Are you happy with linux?

l33tunderground · 2007-05-27 19:59:58

Hey everyone, I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, but I felt like asking since I'm learning how to do some OS development; are you happy with linux? There are definitely multiple ways to identify 'happy' like whether or not it does just what you want, etc. But let's see what people think!

I personally am happy with linux from the standpoint that it does pretty much whatever I want it to do. Yeah, there's definitely some work that is involved with certain tasks, but I feel like it does the job very well. However, I am also unhappy with linux from the standpoint of where it seems to be going (partially a reason why I choose to continue development on Arch). It seems like there are so many linux clones out there that pretty much do the same thing as all the others and all they do is copy eachother. Now that's fine I suppose, but in my experience it leads to a lot of distro hopping where "Well, maybe X linux has something that Y linux doesn't" or "It'll be easier to do Z on X vs Y" until eventually you realize that you can do almost anything on the older distros of linux with some work. Unfortunately, by that point, if you aren't completely for Linux/dislike of other OS's it can be very disconcerting for the whole linux experience. Additionally it seems like distros are MASSIVE recently. A default Ubuntu install that I did took up something like 10-20 GB of space (according to the properties dialog under right click), when what it seemed to me that was so cool about linux was that you could install it on anything. Meanwhile, my windows partition was only 2-5 GB (at least that's what it told me it was) so it seems like, even though Linux has fewer security and lock up errors... a lot of new additions to linux are just trying to make it like windows, but only windows is windows so linux would always be behind. IMO, some linux's aren't blazing a new trail like before, it's like they've blazed a trail into a curve then fallen into a rut left by another OS. That's one of the reasons why I chose Arch and why I'm starting into some OS development of my own **Rant off**

Husio · 2007-05-27 20:13:29

Yes. I also have OS X on second partition and no idea why, I'm using only linux

ataraxia · 2007-05-27 20:52:33

I'm very happy with most Linuxes on the server front - I find it equal to the BSDs and Solaris, and ahead of everything else.

On the desktop side, I prefer OS X, but not by much.

I definitely agree that "only windows is windows so linux would always be behind" when Linux OSs try to imitate Windows. How can you win a comparison when the definition of success *is* your competitor?

Kermit · 2007-05-27 21:54:53

Yes I'm happy with my little, sweet Arch ... Oh, I'm sorry for that

Linux is perfect for me, but it isn't perfect in ever domain. Some things have to be solved in other way. But, how I said - Linux is perfect for me, I can do everything what I want without any problems (.. maybe sometimes I have to look to Wiki or to man).

My opinion is subjective because I don't use MacOS X

Kermit.

Ruckus · 2007-05-28 08:36:00

I love Linux, but its not for everyone (yet). Ubuntu does seem to be making strides in the right direction tho.

I personally despise windows, and have never used a mac.

onearm · 2007-05-28 08:55:16

I'm perfectly happy with linux, especially arch obviously. I think that the whole "linux is better/worse than.." is pointless because it is completely different from windows or osx; linux is like the lego of the os, many distros, many programs, surely more confusing at first, but with the pro that you can do anything in at least two ways, which put linux inherently above any other os.
Who would have thought two years ago that linux would have become more beautiful than windows/osx? Beryl/Compiz with the right gtk/qt theme win hands down against the microsoft/apple creations in this area. More, if you don't like something in one of the closed source os, you are pretty much screwed until the developers decide to change it (given that they change as you want and not as they want, and after waiting for the next version of the os which could come 2-3 or more years after the one you bought, forcing you to use something you don't like through all this time).

With linux you can simply change distro, wait for a new kernel (which doesn't take an year to come out) or at the worst, you can change it yourself or talk with the developers themselves to propose what you think should change.

Linux is what you make of it.

Mikko777 · 2007-05-28 09:02:49

Yeah I'm pretty happy with Linux, despise Macs and BSD but not windows

Imho there are too many Distros and fragmented developement of similar apps. I would like to see lot more of Compiz+Beryl like mergers in future. Although some ppl seem to think that competition is good between various projects and distros but I feel alot more could be accomplished with cooperation / teamwork.

mucknert · 2007-05-28 10:24:19

I never got the Linux Vs. *BSD Attitude. They all do more or less the same thing: they provide good Operating-Systems for free-as-in-speech-and-beer use that even happen to work alike (to varying degrees). It is beyond me why people wage this war on any other level than that of the technological facts because, after all, Linux and the BSDs are nothing less than Brothers-in-Arms and only the technological approaches should be debated upon. On the other hand, people love to be fanboys and tend to reflect far less than what would be good for them.

