Why not switch to Linux? It's better then Windows.
Monkey Archive Forums/Digital Discussion/Why not switch to Linux? It's better then Windows.
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| As some may know I switched to Linux Mint when Windows 10 was released and find it superior in almost every way to Windows and OSX. This article from ZedNet really lays out the pluses of switching to Linux Mint and dispels some myths. http://www.zdnet.com/article/why-switch-to-windows-10-or-a-mac-when-you-can-use-linux-mint-17-3-instead/ I have always been able to catch the next big thing early on and Linux is in a position to make some inroads on Windows and OSX market share. Todays Linux (citing Linux Mint) is rock solid and game friendly. After using it for six months for development and personal use it has been a 'Joy' using it. Far better then Windows or OSX and without the data tracking and privacy invasion of Windows 10. It's freedom and it's free. I should also point out that my current Alien Phoenix project is solely developed on Linux Mint from which I can build Monkey application for both Android and the desktop. Once the dependencies (see this easy guide) are out of the way it is a breeze developing with Monkey on Linux Mint. Can't recommend it enough. |
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| Simple answer: Most of the software I bought/licensed is only available for Windows and Mac OS X. |
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| Gaming is the main reason I'm stuck with Windows. For example, I have five games currently on my Steam wishlist (I plan on buying them in March): The Witness The Division Superhot Hitman Farcry: Primal None of them offer a native Linux port. Hardware driver issues also keep Linux off my main system. I have Linux Mint 17.3 installed on several older machines and enabling wireless printer capabilities has proven impossible so far... So, no, Linux cannot completely replace Windows yet, for me. |
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| I just don't have the issues that many list. For example my Epson 'networked' NX330 prints fine and my video driver works fine and I have had no real issues related to hardware. I'm also not married to software, something I guess comes with age or maybe it's just me. From my point of view everything works great and I'm loving it. |
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| Linux Mint is really cool. I used it for a while (at the moment I am using Ubuntu Gnome). Today I don't even have Windows installed on my machine anymore. Most of the software I am using does not run on it or runs better on Linux. I tried Windows 10 in a virtual machine but the funny thing is that even native Windows games like StarCraft (BroodWar) or Age of Empires did not run on it – but these games run on Linux using Wine :) Well at least Windows 10 has got virtual Desktops (well – Linux had them since the 1990's, right?) – but I don't understand why they are colling them 'dynamic' virtual desktops, because I know dynamic virtual desktops from Gnome Shell. If you have three empty virtual desktops on Windows you have to close them manually – if all desktops are full you have to add new desktops manually – how can they call this 'dynamic'?! Also the keyboard shortcuts are counter intuitive … I really hate windows … |
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| I really hate windows … After decades of using Windows this how I feel and really more directed at MS. At the end of the day using Windows 10 at the very least is a vote for apathy. Many though feel strongly enough about privacy, control and alike to avoid it and the recent 'lets brute force users' into using Windows 10 is evidence of how off the mark MS is. Those how want to free themselves of data collection and forced control of their device will seek alternatives like Linux. The world of OS's is breaking down to Windows, Android, OSX, IOS and their controlled consumer model where the users has few options and is forced to surrender the intimate details of their lives . The only open environment for content creators is Linux where the details of your life are 'not' for sale to the highest bidder. I have had fewer issues using Linux Mint then I did with Windows 7. Which from a new Linux Mint users point of view is pretty sweet. I hear lots of accounts of this does not work or that cant happen, which in my experience is just not the case. Overall my experience with Mint has been just great. I have it running on both a desktop system (Asus/Phenom II/Radeon 5770) and an Emachines laptop and both systems have preformed solidly and any issues I have encountered were solvable with a little research (and help from my buddies here in BRL land). So if you are reading this wondering about Linux don't reject it out-of-hand when you see the standard negative comments. Give it a try for yourself and see if it is a sweet alternative to what you are using now. |
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| I´m running Mint 17.3 with Cinnamon and it´s great. I´m also in denial about some software, so I have a multi-boot system (with Windows 7) for my gaming needs, and some left over applications. I intend to move more and more to Linux though. I am uninstalling applications in Windows 7 as I setup the alternatives in Linux. So far so good. I hope Vulcan will help bridge the performance gap with DirectX so that gaming on Linux does not have to be so annoying. At the moment, screen tearing is spoiling a lot of games for me, but I am playing with some new settings and advice I´ve found. I´m running a NVIDIA 970. The Windows 10 dynamic desktops are fake, btw :) |
