Microsoft is at it again!

[Jammrock]

Gurm, Gurm, Gurm...ever the pessimist. Just because YOU don't like any of the GUI's out there, doesn't mean there aren't any. Just because YOU don't feel any good apps are available for Linux, doesn't mean there aren't any. Spreading your normal rhetoric all over again

Good GUIs and apps have been under development by Linux programmers for a while. They are not ready for prime time, but that's just a matter of time. Driver support has increased dramatically over the past few years, especially for gamers. They still aren't better than Winblow$, but it's getting better.

Plus Palladium is still a ways off. And before Palladium becomes stable will be like...10 years past the initial release date, 5 'new' OS revisions and it'll still be hackable. And before all the software has been revamped to make it compatible it'll take a few more years. And for hardware makers to revamp their driver writing for Palladium will take a few more years...

Either way, once the Palladium is released, you can either a) stay put and wait for the dust to settle, b) choose Linux and wait for things to get better, c) choose Palladium and sign your soul over to Billy Gates and corporate America. Your choice.

Jammrock

[dZeus]

The problem with linux is, that as long as real, big, corporations won't write software for it, all other software will remain in eternal 'beta' state and not usable by the big public.

Why you might ask?
Because the people who write the current software for linux don't give a damn about the general public and have 'if you can't use it, but I can, then you must be inferior'-complex which drives them into _NEVER_ making any application userfriendly. I run linux myself on one box, and of course, for almost any purpose you can get applications, which do work nicely, BUT only if you take care to read the whole documentation (asking people who wrote/use the application on for example IRC will undoubtedly result into a RTFM), which often covers _way_ too many pages of information not even applicable to my situation.

Compare that to commercial windows applications which have a GUI which let's you set/select exactly the settings you need, without reading 100+ pages of a manual. Why? Because those companies are pushed to make an application that is userfriendly, because of competition. I can't see that happening with open-source linux applications.

It's like supplying a motherboard (windows apps) vs. supplying a PCB, all the components, a 100 page manual and a solder iron (linux apps). Sure the latter is more powerfull and flexible, but it just isn't userfriendly.

[Gurm]

I concur wholeheartedly with what dZeus just said.

And Jammrock, you yourself JUST BACKED UP what I said. I said there weren't any good GUIs. Today. Now.

I said there would be in a couple years. Then you say "well they're not ready for prime time, but they're in development".

I don't count "in development" software, for the reasons that dZeus just made abundantly clear. Until it's easy to install, easy to configure, and comes from a major software company with major software company support behind it, it ain't a "good" app.

When you can run Photoshop on Linux is the day I consider it as a potential production platform. And no, Gimp doesn't count. Has to be PHOTOSHOP. From ADOBE. Biiiiiig difference.

- Gurm

[thop]

i've been using linux for a while now and i have never ever used any GUI. i don't like any of them plus i don't need any of them. i don't see linux on the desktop in at least the next 5-10 years.

i can surf, play, code, photoshop in windows just fine. but when it comes to server applications, difficult tasks or quick/dirty jobs i can only laugh at windows. linux is so much more powerful. i can do things with one cmd line that need 50 clicks in windows (or aren't possible at all).

sometimes linux looks ugly, but it isn't. you just can't beautify the cmd line. thats why i don't recommend linux to joe sixpack who is used to shiny buttons. linux is for advanced users.

for me windows and linux are two seperate worlds.

[Gurm]

Thop,

I agree wholeheartedly. There are things I use my Linux box for, and other things (most of my useful work) that I use my Windows box for. In order for Linux to take over those Windows-based tasks it would have to come a LONG way from where it is.

- Gurm

[Greebe]

...and people say the same about Win9x

[Gurm]

Who was talking about Win9x?

[Greebe]

Hey M$ was brought up... can't deny the big picture... oh what was it the Billy boy said again?... Oh yeah... "What do you expect for a $80 OS?!" (pffffffffff)

[Wombat]

Funny, I still think MS has a long way to go before their GUIs catch up with Linux. I can't stand Windows's lack of flexibility, and would especially love to be able to move/resize windows as easily as in Gnome. Windowshading is handy too. It took MS long enough to get grouping. If skinning is your thing, Windows still can't hack it. KDE3 makes Windows look even weaker.

[HedsSpaz]

Funny, I still think MS has a long way to go before their GUIs catch up with Linux. I can't stand Windows's lack of flexibility, and would especially love to be able to move/resize windows as easily as in Gnome.

The funny thing about that comment is, is that it's that same flexibilty that I sometimes hate about Gnome/KDE/WindowManagerOfYourChoice. There is such a thing as too much. Don't get me wrong, I like KDE, I like Gnome even more, but they still don't compare to Windows. Now thats partly due to the horrid xfree86 mess that lies underneath, but it's also partly due to simply having too many choices with too much complexity.

Windows is simple. I like that. It does exactly what I need it to and if there is some extra feature that I wish it had that it doesn't now, it's usually not that big of a deal.

To put it simply, MS has a very good marketing trends analysis team, the features that they add or reject are usually done so because they have strong evidence one way or another that people want feature x, would use feature x, or would not use feature x. Linux has nothing of the sort. If someone says 'hey, wouldn't this feature be neat', it gets added, regardless of whether anyone other than the idea's originator will ever use the feature.

MS also has a far better interface design team. It's designed by graphics professionals and more marketting analysis people. The KDE and Gnome interfaces are designed by programmers, for programmers.

Anyway, enough ranting. I really do like linux, but I agree with Gurm, for all of my productivity stuff I use windows. When I want to do play with some programming stuff or doing something that is going to involve a server, I use linux.

Ian

[Technoid]

Originally posted by HedsSpaz

MS also has a far better interface design team. It's designed by graphics professionals and more marketting analysis people.

No no no no....
Its designed by special konsults from Fisher Price

[Jon P. Inghram]

"Marketing analysis people"... Oh boy, just who we want working on an OS. Must remember to reserve enough room in the "Toss the lawyer's into the sun" spaceship for all the marketing people too (lets keep the telephone cleaning people though.)

[omegaRED]

Roger that on the telephone cleaners