Hi, ive been lookinbg around many forums, and noticed somthing...

All who prefere Linux to windows people have used both windows and linux, like myself.

but it seems, out of all the pro-microsoft people have never actually once used linux.. ever.

was just wondering, is there any1 here who has used linux for a decent amount of time, and still prefered windows ???

im not talking about the lamers who install linux, play with it for 5 mins, try to download and use msn-messenger than go off sulkiing talking about how crap linux is cos it cant even run msn

I like both Windows and Linux... Linux has become pretty powerful the last 2 years (more so than the previous years) but I still prefer Micros*ft...

Both Windows and Linux can do the same things now (mostly) but Windows has the easiest user interface. When you are pressed for time as I usually am, you just point and click with no worries. Whereas in Linux, I still have to think: Where is that config file again? and thats after I get all of the Libraries installed...

Don't get me wrong, I love both OS's but Windows is still my prefered choice. (Besides, If you actually attend MS Seminars, you get Free Software that can costs $1000s!)

That is my personal view... I still like playing in both...
(I have been using linux for 2 years and installing and toying with linux since '95)

Micah

I Installed Linux (Red Hat 6.1) in 1999 and by the time 6.2 was released, I would boot into Windows 98 perhaps twice a month.

I had been a Microsoft user since the TRS-80 Model 1 Level II days (it never crashed!), but Windows 98 SE is impossible to configure/run correctly (around 8 years effort, I think) whereas after I learned a little Linux, I got it configured and tossed the win-hardware and now it just works.

There is absolutely no question about it. Linux works well and reliably and I have NEVER lost my stuff in Linux (after I understood partitioning) whereas Windows went completely crazy twice and lost everything I had downloaded/installed.

I would never consider using another Microsoft product. Once burned, twice shy.....

The right forum for such discussions is the General forum, that's why I'm moving the thread.

I don't mind windows. I just wouldn't want to have a job supporting it... of course there is job security there... I think there are some things that Windows does better than Linux and there are some things that Linux does better than Windows. As far as loosing stuff on windows I have never lost anything with windows. I do back up to CD just in case but I do that with Linux too...

I use Windows everyday at work and home... I have never lost information due to windows messing up, only when I screw something up =)

Linux has been the same way as Windows -I only loose information when I screw up =)

I prefer Windows mostly because I grew up with it, I understand it entirely (Understanding MS is another story.) All MS related apps (With the exception of Exchange and ISA) are all very similar and easy to understand once you have the base ideas...

Linux is made by many different people so options from one program to another are either different or not even there... Makes it a bit complicated to learn the ins and outs whereas

At the moment I still 'prefer' Windows but I am using Linux more heavily due to requirements being less, lighter load, better programed =)

Micah

I've thought like this at the beginning when I first started with Linux, that Windows was better. A click here, another click there and you get the job done. Anyway, I've kept a dual boot. Sometimes I've boot with Linux and it was fun, I could put everything into my desktop everywhere I wanted. Even the main toolbar could be changed, icons stretched or simple take everything away. Then I've boot again with Windows when I could not get a job done under Linux and looked at my poor desktop, that ugly "Start" button which does not change much since win95. WinXP changed a little, they put a Carnival Theme on it with an ugly combo of Green and Blue....
Then I've got tired of my Linux desktop, Gnome, and installed another one, blackbox. It was just like to use another OS, still with the same feeling and stability. As more freedom I could get from Linux, more "busted" I felt using Windows.... Why can't I use the desktop I want? Why can't I move what I want to where I want? Who gave them the right to choose everything for me? Even that MS Messanger should initialize when a browser is open they've choose it for you. You install a new hardware, XP picks up an useless generic old s*it driver for you to use with. They control too much....

So, today I've still have Linux and Windows. Do you know what I do with Windows? I can get a game to install on it, like Dungeon Siege and them move the installed file to Linux Partition where I run with WineX3 (the installer for this game was broken in the earlier 3.0, now runs and installs perfectly).

I really see no reason to use a MS product anymore. Perhaps it takes longer to set up, but it's way easier after you get it setup once... For exemple, let's say you've formated you computer and will reestore it with a free install to the exactly same config it was before,... with Linux, you simple save/backup only your "texts" configurations such as xfree, initrc, etc and there you go. 15 minutes to install RedHat 9.0 and 2 minutes to paste you configurations files and have the system all working back again as before...

