I was looking at an old document in Open Office and wondered why the creation date was listed as today instead of the day way back when that I first created it. I recently used the wizard in openoffice 2.0 to finally convert all my old archived MSOffice documents because I have a bug enough hard drive to hold everything that was off on cd somewhere.
I thought maybe OO had errored during the conversion so I went back and grabbed the old MS office files and stuck them on my flash drive.
So here is the first problem, plug the flash drive in the windows laptop work assigns me and nothing happens. I've plugged it and unplugged it a few times before and it always works but this time nothing. Unplug and plug in the other port, nothing. Go to device manager and rescan for new devices and it finally pops up in explorer so I can see my documents. Why can't Windows work as easy as Linux?
Then I open my office documents and find that MSoffice didn't save the prpoerties for any of them back when I created them. Why does expensive software have so many bugs but free software works? So once again it seems Microsoft software has lost a little bit of my data, nothing real important but since I've been looking at way to manage/index a lot of documents that metadata is becoming important. I wish I had switched over sooner before I had lost so much data to Microsoft software.

I know Microsoft software has bugs but please, lets be fair here. Linux software has just as many. OpenOffice is dreadfully slow and therefore virtually useless on my maching. And I think most everybody on this forum would have to disagree with you regarding Linux hotplug support, especially on laptops. You, and many other Linux users who refuse to give other software a fair chance, see every single little problem with Windows and blow it up to astronomical proportions, and yet refuse to constructively note the greater problems with Linux.
Believe me, I love Linux just as much as anybody else here, my difference being that I'm willing to constructively criticize it where it needs to be criticized.
If nobody files the bug reports because of silly biases like yours, what do you suppose would happen?

Count me out: I've never had any problem with Hotplug on Linux. Every USB device I've ever plugged in has been detected. There aren't always drivers for the device, but that's not a hotplug issue.

And that goes for my laptop as well, where the only USB issue I can think of is that devices plugged in whilst the laptop is hibernating don't always get detected after a Resume until you remove & re-insert them. Since I don't leave USB devices in a laptop I'm moving far enough for hibernating to be worthwhile, I can't really say that's an issue..

Whereas on XP, I've had numerous problems with items (even simple flash drives) not being detected, rendering them useless.

I agree with you about OpenOffice, tho

Yea, I was going to say the only time USB doesn't work on Linux is when there are no drivers, but it doesn't have the issue with working once day then not working another. Though I will admin windows 2000 didn't have that problem, it was something new with XP. Openoffice may be slow but it works and doesn't loose data and at least the community is responsive. Try getting a bug fixed in Microsoft office.

Well though probably not as experienced as you people are but i still would say the following things that:-
1)Linux is software as PROGRAMMERS want , MICROSOFT is software as CORPORATION wants...... there would be difference , never the less more then one OS kinda DETER eachother from creating a monopoly (i dont think if linux would be the only OS in the world , it would be as good,efficient,clean as its now nor would be linux's community be )
2)I send bug reports to OO and it improves to give me a better FREE software , i send bugrepoarts to Microsoft and it MIGHT improve to give me a COSTLIER software ......... so when i send a bug report , i kinda indirectly pay for getting it fixed with a high priced cheezy version , when i send bug repoart to OO , i get a better FREE programme .... and frankly i dont feel OO 2.0 is slower that MsOffice 2003 , i also have used Ms Office 97 recently and the by measuring the COST-utility-effectiveness i would opt for OO ......(thats just me and I also feel OO 2.0 faster than OO 1.2 !)
3) USB .... I have never experienced usb problem in linux but ........ dont get me started on me experienceing problems with usb in windows...

I'm not a programmer, I use Linux at home for end user types of things like organizing my pictures, organizing manuals for my tools and toys, home inventory, scanning old pictures, scanning old receipts and documents, home projetcs, wooddorking projects. So its software I want from an end user perspective.
Microsoft didn't start as software corporations wanted, it started as software home users wanted. Remember the personal in PC was what microsoft was all about. Its much like the cheap tools you can buy in the home stored like homedepot, cheap black and decker, ryobi, skill drills and saws which are find for occasional use but you don't want to try to be a home builder with them, to do that you have to get the contractor grade tools. Windows is the same, it was/is a home/personal OS trying to do the work of a business OS.
But anyway, back on topic, MSOffice annoyes me so much, I could get so much more work done if ti weren't for its bugs.

wow, geez.

My 2 cents: I never experienced a hotplug problem in Linux anything that I plugged in worked like a charm (camera, mp3 player, printer, removable hdd!!!!!!) And I can't say this about windows which froze every time I put the removable hdd in or out I hade to restart.... I admit it was Win 2000 not xp.... so "plug and play" in windows is much like "plug and pray"
And OO isn't slower on my PC than M$ Oficce 2003!!!!!

