OT: I won't be switching to Vista
OK, this has nothing to do with my blog, but a lot of sites have been writing about Windows Vista, and I'm getting a bit tired of it.
Here's my take: I won't upgrade to Vista unless I am absolutely forced to do so.
Microsoft products in general are expensive, bloated, buggy and prone to security flaws. This is true of Word, Internet Explorer, Windows and more. I use XP simply because it's on my computer here at work and I'm forced to do so. But I love the Mac OS and Linux much more. And when I can, I ditch the Microsoft product for open-source products like AbiWord, OpenOffice, Firefox and much more.
Compared to open source apps, Microsoft products are horrible. So why is everyone so eager to switch? Coolness factor is one reason -- people love being early adopters -- but I think ultimately it comes down to how many people are using it, and how many apps are written for the OS. That's how Microsoft always wins out, and will for a while now.
Someday, they will fall, and I believe Linux is what will do it, not Apple, simply because of Linux's open-source nature. It will belong to the people, and eventually people will want that.
Until then, we'll use what we're forced to use, I guess.
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11 comments:
c'mon ... give in ... you know you want to! :)
Way to stick it to the man! You're so awesome. Open Source is totally awesome dude. I will DIGG this page a million times while I install Linux on my PSP because it's awesome.
Thanks ... the man needs some stickin' anyways.
you shouldn't diss something without giving it a try. vista actually has a number of things that are pretty useful and pretty cool.
This is coming from a long-time Linux user: Windows is still better for many things. I have Linux installed on all my servers, but when it comes to multimedia and games, Linux really doesn't cut it. Gaming is slow and not well-supported (unless you're lucky to find a native game), there's no support for my digital camera's raw image format, playing DVDs is a pain, software can take hours to install hunting for wierd lines of code you didn't know existed...
IMO, Linux isn't ready for anything that needs a monitor attached, but I LOVE it for my servers.
@linux user: you're right, for the most part, but i wasn't speaking about today ... i was taking a longer view. linux can't beat windows today, but it's getting better all the time, and the more people who use it the more programming will be done for it.
you have to admit that compared to 5 years ago, linux is MUCH easier to use, much more user-friendly, with a much better selection of games. and as Microsoft continues its strong-arm tactics, like DRM to take one example, more people will get sick of it and choose the open source solution.
that being said, i disagree a little with some of what you say. i haven't had any problems using linux on my desktop, with dvds or multimedia. and downloading software, for me, has actually been a lot easier than windows. but it's far from perfect ... as is windows.
in fact, if you look at the disadvantages of windows, instead of just the disadvantages of linux, there's a long list. security problems, for one. expensiveness, for another. bugs and crashes and just bad programming. awkward user interface. the list is very long.
I have high hopes for Linux, but Linux and many open source apps have a long way to go before they ever become viable on the desktop.
Like you, I will only switch to Vista when I have to. No sooner. But I'm not holding my breath for a Linux desktop.
Linux simply is not ready for the masses on the desktop. While some opensource apps are good enough, most aren't. Most have just as many bugs as any other software, including MS's. Vista is a great operating system. I use it right next to my linux box and I like both for their strengths. You should really think these things through more because you sound like a fanboy bashing microsoft.
Thanks for the comments, guys. I did expect to get flamed a little about this, which is fine. There are a lot of people who feel strongly about this issue either way, despite it being an inconsequential issue.
As for being closed-minded about Windows, you might be right. But it's the result of two decades of very bad operating systems from Microsoft ... which admittedly have been getting slightly better over time, but unfortunately much more bloated. So, if my mind's closed, Microsoft closed it for me. You can only be burned by a company so many times.
If Linux supported all my cool games I'd be using it right now. Alas, it doesn't. Plus, last time I tried installing Linux it didn't recognize most of my hardware. So until Linux can auto-detect anything and not require me to modify text files and write kernel code just to get the OS installed, I'll have to go with Windows. I *AM* rooting for Linux though.
Hi Chinedu, thanks for the comment. You're right, Linux does have a ways to go and is far from a perfect option right now. I like it a lot, but it's not for everybody, at least for now.
My comment was mainly based on the trends of OSes like Linux, Windows and Mac ... Linux is becoming better at a much faster rate than the other two, if you track their improvements over time. I believe this is because of its open nature, and I believe that will be a key factor in the future. It may take a few years or more, though.
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