why do people who say linux is bad with little exception not try it?

Question

what ever happened to don't knock it till you try it?

Answer 1

People are uninformed. Lots of people don't know that there are good alternatives to the programs that they're used to using. OpenOffice (which works on Windows, Linux, and Mac) is a great alternative to Microsoft Office, and is compatible with all Microsoft Office versions. I'm a network administrator of 12 years. I like Linux. I also do not hate Microsoft nor Windows (although I do hate the Vista version of Windows). Let me give you the straight dope on Linux:



1. It's not always compatible with all hardware, so if you're buying a computer, and you're interested in Linux, then make sure that the computer you buy is 100% Linux compatible. I do not consider this to necessarily be a drawback because guess what? Mac isn't compatible with all hardware, either, but because of their business model, they can control what hardware Mac ships with.



2. I recommend Ubuntu for beginners and experts alike. They've got a fantastic wiki with an educated community documenting and answering questions on said wiki; having said that, I recommend CentOS for servers in a production environment. OpenBSD (not FreeBSD) is even bette for servers, but it isn't supported by VMware, which a lot of people are using for their servers these days. Why is OpenBSD best for servers? Two remote exploits in ten years... name one other operating system with a security track record like that. I dare you. I double-dog dare you.



3. WINE (which runs some Windows programs in Linux) is OK. But you should find that there are Open Source alternatives for 99% of what you need in Linux. In Ubuntu, the "Add/Remove Programs" has thousands of programs that you can download and install for free. Ubuntu will even keep them up-to-date for you. Even for games, there are lots of great Open Source ones out there. For example, OpenArena is a Quake 3 clone that can even join Quake 3 servers and use Quake 3 mods.



4. The first thing you want to do with a new Ubuntu system is install the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. Among other things, this gives you Flash and Quicktime. There is a video with instructions on how to do that here:

http://www.linuxjournal.com/video/playing-restricted-media-when-using-ubuntu



5. There are indeed a few things that Windows can do that Linux cannot because so many more commercial programs are available for Windows. In a business environment, the first thing you'd notice is that there is no good alternative client for Exchange. For Exchange, nothing beats Outlook. Linux's Evolution claims Exchange compatibility, but said compatibility sucks. If you needed to connect to Citrix servers, you probably couldn't to that with Linux. You cannot play Fallout 3 with WINE. Yahoo Instant messenger's voice and video features don't work with Linux (although Skype works fine). These problems are few and far between, and you can generally overcome them with a little research, an open mind, and a dash of creativity.



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My opinion about why Windows is popular is because of the Exchange issue. Exchange is popular at the workplace, therefore you need Windows to run Outlook. People use Windows at work, so they want to run Windows at home. Games are also a big factor since all the commercial PC games are mainly for Windows. Oh, and you can easily run World of Warcraft with WINE.

Answer 2

Fanboys are obnoxious, whether they're Mac-focused, Windows-focused, or Linux-focused. All operating systems have their distinct advantages and drawbacks, so it's possible that in a specific context, Linux can be "bad". For instance if you want a stable, low-vulnerability, media-oriented computer, a Mac is your best choice. You'll pay extra for it though since Apple controls the whole show, and your applications may not be compatible with other people's. Windows is by and large the most popular operating system so compatibility is pretty much guaranteed, but has numerous widely known vulnerabilities, is very prone to zero-day attacks, and tends to be a tremendous hog on system resources. Linux is by far the most versatile operating system, and can be run as a GUI or prompt-only platform (depending on version and runlevel). It requires a greater level of technical knowhow to operate though, and like Macs you may not be able to use your preferred software if there isn't a Linux version available.



Use the one that best fits your needs.

Answer 3

My guess is when the word linux comes to people head they think of command line, people who talk funny with 20 dollars words, random computer stuff they don't know about.



Although there is one good point, linux based OS does not work on all hardware.



another guess is the same reason why a lot of guys who never tried vista say it was bad. EX: Mojave experiment.



Linux-based OS has come a long way from the late 90s and even from just 5 years ago.

I mean just look at Ubuntu or Fedora. If you give that to someone, the word Linux is not even going to cross their mind at first when they try it.

If any case they might think it is a Mac, if they never seen a mac.

Answer 4

The only reason that Windows is so popular is the good old human trait not to accept change. If you have a working system you tend to stay with it. Linux unfortunately got a lot of bad press in the early days and people still remember that. I have a programme called Hyper O/S, there is a new cheaper version out now. With this you can have multiple operating systems on one machine. I know someone who has Vista, Win 7 Beta, Ubuntu, Red Hat D S L and Windows 95 for his old games. If people would take a chance they might be pleasantly surprised.

Answer 5

The pirates, virus authors and gamers seek hardware what gives the feeling of a sleek toy. Look for the convergence of eyeglasses with the cell phone, Windows12, pressure-sensitive underwear, iPod, and a television into a single appliance commodity. By then, 'Made in China' will include Microsoft-embedded hardware.



I personally hope they add the shredded aluminum tassels to the ends of the goggles, much like those we added to our bike handles.

Answer 6

Those people are stupid. They probably don't even know where to download it from or how to use an ISO file or boot off a CD. If they even got that far they probably were too stupid to use it and said it sucks.



They would sooner put up with an unstable system their feeble minds can use than a stable secure one they are too dumb to use.

Answer 7

Linux is bad for people that like gaming. Linux is bad for people that are not good with computers.



Those are facts.

Answer 8

I feel sorry for anyone who uses windows, I feel even more sorry for anyone who has deluded themselves into believing that they actually like it.



Lets say Microsoft (windows) and Open source developers (unix) both have a mouse (security) problem in their house (OS). Microsoft fixes this problem by killing every mouse it can find, Open source developers fix it by finding the hole they are coming in and closing it.

Answer 9

Use Ubuntu, it is the most easiest to use (I use it) and its the most user friendly and is very popular right now. If you use Opensuse you m ight get a bad taste in your mouth.

Answer 10

it is the same with vista