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| screen tearing is spoiling a lot of games for me, but I am playing with some new settings and advice I´ve found. I´m running a NVIDIA 970 I had a similar issue with my fglrx ATI driver for my Radeon. The fix was simple, just using aticonfig in console with a command line option. Now all is smooth. I bet there is a similar approach for the Nvidia driver. For some reason using the GUI ATI control center never seem to force vsync (probably a permissions issue). This is also a good example of some of the issues new users might encounter and often it is a simple fix but requires a little research. Once you get past it overcoming other small issues get much easier and often is not an issue for the future as experience in using Linux is gained. I hope Vulcan will help bridge the performance gap with DirectX I have high hopes for Vulcan. :) Edit: If you have any issues with getting Monkey X1-X2 to run on 17.3 let me know. Mark had mentioned he is using 17.3 and if I recall there are a few difference in the dependencies (not quite sure) between 17.3 and 17.2. Mark has recommended using 17.2 for now although 17.3 does work. I might setup an install of 17.3 and see how it goes. ;) |
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| If I remember right, the first version of Linux I installed was Red Hat, I think 4, in the mid 90s. I don't care much for application support as most I use is available. One of the big issues I still have with (Desktop) Linux is font rendering. While it has improved over the years I still haven't managed to configure it in a way it comes close to Windows or even OS X. The result somehow always seems "unclean" to me. And as I'm reading (documentation) and writing (code) a lot this a critical point, at least it is for me. |
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| Btw. I don't think any system is better than another system. I have been using pretty much any system there was during the last 20 years and no system is perfect. While, for example, I loved BeOS for it's stellar desktop performance and unique design, it's server implementation was more than lackluster. |
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| I loved BeOS BEOS lives as Haiku!. :D |
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| I know but while it's fun to play with it's usefulness for me is rather limited. ;) |
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| as a monkey user you have to have osx at least if you make games for mobile (xcode+android sdk). if you make games for desktop you'll need the three of them! (most of people won't bother building for linux...) Cross compiling is simple for people who learnt it, for me it's reserved to os developpers! as a gamer windows at least is mandatory (some rare games are osx only and some rarer games are linux only) as a music and video creator osx looks more standart and practical for exchanges at least as an office/browser/gimp/calendar aware citizen linux is a must ;P but without a gmail or hotmail/outlook or... account! I'm too lazy to reboot so i stick with osx on an asus laptop though it is equiped with Win7&8.1, osx 11, mint 17. Will install win 10 only if absolutely necessary (for building & testing apps purpose ). Not a big fan of virtual machines... I advise all basic computer users to stick with mint or ubuntu (with antivirus!) depending on the number of friends they have that already run ubuntu or mint. It get a lot less "help" calls since that! |
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| For me like others it's all about the games, Steam made an attempt with linux and it failed to gain any traction, the reality is that Linux will simply put, and I'm gona bold this for effect "NEVER" be able to replace windows, unless something with the linux ecosystem actually changes and they unify behind a single distribution, there are simply to many different versions, with slightly different configs and settings that any developer who looks at Linux with deep support in mind just scratch their heads and go "Err no!". Ubuntu got close, and I guess mint is now the flavour of the month, but there in lies the issue, every few months a new "flavour" of linux comes out claiming to solve all the problems, sad truth is that it never will while there are so many people in the game. Never gona change.. Windows will reign supreme until Apple unbind their OS from the hardware or Microsoft finally release their rumored Linux based windows. |
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| Talking about Mint: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2994 https://lwn.net/Articles/676664/ Paul, I agree. Linux has it's place on the server and in many "special" devices but in it's current state it's never going to replace Windows or OS X on the desktop for the masses.Still good to have it around. :) |
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| Microsoft finally release their rumored Linux based windows. This would have something to do with datacenters and Mesos/Azure and not actual desktops pc's operating systems in case anyone got their hopes up. |
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| To the nay sayers.. Although I can understand the attitude Linux is probably already in your pocket right now in the form of an Android phone. If your reading the above ''it's never' and 'until it changes' dialog then you should ignore it and try Linux for yourself (I recommend Mint). I also think it is short sighted to count out Linux's future. I believe most of what you read from those who relegate Linux to such a unfavorable position are for the most part ill informed and unexperienced. I also believe that a bit of a 'herd' corporate mentality is at work as many discount Linux because they are told to. Whatever you do, do not form an opinion without at least trying out today's Linux. From my point of view it seems laughable to read some of the Linux critiques. ;) |
