Why NOT linux?

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:45 am

Well, I know a lot of people here don't like to use linux... and a few do... I'm running a live disc of Ubuntu as we speak, and was wondering why exactly people don't like it. Its faster than XP, It picked up my internet right away, it has great programs... So: Why Not?

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:00 am

Compatibility, I believe. Driver's are half-baked, most games can't run on it, etc.

But I don't know, don't quote me.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:06 am

I've been using Linux exclusively for two years now, but here are the top reasons why others don't switch(in more or less order):

1. Don't have time/inclination to learn to use Linux as well as they can with Windows.

2. They game a lot, and like picking up new commercial games.

3. Hardware issues. Radeon cards, certain 802.11G chipsets, printers and web cams are the usual suspects.

4. Specific program is needed that they can't find a replacement for or don't want to re-learn how to use (i.e. Photoshop vs. GIMP).

5. They believe that you have to spend 110% of the time at the command line, there are no games what so ever on Linux, and that you have to be a programmer to even use it. Though, most of these people site 1 as their reason.

cowsgoquack101 · Post by **cowsgoquack101** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:28 am

It just doesn't have the compatibility I'd like to have for my computer. If I want to upgrade to the new 9600GT's I wouldn't be able to for a long time if I used linux. It's also a big learning curve for someone who uses windows everyday.

Games are a big thing for me. I have about 15 PC games that are newer than 2003, especially call of duty 4, or anything on steam.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:59 pm

Linux is a waste of time...

1. Compatablity problems, I want to play games, not mess about with them for ages.

2. It's butt ugly, yeah most people won't care, but it has a horrible colour scheme.

3. The GUI.. its really nasty and difficult to get used to, different from windows for no reason.

4. Very un-user friendly.. Windows has tool tips and stuff to get you started, Linux is like being thrown in the deep end of the pool.

5. DirectX 10... no DX10 support? I think 7 series cards is calling.

6. Driver Support.. it's a struggle getting everything to work properly with Linux, I just want to game, not mess around

7. crap application replacements... Openoffice and GIMP? I don't buy ASDA cola, I dont use cheap programs. Photoshop and MS Office.

Windows Vista beats Ubuntu Linux so badly... sorry.

Sharp Sapphire · Post by **Sharp Sapphire** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:35 pm

Negative-- saying that Linux should be exactly like Windows just to be decent is a sin.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:49 pm

Sharp Sapphire wrote:Negative-- saying that Linux should be exactly like Windows just to be decent is a sin.

No it isn't because Linux is crap.

ChrisS · Post by **ChrisS** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:49 pm

Negative_Creep wrote:2. It's butt ugly, yeah most people won't care, but it has a horrible colour scheme.

3. The GUI.. its really nasty and difficult to get used to, different from windows for no reason.

That doesn't make any sense considering you can customize both look and functionality however you like. It's only as ugly as you make it.

Negative_Creep wrote:4. Very un-user friendly.. Windows has tool tips and stuff to get you started, Linux is like being thrown in the deep end of the pool.

There are plenty of distros like Ubuntu that are just as user friendly as Windows with the same stupid pop up bubbles that tell you what you need to do etc.

If most people remember how much time it took them to learn Windows the difference probably isn't that great.

Negative_Creep wrote:6. Driver Support.. it's a struggle getting everything to work properly with Linux, I just want to game, not mess around

Windows has plenty of driver issues as well. I've had almost no problems with drivers in Linux, even my HP printer driver was built into the OS, my digicam, iPod, and everything else was plug and play.

Your arguments seem decades old.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:52 pm

So I can get a replacement OS that has barely any of the functionality of Windows? nice.

Sorry, but Linux is something you get just so you can say you have it.

ChrisS · Post by **ChrisS** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:57 pm

Negative_Creep wrote:So I can get a replacement OS that has barely any of the functionality of Windows? nice.

I've lost no functionality switching to Linux.

Negative_Creep wrote:Sorry, but Linux is something you get just so you can say you have it.

Actually it's an OS that runs great on almost any hardware for the cost of $0.

Your arguments are laughable.

Sharp Sapphire · Post by **Sharp Sapphire** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:58 pm

Reply with quote
Linux is a waste of time...

1. Compatablity problems, I want to play games, not mess about with them for ages.

2. It's butt ugly, yeah most people won't care, but it has a horrible colour scheme.

3. The GUI.. its really nasty and difficult to get used to, different from windows for no reason.

4. Very un-user friendly.. Windows has tool tips and stuff to get you started, Linux is like being thrown in the deep end of the pool.

5. DirectX 10... no DX10 support? I think 7 series cards is calling.

6. Driver Support.. it's a struggle getting everything to work properly with Linux, I just want to game, not mess around

7. crap application replacements... Openoffice and GIMP? I don't buy ASDA cola, I dont use cheap programs. Photoshop and MS Office.

Windows Vista beats Ubuntu Linux so badly... sorry.

Ok its time to rip your argument apart.

