Posts Tagged ‘Linux’

Windows 7: Done. On to the next.

I’m interested in seeing what all of you want to see happen in Windows 8. Myself? There are only 2 things I would personally like to see changed (and before Windows 8, preferably):

Folder Views: I can’t vent my frustration enough about Windows automatically selecting views for me, even when I tell it that I want to view ALL of my folders a certain way. ARGH, SO FRUSTRATING!

Desktop Click + Shift + Click Select: Why on this green earth would Microsoft let you click and drag to select items on your desktop, control + click to select any number of items randomly, but automatically select whole rows of items for you if you click on an item, hold shift, then click on another item even 1 item up in the same column? Truly baffling.

About a month ago, I posted my opinion of Windows 7 up to this point and those were my only two gripes. Feel free to check out the comments of others to see if you experience their issues as well. Anyway, nothing major here. I know Windows 7 still hasn’t officially been released, but I just thought I’d throw something out there to see if any of you guys and gals who are already well-seasoned Windows 7 users had some thoughts for what you would like to see happen in Windows 8!

[rant] Oh, and to the anti-Windows Mac/Linux users. Let me go ahead and get your irrelavant prattle out of the way so that you don’t waste your time or ours: Windows needs to do what Linux can already do graphically, it needs to be impenetrable and it needs to be free. Also, Windows needs to make its users feel like they matter in life and are cooler than everyone else and Microsoft needs to stop being the big, bad bulley in the marketplace. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I think that about sums it up for the folks who – even if Microsoft catered to their laundry list of issues – wouldn’t use Windows even if hell froze over. So why do they even complain in the first place? It makes you wonder… [/rant]

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Article: Windows Users Are Whiners

Man, I’m really having a field day with this Beez guy! He has really opened my eyes to why people like him help Linux stay under 1% of the market share. I want to translate what his article says:

“Linux is hard to install”
You probably bought a computer with Windows preinstalled and bought a new one when it came to a grinding halt. Next time try reinstalling it from scratch, drivers and applications included.

Translation: Yes, I would say the same thing to my mother because I’m unhappy with my life.

“Linux doesn’t support as much hardware”
Don’t worry. The occasional digital camera, memory stick and USB harddisk will probably work. Check the Internet, select the proper components and buy a custom computer. It is probably cheaper than a computer off the shelf with Windows preinstalled. If you want a laptop, try a Dell or consult the Internet.

Translation: Because my blog is epic enough for you to actually see this without the help of being linked to by a Windows evangelist site.

“I can’t run my programs on Linux”
True, if you want to run Linux programs on Windows you have probably more luck to find a native Windows version. But there are more ways to get the job done. If you want to burn a CD, you don’t need Nero. If you want to write a document, you don’t need MS-Word. If you want to manipulate an image, you don’t need Photoshop. If you want to develop a program, you don’t need MS-Visual Studio. K3B, OpenOffice, GIMP and Kdevelop work just as well. And yes, we do have Firefox.

Translation: Repeat after me: “WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE BUILT-IN SUPPORT TO BURN A CD! WORDPAD AND NOTEPAD AREN’T SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO WRITE A DOCUMENT! MS PAINT OR FREEWARE APPLICATION PAINT.NET WON’T ALLOW YOU TO MANIPULATE AN IMAGE! FREE PROGRAMS LIKE DEVC++ AND MICROSOFT’S .NET 2008 EXPRESS EDITIONS DON’T EXIST TO HELP YOU DEVELOP PROGRAMS FOR FREE! FIREFOX IS ONLY FOR LINUX!”

“I can’t play my games on Linux”
Computers aren’t there to play games. Try a console, buy an xBox and scratch your disks, I don’t care. If you want to do something serious, try Linux.

Translation: What’s that? Crysis is PC-only? Don’t tell ME what a computer is to be used for, damn it! I’ll tell YOU, YOU GOT THAT MR.!?!?!?!?!?! NOW GO INSTALL LINUX AND GIVE ME 100 PUSH UPS WHILE IT INSTALLS! DO IT!

“I don’t want to work on the command line”
My girlfriend uses Linux all the time. She doesn’t even know what a command line is. Get real. A good Linux distribution allows you to do all the essential stuff from the GUI. Don’t tell me editing the registry is easy.

Translation: Because your girlfriend will have to know how to edit the registry to use Windows! My girlfriend, though? She doesn’t even know what a command line is. Ha. Get real.

“Windows is just as secure as Linux”
Yeah, and my grandmother is world champion polka dancing. On Linux, there a no real threats where viruses, spyware or trojans are concerned. All the programs you have to install on Windows to get the thing remotely secure eat up CPU seconds and make your computer less stable and responsive.

Translation: People don’t particularly care to focus on developing malware for an OS that consumes a massive >1% of market share, so go Linux because no one else does!

“Windows is just as expensive”
Don’t think because it came preinstalled that you didn’t pay for Windows. Believe me, you did. And all these nice programs like Nero, Photoshop, MS-Office don’t come for free as well. You’re probably using pirated versions. Wait ’till your next WGA check.

Translation: I am God.

