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See Full StoryWhen the operating system on Matthew P. Frye's home computer crashed and died a year ago, he had two choices: spend hundreds of dollars to rebuild his desktop using Microsoft programs, or try the less expensive alternative of switching to the Linux computer operating system. Frye chose Linux. It took the senior systems programmer at Rex Hospital three months and $39 to download Linux desktop applications to replace those he used in Windows. Frye's experience is typical of Linux users who are switching from Microsoft, frustrated by viruses, poor software performance and costly upgrades.
Dear editors of linux insider,
It has come to my attention you refuse to post any material that is critical to you or your advertisors. I am not the only one who has had posts removed because they are critical of your site/advertisors. This being said, I will be starting a site dedicated to news organizations fronting as legit linux news sites, but in fact have hidden agendas. Your site will be number one on the list. I will be urging users to post their comments regarding your news stories, but the posts will be completely unmoderated. Users will be encouraged to be very critical of your stories and a boycott will be organized to stop your censorship.
It has come to my attention you refuse to post any material that is critical to you or your advertisors. I am not the only one who has had posts removed because they are critical of your site/advertisors. This being said, I will be starting a site dedicated to news organizations fronting as legit linux news sites, but in fact have hidden agendas. Your site will be number one on the list. I will be urging users to post their comments regarding your news stories, but the posts will be completely unmoderated. Users will be encouraged to be very critical of your stories and a boycott will be organized to stop your censorship.
Re: Home Users Leap to Linux
Posted by: robghealey 2003-11-21 17:43:16 In reply to: Vicki Lee Parker
I have recently made the switch to Linux as well about six months ago, and I love what I can do with it. I have seen some people respond that there is things that Windows can do that Linux can't, but the opposite is true also. There are many things in Linux that I can't do in Windows!
I am completely loyal to Linux, and I will never go back to Microsoft!!!
I am completely loyal to Linux, and I will never go back to Microsoft!!!
I'll agree that this article wasn't very well-researched, and even goes on to make some fairly ridiculous statements.
Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed to see it in print.
On the other hand...Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.2.1) Gecko/20030225 has no problems with this site...although I *do* find the Windoze Services for UNIX ads offensive. ;)
Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed to see it in print.
On the other hand...Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.2.1) Gecko/20030225 has no problems with this site...although I *do* find the Windoze Services for UNIX ads offensive. ;)
My reply was edited. The mozilla problem was fixed after the posts. As for the ads, only one sentence from my rant made it. I ranted about other things about this site too that didn't make it. I bet this doesn't make it either because my last post indicating my first post was edited never made it either.
Re: Home Users Leap to Linux
Posted by: russbutton 2003-11-21 11:34:09 In reply to: Vicki Lee Parker
We're a Linux household. My wife does all her work
on Linux and she's one of the biggest Luddites I
know. She's a professional violinist and unlike
a lot of other musicians, is extraordinarily
non-technical. Now mind you, all she does is
read e-mail, surf the web, and write the occaisional
letter. But that's what 95% of users do most of
the time anyway.
BTW, our windowing interface is Windowmaker.
Russ
on Linux and she's one of the biggest Luddites I
know. She's a professional violinist and unlike
a lot of other musicians, is extraordinarily
non-technical. Now mind you, all she does is
read e-mail, surf the web, and write the occaisional
letter. But that's what 95% of users do most of
the time anyway.
BTW, our windowing interface is Windowmaker.
Russ
As much as a linux advocate I am, this story seems poorly reasearched and even more poorly written. Many of the things stated are either not true or half truths. It is counter productive to tell lies and half truths to people to get them to convert because when they find out they weren't told the entire thruth they will feel decieved. Though linux is great for the desktop (it's what I'm writing this response in right now and have been using it solely on the desktop for 3 years now), the reasons listed (for the most part) aren't the reasons to switch.
Yes, this site freezes mozilla for me too (haven't tried it with firebird). Doesn't linuxinsider owe it to it's prime audience to make sure their site works with the most popular open source browser? I've never had any other site consistantly crash mozilla in that manner, which leads me to believe it is something very blatant on linux insiders part.
Windows Services for Unix ads?
Yes, this site freezes mozilla for me too (haven't tried it with firebird). Doesn't linuxinsider owe it to it's prime audience to make sure their site works with the most popular open source browser? I've never had any other site consistantly crash mozilla in that manner, which leads me to believe it is something very blatant on linux insiders part.
Windows Services for Unix ads?
Re: Home Users Leap to Linux
Posted by: mattjarvis 2003-11-21 06:56:28 In reply to: Vicki Lee Parker
It took the senior systems programmer at Rex Hospital three months and $39 to download Linux desktop applications to replace those he used in Windows.
