well, there are so many linux threads, and stuff, i just wanted to post this. In my opinion windows is a good thing. It's just you never hear anyone say that now days, and i'd like to say just that i like windows.

<span style="color: lightblue">Well, since you told me to on MSN [img]smile.gif[/img] ...

I much prefer Linux to Windows anyday. Windows forces me to run a graphical interface for things that realy shouldn't need it - things like text editing, server hosting, file management, IRC/Chat, and sometimes I would like to use the command line for web browsing. But Windows will not let me boot to a command line. And when it does, I end up in a relatively weak command line: no recursion in scripts, and I've not even seen a simple conditional in batch. The tools you can get for MSDOS are also fairly limited:
Edit tries to be too GUI. MENUS in a COMMAND LINE?
No find functionality, and default colours that are neither contrasting enough for my liking, nor consistant with the rest of the command line interface. Vim trumps Edit on both these counts.
Ever seen a console web browser for MSDOS? Oh, that's right, MSDOS isn't internet enabled unless you have Windows running (which, realy, defies the point of using a console app - especially a web browser). The file management is also quite bad: try extracting a RAR, and then creating links to a text file such that it exists in several different places on your harddrive, possibly with several different names. And before anyone mentions copy, links point to the same file: that is, if you edit one, they all change. This is easier than having to edit all of them, or copy it all over again (probably forgetting one or two in the process), and also takes up less harddrive space. And a hard link, at least, shares copy's main advantage of deleting one file does NOT delete them all, or break any other links. The file still exists until all hard links to it are deleted.You can do these things easily in BASH. You can't at all in MSDOS.
LInux is a modular system, while Windows is monolithic. This is good, because it means that you don't have the problems in Windows of ALWAYS having IE, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, Windows Explorer, and a few others completely unremoveable from your system. This is because Microsoft has integrated thigns right into the core of Windows (which does nothing in terms of technical capability), while Linux has everything being done at the highest level it can be done at. Under Linux, don't like Lynx? Don't install it when you put linux on, or remove it afterwars. Don't like Nautilus, Eye of Gnome, GAIM, GnomeMail, or Gnome's audio player? Get rid of them. Don't like Konquerer? Uninstall it. Want your desktop to serve as eye candy, rather than be poluted with icons? Use a Window Manager like Englightenment, Window Maker, Blackbox, or Fluxbox.
While we're thinking of the GUI, the Windows XP default theme is very much against my liking. It looks ugly (I feel), the desktop background looks like a Teletubbies scene, and it is not even consistant with older Windows versions. As I remember, the default desktop in every other version since the atrocity that was Win95 has been plain blue, with silver (well, grey) borders, scrollbars, and task bar, blue active titlebars, and dark grey inactive title bars. Now that has been thrown out the window by default.
Ever been annoyed by the little popups that Windows polutes your screen with? You know the ones, "Click here to start", "Windows has hidden inactive icons", etc. They are Windows wanting you to mould to it. Linux you mould to you.
The Windows Registry is the worst idea I have ever come across. It breaks alot of things if you try to change them slightly... try copying your program files folder elsewhere, and see how much works. You can't change the location or setup of the registry, which is how spyware can change IE's home page: it knows exactly where to find it. If it wasn't for Windows being 1) monolithic, and 2) insistant upon this use of the registry, this wouldn't be nearly as easy.

And then, ofcourse, there's the traditional matter: security. Windows XP | Fedora Core 2 | Gentoo Linux | Debian GNU/Linux | Slackware Linux | Redhat Linux | MandrakeLinux.
'Nuff said.
And before you go spouting out crap about "it's only more secure because it isn't as popular", Apache is far more popular than Windows Server.

EDIT: Ofcourse, I forgot to also mention: Linux is FREE. That is, GNU Free. Download it, use it, give it away, modify it, sell it, do whatever the hell you want to it, so long as you let others do the same. In other words, no matter how you got Linux, be it from a compiled distro, or getting everything yourself, you have a guaranteed right to help your friends (or neighbours, or business partners, or any random person on the street) by giving all or part of it too them, and even make profit while your doing it. You don't need to worry about legal or moral issues, you don't need to worry about bypassing CD protection methods, you don't need to risk installing spyware onto your system to get keys or serial numbers. Free as in freedom.

[ 11-08-2004, 07:19 AM: Message edited by: LennonCook ]

So... who is taking bets on how long this thread will last before a Linux hacker hijacks it? Oh, wait!