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| People have been "discovering" and evangelising Linux as a viable desktop OS for well over a decade. Ubuntu came out in 2004-5 as a concerted effort to make a distro for the masses but people had been talking about how usable distros like Fedora were before that. The reality is that they've always been both right and wrong. Of course Linux is a perfectly functional OS. It's had better features than Windows in many areas for a long time. That doesn't change the fact that it's not Windows. Yes, there are workarounds for nearly every compatibility scenario, but my mother isn't going to start fiddling with Wine or VMs and I'm not going to do constant tech support for her either. Hell, I've been running Linux machines since the turn of the century and I still run Windows 10 on my main laptop because I can't be bothered to even start working out how to iron out all the wrinkles. Over time we'll see Android grow up. People's Android phone and tablet use will extend into utility netbooks and general purpose laptops and the Linux consumer desktop market will be here. I bet there will still be plenty of people jumping over to Windows to be able to run games or particular productivity software or whatever though. |
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| Somehow most of the people who criticize Linux do this because they have problems running Windows programs on Linux. They somehow don't understand that Linux is not Windows but can be an alternative to Windows – it is not designed to run Windows applications. If you use Linux software you won't have problems running it on Linux. If you need a Windows program, you can still use Wine to run it – a lot of windows programs run on Wine – even Games. Those who criticize Linux because Windows applications do not run on it as well as they do on Windows – just try to run a native Linux application on Windows :) So why is it that most people use Windows instead of Linux? Linux leads in most fields – servers, mobile, embedded systems, … So why not on the Desktop? It is not true that it is hard to use. Lots of older people have even more problems using Windows than Linux. So why does everyone use Windows? - Linus Torvalds gave a very simple answer to this: It is just because Microsoft controls the market and most of the desktop PCs come with Windows preinstalled. And most people don't install any different system on their machines. Imagine 90 percent of the PCs would be delivered with Linux. How many people would buy Windows as a second operating system if they already have one? If lots of PCs would be delivered with Linux preinstalled, companies would also start writing Linux software because they want people to use their products. You see – the OS war is nothing else than the old conflict between capitalism and the peoples wish for freedom! If you find Windows comfortable – it is OK. In the old roman empire there were also slaves who lived a very comfortable life compared to the life they had before – some of them were really satisfied. Today we can chose between freedom and slavery – isn't that nice? |
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| I used to rock Linux on my main desktop, but the time needed to configure anything I wanted to the specifications I wanted made me feel like the OS wasn't built with my productivity in mind. I had to jump through hoops to configure my 4.1 setup, to get proper tablet support, to run most of the Windows applications I was used to through wine, to get certain applications to load files directly through samba, to get hardware acceleration to work in half the apps, to get multi monitor working properly with full screen applications, etc. Often times, even when I did get them working, the functionality was basic and missing features compared to what I could do in Windows. Sure, it was free, but it still came at a price. It's only truly free if your time is worthless to you. Perhaps one day it will be able to do the things I want it to do, but until then I've relegated it to a system for running my appliances. The best Linux based things seem to fill a niche that isn't already served by Windows or Mac, and have distros which are specifically tailored for that application in mind. That's why I can't imagine using a phone without Android, a pi without raspbian, etc. These have corporate backing for their target application, and as a result you'd expect all the rough edges to be ironed out where the OS is commonly used. Linux has no such backing in the desktop world, so it will always be a second hand experience. If you want to know what it could look like with AAA backing, check out macOS or chromeOS or Android. |
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| Richard it's real simple mate, less than 2% Desktop Market Share... Let that sink in. That's a literally billion's people of using Windows or Mac OS, and god knows how many thousands using Linux as their Desktop environment, so yeah I think I nailed it when I said it will Never replace windows. |
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| »less than 2% Desktop Market Share« This does not mean that it runs on only a few »thousand« devices. w3schools.com shows 5.6% in their OS platform statistics (this means nearly 6% if you only take the desktop systems): http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp Android took over the mobile area nearly completely – and who knows on what devices we will write our source codes in 10 years – classic desktop PCs? Maybe … maybe not – some leading scientists even say that classic computers as we know them today will vanish within several years (well, people also dreamed of flying cars in 2015) – I mean we don't know which operating systems will run on most devices in the near future – so anything can happen. Also see what happened to Symbian – and where Android stands today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_system#Market_share Linus Torvalds once said that Linux does not want world domination – but it would be cool. |
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| again, Desktop not mobile. |