I never said it had more bugs, but we need to acknowledge that they do exist. OpenOffice is much slower than Microsoft Office, I can't believe that you won't acknoledge this. It's common sense in the Linux community. Ask anybody who has used it and they will say it has a speed problem. I said I loved Linux -- because I do. But let's constructively note issues so that it and it's software can be improved. I have that much faith in the community that with just a little more time with development we can surpass Microsoft. By the way, I agree with you on Microsoft software. I am fed up with you people who keep flaming users who decide to even slightly constructively criticize the Linux situation.
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupda...9202-2,00.html
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...w-opening.html
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/.../msg01835.html
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp...arketing/24363
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/insight/softw...2126606,00.htm
http://www.howtoforge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewto...447&highlight=
http://lxer.com/module/forums/t/22789/
http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/R...ss&msgNo=11764
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/.../msg01843.html
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/f...57154+28353475
http://software.newsforge.com/commen...6867&cid=88895
http://lists.ximian.com/pipermail/us...ch/013320.html
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/s...rendering.html
http://slashdot.org/articles/05/10/27/1425232.shtml
http://forums.macosxhints.com/archiv...p/t-18417.html
http://www.oclug.on.ca/archives/oclu...ch/028863.html
http://software.newsforge.com/commen...6867&cid=88915
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15797

OO is slower than MSOFFICE. I have yet to find a good OFFICE tool in LINUX that surpases those of MS. Actually I think MSOFFICE is a large factor that keeps windows dominance in corporate market. But I belive that will change with future versions of OO. for good.

OO is slow, of that there is no doubt, but you have to look at who makes them. MSOffice is made by a multi-billion dollar international corporation with thousands of programs at their fingertips, and OO is Open Source software developed by a much, much smaller group of programmers. The diffrence here is, MS is just greedy. OO is slow, yes, but it IMPROVES. I don't use MS Word often, if ever. Personally, I prefer doing things on Notepad/Crimson Editor/Notespad or Kate (Kate owns, btw), because I don't need the fancy formating and the tons of useless features you get with OO and MSOffice. OO vs. MSOffice is a shotgun vs rifle argument. They both can do alot, but when you look into what they are capable of at long ranges, the rifle has a single projectile that has alot long go to, whereas the shotgun as many small pellets that travel down a smooth bore. I know the comparison is a bit odd, but MS is like a rifle with a loose barrel (I'm thinking a 22 round in a 308 bore), it misses the mark is SHOULD be able to do.

As for the problems with hot plugged devices, and just general hardware, it is usually the users fault. Mis-configuring, or just not compiling into the kernel the right support will cause such problems, and sometimes enough to cause some massive errors.

As for performance, which I think might be slightly off topic, Windows on my computer maxes out the CP every 5 minutes (yes it is defraged, and I keep the background proccesses to a minimum), while running Knoppix w/ 512 RAM it runs as fast, if not faster.

I just timed OO 2.0 Beta on Knoppix 4.0.2 on a P4 2.53 w/ 512 RAM (my PC), and got about a 55 second startup time. Windows, I have had times where it wouldn't even boot Firefox, and this is an updated XP which I have TRIED to take care of (as much as you can with XP), and recently I've been running anti-virus, speed disk, ect. from Norton Systemworks and Internet Security, and it has done nothing to improve performance.

Linux HAS evolved beyond Windows in many cases. Faster, cleaner, more reliable, higher stock security, and CONSTANT security updates. It takes looking, since you have no clue what Windows is doing (provide me with one legible log file from it that can point you to the cause of a serious error, I dare you), but in the end Linux is also alot more stable. Pick up an XP Home edition, and look at the software on it. Its OUT OF DATE. Word97 I think came on mine, and I know its newer then 2000. No updates to it, either. OO, on the otherhand, I got on SuSe 9.3 when I first bought it. OO was up to 2.0 when I started my switch to Gentoo (which I am having a network issue with, but otherwise I have a completly working OS there, and only for, oh, 2 hours download time?).

While Linux does have its issues, MS has many times the number, which is inexcusable for someone of their stature. Programs will always have bugs, that much we know, but when there is a joke about being able to crash your OS with IE and Notepad...

Have we mentioned how little we care?

One thing to note about speeds when comparing OOo to MSO - Windows pre-loads MS Office upon bootup. That contributes to the overly-long startup you often get with Windows, but it makes Office start up really fast.

OOo has no such advantage, so will always appear slower.

That's not to say that it isn't a horribly slow app anyway, but saying that MS is quicker because it's better is false praise: MS cheats

WHAT ANALOGY!

who are we?

hack OO to make it run faster!

The people that are'nt defending OO, but making excuses for it.

OO is slow but... MS cheats blah , blah.



You mean program it a languauge thats not java? I agree completely.