I'm not trying to be "Windows free". I use Windows and Slackware depending on what I want to do. I'm quite disappointed in KDE 4. Windows 7 has a horrible user interface but it is very reliable, and less horrible than KDE 4. Lately I've been using XFCE 4 on Slackware.
I use a few programs that are difficult or impossible to run on Linux. The few that will run on Linux under WINE have quirky display problems.
- Algorithmix Sound Laundry denoising software
- Eudora E-Mail Client
- World Of Warcraft
- Ventrillo
- Quicken
- BVRP Classic Phone / Fax Tools
- Paperport
The biggest compatibility issue that I have with Linux is the still quite limited support for fake hardware RAID, including even the Intel Matrix Storage Manager RAID. Although I have gotten Slackware 32-bit to work with my RAID array, there is a good chance that "dmraid" will eventually stop being compatible. The "mdadm" program has just recently added support for Intel RAID, but it remains to be seen if other RAID formats will be supported. With today's more powerful, multi-core CPUs, the disk drive has become a bottleneck. Fake hardware RAID takes advantage of the extra processing power and speeds up disk access without being expensive. That's only practical for two or three drives but it makes a significant improvement in performance. I suppose I could use Linux software RAID if I completely abandon Windows. I like having choices, and I like being able to access my files from either Linux or Windows natively.
The Windows world is not all wonderful. I've noticed that VirtualBox on Windows has some scheduling problems that interfere with my Windows XP software development (in a virtual machine). If I run the same Windows XP Virtual Machine on Slackware then I don't have the scheduling problems.
I was quite angry about the prices Microsoft charged for Vista users to upgrade to Windows 7. I had bought Vista Ultimate, and not only did I not get the promised "Ultimate Extras" but I would have paid a huge premium to upgrade rather than install a different version of Windows 7. I waited quite a while before buying Windows 7 until I was finally disgusted with Vista bugs and awkwardness. Windows 7 is tolerable, but still not very user friendly. However, I haven't found any better alternatives, except perhaps Apple. Apple's prices are higher than I want to pay.
Windows 7 is very reliable. I have almost no problems and I can't remember when I last had the OS crash. On the other hand, every release of KDE 4 changes the already confusing settings and applications. KDE often hangs, aborts or reports errors. So far I haven't seen anything in KDE that improves the usability over KDE 3.5. The eye candy is amazing (if/when it works). To be fair, KDE may turn out to be something very revolutionary. I've had rather frustrating experiences with ATI and nVidia Linux drivers. Just about every time that I've tried to install them I've had some problem. If I decided to give up Windows now, it would probably be for a GNOME desktop. The odds of that working with the currently released graphics drivers are better.
In the past I've used DEC RT-11, DEC RSX-11M, DEC RSTS/E, VAX/VMS, VAX/OSF, Sun Solaris, Gould MPX, CPM, DOS, and a few others I've forgotten about. I will admit to being biased towards Windows NT since it is based on a great OS called VAX/VMS. When it comes to a desktop GUI I really don't have any preference. I actually like Windows XP the best of all. KDE 3.5 is number two. KDE 3.5 reminds me a lot of the Windows NT 4.0 desktop because it's fast, not resource hungry, and still has a lot of ways to customize it to make it work like I want.
What has kept me using Slackware is the quality of the releases and the focus on utility without sacrificing flexibility. KDE has always been mysterious to me, and KDE 4 is even more mysterious. In the past I could ignore KDE because it mostly just worked, and the settings were documented and organized, if not always in the best way. Now, KDE 4 seems disorganized, and not well documented. I consider it still an alpha desktop since a lot of it has yet to be implemented. I just hope there is no KDE 4.7 because if KDE 4.6 isn't "finished" I can't see how it will ever happen. KDE 4 reminds me a lot of Windows Longhorn. It has lots of great concepts, but none of them are ever static long enough for them to turn into a working implementation. Since KDE has no requirement to make money by delivering a finished product, I wonder if it will ever be a finished product.
Right now I'm sitting firmly on the fence (an uncomfortable position). I'm neither a Windows fanatic nor a Linux devotee. I don't see the need to give up either one. I prefer to let them win me over or drive me away based on my experiences. Recently, Linux has been losing some ground, but Windows has not gained any of that ground. At best Windows has stayed tolerable.
If Slackware wasn't a great distro I would not bother with KDE 4 at all. KDE has Slackware to thank (and probably Solaris) for keeping it alive. I don't think KUBUNTU has enough of a following to carry KDE alone. Slackware is always going to be Linux to me. It was the first distro that made me feel like I was in charge, and could actually understand Linux concepts enough to be productive. Many things that I understood about Windows have changed, and more of Windows has become undocumented. I have only gained in appreciation for Slackware. When my favorite Windows applications are finally incompatible with Windows I may indeed switch to Linux. On the top of my list will be Slackware Linux.
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