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| I realize I'm coming off as anti linux, I'm really not in fact a little over 15 years ago it was almost all I used and you could have easily mistaken me for one of the linux open source evangelists, but over the years of watching and watching and it never gaining any significant ground you have to realize that it's simply not going to. Thing's have Improved now for linux tho back in the day just getting it to talk to your brand of wifi card ( lol remember when they were actual cards?) or usb was a nightmare not to mention if you were unlucky to have a non mainstream brand of say audio or graphics, you had days weeks of config tweaks to look forward to before you could even get it to boot, but yeah things now are better and I agree it's far more easy to get into and use and I admit it is capable of handling most things provided their is a free open source version of your favorite software or your insanely lucky that developer behind your favorite tools actually has a linux version. for me, I'm happy with Windows 10 runs my games, runs my software and almost never crash's unless I'm messing around. |
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| I recently moved 90% of my desktop usage from Windows 8 to OS X. In fact, if it weren't for a handful of Windows-only games that are unplayable in OS X and/or Mac hardware, I would ditch Windows entirely. I'm actually tempted to just make a hackintosh and see how well it runs. |
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| According to the latest Steam numbers: Linux 0.95% MacOS 3.55% Windows 95.39% Publishing for Linux does not compute. http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey |
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| Publishing for Linux does not compute. +1 |
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| I am just happy to have a discussion about Linux.Looking at the big picture I have to wonder where this winding OS road leads. There are many factors that are and will change the path ahead and chief among them is security and privacy. Linux offers a path that is not available in the mainstream with distributions like Mint recording 'no' telemetry and offering a secure environment. Meeting what I would call the minimum safe environment. Beyond Linux are the mainstream OS's and the recent Windows 10. Windows 10 to me is a seed change involving these very topics of security and privacy. On the one hand Windows 10 offers good security in general but this comes at a cost. The cost is as much discussed privacy. You can extend this to the other obvious OS's and it should become clear that there are two choices here. One where you can operate openly and privately and one where you can not. There is a real branch point I feel that we are all at right now and that maybe supporting the seemingly one OS (kernel) that meets that minimum safe environment is a good idea. My recent experience with Mint compared to an attempt at Debian some years ago is astonishing better. Simple to install, use and ultimately get just right. For the audience here well within the learning curve. Monkey X1 and X2 work great on Mint and are easy to get running. I guess my point here in this thread is first, if you have not tried Monkey and Linux Mint that perhaps you might want to give it a try and see for yourself that you can support Linux and with a relatively small investment in time. It's a path worth exploring and wholly viable and for the most part can bring a loyal following to your project. Secondly choosing to use Linux in the current privacy setting is a vote for sane privacy practices. Not the only reason to use Linux but I believe one benefit worth supporting. |
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| I think as a whole for me the fstab fluffing around to use my external keys is a pain, maybe if the Linux groups actually make it much more user friendly then people would go for it. All the mucking around with sudo ... also puts people off I have had many a discussion of "if I wanted to use a command line I would use MSDOS (or Amiga workbench)". I agree linux is getting there slowly there are gui elements for a lot of it but there is a long way to go yet till it's completely user friendly. |
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| again, Desktop not mobile. My post actually was about desktop systems. I just wanted to show that a complete market could change within a very short amount of time (therefore the symbian-android comparison). When something like this can happen in the mobile sector then why not on desktop, too? Windows is not immortal. Publishing for Linux does not compute. That is completely right – but this is not what this thread is about. You can use Linux on your desktop – you have lots of possibilities to write platform independent applications, mobile and web applications as well as native Linux ones (but nobody forces you to publish Linux only applications). There is also a bunch of useful software and you can have it for free. And best of all: the system is not designed to spy on you. And please don't come up with stories from 10 or 15 years ago when some usb device has not worked properly. Once I had also problems with a CD-ROM drive on Windows98 … I also don't like these comparisons between Linux and MS-DOS. If you only want to do some office work, Image manipulation, web browsing, etc. you do not need the command line at all. However it is useful and gives users the possibility to automate things or integrate tools in their software – and there are also a lot of guis for command line tools, too. But if you only have gui tools then how would you automate a process which involves these tools? I have seen such things on Windows, where a program opened a window and automatically moved the mouse over buttons and clicked them. Is this better than a shell script? |
