I'm aware of that, though I never tried it. It's possible to turn Windows into something resembling UNIX but I don't see the reason for it. Linux is UNIX-like system out of the box.

The world changes. Now there are: Firefox, Thunderbird, Opera, OpenOffice.org, GIMP, Inkscape, MPlayer, etc. When I used Windows it was only Netscape.

I wasn't defending Windows in any way. Without Cygwin or similar stuff and other free/opensource software, Windows is just boring, overpriced crap produced by a corrupt big business. I don't spend much time on XP now, and feel more at home on GNU/Linux. I think I'm just hanging on to it for the sake of a little variety.

That's my idea as well... On the Windows partition of my notebook at work I installed OpenOffice because I'm more used to it and Cygwin to have a CLI I can work with.

At home my Windows partition was erased a couple of years ago. I convinced my wife to use Linux (Slackware) also a couple of years ago, after losing several files again due to a virus. She never had any problems since.

I don't mind paying for software (I pay for Slackware as well) and am not against capitalism / earning money etc.
My biggest problem is that I don't *trust* closed software for an operating system running on billions of systems around the world.
I prefer to be "in control".

I used to help too, but got bored with it. Now I just tell the sheeple, "It's Windows, what do you expect?" Most people don't even ask anymore and I like it that way.

I don't use Windows because I don't see any point paying for something I don't have to (I don't use hookers either).

I don't use Windows because I seriously starting using computers in college and they were UNIX and VAX machines so I never really learned how to use Windows.

I don't use Windows because I read the corporate IT policy and it doesn't strictly prohibit the use of virtual machines. So, if I install VirtualBox on my thumb drive, I don't alter the configuration of the PC. The only thing I have on the hard drive is really nothing more than some files (the virtual hard drive) which isn't an alteration of the machine per the policy. Gentoo in a virutal machine is still more productive than Windows natively.

I observed the rise of Microsoft first hand---I switched from CP/M to DOS when the XT clones came out. It didn't take me long to despise MS as a company, and I still do. Their anti-competitive dirty tricks have stifled better companies and better products.

Microsoft represents a long history of corporate stealing and bullying to make a mediocre and insecure OS dominant.

Very recognizable.
@ H_TeXMex_H:
I agree with you, except for this:You *can* make Windows secure, but it takes quite some time,discipline and energy to do it and the worst thing is, that doesn't stop.
Just a never ending story...

I just finished to read that document. I didn't know about most of the facts described in it. Very interesting and instructing text.

According to the rule ``embrace, extend, and extinguish'' we could expecting Internet Explorer for Linux or even Microsoft Office for Linux.

I can't remember all the names of the companies MS extinguished with their tactic of forming "strategic alliances", but it became very noticeable in the mid 90s. I thought for sure that Sybase was toast when they announced their alliance.

An interesting, albeit disturbing idea to have IE 8 for Linux. Speaking of strategic alliances I wonder how things will play out with Novell and M$? Novell did greatly help the Linux cause by putting nails in SCO's coffin.

Corel also crawled into bed with mickeysoft and almost immediately "Corel Linux" and "WordPerfect for Linux" disappeared.

I thought there were laws against that kind of corruption, i.e., anti-competitive practices, but I guess not. Just goes to show that in some ways we are just as corrupt as many third world countries.

AND....

Whatever happened to QuarterDeck, in Santa Monica? Good company with great products.

You're probably right, it might be possible. But somehow I don't think the system will be very usable in that state. Still, I never managed to make Window$ secure ... if you can do it then you're better than me.

Why I don't use windows

• Boring
• I hate buying windows licenses for each computer I build.
• I hate calling M$ to get a new key when reinstalling windows
• Expensive programs like M$ office
• Constantly trying to keep my computer safe from viruses and spyware.
• I hate M$ monopoly and their business ethics.
• M$ continues with their anti-linux campaigns.
• etc...

I no longer use windows. Totally linux now. The only time I have to deal with windows is when I am fixing the other desktop and laptop my family uses which uses windows XP and vista respectively.

- Cheers

Aside from windows being ugly, slow, crashing a bunch and being unethical,

It's been so long since I've used it that I don't really remember how to get things done when I have to.

Turn off as many services as possible, don't use Outlook (Express), Live mail, hotmail, MSN Messenger, don't run Windows as Admin., make sure you have a good firewall (no, not Windows firewall, that's crap), a good anti-virus program, use Thunderbird for e-mail (there are a few others that are OK too), surf the web with Firefox or Opera and last but not least: make sure you are fully patched. Always.
And run CCleaner and Spybot Search & Destroy (or Ad-Aware) regularly.
That should do the trick.

That doesn't mean that the overall security is as good as on Linux (especially Slackware) and that it doesn't affect usability, it does.
I still run Windows on one pc (dual booting with Slack), because I need it for work and my kids -very few times- for school. Never caught a virus (knock on wood...).
What bothers & bores me is that keeping Windows secure takes so much time. Always these anti-virus upgrades, always these firewall notifications, always cleaning up, always this and that. Sigh...


Better than you? I don't think so.
On Linux you have far greater skills than I have.

You know I did pretty much everything you said and more, I had a registry saving program in case that got corrupted I could restore it, I had monitoring programs, expensive antivirus software, I didn't even use e-mail clients, just FF, had an expensive firewall as well as router firewall, all the patches M$ put out even tho they tend to destabilize the system usually. Maybe it was the pr0n ... I know I'm a sinner

You flatter me