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here are some very interesting alternative solutions to work with linux and
windows on the same scree
at the same time!
http://computerboom.blogspot.com/200...d-windows.html
"msdos622wasfun" <> wrote in message
news:Un8bl.18338$...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I've seen a fair amount of definite friction in here between the
> resident Vista supporters and Ubuntu supporters. Me, I have them both
> installed on my main system, and I dual-boot between them (although I
> admit, Vista is my primary OS).
>
> When you think about it, the OS and/or platform wars are a little
> silly. At least, they are when they become overly heated and inflamed
> (but I admit, it makes for some great, entertaining reading material).
> But at the very least, there should be *some* debate, because I think
> it's an important issue, and we need to get to the core truth so that
> we as technical experts know what to recommend to others and can give
> proper advice.
>
> I really want to be as open-minded as I can -- that's why I experiment
> with Linux, and I also own an iMac.
>
> Working with Linux is pretty interesting. It seems very powerful,
> sophisticated, flexible, and secure. Not to mention stable -- I don't
> recall it ever crashing on me and then presenting me with something
> similar to the Blue Screen of Death in Windows. Ubuntu seems to have
> practically everything a person needs in order to do their
> general-purpose computing, and the 3-D Compiz Fusion desktop effects
> are a delight. Ease of use has come a long way -- when I plug in my
> portable USB hard drive, it's recognized right away, mounted
> automatically, and an icon for it appears on the desktop. Malware?
> You don't really have to worry about it that much, if it all. There's
> also this intangible "fun" factor that I sense, because it seems like
> I'm in charge of everything that's going on with my machine -- I can
> stay on the surface where it's safe if I want, or I can get my hands
> dirty and dig down deep into the nuts and bolts of the system.
>
> But it's the ... well, shall we say, "challenges" that one encounters
> with Linux that are hard to avoid and be tolerant of. In my case, when
> I recently decided to put Linux back onto my system and dual-boot
> between it and Vista, it took multiple attempts at finding a
> distribution that worked properly without issues and snafus. I went
> from Ubuntu, to Kubuntu, to PCLinuxOS, to Mandriva, and then back to
> Ubuntu again until I was finally successful. Installing the Nvidia
> driver so that my 9800 GTX video card would be properly utilized was a
> bit more of a stressful and troublesome undertaking than it was in
> Vista. (And the FIRST time that I ever ventured into Linux several
> years ago, it was the same deal -- a lengthy hunt for a distro that
> worked for me until I finally settled with Fedora, and even then it
> definitely wasn't perfect.)
>
> Installing applications is another typical scenario. Yes, in many
> cases all you have to do is visit the Synaptic Package Manager or the
> Add/Remove Applications utility, do a quick search, click one or more
> checkboxes, and then you're essentially done. But then there are those
> cases where you have to extract the *source code* to the application
> you want to install, and then compile it, and then hope that you aren't
> missing a bunch of different dependencies in order for it to actually
> work (which has happened to me). I was, however, finally successful at
> accomplishing this, so now I can proudly say that I know how it's done.
> This effort that is required, though, might be a turn-off for some
> people.
>
> Recently I tried to watch a DVD in Ubuntu, but then I discovered that
> it doesn't support DVD playback by default (and based on my research, I
> assume no Linux distro does, but I could be wrong). This is something
> that I take for granted in Windows. Of course, I am aware that it can
> be made to work -- you just have to Google the issue and follow the
> proper steps. And I don't want to unjustifiably criticize Linux in
> this regard, because as I understand it, there are philosophical and
> technical reasons why the Linux platform doesn't allow you to do this
> out of the box. But again, I have the feeling that these types of
> "barriers" might be some of the reasons why a person might choose the
> plug-and-play nature of proprietary Windows over the free, open-source
> values and appeal of Linux.
>
> Then there are other potential problems ... the cryptic nature of some
> of the certain aspects of the OS come to mind. After all, I think, for
> example, that it can be argued that the vi editor is not as intuitive
> as the Edit utility that you can launch from the Windows command-line.
> And the directory structure -- ordinary users might not understand why
> folders are named "/usr" and "/etc" instead of something
> self-explanatory like "Program Files." Furthermore, "mounting" drives
> might seem more intimidating and confusing than the alphabetical
> concept of drive A, drive C, drive D, etc.
>
> And Vista ... heck, I'm not going to say that it's perfect, or the best
> thing since sliced bread, or the best OS that Microsoft has ever
> released. But for the most part, I've been happy using it. Have I
> ever run into problems? Yes -- I've seen the BSOD a few times on
> certain rare occasions, and I've encountered a few bugs. UAC can get
> in the way sometimes. And some of the design changes seem arbitrary.
> I mean, when you want to delete a file in Windows Explorer, you do, of
> course, have several options -- dragging to the Recycle Bin,
> right-clicking, or pressing Delete on your keyboard. The new
> "Organize" menu is also now at our disposal, which I guess Microsoft
> thought would be the most consistent, logical, and self-evident means
> of doing basic file manipulation. But then, why would they remove the
> ability for the user to put custom icons on the toolbar? After all,
> personally, that's what I did back when I was using Windows XP -- I put
> a Delete icon there, and I found it to be a very useful shortcut.
> Maybe they'll bring this back in Windows 7.
>
> But, despite some of these headaches, Vista -- for me -- works *most*
> of the time. It runs my software and devices, lets me do the things I
> want to do with my PC, looks pretty, and allows for some great gaming
> with DirectX 9 and 10.
>
> I apologize for this lengthy article, because I know this mainly is a
> newsgroup for discussing general Vista problems. I just wanted to shed
> some light on the Vista/Ubuntu struggle and make some sense out of it
> via my own personal experiences.
>
> All in all, I just hope that all consumer OSes continue to get better
> and better. When Microsoft tries to improve upon Vista with Windows 7
> and the developers of Ubuntu (and Linux in general) try to incorporate
> features that make it more appealing to the masses, then we can all
> benefit.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Erich K.
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