www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

If Vista was a Performance Power jigsaw that would make Linux a complete "top brands" tool range. Sure it's a steep learning curve but the gains are in you and the quality from this tool is awesome. It's free to download and distros like Mandriva offer a user friendly interface, and then, way more progs than you would ever get with a Winedows o/s.

If you like hand tooling your own software and bespoke hardware interfaces Linux can do it. If you like the Auto point and click system its as massive as John Holmes on a hot day at Madame Raras Shagorama and Hootchie Palace.

Its a serious bit of kit and does all my CAD, 3D, Office stuff, Internet, Db etc. The best tools for the best work.

Well... thats my tu'penny ha'peny farthing worth anyway.

I have used Linux on some of the servers that this site is on and it is always damn good software, plus most of it is free

many web based applications will not work on windows servers, but most of them work on linux.

I like it, but I still have windows on my home pc's

I agree ultimatehandyman. The best tool for the job is the one you like using. I mainly use Linux for everything but have a couple of dual boot windoze harddrives somewhere, just in case.

I reckon windows is in the pan myself. There are so many vunerabilities with it. 2000 pro is still the best M$ have got and then win98 SE. I now resent buying / learning software from such shilly-shally fly-by-nights when i can get the same hassles for free.

I'll give M$ & Apple their due though; They brought PCs to the mainstream markets while unix(es) progressed and evolved carefully and quietly. I think if they (M$) had introduced a lot more transparency with their O/S's and customers; expectations wouldn't be so high now. No software or hardware is ever perfect but Linux is structured to allow for this and doesn't claim to be otherwise.

Isn't there some law against goods not being fit for their purpose?

Incidently the makers of programs for unix (and its offspring Linux) have a philosophy which i'm certain you are aware of; "Each program (tool), in unix (the tool box), should only do one job and do it very well." Each program in unix is modular and can be used in any combination, with any other, to complete any job. i find this single minded philosophy works well with most other trade jobs too.

I once had a VPS account and the web interface was webmin, it was a complete pain in the butt to use and very difficult. I have a guy that does some mods on here and he is a certified webmaster and he could not use it either!

I had to buy a license and get cpanel installed, that was much easier

I've been using linux for three years, love it.. but don't recommend it to anyone. It's too hard to learn. It'd be okay if the tutorials were easy to follow like the ones for XP but they're not.
I'm having to use XP at the monent cause I can't install the drivers my camera needs for linux.

Linux is straight forward if you have a DOS or even Unix background but to someone only used to flying windows then it can be daugnting . As for tutorials - your having a laugh - Linux is developed by computer nerds they don't read manuals therefor they don't expect anyone else to read them

skiking wrote:Linux is straight forward if you have a DOS or even Unix background but to someone only used to flying windows then it can be daugnting . As for tutorials - your having a laugh - Linux is developed by computer nerds they don't read manuals therefor they don't expect anyone else to read them

Try this then!
Go to www.ubuntu.com download the latest 7.10 and copy it to a CD.
If you can't be fagged to download it then they will post you a CD for FREE, not even postage and packing, FREE

Shove it in your oldest PC - the one which will just about run Windows XP and re boot it. it will load up and run from the CD (so expect it to be a bit slow!) and will not touch anything on your hard-drive.
Have a poke about and if you like it press the "install" button.
You can even keep the evil on (Windows) on the machine and have a "dual boot" system if you are not yet convinced!

I have it here on an old P4 machine and it runs GoogleEarth and other great stuff which would need a dual core thing under Vista.

AND ITS FREE

This version of linux is non geek, and superb.

Phill