On a lighter note, Linux (*BSD, Solaris, ...) is right for _some_ people but definately not for all Computer-Users. For me, Linux is perfect. It does what I want it to do and that's that. And if I ever happen to be unhappy with something I can do a lot of things to fix it for me. You can't do that with proprietary software.

nikron · 2007-05-28 16:09:44

Entirely, except flash is a bit flaky under Arch

Phlosten · 2007-05-29 06:22:18

In terms of something *I* am happy with, I am happy with Linux. It does everything I need so it is great. My only real complaint is having to deal with the vast majority of people that have no understanding that there are alternatives, and not just Linux either. We have Windows, Linux, Unix, BSD, OSX, Solaris, Minix and there are others. Choose the best tool for the job.

oli · 2007-05-29 08:55:55

Don't why people are using closed-source crap apart from the job. I'm using FreeBSD, if I'm in need for a Linux I certainly wouldn't go without Arch (laptop for example). I like variety, but open-sourced variety only

Kenetixx · 2007-05-29 09:11:35

I love Linux and am happy with it, the biggest thing for me is Games. I will always need a Windows HDD for gaming , and now DX10 is out it will slow down the progress of development for games to be run under Nix. But for everyday stuff i use Linux.

deficite · 2007-05-30 00:47:37

I'm very satisfied with Linux. My only complaints don't have to do with Linux, but instead have to do with a lot of the userspace programs out there.

scarney · 2007-05-30 02:10:56

Mikko777 wrote:

Yeah I'm pretty happy with Linux, despise Macs and BSD but not windows
Imho there are too many Distros and fragmented developement of similar apps. I would like to see lot more of Compiz+Beryl like mergers in future. Although some ppl seem to think that competition is good between various projects and distros but I feel alot more could be accomplished with cooperation / teamwork.

i am with Mikko777. well said!.

i will add however. i would like to see better gaming support. if i could play HL2/dod:s on linux, out of the box, so to speak. i would be in os heaven! 8)

Last edited by scarney (2007-05-30 04:46:40)

kano · 2007-05-30 02:42:51

I'm more than happy with Linux. It does everything I want, other than play a few games. (The one I care about the most works near perfect under wine, but a native linux client would be nice )

I have a mac laptop, and personally... I prefer Linux to OS X >.> I would probably recommend a mac with OS X to my parents or less 'geeky' friends over Linux, though. My laptop would have Arch on it, if it wasn't for it being an old school PPC processor

Fatsobob · 2007-05-30 02:51:43

I am very happy with linux. I have windoze just for a few specific apps that do not emulate well and I don't have enough ram to do vbox on well. Dual boot though, so not pure windozer.

madeye · 2007-05-30 19:04:46

I'm really happy with running linux on the majority of my computers. There are only few things I need windows for, and there are fewer and fewer of these as time passes.
My work with linux however has also had a side effect. I'm nowhere near as patient with my windows anymore whenever I'm forced to boot it up. Is that a bad thing though?

I'm also working on getting my folks to use linux instead of windows. They only need a computer for email, surfing and banking. So there should be no problem there. They are open minded towards the idea. Besides I am responsible for keeping their computer running, and they don't care what OS is used, as long as it works.

One thing that I find to be amusing is people who go out of their way criticizing and saying that linux can't be used for anything, then turn around and boot up an illegal copy of windows. If they don't like linux, they could at least buy a license for the software they use!

jasonc221 · 2007-06-01 17:35:57

I am NOT happy with Linux.

I have used Linux for 7 years or so for running my servers at home and for that Linux is great. It costs nothing, has outrageous uptimes, and is easy to upgrade/maintain. I have run Linux on my desktop off and on for the same amount of time and each time I walk away disappointed. I *just* bought a new Mac Pro after my computer crapped out on me. Before I did, I tried Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Arch on the desktop and decided Linux was not yet ready.

Why? This answer may be more touchy-feely than many would like, but it's the only way I know to describe how I feel. I'm a programmer by trade, and a geek at heart. I do truly enjoy tinkering with things. I would rate my skill on the command line at above-average to advanced. But by GOD, sometimes when I come home from work my brain is just fried. The last thing I want to do is boot up my computer and have to solve some problem just to listen to some music or sync my music player or watch something on YouTube.

This is what has kept me away from Linux on the desktop: the need to tweak every little thing just to get a desktop that does what you want when you want it. I don't want to worry about syncing my sound daemons so that I can play a game and listen to a song at the same time. I don't want to think about whether an application is using GTK+ or QT. I want my music application to know that I'm using a certain sound daemon, I shouldn't have to tell it. A new version of GAIM just got released, why can't I use it? What do you mean my distro has to re-package it? Isn't that the GAIM developer's job? There's HOW many packaging systems? Hey wait... why do I have to upgrade my entire system just because GAIM wants to use the latest and greatest glibc?

I could go on and on. The bottom line is there's too many options and the work falls on the user too often.

I think Linux will be ready for the desktop when the Linux Standards Base comes further along and the various projects start syncing up on their libraries and also start using abstraction libraries (ie: compile against gui abstraction, get naitive look and feel for both GTK+ and QT).

