> On 02/03/2011 11:20 AM, Robert Myers wrote: > You can't say Linux won't be a factor on the desktop. I have a number > of relatively unsophisticated users running CentOS as their desktop > and they're quite happy. Oh, they look at my stuff and "ooh" and "aah" > at some of the niftiness, but they'll get it when it's stable. <Major Soapbox entered the room, set down and I jumped on it> If I could get Fedora or CentOS running on my old Thinkpad, I would move back to Linux. I would have to go find an external DVD player. I use a Mac because it 'works'. There is not a major program out there that I cannot find a Mac equivilent for that 'works'. Not so for Linux. You cannot find a program with the functionality and flexibility of AutoCad. All of the third party programs are missing some essential function that AutoCad has. If I buy a Dell, it will NOT come with Linux (it is an option) as I work in a Windows environment and I still feel that Linux is NOT ready to be a prime-time desktop OS (WAY to many quirks and hoops.) It will come with Windows7. It is very MacOSX like and does not have a crash a day problem. I switched to using a Mac after LOTS of investigation and watching the Windows98SE/ME disaster (Microsoft usually screws it up once before getting it right.) I was using RH 9/FC 1, 2, 3, 4 and I did not like the new release every six months. However, as you, I and others have pointed out, Fedora is an experimental OS, for RH to try and 'get it right'. That was after IBM dropped support for OS/2 on the SOHO desktop. Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, I've been playing around with 'PCs' before such a term existed. I've run various versions of Linux/UNIX since the mid 1990s and was a great fanboy of OS/2 (too bad IBM dropped the ball on that one.) I would love to say that Linux is a great OS, and in many cases it is. However, for Joe Windows Fanboy it is not ready. Many Windows programs do not and will not have a fully functional Linux one. Linux remains a niche product in many ways. Gnome/KDE 'wars' and others aside, if you watch the folks in Redmond work, you would know why Linux is going to win the Server wars, and Windows has such a great grip on the Desktop. Until Linux can support 99% of all hardware OUT OF THE BOX, with no tweaking and other non-sense, then it will not even have a fighting chance. Folks are loathe to sell/give away their old hardware and Apple still supports the G-3 Graphite that my SO owns. I cannot say that for ANY PC company (Dell, Gateway, IBM, and a few others). Sad to say, but I may have to become a Windows Fanboy to get what I need done, without having to beat on a system all day long. When Linux gets to that level, it will be a winner. Otherwise, it will continue to be an operating system for servers and cell phones. <Jim leaves the room, taking his soapbox with him.> > <soap> > MacOS doesn't release often and Macs are very controlled environments > and don't have to cater to millions of different hardware combos unlike > most Linux environments. Windows hasn't had a major release since > Windows 7, just bug and security fixes (lots of those). </soap> And so did Solaris and other operating systems. This is called quality control. If the IBM versus Tandy case had gone the other way, we would all be using IBM hardware/software. We would still be running ATs with a green screen. That is called innovation... > Windows stability? Remember the travesty that was Vista? No but I remember ME, which was MUCH worse. > Fedora is, by definition, experimental. If one wishes stability, then > use CentOS or RHEL or another "stable" release. I can't name another > OS with a 6-month (more or less) lifetime. We are on the bleeding edge > with Fedora. It's called that because you must expect to be wounded > occasionally when playing with sharp objects. Yes, it is and you have good advice for anyone wanting to run Linux. I don't dispise Linux, I think it is very 'neat'. I just don't want to have to go through the hoops to get it to work anymore. BTW, Windows XP SP3 runs on the hardware I have, slowly. Linux cannot even bring up X. That is a sad case. James McKenzie -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
