WHY an't LINUX be SIMPLE like windows!@!!!!!!@%$^%&*#%^(($)^)(

i REEEEEAAAALLLYYYY want to switch to linux. i hate the idea of monopolys, but after trying my sixth distro i am totally frustrated.

installing programs is a hassle,. finding things is a hassle!

is windows stable no. but it's simple. maybe i'm just STUPID!!!! but i have OCD and after spening hours on trying to install simple programs, that would take tenm inutes in windows i want to take my computer throw it into a parking lot and run over it a dozen times!

Have you tried calming down? What are you trying to install exactly? If you're trying to install windows programs then yes Linux is going to be a hastle because the software is not built for Linux... hence being windows software.

Now you're almost correct when saying that Linux is not as simple - not at the beginning. I'm sure i'm not alone that had i lived near a [parking lot - i would have done just that on many occassions. But once you overcome the adjustment, Linux really is better than Windows in a lot of ways. However; simplicity for new users is not one of them. Perhaps you could briefly describe the problems you are having, and we can point you in the right direction?

Settle down there my little Tazmanian Devil.

Firstly, you need to understand that Linux is always in development. It gets better every day, but it's not EASY to use right out of the box. You have to work with it a little bit. Every system is different. What kind of problems are you having my friend? If you give us the problems we will gladly help you fix them and get you on your way to using the best OS ever made.

I am a slackware user. Slackware is harder than most linux distros because it has stuck to the unix base a lot. However, there are easy distros such as Fedora Core and Debian. These distros make things easy for you.

Why do'nt you IM me - ooSirSlappyoo on AIM or billygates0000 on Yahoo. I'll be happy to help you out.

i apologize for sounding so angry... it's just after so many distros....!

Xandros i think was the easiest by far out of the box. but i had problems with my modem. so i used suse... prblems with the printer, and just simple installs. so i try madriva now. now i can't see my hard drives and i'm still having prblems installing SIMPLE packages like unrar, and looking back i feel like i am back tracking b/c i could do that with xandros!

Well, first off all of your hardware isn't just going to magically work as soon as you install linux.

Secondly, if you want something that has packages that are easy to install, you should use Fedora or Debian as I suggested. Who told you to use Xandros?

Try out Fedora and see how that works for you.

Since you found that Xandros did fairly well I would suggest tyring Ubuntu or Kubuntu (see download section of LQ). Both are better than Xandros and Debian based and tha packaging system is great. Better and easier to use than anything MS has to offer. You need to be a bit patient and be prepared to learn and ask questions. If you hit a problem then come here and ask the question - but please state what distro you are using, what specific problem you have and any error messages you are getting. Also regard Google as your friend. There is lots of information out there that is well documented.

*deep breathe*

i've calmed down a lot.....

one of the distros i tried was the live version of both ubuntu and kunbutu. gpt no response how to change screen resolution (it was HUGE) so i went with mandriva....

i like that madiva isn't kicking me off every two minutes like suse, but i can't seem to install simple things like unrar...

To install unrar you need to google for an rpm package or a source package. The rpm package should install ok. But you may have a dependency problem. If you do just ask. Installing from a source package is a little different and virtually never happens in windoze.
To install from source you unpack the files from a *tar.gz file (basically it is a zip file) then you configure it for your system. This means you run a script file that comes with it called "configure". Then you "make" the file this will compile it into an executable. and then you do a "make install" and this will install it on your system.
Remember we are only a question away.
You will find many very helpful people here.
GOOD LUCK and safe surfing (not possible in windoze).

I agree, you should try fedora, honestly, it is simple compared to the rest. Installing packages isnt have as difficult especially if they are rpm, or even better if you can use yum.

I've tried slackware, debian, knoppix, vectorlinux, and a host of other ones too but when it comes to a desktop machine, I think fedora wins hands down.

I understand how you feel, linux frustrates me like crazy, I have a linux machine, but there is no way on earth I could live without windows, windows just works, linux is a hobby for me rather than a windows replacement. If my partner is using the windows machine, I'll pop upstairs and browse the internet and chat to people on the linux box.

Hope things start to go a little better for you

hi figfighter ,

i just wanted to say that if you are interested in OS that is simple and just do the work for you without u need to know what is really done ( under the Gui ) , then u have no reason to switch to linux , in the contrary , it's windows what u search ... ,

in the other hand linux puts in your hands all the power to control .. and not doing every thing for you , but once you know HOW to use it ( which means you have to learn it ) you will feel and understand how great it is ...

so i think this is the caritarion according which you should decide ... .

good luck :~)

i find fedora core 4 to be very simple. It has some nice security tools like selinux and a firewall started straight away from the first boot. Also upgrading, removing and installing is very easy with yumex or gnome-yum. And the memory usage for me anyway is very low. When i first boot if i look at my gnome system monitor it says 39% of my 256 is being used . Also its very fast!