With windows is, 2 hours to setup XP, reboot, check for hardware devices, reboot, install generic old useless drivers, reboot, Install the burner, reboot, install ICQ, reboot, install DirectX9.0, reboot, install Office, Reboot...etc and etc and all other etcs and reboots...

Which is faster now from my point of view? gheheh

Why most people who still like Windows better than linux (I am unique but it is partial to me too =)

Most windows users become dependant on the point and click... Even for configurations. Windows users become TO dependant on GUI based tools for the simplest tasks (even if it takes longer than the commandline tools) --- Normally if a windows user uses commandline tools, he/she/it is an Administrator trying to automate something.

My experiences with Linux is that all configurations is done best by using a simple text editor and not a GUI interface.

This fact alone confuses or frustrates most windows users...

Other factors: Why are all these base directories here and what do they do? Windows required only 3 (This took me a while to figure out - It is a VERY cool thing though =)

This was one of my big things (and the command line programs were different =P )

My biggest problem with Linux is finding the Libraries or 'required' programs/headers for particular applications... the only way I have learned to get certain packages (MAKEDEV-x.x.x) is to go to a major site (debian.org) and download that version...

Here's an idea... Users who prefer Windows over Linux are probably not ready for Linux yet, OR windows can do something easier, faster or 'have to' for their particular uses... (e.g. Work only uses MS products)

In part, I agree with what Micah is saying. I only started learning anything linux related when I woke up to what M$ et al are doing, and I don't agree with their business tactics .

I feel that they are still trying to act in a monopolistic fashion, and working very hard to make "Joe User" pay through the nose for IT.

As far as preference is concerned, I am just as happy to use MS or linux, well that's as long as the linux is a gui user type distro like mandrake. But I suspect that is because I like to "see" what is happening (even if I don't quite follow what's actually going on) and as far as command line stuff is concerned, I have little or no real understanding of what each command is doing, let alone understand how to construct the more complicated commands that do more than one thing at once.

The one thing that I really appreciate in linuxland, is the sense of community, you dont seem to get that, even on the more helpful M$ forums.

regards

John

I do agree with Bigjohn's statement about MS's business tacticts... IE Integration isn't a good thing in my opinion (Especially after the lawsuit not to long ago) -- I also think they act in a monopolistic fashion =)

There is one thing Linux has that Microsoft doesn't and probably never will... A Community who can chat and talk to each other openly and freely... AND with timely responses =)

With most of the forums being posted to the web, make it great searching for stuff on Google... 90% of my linux problems have been crossed by others... Which means I can find an answer without posting another =)

MS Apps are different... I'll spend 2 days looking and find 2 possible leads... Then I still have a big empty pit I must use 'plug n' pray' methods on to make it work... (Or pay someone for an idea of what your looking for. I don't know why people do that...)

Micah

I like both OS's.

XP has a better desktop. Linux is great however in many other ways. Command Line Rocks in Linux.

Linux will get better and better with the desktop. It will eventually be perfect.

XP is not perfect. There are certain things that both OS's do well.

I like both of them. Been using Windows stuff for like 10+ years.
Been using Linux for 2 years.

I agree with you guys, but Windows XP has a better desktop...hmmmm... That I don't think so... we can choose among plenty of different desktops such as gnome, kde, blackbox, fluxbox, icewm and etc. Windows has the same as always with that start button, ugly and old plus, NewWindowsRelease() = HardwareUpgrade()... That does not happen with Linux

Isn't the "start" button actually a micr0$0ft patented thing i.e. they are the only ones allowed to have a button with "start" on it (hence everyone else has to have different words and icons on it)???

regards

John

Don't forget, With Windows you could actually download and install other programs to replace your explorer.exe file.... (So you wouldn't HAVE TO have the 'start' button =) -- There was a very popular one but I can't remember the name... =(

(I don't know if they work with XP, but the did with 98...)

They had some with Virtual reality desktops too =)

Give me linux over windows any time. I can find many usefull applications for free for it, you can configure any way YOU like and the desktop is, in my opinion much better looking then windows. (any linux desktop blows windows away)
Only the instalation of program's can be a pain, but not always. Why shoulen't I use linux?