What are your thoughts on Linux?

jesusphreak

I'm currently running a live-CD version of Ubuntu. Its a nice little OS, but I'm not sure I'd want to use it all the time. That being said, I think I like it more than Windows, although the lack of certain things (like gaming) isn't so nice.

How do you feel about Linux, primarily on the desktop? I was wanting to get a Mac Mini, but not so much now. Main thing I hate about Linux is the crappy fonts.

bshultz

I've been using Linux since whenever RedHat 5.0 first came out... 1998 maybe? More recently, I gave Ubuntu a try and was quickly hooked. 5.10 does have a few slight annoyances, but overall it's damn nice. On the font front: with Ubuntu, the MS core fonts are a quick "apt-get" away. I've never been into computer gaming, so that's not a bother. Really, the only program from Windows that I'd really like to have, is Photoshop.

Crypt

i love ubuntu. it's my second native OS behind Mac OSX

aloicious

+1 ubuntu fan, and +1 lack of adobe suite sadness :(

lech

I like *nix in general due to the power it gives you in terms of servers and other services. The only thing I truely dislike is the way in how hardware is treated. It just boggles my mind a bit to have to dig into a folder just to reach an attached device and that to me just doesn't make too much sense. Given it's come a long way, I still think nix in general has a little way to go before the mainstream considers it as a desktop alternative. I'm currently running gentoo a friend set up for me, and it's brilliant. I just think there's so much that should be done to eliminate the need to have to jump through a dozen hoops just to get a couple of services running.

Bergamot

While I'm usually anti-linux on the desktop, I recently installed Ubuntu and was impressed. Whether the credit lies with the Ubuntu devs, or the Gnome devs, I have no idea. I suspect it was a little of both.

Kosmo

I honestly think that as far as computers go off the quiet task of serving, Linux sucks balls and is easily the worst OS out there, I would prefer Win 95 over any Linux out there.

Mark

Linux is pure utility for me. I only ever use Debian and I never use Linux GUI's - it's always command prompt and the classically useful Midnight Commander. Debian is awesome because it works, it's relatively easy to install, upgrading is a breeze, the support community (and documentation) is awesome, and it never goes down. It took a while to get used to administering a Debian server, but in all honesty it's almost made my life too easy. I would never go back to a Windows server again.

DigitaLink

My (only) home PC runs ONLY linux. Has for over a year now, dual-booting before that to appease my wife. (Who now has XP in VMWare if she needs it.) I'm running PCLOS, and it takes everything I throw at it and keeps on chugging. Just wish I could run it at work. I'm just not as productive in Windows. Simple things like file transfer are just cake with Konqueror as opposed to firing up FTP clients. And being able to open/save files on remote sites as if they were local/LAN is just fabulous. I occasionally forget in Windows and try the same ... only to get error messages. Linux is NOT for everyone, and it's not going to be any time terribly soon. But it gets closer every year. It's major downfall is lack of compatibility with the hordes of software made for Windows combined with hardware makers that either won't make drivers OR won't make specs available for someone else to build them. But hey, my iPod shuffle worked on first connect to my linux box without having to install oodles of Apple software ... a process which takes the better part of 15 minutes on Windows. :P Windows is SO far behind linux in out of the box experience it isn't funny. If linux had something like ndiswrapper for ALL hardware instead of just wireless drivers, man it would kick butt!! Oh yeah, and my 1.4GHz Sempron64 with 1GB ram running linux GENERALLY outperforms XP on a P4 3.2GHz HT with 1.5GB ram on the same apps. (Almost everything I use day to day is cross-platform!!) Some audio encoding DOES run faster on the P4 box ... but I think that's more processor related than OS related.

Kosmo

Even tho I use Winnie as my main platform, it's heavily modified, since I don't like Winnies basic tools, I use Blackbox for shell and Total Commander as my "explorer" so that windows resource hog explorer.exe doesn't run and fuck up my day. Notepad has been changed in to notepad2 and few other applications have had to say goodbye. Only thing I haven't found is a good replacement for command console, I would die for a *nix shell type console/terminal/shell what I could use for ruby commands and running the webrick server. I propably should setup Lightie on the Linux box here at work, but I'm lazy and this is enough for me right now, maybe later when I start to really pound away some RoR software.

DigitaLink

I've seen a few Windows boxes with Exploder replaced with Blackbox. You almost can't tell it's Windows underneath - and you get away from Explorer security holes. Should be interesting to see how KDE4 runs on Windows. A port to Win/OSX is planned for version 4. Having a KDE environment with no Internet Exploder and the ability to run Windows apps might be computing panacea for many. I know I'd have to think pretty hard about trying it myself.

Kosmo

If KDE comes to Winnie I'll be happy as pig, KDE is pretty solid and KDE is the only one I use when I'm in Linux. Now if I could just get a kick ass terminal all would be cool.

comforteagle

one tower on Ubuntu, 2 servers running fedora (which I hate), two running debian. lappy running osx, but getting away from using the lappy much.

I guess I like Linux!

Kosmo

Are you building a religion? Funny thing, when I read your comment, the comfort eagle started to play on my foobar2000 :D

comforteagle

Kosmo: I know about your party. They're calling me dude.

Inside joke.

DigitaLink

If ... WHEN KDE comes to Windows, you'll have plenty of terminals to choose from I'd think. It'd make for interesting times ... like what if Apple created Aqua for Windows. It would be all sorts of Exploder-less fun! That's it, all OS's should be made modular so you can stick any UI on them you want. Myself, while I love linux and all, I think it'd be cool if you could buy Windows without the Explorer shell ... so you'd have the kernel and basic things needed to run Windows apps ... but put any UI on top - be it blackbox, Gnome, KDE, Aqua, xfce, whatever! Maybe the DOJ can help out ... ROFLMAO.

lech

I'm pretty much on the fence with KDE, in one hand I tend to hate most of the annoying as hell features associated with it, but on the other hand, some of the apps are truely a joy to work with. When it's released, I'd love to poke around and see what major changes they've made to KDE as a whole before I can give a substantiated opinion of it.

Bergamot

GNOME 4 life, foo

comforteagle

lech & Bergamot,

gnome vs kde: heh!

jos

I'm sold on http://www.pcbsd.org/ Freebsd seems like fun to work with.

ithcy

kosmo
I would die for a *nix shell type console/terminal/shell what I could use for ruby commands and running the webrick server.

cygwin has plenty of shells