Originally posted by mohama hi figfighter , i just wanted to say that if you are interested in OS that is simple and just do the work for you without u need to know what is really done ( under the Gui ) , then u have no reason to switch to linux , in the contrary , it's windows what u search ... , in the other hand linux puts in your hands all the power to control .. and not doing every thing for you , but once you know HOW to use it ( which means you have to learn it ) you will feel and understand how great it is ... so i think this is the caritarion according which you should decide ... . good luck :~)

if your saying that linux is not for people that want a simple OS then maybe linux is heading in the completely wrong direction. If this is how people think then is it any wonder that linux will never compete with windows, because the average home user wants a simple to use OS.

I personally believe that thats why we have so many distributions, some are easier than others, there are distros for people that want a simple os, and distros for people that want to delve in more. I think its wrong to say that linux isnt for people that want a simple OS. fedora is simple enough. I remember when I got my first PC back in 1996, I didnt have a clue, installing software was a pain in the arse, editing the autoexec file all the time etc etc, but I've grown with windows and now windows is easy. Moving from windows to linux is going to be a learning curve for anyone, because it does things differently.

If this is how people think then is it any wonder that linux will never compete with windows, because the average home user wants a simple to use OS.

It depends how you define "simple", really.

I can think of many things that have been made consistently easier to do since I started using Linux:

• CD burning, for instance, no longer requiring SCSI emulation parameters passed by the bootloader.
• Compiling the kernel, now down to three simple commands, "make menuconfig, make, make modules_install"

However, if you define simplicity as "Works out of the box and user intervention is discouraged", then mohama is completely correct in saying that Linux is not aiming for that type of simplicity, and probably never will.

The key thing to remember is, Linux isn't trying to compete with windows, nor is it aimed at the average home user: Linux is not Windows

I can't believe people are recommending Ubuntu. Clearly you want Linspire. I love Ubuntu. I think Ubuntu and Mepis are the best distros out there. With a few simple steps, you can do whatever you want, but they're also user-friendly.

But when people want things to be simple and just work--well, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to pay a little money for that. Linspire has excellent hardware detection, and installing software is as simple as click-and-run.

Now, personally, I find Synaptic Package Manager to be simple, and I don't mind editing the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (adding two lines) to get my screen resolution working in Ubuntu (I sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf add in VertRefresh 50-70 HorizSync 30-62 and reboot--that simple).

Look--you pay what you get for. If you pay Linspire, they'll do everything for you.

If you pay yourself with a little time and learning, you can do things yourself and realize it's not that difficult. Did you know Mepis is almost entirely point-and-click? There's not a single config file I had to edit to get Mepis working on my computer (not even the /etc/apt/sources.list--I could add more sources through GUI on Synaptic).

Mepis automatically puts all my hard drive partitions on the desktop. When they're clicked on, they mount and open.

Installing software in Mepis and Ubuntu is even simpler than in Windows. I have two easy ways to get unrar in Ubuntu (and it's very similar in Mepis):

1. Open a terminal.
2. Type sudo apt-get update.
3. Type sudo apt-get install unrar.

or

1. Open Synaptic Package Manager.
2. Click Reload.
3. Search for unrar.
4. Double-click it.
5. Click Apply.

How is that any simpler in Windows?

Let's take a look at installing unrar for Windows:

1. Open web browser
2. Do a Google search for "unrar"
3. Decide whether to go unrar or winrar site
4. Once at winrar site, figure out what that long list of links is.
5. Click on downloads, trying to figure out which version to use
6. Click on beta.
7. Save to desktop, wondering if the .exe is going to have a virus or spyware attached to it.
8. Double-click icon.
9. Read terms and conditions, trying to see if there's some secret clause about spyware--realize it's only a trial version (ah, if I'd only used Linux!) lasting forty days.
10. Click install
11. Click OK.
12. Click Done.
13. Go back to desktop and delete installer file.

Now how is that simpler than the Linux way to install programs?

Originally posted by mohama hi figfighter , i just wanted to say that if you are interested in OS that is simple and just do the work for you without u need to know what is really done ( under the Gui ) , then u have no reason to switch to linux , in the contrary , it's windows what u search ... , in the other hand linux puts in your hands all the power to control .. and not doing every thing for you , but once you know HOW to use it ( which means you have to learn it ) you will feel and understand how great it is ... so i think this is the caritarion according which you should decide ... . good luck :~)

So what your saying is that linux is not for people that want a simple operating system? So the average home user should stick with windows because linux is too difficult? I always thought that was why we have so many distrobutions, some are easier than others, and you can choose which you want. i.e. fedora for people that want it easy and maybe slackware for people who dont mind a little bit of work?