Right now, server = LINUX YES! desktop = LINUX NO!

oli · 2007-06-01 18:11:24

I don't want to think about ...

I don't want to think at all, but the UNIX-daemons don't let me do it

I think Linux will be ready for the desktop

No offence, just be happy with your MAC. Linux/BSD will never be ready for *your* desktop, it's my desktop since the 90s, it's the desktop for legions of people out there since a decade. UNIX is the work horse, the desktop for lot of people since the 70s and 80s. In the end it's just impossible to be everybody darling.
The new OS, MacOS X, killed "my desktop" at the 90s. My precious desktop was a Quadra AV (680x0 CPU) and System7.

Isn't that the GAIM developer's job?

Be happy there is someone out there who is even considering porting an open-source application for MacOS.

Open-source is do ut des, I give you something, because you'll give me something back. Considering this easy rule will help you to find your very own desktop within open-source.

Last edited by oli (2007-06-01 18:11:43)

thorstenhirsch · 2007-06-01 18:41:22

I'm so glad I can use linux at home! Yes, really!
At work I must use windows, but the 3rd party software is breaking the whole system: anti-virus scanner here, buggy software there, every program comes with its own look'n'feel, every week there's a new top10 in your favorite magazine, telling you that there's a new best software for everything, it's really a pain in the ass. But you can't go without it, because windows is only a naked operating system without 3rd party software. Sometimes I think that you need to love drugs when using windows - you can't live without them, but you know that they're your dead.
At home, I can relax, because I use linux.

jasonc221 · 2007-06-01 18:41:33

Be happy there is someone out there who is even considering porting an open-source application for MacOS.

I don't use GAIM on my Mac. I was referring to using GAIM on a Linux distro. The GAIM developers, great guys that they are, simply can't provide a package for every distro.

ataraxia · 2007-06-01 18:58:19

I also prefer OS X on the desktop, just not by as wide a margin. I think Arch makes a really nice desktop, but my Mac makes a slightly better one

KerowynM · 2007-06-02 02:55:32

I can't comment on Mac software, all I know is they sell inferior hardware at inflated prices. That's enough for me to stay away.

Happy with linux? Happier then with M$ software that's for certain! I started in they days when a GUI meant some fancy curses programming, and a mouse was still something your wife shrieked at while jumping on a stool. A powerful command line was not a bonus, it was a necessity. When I first got a PC, Windows wasn't even at 3.0 yet, it was v2.something, and I was forced to learn DOS. It gave me fits, how limited I felt. Things didn't get any better as Windows grew up and took over the machine, either. Luckily back then all I used my PC for was to connect to the network as a dumb terminal to my UNIX anyway Else I may have had a heart attack.

So long as my GUI is optional and I have a commandline worth using, I'm happy. Systems come and go, it's the concepts that are important. If it's not linux, it will be BSD or the next one after that.

Kenetixx · 2007-06-02 03:30:46

Its good to use linux at home after spending 90 % of my time on a Winbox at work. At work we use Linux, Solarias, Win 2000/XP we did have a few macs but i got rid of that crap as soon as i got premoted in my position (i dont know why ppl say they are good). Linux has come along way over the last 5 years and is loooking pretty solid where it is. I really cant see Linux replacing windows as it would be to costly to do so, maybe 20 years time, who knows.

twiistedkaos · 2007-06-02 08:08:16

I am quite happy with linux, havn't had windows installed on my machine for years now. I only use linux, I suppose I am more or less "use" to it now . When I first started using linux, I always dual-booted with windows because I needed certain applications from windows. But once I found replacements for my windows applications on linux, bye Windows went. I am very happy with my linux experience, and am pleased with Arch

Arch Linux

#1 2007-05-27 19:59:58

Are you happy with linux?

#2 2007-05-27 20:13:29

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#3 2007-05-27 20:52:33

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#4 2007-05-27 21:54:53

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#5 2007-05-28 08:36:00

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#6 2007-05-28 08:55:16

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#7 2007-05-28 09:02:49

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#8 2007-05-28 10:24:19

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#9 2007-05-28 16:09:44

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#10 2007-05-29 06:22:18

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#11 2007-05-29 08:55:55

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#12 2007-05-29 09:11:35

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#13 2007-05-30 00:47:37

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#14 2007-05-30 02:10:56

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#15 2007-05-30 02:42:51

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#16 2007-05-30 02:51:43

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#17 2007-05-30 19:04:46

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#18 2007-06-01 17:35:57

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#19 2007-06-01 18:11:24

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#20 2007-06-01 18:41:22

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#21 2007-06-01 18:41:33

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#22 2007-06-01 18:58:19

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#23 2007-06-02 02:55:32

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#24 2007-06-02 03:30:46

Re: Are you happy with linux?

#25 2007-06-02 08:08:16

Re: Are you happy with linux?

Board footer