You know, I guess I could post, "why bother with windows?" on windows forum, but for some reason, its just not as fun.Their anwsers sound like something read straight off the installer.

Just as I suspected all along. :)

I really don't understand why you all people bother when someone is offensive on linux in a post like this, it cannot be solved right now the thread will keep growing.
It's simple and easy, "You like it?use it?"
Want to know more about it? read and practice.
Some people really don't have anything to do..

If Sokrataes and Platon had thought like you Greece
would be totally insignificant today ... oh, wait. ;}


Cheers,
Tink

Tinkster, I think we are totally insignificant to the world (others might be offended by that but we have to accept the truth).
Maybe it's because we Greeks didn't follow their teachings we are at the current state.
Anyway I think we are off topic,
I WANT TO ADOPT A PENGUIN!!!!

I suppose what I was trying to get at is that even if there
may be no outcome in the sense of "re-educating" a MS
lemming in these sorts of argument it's still a good "sport",
think of it as brain-gym or something, or even just as a way
to make one reflect ones own thoughts.

Epharisto :}

Ah, have you ever smelt one of those?! I tell you,
they REEK.


Cheers,
Tink

I can relate sort of to the origonal poster.I am 17 years old,I have been using Windows all my life,but I wanted to try something new.I wanted to get away from the viruses and spyware that plagued my Windows system.So,I decided to try out Linux.

I had(have) absolutley no knowledge of Linux.I tried a few distros and honestly hated them,but at the same time I was very curious.The switch from windows is very hard.I still can't figure out how to really "use" Linux.My little sister and my Parents had been getting mad about the lack of security on windows,so I switched them over to Linux.The Result was that they didnt have a damn clue,and they didnt want to take the time to learn.I found a distro that my parents and I liked called Beatrix,but you have to manually partiton the harddrive,and I have no clue how to do that.The Beatrix forums dont help you either.

So,I can understand where he is coming from.I mean,I really want to be a Linux user,but without an Education in Linux its pretty hard.Windows does look pretty good now...

No mate, it doesn't look good. It looks "low effort" and
"comfy (in a sad couch-potatoe type of way)" ... M$ have
created an illusion of computers being simple things (which
they aren't), and people are falling for this.


Cheers,
Tink

"Trying Linux" takes a big committment for a lifelong Windows user, because the two systems are very different. The Windows environment fairly coddles the desktop user, as of course it is designed to do, and it might be said that MS demands much too little of its users, hence the explosion of "spyware," "viruses" and so-on. Linux does not. The Unix system was born in the land of mainframes and minicomputers and timesharing and still displays its roots. Windows was born on x86 PC's and, no matter how much MS elaborates on it, may never quite escape its original playpen. Linux runs on more than 20 different platforms from IBM mainframes to iPods.

If you are fundamentally satisfied with Windows and it does what you want to do now, then I would not advise you to switch from it. Instead, take steps to secure what you have:

1. Reinstall the Windows OS from a known source. In other words, ditch the OEM-version that was pre-installed... you have no way to know what was actually on it.
2. Activate passwords; set up the Administrator user (with a name other than "Administrator"); set up a Limited user for yourself. Use the Limited user, except when you are actively performing system maintenance. Use simple passwords that don't occur in a dictionary, like two words concatenated together, or every other letter in a longer word.
3. Set up a (limited) account for you, an account for mom, an account for sis. Make 'em use 'em. Keep 'em apart.
4. Spyware and virus scanners are highly overrated and, in my view, largely useless. If you are a "limited user," Windows will no longer allow these programs to do most of the things they want to do.
5. Activate the built-in firewall using standard defaults.
6. There's tons of documentation that MS provides on-disc, slightly out-of-sight. Read it all!

(As much as we like "Windows bashing" around here .. :cool: .. we must give the Devil :jawa: his due: Windows is a competently-designed system, in spite of the marketroids, and with proper care and feeding it can be secure.)

If you have a spare computer, or you can install a spare empty hard-drive on your existing one and boot from it, then I would strongly recommend that you learn Linux. This is an extremely powerful system that is already important and will become more so. But the way to Learn Linux is not to "Dump Windows and Hope You Can Swim." Both your little sister and your parents will murder you, and you'll have just had your first experience working as a technical consultant who didn't plan ahead. :rolleyes:

i'm 14 and just started using linux about 6 months ago. I went away from windows simply because i wanted to know what else there was out there. I started off downloading different live CD versions (knoppix, Slax, etc.) and just got more curious. Eventually i got round to installing FC4 on my computer and liked it, but was interested in other distros and what they where like. I then went through a fase of installing and un-installing different linux distros (FC4, Ubuntu, etc.) and looking at distrowatch to explore other linux options. All the time while still using windows as my main OS. Then i found the distro that seems to fit me best (Suse Linux 10.0). Now i only boot windows to play games that don't support linux.

All in all if you are asking the question "Why bother with linux?" then you shouldn't be using it. Linux users are people who like to experiance everything, know all their options, and have controll over what their running. The reason people bother with linux is because they can, if you dont feel the need to experiance linux DONT. Also linux is about controll, it offers more direct (and more advanced) interaction with your hardware. If all you are doing is typing in a word processor then Windows is probably the better option for you. After all this is why almost all computers come with Windows pre-installed.


Answer to your question: "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence"
if you need help finding the right distro for u try http://eedok.voidofmind.com/linux/chooser.html

PS: this is compleatly pointless

You guys make a lot of good points.And thanks for your replies.I would really like to completely part ways with Windows,but its is going to be hard.Linux is much more complicated,but I think when I learn the way it works it will only play to my advantage.For now I am going put Linux on my computer to run along with XP.I wish Beatrix had more support though,that partiton crap is getting on my nerves haha.

P.S jack.s-suse,thanks for that nice link.

Why not download a mandriva install cd and use it's partitioning tool. Easiest I ever saw. After making the partitions you can just quit and boot beatrix instead. If you're used to windows fdisk, it's on most linux distros, as is cfdisk which is a little more intuitive than plain fdisk.

Now the question might become "Why bother with Linux when you could be running Solaris?"... :)

makuyl,Ill try your suggestion,Thanks
:)



Is Solaris free?

dont whine and complain complain and complain ... stick with linux ...


//:jawa: