Why is Windows more popular then Linux

Well, as far as rebooting is concerned, windows xp doeesn't really require as much rebooting as 98. Most of the times, if you installed an application (that doesn't need to stay memory resident all the time like an AV) and it asks for a reboot, you can just ignore it and go ahead and use the program. Issues with windows xp (from my point of view) are mainly:

1.Viruses: You have to keep updating AV sigs to be on the constant look out for new strains of viruses. Especially if you're on a big LAN in a univ or something. This is something that you don't have to worry about in linux (not much anyway) because there aren't that many potential viruses for linux.

2.Networking:Setting up shared resources in windows doesn't really have many options. Maybe it does but i've tried my ass off in trying to set individual passwords for different users and never got it. This is something that's very easy to do in linux using swat or by editing the smb.conf file.

3.Firewalling:Agreed that linux may require firewalls but the inbuilt firewall works fine for basic users. I've put up a password for the smb shares and that's all i need.

Issues with linux are:

1.Games and application:It's a very big pain in the ass to get a windows game to play in linux. Even some applications are very difficult to configure to run in a linux machine (if anyone has configured AutoCAD 2000, please pm me). This is the main reason that I use windows.

2.Command Line:This is something that i'm not really against. I mean I actually like to use the command line. But there are times when you would really like to just have a simple click and use kind of thing. In windows, the standard user would never require to use the command line interface at all.

3.NTFS write support:I haven't found any write support to ntfs for sp2. This is a major problem for me because I've got 130GB out of 150GB in NTFS (I first installed windows and windows does very badly with fat32 partitions bigger than 32GB or so it says in the manuals). But this is something i've kind of compensated for by having a 15GB fat32 partition to swap files between linux and windows.

So I'm kind of right now sticking to a dual boot because both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. I'm just giving my opinion and if anyone can resolve these issues, please pm me.

I guess it's a bit strange to read for any other person.

We've got Linux defenders here who keep on thinking that Linux is being attacked. They also assume that anyone who had bad experience with Linux are good for nothing lazy bugers who can't be asked to study.

Once again, this thread is not an attack on Linux. I am sure that if there are any Linux coders in here they will unerstand this.

As idmismatch said, most of the people are not using their computers to watch porn. Many of us do have girlfriends ;) . Me personaly, I usualy use my computers for my uni work, I do need to edit it.

Gore , I know how to work with "mount" comand, I also can work with comand line :p And guess what. When I was checking suported filesystems, FAT32 wasn't among them. Now it is ;)

And if the manual on installing wireless suport were more clear, I would know what am I doing with them, so far you areright, I don't and I don't have much time to devote to this question. Wich means I won't know it for a while longer.

I chose Fedora, 'cause it's a spin off of the RedHat. And RedHat is the more popular Server Linux so far.

All the stuff I described is my experience. I'm far from complaining about it, but trying to look at it from a general user point of view.

Gore and phishphreek80 Just for one minute try sugesting that over 80% of PC users don't have an unlimited internet conection with a set monthly fee. How many of these people will be able to use the resources given by you two? Hell, around 40% of PC users stil don't have any internet access at all. What should they do?

I already mentioned this to be Linuxs limitation.

[QUOTE] Originally posted here by nightcat

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Gore and phishphreek80 Just for one minute try sugesting that over 80% of PC users don't have an unlimited internet conection with a set monthly fee. How many of these people will be able to use the resources given by you two? Hell, around 40% of PC users stil don't have any internet access at all. What should they do?

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I never sugested that linux was for 80% of PC users out there. I stated in my first reply that Linux is not a desktop OS, IMO. I use it for servers and for security tools. The last line of my first posts reads:

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Windows really is easier to use. If I wasn't a technical user... then I wouldn't even try using Linux. Its not a Desktop OS, IMO.

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My second post was merely a follow up to your experiences suggesting that I've had quite the opposite experience as you. I'm not bashing linux or windows. I use both.

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They also assume that anyone who had bad experience with Linux are good for nothing lazy bugers who can't be asked to study.

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I'm surely not calling you an idiot or anything. Maybe you just need to practice up on your search engine and information gathering skills first? I've found no shortage of documentation for anything I've needed to do. For most simple tasks, I've had to read very little. When you get into configuring services and servers, then you've got to read a lot more.

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I'm far from complaining about it, but trying to look at it from a general user point of view.

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I'd be scared at what would happen if I sat a "general user" down at a linux box. All the lusers on my network are far to ignorent (and I'm being nice here... I could be mean). Most of them are too ignorent to even use the windows 2000 and windows xp workstations. Go talk to some people in tech support and see how well these users put their systems to use.

I would never expect them to work with linux. But then again, I'd never expect them to know how to use 2k3 server. I can barely expect that they'll be able to turn on their computers properly. All my users need to know how to do is launch shortcuts to office, a couple of other business programs that are neatly organized on their desktops. We all know how difficult it is for a luser to get a program to start if it isn't on their desktop!

http://www.divisiontwo.com/articles/linuxbeat3.htm

Since there are, and always wil be, more morons than intelligent
people in the world, you can expect windoz to be more "popular".

Examine for a minute what this means to long term productivity.
I think it's proven that initial "ease of use" causes people to
become "productive" almost immediately, without training.

But it is almost impossible to move most of them to the next
level, to use, or write scripts or macros that would essentially
put the computer to work for you, instead of you
"working on the computer".

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Ease of use has produced legions of folks who really are
computer illiterate but don't know it. They think they are
"using" their computers, but they really aren't.

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http://aplawrence.com/Bofcusm/1019.html

I've been fighting with this in my own work. I'm just a regular
user, not in IT. I use an app to open files, do some manipulating,
and send them to a printer. I have to do 3 mouse clicks to open
the file, two or three more to select some options, a couple more
for final setup, a couple more to send to the printer.

I have to go through this moronic series of actions for each
and every file, because I haven't yet figured how to script
the program and give it a list of files to work on.

If I could do that, the whole process would be done in 5 minutes
while I drink my coffee. As it is, it takes a half hour.

But the real sadness is that no one else ever imagined that anything
was wrong with this time-wasting procedure. After all, they get paid
by the hour, and they are not paid to think.
:cool:

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Originally posted here by idmismatch
Just a few thoughts:
* Writing to an NTFS volume isn't bug free. I'll mount an NTFS fs read only, but that's it!
* Watching DVDs. I don't have a TV, and as we all know SuSE (et al) won't play DVDs by default.
* Video editing. Not everyone just has porn videos, some people want to edit stuff they're recorded with their little camcorder. Now, I don't have a camcorder so I don't know if there are any issues with this, but if there are....

The newest incarnation of any OS generally has enough drivers to keep you happy. Windows does have the problem that you're expected to reboot *far* too often, but we're used to it! Unless you're running a server this won't cripple you.

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Just a few more:


No Software is bug free.


DVDs are supported right out of the SUE box, learn what you speak. The Encrypted DVDs are not allowed to be supported because it's actually against the law for some stupid reason.

Video editing:

SUSE comes with MainActor and about 5 different other video editing programs.

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Originally posted here by nightcat
I guess it's a bit strange to read for any other person.

We've got Linux defenders here who keep on thinking that Linux is being attacked. They also assume that anyone who had bad experience with Linux are good for nothing lazy bugers who can't be asked to study.

Once again, this thread is not an attack on Linux. I am sure that if there are any Linux coders in here they will unerstand this.

Gore , I know how to work with "mount" comand, I also can work with comand line :p And guess what. When I was checking suported filesystems, FAT32 wasn't among them. Now it is ;)

And if the manual on installing wireless suport were more clear, I would know what am I doing with them, so far you areright, I don't and I don't have much time to devote to this question. Wich means I won't know it for a while longer.


All the stuff I described is my experience. I'm far from complaining about it, but trying to look at it from a general user point of view.

Gore and phishphreek80 Just for one minute try sugesting that over 80% of PC users don't have an unlimited internet conection with a set monthly fee. How many of these people will be able to use the resources given by you two? Hell, around 40% of PC users stil don't have any internet access at all. What should they do?

I already mentioned this to be Linuxs limitation.

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Don't say Linux has limitations because of your own.

The resources I gave, could be PAID FOR. That's right, just like you do with Windows, they could buy a BOOK. I know this may seem odd, but a book, is a device with paper in netween. You open it and there are words there!

Windows is more popular and will probably stay because most people are too lazy to try something else. Most won't even take the time to change a password unless you beat them over the head. How many people do you see who haven't even taken the time to turn off the annoying Office paper clip?

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Originally posted here by gore
Just a few more:


No Software is bug free.


DVDs are supported right out of the SUE box, learn what you speak. The Encrypted DVDs are not allowed to be supported because it's actually against the law for some stupid reason.

Video editing:

SUSE comes with MainActor and about 5 different other video editing programs.

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Fair enough about video editing, I just assumed from earlier posts that it was a problem. Mea culpa.

Ho ho, I know DVDs are supported by SuSE, that's pretty obvious. Of course I'm talking about encrypted, I have no TV but I like to watch movies. I understand and dislike the legal reason for SuSE not decoding such stuff, and only hope that with Novell's ownership this might one day change. Until then even using lovely YaST to install packages on the OS won't let me use my PC for its secondary purpose.

As for all software being buggy... well, yes, I agree with you, but there's buggy and there's critically buggy. Actually, maybe this isn't buggy, maybe it's just plain lacking functionality. See http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/info/ntfs.html#3.2. As I choose to use NTFS it means I have to have a separate fat32 fs to share between SuSE and XP. Yes, you could say that's a fault with XP in that it can't read/write to reiserfs, but strangely enough most people won't see it that way... ;-)

Now, using books to learn Windows? Never had to, I started playing with a university PC and went from there. I'll admit I used a book when I first encounteered linux, but that was a fair while ago when things weren't quite as user friendly! All the same, if I was setting up a new type of server (like a dedicated mail server) I'd seek help first.

EDIT: No, that's a little arrogant and bullshitty of me. I've used books for NT4 Server quite a bit, and referred to a number of howtos for all sorts of linux server bits. Like I'd work out how to set up samba/ldap on my own!

One of the main reasons, that I didn't mention, Linux is gaining momentum slower than it probably should is... the Foo Fighter. No not the band but the elite who think that since they can mount a device through the command line or follow a HOW TO they are gods. So when a windows guy comes along and says they don't like linux because they can't read a drive that didn't mount for some reason by the default install and they mention that fact, the foo fighters band together and call them ****ing morons in defence of their chosen mantra. Perhaps they are FMs, but hey even the foo fighters had to figure out some basic principles on their own. Not everyone wants to dig under the OS hood for hours, like we think is fun. And THAT is where Linux fails and perhaps will NEVER catch up.

As for FREE classes... type "How to" into google: "how to mount NTFS drive in Fedora" or "NTFS How To" etc. I have been playing with an issue for days now that took about 10 minutes to get up on windows. There are 2 sides to every coin. ;)

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Originally posted here by RoadClosed
There are 2 sides to every coin. ;)

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That's what you think. I have a coin here, want to place a bet on what lands?