from Ubuntu for free, like moving from 6.10 (Edgy) to 7.04 (Feisty)????

[Sarek]

In the end, it doesn't matter if Linux is superior to Windows, it's lacking in the thing that counts the most: inertia.  Windows has 90% of the market and without a compelling reason to move to Linux the average user won't.  All Windows has to be is good enough.  People want a machine which, right out of the box, will play their games, allow them to use e-mail, surf the web, and run Microsoft Office.

I can understand why people are so enamored with Linux and disdainful of Windows, Microsoft is working hard to push me to Linux.  Currently my primary PC runs XP and my secondary runs Linux and I see a time coming when the roles will be reversed.  But I don't think I'll be totally abandoning Windows any time soon.

[Nemesis]

In the end, it doesn't matter if Linux is superior to Windows, it's lacking in the thing that counts the most: inertia. 

Is it inertia or active (and illegal) abuse of its existing dominant position by Microsoft?  There are very good reasons why Microsoft keeps being convicted of wrong doing.  The E-Mail i linked to earlier by Bill Gates is one example.

Here is another:

Link to pdf

We reccomend that we *informally* plant the bug of FUD in theirears.  "Have you heard about the problems with DR DOS?"  "

Active planting of FUD by Microsoft has been documented in the past against other competitors.  Why should we believe it has stopped?  (look up the "Get the Facts" campaing by Microsoft).

[Sarek]

It would be interesting to know the percentage of people who choose Windows or Linux when given a choice of operating systems for a PC they are buying or building.

[Dash Jones]

In the end, it doesn't matter if Linux is superior to Windows, it's lacking in the thing that counts the most: inertia.  Windows has 90% of the market and without a compelling reason to move to Linux the average user won't.  All Windows has to be is good enough.  People want a machine which, right out of the box, will play their games, allow them to use e-mail, surf the web, and run Microsoft Office.

I can understand why people are so enamored with Linux and disdainful of Windows, Microsoft is working hard to push me to Linux.  Currently my primary PC runs XP and my secondary runs Linux and I see a time coming when the roles will be reversed.  But I don't think I'll be totally abandoning Windows any time soon.

Well with XP it did.  I found out very quickly Vista does NOT do that, which is what made me finally start up a Linux machine.  Vista was that item that pushed me over the wall.  I can get more of my games to play on a Linux machine than on Vista, now THAT's sad.  In addition, for the new Office, unless you SPECIFY that you want a document that is backwards compatible with the older versions...it isn't compatible...which nerfs some of the universality of Office, especially for school.

Vista sucks...at least until they get a patch.  If I'm lucky enough people will be so disgusted with Vista MS will be forced to come out with an SP that will at least make games playable, if nothing else...otherwise it's probably going to be solely Mac and Linux for me from now on after they stop selling XP completely in the next few months.

[Nemesis]

In addition, for the new Office, unless you SPECIFY that you want a document that is backwards compatible with the older versions...it isn't compatible...which nerfs some of the universality of Office, especially for school.

The same for burning CD and DVDs it burns by default in a Vista only format.

[Nemesis]

Video drivers on Linux should improve now.  Recently Intel announced that they would open their video drivers but they don't have top line cards.  Now AMD has committed to making open source drivers for ATi video cards.

Link to full article

AMD will soon deliver open graphics drivers, said Henri Richard just a few minutes ago, and the audience at the opening keynote of the Red Hat Summit broke into applause and cheers. Richard, AMD’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, promised: “I’m here to commit to you that it’s going to get done.” He also promised that AMD is “going to be very proactive in changing way we interface with the Linux community.”

How long before nVidea has no choice but to do the same or cede the Linux market to AMD and Intel?

[Nemesis]

http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=177102101&pgno=1

Your computer has to support booting to a USB device.

For windows XP, step by step instructions for installing XP on a thumb drive.

As far as installing it on an external USB hard drive, just pop in the XP CD and install the OS on the USB hard drive. Of course, porting it from system to system with different hardware would pose some small problems. You would have to have the computers motherboard, video, sound, network, etc drivers ready to go.

As far as activation is concerned, well, you'd have to work that out on your own. I just use a site license key.

I finally had a chance to read through this.  It wasn't specific on whether the boot USB device could be used generically.  I suspect that this system would not be portable between non identical systems but there is a way around that.

To make a portable Windows you could create a Linux bootable DVD/USB Drive setup to run Windows in a Virtual Machine.  The simulated hardware seen by Windows wouldn't change as Linux would handle the actual hardware and the simulation.

[Dash Jones]

That's an interesting idea.  I already run Mepis off CD, but how would I run a Virtual Machine to simulate a Windows enviroment for XP?

[Nemesis]

I just came up with the idea last night and haven't much idea of how to implement it.  I've never tried a virtual machine yet though that could change.  If you try it let us know how it works out.

[KBF MalaK]

Question for the Linux guru's:

Can Linux be setup on a G4 Mac ?? (I'll spare ya's the long explanation as to why I'm asking )

[Nemesis]

I'm far from being a Linux Guru and know even less about Mac.  The G4 is I believe a PowerPC chip?  Debian still has PowerPC versions.  Yellowdog Linux and I think MKLinux are the big Mac Linux versions though whether they still support the PowerPC I don't know.

[KBF-Kurok]

Ubuntu does also you have to have at least 256 megs of ram to install from the Live Cd tho