Here is my thoughts on where linux is...

high_ping

While not really driver related, I thought I would post some personal thoughts on linux.

I am a member of a local lug (linux users group), nlug to be exact (nashville linux users group). With the help of a few others we have started to put together a newbies lug as part of nlug. With that said, here are my thoughts...

It seems that with Windows, Microsoft has really done a terrific job by making everything from purchasing, installing, troubleshooting and upgrading so easy for the end user that it really is a no brainer for your average computer user. Until linux gets all of that done and done well, they will still only have 5-10% of the market. I think that the latest versions of just about all distros have come a long way in making this easy, but they are not marketing it at all to the end user. They continue to go after the corporations and mid size businesses. With my latest install of SuSE linux 8.0, I chose to install with all the basics that a newbie would pick just to see how it would go, and within 20 minutes I was totally installed and was looking at the new KDE 3.0...beautiful! I wanted to start playing around in the menu and did so by going to the control panel and checking things out, like adding a piece of hardware, my printer which is on a Windows 2000 Advanced Server. I clicked on the add printer icon and up came a selection...I chose to add a printer from a network share (aka smb) and bam!, all drivers and settings were installed just like that. Just like Windows! I also did the same with a scanner (which is a win98 only scanner attached to my son's box), again choosing a smb scanner and off it goes!

OK, let's check out how to install software...I clicked on the add/remove software icon and did a search for scanner software, I picked the one I liked and bam!, installed! I needed to get rid of ssh and install openssh due to a recent security issue, I unchecked ssh and checked openssh and bam!, again...no issues!

I think that linux has come a long way since I started with it just last year and "we" the linux users really need to help push the average user towards it for it to continue to grow.

On a personal note, I really would like to thank Andrew275, Ratchet and Chicane-Uk for getting me "hooked" on such a fun OS.

'ping

UberLord

Great summary

I'd just like to add that Game Support needs to be much better. How many Linux users just have Windows on their PC to play games? I know I do (and some work when working at home)

I mean, take a good look at UT and Quake3. The Linux version have been proven to work faster than their Windows counterparts. And its not like the code isn't that hard to port - provided its been written for OpenGL.

Better Games on Linux will mean much more users who use their PC solely for gaming and have no need to upgrade to the latest and greatest (apparently) OS from MicroShaft

high_ping

Which makes you wonder why Loki went bankrupt...

UberLord

Well, the problem there was they brought out the Linux ports 6 months after initial game release. Everyone who wanted the game had already bought it!

Now, if they have simultainous release dates, then I don't think they would have gone under.....

CU_Penquin

Hello


Ive been a Mandrake user since Sept of 2001. Ive used Nvidia stuff for about three years. I find that Mandrake is prolly about the easiest for me to use so far. (yes Ive done an ftp download of SuSe 7.2 i think). Ill hang around here and see if there is anything I can add.

The first thing I would like to post is Texstars website: http://www.pclinuxonline.com


He does good work.



The other site is http://www.mandrakeuser.org ! Not only do they have Mandrake specific help...but you can find solutions to everyday Linux questions. Just do a search on posts and you'll find someone who has stumbled up on similar problems.


Hope they help ppl's

The Penquin

Zardon

thanks for the links penguin

sinjin

i love how one can download distros of nix...but someone needs to go a step further to reach those people without a large pipe...perhaps something like those free 100000 hours of aol cds that you see everywhere? probably not very feasible nor an original idea, but releasing an install cd for a short limited time or with the purchase of a mouse pad might draw some people towards the penguin.

btw, i've been using suse nix on my notebook for 3yrs come august.

daniel

making bootable linux cds, not installation cds, and spreading them around might be
an interesting project. putting together a distro that runs off a cd, to show off
the recent development in linux would be interesting. boot it up with kde3 and all that
user friendly stuff off the cd loaded into ramdisk, but no installation, just a bootable
linux distro that runs off a cd with limited features of course. designed to let people
check out the linux environment without making an initial commitment. in these kindof
forums you hear about people who want to try out linux all the time. it's the time,
difficulty, and potential data loss that prevents windows users from even attempting
the switch, even if they think the linux alternative might be better.

i may have just found a project...

daniel

UberLord

Your gonna have a stab at making bootable linux CD's without installing? Cool
Lemmie know how you go and I'll help try em out

Nikademus

If all the games were developped for Linux and (eventually) for Windows, I would have wiped out m$ out of my hdd. Games are the only thing that makes me keep m$.