2. It's butt ugly, yeah most people won't care, but it has a horrible colour scheme.

LOL YA i HERD U CAN EDIT UR THEME IT IN MOZT LINOOX DIZTROZ

3. The GUI.. its really nasty and difficult to get used to, different from windows for no reason.

Its difficult if you spent 30 seconds using it, and being different than Windows is a pitty argument, your saying M$ makes the perfect OS. It doesn't have to be completely the same to be good, you are just a fool.

4. Very un-user friendly.. Windows has tool tips and stuff to get you started, Linux is like being thrown in the deep end of the pool.

Wheres your Windows help forums dedicated to the operating system? Yeah, and there is all these little bubbles that fools like you must use to figure out how to create a text document.

6. Driver Support.. it's a struggle getting everything to work properly with Linux, I just want to game, not mess around

Yeah! I totally had to install all sorts of drivers manually in Windows, Ubuntu automatically installed them.

7. crap application replacements... Openoffice and GIMP? I don't buy ASDA cola, I dont use cheap programs. Photoshop and MS Office.

They aren't cheap programs, they are just different, and non proprietory.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:03 pm

Fair enough Sharp if you want to get personal and call me unintelligent.

Go shove your linux CD up your arse and suck my dick.

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:06 pm

1. Few proper drivers. Usually you're stuck with XVESA for graphics, and drivers that are "close enough" to mostly work that were designed for an older version of your hardware.

2. Poor hardware support (unless you're talking about 5+ year old computer parts pulled out of a dumpster). Graphics cards and 802.11 cards are the main culprits. I just want my stuff to work without a bunch of screwing around.

3. Too many redundant packages, programs, and systems, which makes development harder. (Predicting what the client will have.) Why exactly do you need GNOME and KDE and Xfce and Fluxbox and Blackbox and JWM and IceWM and Enlightenment? Why are there 50 forks of Firefox that only differ in graphics? Do we really need 12 different little sub-components that all do the same thing?

4. At its heart it's still a command line system and the GUI is an afterthought. Installing graphics drivers can easily kill X.

5. Any major Linux software worth a damn has a native Windows port. OpenOffice, Firefox, Fluxbox, AbiWord, InkScape, GiMP, Audacity, Basilisk II, OpenGL...

6. You're limited to homebrew software, or running commercial software on a half-done Windows 98 Win32 compatibility layer.

7. It becomes a cultish religion to many who try it, who start pushing it on others. That pisses me off most of all.

8. Ubuntu is not helping Linux at all. Sure it's easy to pick up, but their support forums basically boil down to some seasoned users telling newbies to type something into the command line without question.

9. It's far too complicated to do many things, such as installing programs, than Windows or Mac OS X. This doesn't help new users, either.

10. Dependency hell. Half the time, the system didn't tell me what was wrong. (Even my Linux instructor, who has used the system for years, didn't know what was wrong half the time.)

11. Getting things set up is many times more difficult. Windows just works. You have to hold Linux's hand almost constantly.

It's radically different from Windows, and I can't be assed to waste a bunch of time re-learning everything just to get half as knowledgeable in it as I am in Windows. There's nothing to be gained, and I already did that when we switched from Mac OS 7.6.1 to Windows 2000.

Don't give me the "security" line, either. Windows XP is just as secure when it's properly patched and updated, and if you set your home network up right in the first place you don't have to worry. People who say "Linux doesn't get viruses and spyware so it's better" usually don't know wnough to not download that crap in the first place. (That argument is irrelevant anyway; as far as I know Ubuntu doesn't have a root password by default and doesn't force you to set one when you install.)

I stand by my statement: there's no reason to run Linux on your home computer, especially if Windows does everything you want it to.

project_failure · Post by **project_failure** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:10 pm

So I can get a replacement OS that has barely any of the functionality of Windows? nice.

Barely any functionality? Driver Problems? When Windows Broke down on my computer and I didn't have time to reinstall I just used a Knoppix live cd.
Boot up took just a minute and I was doing everything I needed. Used the live cd for about two or three weeks before going back to windows.

The learning curve for Linux isn't that much steeper than windows. It's just that after people learn one operating system they tend to get lazy.

No it isn't because Linux is crap.

That helped your argument [/sarcasm]

Whatever Linux based Distribution you used may have sucked But that doesn't mean they all do.

3. The GUI.. its really nasty and difficult to get used to, different from windows for no reason.

No it doesn't take that long to get used to. Macs also use a different design than windows, does that make it horrible to.

7. crap application replacements... Openoffice and GIMP? I don't buy ASDA cola, I dont use cheap programs. Photoshop and MS Office.

Openoffice is awesome It is compatible with M$ office and works just as well. The only major difference is where some of the tools are placed. It's stable and runs on windows. All this plus being free means I will never buy Microsoft office.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:13 pm

project_failure wrote:Openoffice is awesome It is compatible with M$ office and works just as well. The only major difference is where some of the tools are placed. It's stable and runs on windows. All this plus being free means I will never buy Microsoft office.

From personal exprience, I found Openoffice to be unstable and crash often.