“I’m lame”
You’re probably right. You want it the easy way. You want to come home, plug in your computer and play some lame game right away. You don’t want to spend an hour installing an OS and think before you click a ‘continue’ button. And because you’ve been doing that for the last ten years, you don’t want to study some manual and learn a new program. You’re so lame, that you are even prepared to fork out your hard earned cash from your wallet in order to stay lame. You’re the kind of person that admits that carbondioxide emissions are a problem, but you’re too lame to take the bike to go to work. Instead, you bought yourself a Hummer because you thought it was cool. You’re the kind of person that prefers to write endless blogs full of excuses instead of making a change. Face it, it’s not Linux that is the problem, it is you.

Translation: My milkshake is better than yours.

Wow, what revealing translations we have! I’m starting to like this Beez character! He’s really showing me why Linux is so much better than Windows. Amazing!

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

When Linux becomes a religion, it seems to be more like that of a fundamentalist Judeo-Christian who proselytizes using fear-mongering tactics. Yes, our Linux buddy is back with another pro-Linux article that insists upon Windows users as being either ignorant or whiners (he’s calling US whiners!?). This guy is so caught up in his Linux religion that he’s pining away for, “world domination.” Bashing Windows is GOOD, he says! He started his article by linking mine within the context of, “a feeble attempt” to reply to his original diatribe. This guy is so indoctrinated in his Linux religion that he’s now believing in miracles, such as Linux even standing a chance against Windows 7. He is as delusional as he is well-versed in his OS. When a percentage increase in the 100′s causes an epic rise to >1% market share, and as such, is considered a victory, no wonder this guy feels like he’s on top of the world! Heck, should us “ignorant and whiney” Windows users expect anything LESS than for a guy like this to get up on his soapbox preaching the gospel of Linux?

Beez, please.

The fact of the matter is that there are completely intelligent people out there who happily use Windows even with all the options having been juxtaposed. I’ve tried your slackware, your SUSE, your RedHat, your Lycoris, your Ubuntu, your Gentoo, et al and guess what? I still come right back to Windows quite happily. Not to mention, as one with a natural disposition for problem solving and technical support, one little issue, as he posited, didn’t make me just give up and go back to Windows. I like being intelligent on many fronts and that includes OS usage. At the end of the day, Linux isn’t even a lateral move for me; it’s an uphill battle and a platform which I would have to give up things to adopt. No, your religion isn’t worth it for me to sacrifice the things I would need to.

So, what do you do when an intelligent Windows user steps up on his soapbox and says, “I’ve tried your OS and I don’t want to adopt it because it doesn’t do everything Windows does for me.” Yes, it’s powerful and useful to many people but until it does EVERYTHING Windows does – thus allowing me to make a shift without having to give up ANY functionality (please get Linux to run just ONE DX 10 game, and yes, I’m well aware of Alky’s former attempt; a good friend of mine who is a Windows user and probably twice as intelligent as you was a partner in that project) – I’m not going to switch.

Beez, please.

I don’t care how green you paint the pastures of Linux to be when I cross to the other side; the reality of the situation is that Linux cannot do everything I want and need Windows to do. That’s not to say that Linux can’t do things Windows can, because I’m quite sure that Linux has a lot of functionality for power users but I don’t NEED that, nor do I WANT it. When are the pastors of Linux going to open their eyes and realize that their OS isn’t at all the heaven they try to make it sound to be if Windows users accept it as their savior? At BEST, something like Ubuntu is merely a lateral move; albeit, a free lateral move, but a lateral move none-the-less and regardless of why people are using Windows, there’s a reasons Linux is still below 1% and that reason seems to flee guys like “The Beez,” and you know what? It’s just not something I can sum up here for him.

I’m happy using Windows even with having tried and tried again all the alternatives, just to see how far they’ve come in this day and age. Now, from that, a follower of the Linux faith can extrapolate whatever they so choose; I’m a whiner, I’m ignorant, etc. If that’s what they need at the end of the day to make them feel better that someone out there actually chooses Windows over their OS even with knowing the facts, then so be it. Me? I see it from the perspective of Occam’s razor: more than likely, the simple answer is the right answer. If you like Linux and it works for you, terrific. If you like OSX and it works for you, terrific. If you like Windows and it works for you, terrific.

Oh, but I keep forgetting; Linux has an uphill battle and their hill had might as well be 89 degrees. When the odds are THAT stacked against you, I guess we should somehow be sympathetic to their cause, huh? I mean, when letting people know everything your OS offers isn’t enough, what do you do? You resort to thoughts like, “bashing Windows is GOOD” and any attempt to refute the usability of Linux is “feeble.”

Beez, please.

Your faith in Linux cannot deter my rationale with Windows. Our languages are incompatible. When you resort to bashing Windows in the midst of me – a Windows user – openly admitting how useful Linux is (to the right demographic), I realize that we’re on different planes in this debate. So, you go ahead and keep screaming that Windows is the devil and all its users are actually suffering instead of feeling joy while using their OS! Your methods of proselytizing are clearly working for you, there, guy. Clearly. >1%. Clearly.

