Because Shiny Things Are Fun - The New New Windows v Linux Thread

I have just dowloaded the netinstall image for x86_64 and put it on my flash drive with

cat archlinux-2010.05-netinstall-x86_64.iso>/dev/sde

and it works fine.

Yes, but the i686 image does *not* work. I have a 32-bit CPU, *not* a 64-bit one.

In my house I have:

Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Home
Ubuntu
Mint

I do all my work for the most part on Ubuntu. There is one thing I have not been able to do on Linux and that is convert TiVo movies to DVD format and burn them. I found a way to convert them but the video was very jerky so I am using Roxio Creator 9 to accomplish that. I think that is the only reason I need Windows now.

Which is better? Well, to compare apples to apples I would need to compare Ubuntu 10.04 to Windows 7 and they are both pretty impressive as far as I am concerned. They both "just work" right out of the box and when you venture off the beaten path they both become increasingly impossible to deal with.

However, my view of Linux has always been that it is easier to venture off the beaten path where things start to "not work". For instance, Ubuntu often has problems with wireless laptops. It all comes down to device drivers and the fact that manufacturers don't release their secrets so the Linux developers have to create drivers through trial and error.

When you consider the struggle that Linux has had to get this far, it is really pretty amazing. Imagine what it could do if the manufacturers started using common sense and helping their customers use their products instead of keeping secrets!

Originally Posted by Kenny_Strawn Yes, but the i686 image does *not* work. I have a 32-bit CPU, *not* a 64-bit one.

OK, so I have downloaded the i686-image and gave that a try booting from USB, and it just works. I have not expected otherwise, since it wouldn't make sense to drop USB-support only for the i686-image, but not for the x86_64-image.

Originally Posted by pbpersson They both "just work" right out of the box and when you venture off the beaten path they both become increasingly impossible to deal with.

But simple (technically simple, not newbie-friendly) distros, even though they don't "just work" and take some learning to get used to, are easy to fix if something goes wrong.

True, if you sacrifice ease of use what you get is more control. Sure. Yes, I did get the Arch ISO to work on the USB drive, but now the problem is the fact that wpa_supplicant *broke* my Atheros built-in network adapter and it took a reboot into Ubuntu to fix it.

now the problem is the fact that wpa_supplicant *broke* my Atheros built-in network adapter and it took a reboot into Ubuntu to fix it.

How does something like wpa_supplicant "break" your wireless card? All it does is associate/authenticate your WNIC with a WPA/WPA2-protected router.

Originally Posted by MrCode How does something like wpa_supplicant "break" your wireless card? All it does is associate/authenticate your WNIC with a WPA/WPA2-protected router.

Because after attempting to use it (reading the manuals and everything) trying to 'iwlist wlan0 scanning' returns that the adapter doesn't work, and even when I rebooted into Ubuntu I literally had to manually connect to my already-configured network for *any* networks to reappear.

But don't worry about it. I'm using LMDE, *not* Ubuntu anymore.

Originally Posted by Kenny_Strawn But don't worry about it. I'm using LMDE, *not* Ubuntu anymore.

I've been wanting to try that, how is it Kenny? The only reason I haven't yet is because I dislike "deb" packages but I think with this distro I could learn to love it.

Well, definitely a lot better than Ubuntu, and I love the fact that it's rolling release. They say it breaks easier, but in my opinion *not* as easy as Ubuntu 11.04 Alpha.

That said, there still are *some* issues (especially with package management: In some cases, you have to use dpkg to force packages to overwrite files while installing. And don't think you can use any Launchpad PPAs in it, because they'll really mess up your dependencies).

I've been using LMDE since it was a Release Candidate and have had no real issues with it thus far. It is my main OS.

I think I'll five it a try this week sometime. Thanks for the info.

I am wondering if LMDE will still be so stable when Squeeze is released as Debian 6.0. There will be major changes in Testing after that.

Well when are they planning on releasing Squeeze as Debian 6? I can't seem to find the Squeeze Release Schedule anywhere on the Debian wiki.