*edit* went sooner than I thought ... Lennon beat me to it :D

Windows Considered Harmful!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3960025.stm

[ 11-08-2004, 07:16 AM: Message edited by: aleph_null1 ]

-i want a GUI
-notepad is good for text editing, or Microsoft word.
-what if i don't want to hose a server?
-file management in windows is fine for what i want
-i don't use IRC
-why would you even want the command line for web browsing? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me
-i like the menus, they work don't they?
-why can't you just use the find in windows?
-whoa! Colours! I’m so sorry
-yes but edit is a better name than vim
-no I’ve never seen it, nor do i want to
-that file linking sounds good
-copy is supposed to copy! I usually copy to make a backup or whatever; i don't want both to change! That’s absolutely stupid
-but i don't want to do it in bash! I don't want bash!
-service pack 2 allows you to choose a non default web browser etc
-those programs sound/look dodgy, I’ve seen gaim and it's completely inferior to msn messenger
-POLLUTED by icons??? No i want it to be polluted, i love it polluted, and if I wanted eye candy I’d open a picture, or get a screensaver
-change your background picture then
-whoa! Default! (sarcastic)
-how can you even compare win 95 to xp pro?
-ohh gosh! Of course i have to use Linux now! Those popup will surly be the end of me. But the first popup is to introduce new users t the system, and you can disable hiding inactive icons
-the registry works doesn't it? and if you're not using a firewall you deserve to get spyware, don't give me that, spyware isn't a problem, just don't download shifty programs and use a good firewall like zonealarm pro.
-well i don't know what else to say, just use a firewall, and you'll be ok, so long as you aren't promiscuous you don't need a virus scanner.
but hey whatever, i like windows, but I’ve got no objection to you using Linux, it's just beginning to give me a headache whenever you talk about it or something relating to it.
Also firefox is close to be being uninstalled and I’m considering going back it internet explorer, and now without multiple monitor support it's verging on the limits of my patience.

don't misunderstand, i typed all that (except the colour bit!) with a smile on my face, i'm not angry or anything, i'm just providing an argument for windows [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 11-08-2004, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: Intrepid ]

[quote]Originally posted by aleph_null1:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3960025.stm

Quote:

UK government departments moved a step closer to using open-source operating systems such as Linux after a study found that they were "viable" products. The software could "generate significant savings", according to the Office of Government Commerce (OGC)

Viable (equals) worth the money
Viable (does not equal) good (nessicarily)

I agree with you Intrepid, Windows is great, people just think that because it has things that they dont need, then it is crap.
Ok, Lennon, explain to me why Microsoft should NOT have its own programs in ITS OWN operating system...
Thats like a company that produces all the possible parts of a car, building the chassis and then not including anything it produces.
Also, whats wrong with having windows messanger, Media player, IE and so on, do most people these days have computers so old that they cant handle one more option in their start menu??? Just because they are there doesnt mean they have to use them.
The find command works much better and faster in windows than it does in Linux, well the one distro ive used anyway.
I honestly think you are the only person who does not like icons, once again, DONT USE THEM IIF YOU DONT LIKE THEM. They are there for a reason and I use them often, if I dont like them, I can simply delete them, hmmmmmmm I also seem to recall Linux having icons aswell...well that means its also "polluted"
WTF!?!?!? since when was Win95 an atrocity???
I have never heard that from anyone.
Lastly, anyone who uses the colour scheme of an OS in their argument is obviously stupid, and shouldnt be arguing in the first place, im sure even you are inteligent enough to know how to change the theme or colours in Windows...If you dont like the options, then download some..
If you ask me, id much rather http://img109.exs.cx/img109/4702/WinXP.jpg to this:
http://img109.exs.cx/img109/9384/Fedora.jpg
If im a new user, I would know to press "start", but why on earth would I click a red hat???
I would also like to say that although im not a microsoft nut, I do appreciate what they do, and I am also liking Linux so far, but even if I convert, I will still stand against people like Lennon whop find every possible thing they dont like about something and make it seem like its the end of the world, even if they just dont like the colours [img]tongue.gif[/img]

those icons look confusing and un shmick like windows ones do (since we're picking on the colours).
I'd know to click the red hat because it's in the same place as the start button..... woah linux copying windows? that must give windows some credit.

I agree with everything you said exceot for the bit about firefox, believe me, you willl become attached to it.
And as for this
Its probably best that you dont [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Ahh this reminds me of the first funny thread I ever read on IronWorks, I suppose some of you oldies will remember the "Moving hose" thread [img]tongue.gif[/img] ?????

i merly ment that my version of firefox is buggy, it's version 0.8, and the non multi moniter support was the "last straw" per se.
Anyway lennon_cook was saying version 1.0 is coming out tomorrow or there abouts so i'll get that and hopefully some bugs will be fixed, otherwise i'll look for a mod of some sort that can enable something resenbling tabs in ie.
But lets hope version 1.0 is good.