thats a good answer Nodger. I think you're right about people not really caring and just using the PC as a media device to email, play games, type word documents etc. I'm surprised at how many people at my last job at an ISP who were so called enthusiast that didnt care to touch Linux. When I first used Linux a few years ago I installed FreeBSD because someone had given it too me for free...just the disk. I was surprised and ecstatic that I actually got it installed but after that I didnt know what to do with it? I ended up eventually just taking it off my computer but a few years later I installed RedHat (a friend told me RedHat or Mandrake is a good starting point) and was happy that it felt a little like Windows to begin with but was powerful enough that I could explore and learn Linux with while doing Windows type task also.

agreed. i been on linux poking around for a little less than a yr and i still consider myself a newbie. theres just so much to learn. linux to me is like a big puzzle. so much to edit and customize. with windows. what you see is what you get. when i install something in windows theres always something to delete in either startup or services i hate that. with windows being made more simpler and simpler each time, it takes me forever to do a simple task because it takes you through a process. with linux its only one or two commands away then im done.

the BEST thing to me about linux is that its free. no cost. nada. and i love the community. im surrounded by people itching to learn new things, rather than looking for profit. people in this community dont look down on newbies and help whenever they can.

being that linux is getting more and more popular, i only hope it stays the way it is..not bloated and clogged with crap that you dont need.

quote:Originally posted by bruno buys
Good reasons to use Lin not win:

1. You don't have to defrag. Lin knows how to defrag itself.



I don't think this is true


Hi, Pres! Found this at the tldp, named Linux Partition HOWTO:

Noncontiguous placement of blocks in a file is bad for performance, since files are often accessed in a sequential manner. It forces the operating system to split a disk access and the disk to move the head. This is called "external fragmentation" or simply "fragmentation" and is a common problem with MS-DOS file systems. In conjunction with the abysmal buffer cache used by MS-DOS, the effects of file fragmentation on performance are very noticeable. DOS users are accustomed to defragging their disks every few weeks and some have even developed some ritualistic beliefs regarding defragmentation.

None of these habits should be carried over to Linux and ext2. Linux native file systems do not need defragmentation under normal use and this includes any condition with at least 5% of free space on a disk. There is a defragmentation tool for ext2 called defrag, but users are cautioned against casual use. A power outage during such an operation can trash your file system. Since you need to back up your data anyway, simply writing back from your copy will do the job.

hmm, i think the majority of people support linux not because it is free. Ok maybe thats a portion of the cause but i would say it has more to deal with open source. And as far as linux being more secure than windows. That isn't necessarily true. I would say because linux is open source that it is almost less secure than Windows. Sure windows does have plenty of gaps in its security, but i linux is free from all of the possible ills that the internet has to offer. I havent heard of too many viruses written for linux, probably because of the good fan fare that linux has, but malicious scripts can be written to tare apart a linux pc. And i have to add that linux doesnt have enough plug and play support and i wish that every time i installed linux the same result would happen. I have installed it on my pc numerous times. Redhat, Mandrake i still have issues with some devices. I mean come on, the fact that i had a USB Logitech 4000 webcam plugged in prevented my sound from workign correctly. You have to admit that is annoying, and that would never happen with Windows. Look, i guess instead of bashing both windows and linux at the same time, and praising them too, i just would like to say there isnt a great deal of pointing fingers that you can do about one or the other. Just because each has their faults. You choose the one you do for your own reasons. And, obviously from my prior complaint of having to reinstall many times, i wouldnt have kept trying if i didnt feel that linux had some potential.

Open source means that the source can be audited for expliotation and flaws byu the whole world, instead of somewhere in a secret lab with a licence that makes it illegal to look at the source if you don't work for those with the little locked room.

Sorry, you got it backwards. Because the source is free to look at, it is more secure. An exploit will be squashed immediately.

Redhat, Mandrake i still have issues with some devices. I mean come on, the fact that i had a USB Logitech 4000 webcam plugged in prevented my sound from workign correctly. You have to admit that is annoying, and that would never happen with Windows.
hah, I wish. My brother has had quite a few hardware problems. Me too. The same for software, I've had some terribly strange situations before with windows.

Good points JAZ,
Attacking Capitalism is immature and hipocritical. Beleive me I buy shoes but not nike, I buy pants but not Dockers. Microft is not lame because they want to make money or because they use child labor, they are lame because they produce a crappy product. unlike other companies that do use child labor and Destroy the environment in other countries.
If it were up to me The US and the UN nations would be restricted from importing any product produced by child/slave labour and violating any US environmental laws. In other words US companies would have to abide by US labor and Environmental laws even though they are located in other countries, China, Mexico, India, Pakistan, ETC......