3 months !?! Where was this guy looking ? Perhaps he's still using a 1970's modem and actually meant it took him three months to download the software...
Fowle said she has noticed some small differences. For example, in Linux she has to click only once on a file to open it. If you double-click as you do in Windows, then you open two files, she said.
This is an option in the desktop menu.
Some of the popular ones are OpenOffice, Mozilla Web browser, Apollo audio player and Cameleo Light
Apollo and Cameleo Light !?! Hardly the most popular pieces of Linux software. I'm a developer and have been using Linux for years and I had to look these up on Google. What about xmms, xine, mplayer etc.
They include video and multi- media processing
Again what about xine, mplayer, xmms, ogle - in fact Linux has excellent support for multimedia these days.
If I get a virus in Linux, it is not debilitating, it's just an inconvenience
I've never heard of anyone actually having a virus in Linux - there have been some very rare reports of Linux viruses, but in practice no Linux users actually get viruses. This guy must be the unluckiest man on the planet ...
I don't normally post responses to these kinds of stories, but really in a site supposedly about Linux, a bit more fact checking might be useful. Your site also crashes Mozilla Firebird, so I presume it's only tested using IE ...
3 months !?! Where was this guy looking ? Perhaps he's still using a 1970's modem and actually meant it took him three months to download the software...
Fowle said she has noticed some small differences. For example, in Linux she has to click only once on a file to open it. If you double-click as you do in Windows, then you open two files, she said.
This is an option in the desktop menu.
Some of the popular ones are OpenOffice, Mozilla Web browser, Apollo audio player and Cameleo Light
Apollo and Cameleo Light !?! Hardly the most popular pieces of Linux software. I'm a developer and have been using Linux for years and I had to look these up on Google. What about xmms, xine, mplayer etc.
They include video and multi- media processing
Again what about xine, mplayer, xmms, ogle - in fact Linux has excellent support for multimedia these days.
If I get a virus in Linux, it is not debilitating, it's just an inconvenience
I've never heard of anyone actually having a virus in Linux - there have been some very rare reports of Linux viruses, but in practice no Linux users actually get viruses. This guy must be the unluckiest man on the planet ...
I don't normally post responses to these kinds of stories, but really in a site supposedly about Linux, a bit more fact checking might be useful. Your site also crashes Mozilla Firebird, so I presume it's only tested using IE ...
"Linux programs include an interface such as Gnome and KDE , which makes the screen appear very similar to proprietary software."
Vicki Lee, come on, we both know that sentence doesn't belong in this article. It makes no sense when you read it. Should be: "Linux programs include an interface such as Gnome and KDE , which makes the screen appear very similar to Windows or Mac."
The way you said it is like saying "The sun and the moon, and other planetary objects made of protons and neutrons..."
Change it.
Vicki Lee, come on, we both know that sentence doesn't belong in this article. It makes no sense when you read it. Should be: "Linux programs include an interface such as Gnome and KDE , which makes the screen appear very similar to Windows or Mac."
The way you said it is like saying "The sun and the moon, and other planetary objects made of protons and neutrons..."
Change it.
I don't understand the postulate in the section "Installing Linux," in which the author writes that people who download Linux from the Internet will have to know Unix commands (and, apparently conversely, that those who buy it don't) to install it. This is simply not true. Just because SuSE (for example) doesn't make their ISO install images available for download doesn't mean that, say, Mandrake doesn't (they do). In fact, you can go to www.linuxiso.org and download nearly any commercial version of Linux, legally, in ISO form. And you don't need Unix experience to burn a CD on Windows!
Please don't spread misinformation that could possibly turn people away from Linux.
--kulp
Please don't spread misinformation that could possibly turn people away from Linux.
--kulp
I noticed that too. She comes sort of close to facts, but not quite.
At the risk of trolling, I'd have to agree with previous posters -- this article stinks. Misinformation, oversimplification, and aggressive use of half-truths make me wonder why I even visit Linux Insider. That and the banner ads.
As far as the page crashing Mozilla/Firebird, I am running MFB v.70 on Xfree86 4.3, kernel 2.4.22 and I haven't experienced a single crash on that page (or any other, for that matter). Still, one wonders why a site dedicated to Linux crashes Mozilla-based browsers...
As far as the page crashing Mozilla/Firebird, I am running MFB v.70 on Xfree86 4.3, kernel 2.4.22 and I haven't experienced a single crash on that page (or any other, for that matter). Still, one wonders why a site dedicated to Linux crashes Mozilla-based browsers...
