Ubuntu

Bug #1 (liberation)
Comment #904

Comment 904 for bug 1

Revision history for this message

thegizmoguy (thegizmoguy) wrote on 2008-12-07:

#904

Ubuntu is clearly in competition with Microsoft or this bug thread wouldn't exist!

"There is a lot of crappy hardware out there !"

Yes, I agree with you here. Except Ubuntu/Linux needs to start playing in the hardware world instead of waiting for the hardware world to play with them. The problems that I described can likely be replicated on dozens of other systems that have been mass produced by the big 3 vendors. With a roughly 3% market share, I doubt Linux will ever in the near future be able to have market-power in the way that you speak of.

"Ask your tech if he/she uses Linux, all of the
good ones do and many feel that UBUNTU/GNOME is over simplified (I
disagree)"

Well, I am what you would call at the power user/tech. All of my comments are from (me) who DOES research, hunt down, trouble shoot, etc. I still don't understand why so many people believe that you must be more skilled just because you can memorize a million commands to run from the terminal when Microsoft simplified the process with configuration utilities and "Properties" menus. For example, it would be absurd within windows if one had to start modifying the registry and manually adding dll files to get a wireless card working. Yet, in Ubuntu, every thing that I wanted to do configuration wise felt like I had to hack the entire "registry" of config files via the terminal. (I'm not the only one that mentions this), but things that shouldn't be THAT difficult to do in Ubuntu require hours of googling and tutorials to actually accomplish....others mentioned setting up DSL connections required an inordinate amount of work.

Now because I'm actually trying to adopt Linux, I've been willing to overlook that to a certain extent, but there is a reason I'm typing this message in XP again and not Ubuntu. I don't feel hindered in XP, I feel like the computer works for me and not me for the computer. In Ubuntu it's vice versa. Sure Ubuntu has speed and security benefits (and other aesthetic benefits), but a well managed and configured XP box can get very close to Ubuntu in those aspects. I've just been looking to adopt Linux since Windows 7 is looking to be a huge flop and I can't stay with XP for another 4 years.

So in summation, Ubuntu (and linux in general) needs to get out of the infant stage where "only geeks that have nothing else to do" can use it, configure it, and manage it before it can ever become serious competition to Windows. Now I'm a geek, and that's why I've even given Ubuntu (and OpenSUSE, and Mandriva, and Kubuntu) a chance, but I have other things to do besides spending (literally 6 hours yesterday) trying to get simple things done that I could do in XP within 2 hours. Would Ubuntu probably work much better on my desktop....you bet....but you can't neglect the vast laptop user base that uses proprietary and customized hardware.

Ubuntu is clearly in competition with Microsoft or this bug thread wouldn't exist!

"There is a lot of crappy hardware out there !"

Yes, I agree with you here.  Except Ubuntu/Linux needs to start playing in the hardware world instead of waiting for the hardware world to play with them.  The problems that I described can likely be replicated on dozens of other systems that have been mass produced by the big 3 vendors.  With a roughly 3% market share, I doubt Linux will ever in the near future be able to have market-power in the way that you speak of.

"Ask your tech if he/she uses Linux, all of the
good ones do and many feel that UBUNTU/GNOME is over simplified (I
disagree)"

Well, I am what you would call at the power user/tech.  All of my comments are from (me) who DOES research, hunt down, trouble shoot, etc.  I still don't understand why so many people believe that you must be more skilled just because you can memorize a million commands to run from the terminal when Microsoft simplified the process with configuration utilities and "Properties" menus.  For example, it would be absurd within windows if one had to start modifying the registry and manually adding dll files to get a wireless card working.  Yet, in Ubuntu, every thing that I wanted to do configuration wise felt like I had to hack the entire "registry" of config files via the terminal.  (I'm not the only one that mentions this), but things that shouldn't be THAT difficult to do in Ubuntu require hours of googling and tutorials to actually accomplish....others mentioned setting up DSL connections required an inordinate amount of work.

Now because I'm actually trying to adopt Linux, I've been willing to overlook that to a certain extent, but there is a reason I'm typing this message in XP again and not Ubuntu.  I don't feel hindered in XP, I feel like the computer works for me and not me for the computer.  In Ubuntu it's vice versa.  Sure Ubuntu has speed and security benefits (and other aesthetic benefits), but a well managed and configured XP box can get very close to Ubuntu in those aspects.  I've just been looking to adopt Linux since Windows 7 is looking to be a huge flop and I can't stay with XP for another 4 years.

So in summation, Ubuntu (and linux in general) needs to get out of the infant stage where "only geeks that have nothing else to do" can use it, configure it, and manage it before it can ever become serious competition to Windows.  Now I'm a geek, and that's why I've even given Ubuntu (and OpenSUSE, and Mandriva, and Kubuntu) a chance, but I have other things to do besides spending (literally 6 hours yesterday)  trying to get simple things done that I could do in XP within 2 hours.  Would Ubuntu probably work much better on my desktop....you bet....but you can't neglect the vast laptop user base that uses proprietary and customized hardware.