Also, let's don't forget how much money Microsoft put into making people run Windows. They're also popular because they sued most of their biggest foes out of the market, as well as put in their licenses that you're not allowed to run competing products. This prevents users from using anything other than what Microsoft has put together. The result! users get shafted and monopolized.

jbraum, you do have a good point. ...supprising that most companies are not using Linux. It will usually be less expensive to pay one guy a six figure salary to admin a Linux powered workforce than it would to have the same workforce running Windows and have no such admin. (OK, slight exageration, maybe.)

why is this thread still active? everyone here at lq? have been more than gracious at responding w/ help for all the new people (as myself) at learning a new os.

here's a thought....

i have to apologize. i just contributed to the reason that the thread is still active.

... but this thread is elite. Why would it not be active?

ricdave, you oughta give Windows Server 2003 a try some time; and don't start using it with your old pre-conceptions based on Windows 95, 98, and 2k.

Any Windows system installed on proper hardware can take as many updates as you can throw at it without choking, with the exception of service packs which DO require a reboot.

First you say we shouldn't use preconceived Windows notions.

Then you tell us Windows Server 2003 must be rebooted! Oh, but don't worry, with 'proper hardware' (read: the latest, minimum standards demanded by the Wintel people) you can do *some* updating without rebooting.

It is completely inexcusable that the system cannot be updated without going offline! 'Service pack' = downtime.

<<< It is completely inexcusable that the system cannot be updated without going offline! 'Service pack' = downtime. >>>

I couldn't agree more. Only time system should be down is for hardware. Only time it should be rebooted is for kernel upgrade. Other than that....24/7.

You're playing double standards.

Aparantly everyone still has their own to throw in. ...but with over a million dollars in posts, I'm supprised someone hasn't started their own flavor of Linux yet. That's the thing about Linux--if you don't like it, you can fix it. (though it is harder for rookes like myself to do so.)

We're even getting some stuff about Windows that I fail to see the relevance to Linux to. ...there's you more.

Linux is not user friendly. I used Solaris at work for a few years, so I have had a little command line experience. I have been giving Redhat Linux 9 an honest attempt for about a month now - bought me a book and everything. What some are not considering is one other reason that I (like many others no doubt) am trying to learn to use Linux is not because Micrsoft sucks or anything (I actually like my Windows XP), but the cost and esspecially the intrusiveness. ** Example => I installed another 512 meg of RAM and another hard drive on my PC. When I started it up, Windows told me something about significant hardware changes and said I would have to activate it again. Well, since I crashed it a couple of times (I CRASHED IT - I can't leave anything alone) before and had already activated it a few times - I had to call Microsoft's activation line and talk to someone. This made me feel like a criminal, even though my copy is legit, bought and paid for. **

Then factor in that Microsoft is just so huge, rich and powerful. This is why I want Linux to suceed - MICROSOFT'S GREED. I have spent hours trying to do simple tasks, like install software. I upgraded Mozilla and it was a chore. I upgraded my video card drivers (I think) and it was a chore. My trackball is not supported (Microsoft trackball, so of course it isn't) and neither is my keyboard.

I love the idea of open source software, if nothing else but to take cash out of Microsoft's wallet. The simple, undenyable fact is that Linux is too hard to learn for a lot of people. I will stick with it, I can't take defeat that easy. All I can think about is my girlfriend, mom, dad and sister trying to learn it - IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Until it is easy enough for the dumbest of dummies, Microsoft will remain king. PERIOD. That is why it needs to become user friendly, and now.

PS - I am logged on with Windows XP right now. I have a dual boot with Redhat 9. Athlon XP 2800 "Barton", GeForce 4, Gigabyte 7VAXP, 1 GB DDR & Soundblaster LIVE.

I guess an OS with that much power is hard to dumb down. We gotta try though.

Part of my problem with Microsoft is that activation s*^%. ...that and the fact that my PC vender did not provide me a disk. This means that, though I paid for XP, I had to pirate a version just to get my system working. I am now looking for a Home disk so that I can get rid of this Pro version I have. I would really like to use the CD key that come with my system.

tcaptain
You said "for *ME* Linux *IS* easier to use than windows"
Exactly !!!
But if you learn to add, reduce, etc with decimal numbers you must use your brain to learn the same operations in octal.
I suppose that people which not understand linux are making the same: tryng to add in octal with base decimal.

Then they obtain bad results; Linux is not guilty of that mistake...

talking of "easy to use",
What about Lycoris?

I have a Microsoft mouse and Sidewinder gamepad. SuSE picked them up straight away. I didn't need any drivers or anything. Maybe your unlucky with your trackball. I had redhat9 for the summer, and to be honest, I wasn't impressed.

The reason is that, things that should have worked, didn't. When I booted up without my modem, kuzdu asked me on startup whether I would like to unload the drivers, keep the drivers, or be asked on each boot. I choose to keep the drivers, yet I got asked every boot.

Having said that, I am using a laptop. But surely a corporate distro should allow for that. I'm using SuSE 8.2 now, which I like a lot. There were a lot of loose ends to tie up (eg getting certain /bin directories into the path). I also found installation of certain software had exponential dependencies. (I didn't try the YaST tool however so maybe there's a better way).

I think the root of the problem (pardon the pun) could be overcome with better install scripts. ./configure for anjuta said it couldnt find qt. I found it with the command 'find / -name qt', and then I ran ./configure with the path as an argument. Why didn't the script do that for me?? Now it complains about the gtk version. I've downloaded a tool called checkinstall which apparently resolves all these dependencies, but the program itself has many dependencies.

I will never buy another ms product again. However I do believe ms has tied up it's loose ends a bit better. As for the use your brain and stop complaining argument which gets toted a lot - thats fine, but some peoples brains have other work to do. Imagine if you had to be an architect to build your own house, and a mechanic to build your car, and a physician in case your kids ever got sick. It's not practical.

<<< Imagine if you had to be an architect to build your own house, and a mechanic to build your car, and a physician in case your kids ever got sick. It's not practical. >>>

Eggzactly!!! General acceptance, which would be a hugh plus for all users including the most geekified (term used with the utmost respect) among us would mean Linux drivers and Linux ports for devices and software. Hopefully, it would also result in a streamlined process for installing binary and compiling from source. A number of distros are very close to that now. Some would say already there.

Personally I think Joe user (who does not game) would be just as happy in Linux as they would anywhere else. It's dumba**'s like me that have to tweek every dang proggie and can't leave well enough alone that make life with Linux hard. :-P

<<< It's dumba**'s like me that have to tweek every dang proggie and can't leave well enough alone that make life with Linux hard. :-P >>>

Hehehehehehehehehe!!!!! Man, do I hear you.