Wow, I wonder if the poster realized what kind of effect his message would cause. Look not only at the number of posts, but also at the number of people who read this post! And, in fact, it's not really so interesting. There must be hundreds, even thousands of people having turned and turning their backs on Linux. There's nothing new or striking about that. And all that ever happens is that people start a p'ing contest on why Linux is so much better than Windows and all about the pro's and cons about either system. In fact, I think they both suck! However not even that is interesting. What I think would be a good thing is to find out WHY people are turning their backs on Linux. Why does he quit, why does he get frustrated? And I think most of us can guess why. He had problems didn't find the answers, tried several solutions none of which worked. Probably he didn't even find what the problem was in the first place! Why? Because Linux still has lightyears to go on the subject of user-friendlyness. So what happens? More "Windows-like" Linux distro's appear with a "Windows-like" appearance, but what happens when you get into trouble, what happens when you want to install a program or a driver. You f*** up before you know it and end up with a useless system in no time.
Maybe it would be good to start writing stuff that is in fact understandable. Not HOWTO'S that make lawbooks and the Bible look like paperback novels, but something that is really to the point. Maybe the HOWTO'S should be written in a language that newbies understand; the advanced Linux-user already knows what to do. Maybe the man pages and readme's and howto's that come with the distro should be easier to find/access (and of course, understandable would be nice). Maybe the Linux developers underestimate the problem (and the Windows-users) and think it's all about appearance and double-clicking. I think they still didn't realize that we are not that terribly interested in knowing the system inside out(HOWTO'S); we just want to know how to solve a problem/ do a certain task.

Why do we need a competitor (Linux or Windows from whatever angle you want to look at it) anyway? We want choice of course, but we also want the stuff to get better. I want Linux to get better, but I wouldn't mind Windows doing a step or to in the right direction. Like, wouldn't it be nice you wouldn't have to buy a whole new/ upgrade your system for every version that hits the market? Lots of things to do/improve but first let's put our finger on where the pronblems really are. And in Linux it has to be user-friendlyness in all aspects in all distro's. My 2 cts.

I really do understand how you feel, Jabbermacy - nothing in Linux is easy! At the moment it's taken me about 10 days getting my network sorted out, I've got the same Nvidia problem, my PC takes about 30 minutes to boot, and there are many toothmarks on my 'puter desk...


And I'm loving it. Because I'm learning.

We Linux users have a resource that Microsoft can never offer - a hardcore of dedicated Linux hackers who are more than happy to help you to learn about your machine. If Internet Explorer and MS Word are all you are ever going to use your 'puter for, the windows is the perfect choice for you. If you actually want to know what you're doing, then it has to be Linux.

Happy motoring,

Matt

linux rox

Two DAYS!?! That's it?!

I've been failing for the last two weeks at trying to get redhat to work. Reburned the iso's 3 times, reinstalled 5 times, disabled/re-inabled hardware. Poured over labrynthine "help guides" that result in only dementia.....

But it'll be worth it though when I finally get it to the point where booting into linux no longer hangs.

And maybe, someday, I'll acutally get to be able to run xconfig.

That'd be sweet.

I tried installing SuSE 6 a while ago, and it worked fine... until I wanted to use X windows. Then I had to go through the trouble of using XF86Config or xf86setup or sa

I tried installing SuSE 6 a while ago, and it worked fine... until I wanted to use X windows. Then I had to go through the trouble of using XF86Config or xf86setup or sax, and after many hours it eventually worked. It was slow, but it worked.

But eventually I got bored, tried installing Redhat 7 and it was even easier (probably because it had up to date files and drivers, i.e. better support).

Now last month I installed Redhat 9 for my dad's client, and it was just as easy as installing Windoze. All I had to do was point and click... simple. And with todays computers, Windoze and Linux are almost on a par when it comes to speed. Whereas Windoze is falling behind faster and faster when it comes to anything else.

These days, it is easy to install Linux, and if you have problems setting something up, all you need to do is post a question on a forum such as LinuxQuestions and there will be an answer waiting for you in minutes.

So to anyone that's quitting with Linux, take my advice... DONT.

When you become familiar with Linux, you never want to go back to the evil Microsoft Windoze.

I'm starting to understand the original poster's point of view. Installing Mandrake and getting it running was a piece of cake, but it seems like getting anything else done is a colossal pain in the ass. Just finding a decent modem was expensive, and I can't get the box to recognize a simple USB mouse.

I don't see why things have to be this difficult. I don't mind learning something about my computer, but I don't do this for a living. Learning an OS is not an end unto itself.

what all have you tried to get the mouse to work?

hmm... well it might not do you any good right now with your gui broken, but here is something you might want to take a look at

http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x194.html

As far as getting your gui back, whew, I dunno...I don't use Mandrake so I can't say for sure that this would work, but if I would unplug the USB mouse and just plug in the Dell one that works. Go to the text console and type setup. If it works for Mandrake you will get a ton of setup options, one of which will be mouse config. Set your Dell mouse up the way it should be.

I can't say this will get your gui back, though. What all files did you modify before the gui crapped out on you?

I'm typing from a Windows PC. (One that actually works fine, I might add.) So I can read that, but that doesn't mean I understand it.

I've tried reconfiguring and rebooting with the Dell mouse every way I can think of but it will not work. And through all this, the cordless keyboard still works perfectly. Go figure.

(My GUI works - I just can't use it without mouse support.)

More on-topic I can completely understand where the original poster is coming from. Windows has its problems (which is why I tried Linux in the first place) but in my experience it works more often than not. With Mandrake, I've spent more time just trying to get the simplest things to work - and I haven't even gotten online with it yet. I'm doubting whether I have the time or the motivation to learn enough about this OS to get it to do what I want. Right now I am so frustrated that I regret even buying a new PC in the first place.

Yeah, linux can be a big smack in the face if you aren't ready, but if you stick with it you'll figure it out. And if you don't, then at least you can say you tried something new.

Hope you keep tryin, and get your system up and running

If you havent yet, check this out, theres answers to tons of Linux stuff here:

http://www.tldp.org/

Trying like hell means installing mandrake 9.1 about 12 times before you get a successful boot. It means alot more than two days. You may feel that windows is better for you but if you are a developer of any kind then the ability to work with linux is essential.

Don't give up on yourself!

passagio