-Stephen

PS: Articles like this are sure to help in the Linux vs. Windows issue, don’t you think? When you put it like you did there, Beez, Windows is going to win every time. Yes, maybe people DO want to go home and have it easy. You ever wonder why mankind evolves from having to manually build a fire to inventing microwaves? Convenience. You’ve basically just shot yourself in the foot there by letting your personal opinion of peoples’ desire for convenience obscure the reality of what you’re really saying: Linux is a platform that requires you to be technically-inclined to use. Hey, Beez: Continue your insults. They’re DEFINITELY working for you! As you so eloquently put it, “Face it, it’s not Linux that is the problem, it is you.” Yes, people like YOU are the problem with your OS. Where you’re obviously technically inclined, you sorely lack in people skills.

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

You know, I’ve never been one for participating in the OS wars. I’ve always found the “live and let live” mentality to be the best approach for me, you know; you use what you love and I’ll use what I love. Unfortunately, such a neutral stance leads me to be impacted by all sides of the elitist attitudes running amok with all operating systems (though, mainly Linux, OSX, and Windows).

This is the article sparking my rant: Why Linux Makes Windows 7 Obsolete

First of all, this guy is just another in the looooooong line of Linux apologists who swear up ‘n down that every Windows release brings its ultimate demise and, thus, the rise of Linux abounds.

Uh, no.

Always calling it as they see it from their expert views of everything in the universe, many of the Linux elitists blame the >1% market share of their OS on stupid Windows morons who don’t know any better than to use an OS that costs them money. Oh, and I’ve also seen numerous people say that Windows’ market share success lies with the “fact” that so many people pirate the OS, thus making it free. Likewise, it appears that Windows can’t hold a candle to Linux’s command line abilities.

…hmm. Does it ever occur to these Linux dolts that even WITH a pirated OS, thus making it free, people are still CHOOSING the Microsoft product over a legitly free product? Blame it on marketing and stupidity all you want but the way I see it, people are choosing Windows regardless of the avenues or intelligence they use to obtain it. You know, we can talk technicalities all day but at the end of the day, in my mind, there is one MAJOR point to be considered: Where does a product stand on its own and what does it take to push it out there? Product evangelism is what it takes.

I mean, honestly, in all of the >1% of Linux’s user base, my personal experience with many of the people who use the Linux is that of defensive and elitist attitudes. For a person like me, if you’re going to sell your product to me, it’s NOT going to happen through you treating me like I’m some dumbass because I don’t use Linux… and I’m a guy who HAS used various flavors of Linux! I support a Redhat Linux environment at work! We run Informix and a GE access control product in a redundant Linux environment. Linux is stable, Linux is secure, and Linux provides all the functionality I need to support my client.

When I get home, do I want to run Linux? No. I want to run Windows. I like Windows. Windows does everything I WANT and NEED it to do. Why in the world am I going to spend the time to learn to adopt Linux when Windows does everything I want and need? Now, in my case, I’ve tried Linux in my home environment. I’ve tried Gentoo, Ubuntu, Lycoris back in the day, et al just to give it a shot and guess what? I gladly and willingly came right back to Windows. All that from a guy who has been open-minded enough to at least TRY to competition but that was out of sheer personal interest and not because I needed to.

If Windows gets bad enough for people to want to try something else, they’ll find it… but when they go looking for it, what do you think they’re going to want to see? It’s surely not a bunch of FUD and elitist posts from the Linux faithful who are willing to ostracize you simply for using the words “Microsoft” or “Windows”… oh, excuse me, I mean “Micro$oft” or “Windoze” (how original).

Long story short, the business aspect of Linux and Windows will happen as it has always happened.

In conclusion, let it be known that this post is not one where I say Linux sucks and Windows beats the crap out of everything! If you like Linux, use it! If you like OSX, use it! If you like Windows, use it! I don’t blame you! You like what you like and you use what you want to use because you want to use it. Wow, imagine that… a non-elitist attitude to represent fairness amongst all products and I’m a diehard Windows user. Yes, I evangelize Microsoft products because I enjoy them. I pay for them and do so gladly to get everything out of them that I do. Free doesn’t always equal better and when free doesn’t lead the people to your product, it’s going to take more than marketing on that level. So, my advice to all of you elitist OS users out there is to learn how to represent your OS in more approachable manners. You may think a person is ignorant or stupid for not using your OS but nothing will make them run faster from your product than saying as such. Could it be that such an attitude amongst Linux users has contributed to the extremely low market share it has, even with all that it has to offer? It may seem sappy but an even hand with a little bit of empathy can go a LONG way to fight your cause.

>1% market share is no reason to go writing a story about Linux making Windows 7 obsolete. lol. More than likely, that guy will have long passed away before Linux even makes it another %. Speculation, sure, but let’s get real.

-Stephen

UPDATE: If you’re here following The Beez’ latest article, I encourage you to check out my two most recent replies; including my rebuttle to his latest post and a reply to his revealing “Windows Users Are Whiners” article:

Article Rebuttle: When Linux Becomes A Religion

Windows Users Are Whiners Reply: Linux Users Are Intolerant