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| ¨mucking around with sudo.¨ Really, entering an extra 4 characters to a command and then the password is too much trouble for a more secure system? No wonder Windows has taken over, but then again, people disable UAC there as well to not waste time while messing up their system. I don´t do my day to day work on Windows with an Administrator account. I hope you do not as well. fstab? Not needed to edit manually anymore, mounting and all available options are available through a GUI. Using a recent Linux distribution as a day-to-day desktop is no problem at all. I am keeping a Windows boot option on my machine for games and compiling, and that´s it. Maybe I will later install Windows in a virtual machine and get rid of the physical installation as well!! |
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| Wait, people don't like using the terminal? The thing most appealing about Unix for me is that I can actually tell the system what I want it to do instead of mucking around with crappy GUIs because Windows won't tell me what's actually stopping it from connecting to a wireless network or whatever. No GUI in existence gives you the error handling or precision of a terminal. I like Unix far better than Windows largely because of the terrible, TERRIBLE command prompt that doesn't work or make sense. I say Unix because OSX is probably fine too, but it has its share of horrible design decisions that make it hard to configure and fix things - but certainly NOTHING comes close to the $!@# Windows registry. |
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| @Richard Betson: So what you're saying then is, "if you use Windows as your desktop machine and don't want to play any AAA games that only support Windows, you could give Linux a try". If that's the case, perhaps you could change the subject of the topic from "Linux is better than Windows lololol" Linux may be a great option for a lot of people, and spreading useful information may have been your original intent, but the title comes across as zealotry. |
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| @Samah What I am trying to get across is that the current state of affairs in digital 'privacy' merits a serious look at supporting Linux. Also, as a Monkey developer supporting Linux is easier then you think and worth exploring. I'm not trying to change the world. Instead, I am trying to make a case for sane privacy practices and an open development environment. Really, nothing more. |
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| Richard is absolutely right. In the end this is not about whether the terminal is a good thing or not or which desktop environment is the best – but it is about privacy. Windows is a nice system for gaming – but please don't let this be the reason to give up on your privacy. Mint with its standard interface (Cinnamon) is very user friendly and writing Monkey-X applications is great fun on Linux. At least give it a try. Also I noticed that my earlier posts sound a bit aggressive – maybe I should stop posting stuff in the middle of the night – sorry for this :) |
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| Linux is no more or less secure than windows, an idiot ( in terms of security ) using windows is just as likely to run an install of linux and use root rather than a new user account so you cant say windows is less secure because people disable the protections it has and then not allow for that same level of stupidity on the other OS's, you also cant assume that people running linux are more tech savvy although I can understand why people might think that, I'v seen far to many people at meeting's with linux installed and no clue what was going on under the hood, to them it was just the free option when buying their computer. Security is something everyone should be aware of and it's something most modern OS's are actually very good at which is why most hackers target web servers and web services that at inherently vulnerable because they need to actually allow access to the outside, not to many hackers actually go after individuals desktop machines. |
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| In the entire Discussion the »Windows faction« has not used the word 'privacy' for a single time. Only the »Linux Zealots« are using it - I wonder why ... |
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| It's been a while since there was a OS thread where people were emotionally involved. Anyway the answer is easy, because there is OS X already, a reliable, time saving, handsome platform with great tools, games (more than Linux offers) and an audience. Mostly it's an easy to use and enjoyable desktop experience. Maybe the best real world OS since Amiga OS. After you buy a Mac, all OS X updates are free (win-win). Many devs use Macs too, a lot more than the Steam numbers skid posted earlier might indicate (weird site, still needs Flash). |
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| Anyway the answer is easy, because there is OS X already, a reliable, time saving, handsome platform with great tools I wouldn't go that far with reliable or great tools. Every time there is a new version, there's always a must have tool that you use that usually breaks. Even then one of the most useful tools that comes with the OS is now a piece of crap (Disk Utility).Apple are interested in selling the hardware, not software. If it wasn't for the iPhone, Apple wouldn't be as big as they are now and as you needed an Apple machine to do any development for Apple mobiles device. Well you can see why more developers are using them. |
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| The OS flame wars! The 90s are back! Hell yeah! ;) |
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| @dawlane The tools i've bought are (mostly) nicely priced and well done. Some of them are very specific to OS X, some of them multi platform. Sometimes you wouldn't be able to get similar software on Windows, in a few cases it's the other way around. It can take some time to get used to it but once you're there, things are in a nice flow. I care less about what Apple tries to sell to me than the overall experience, OS X simply offers a number of advantages to me. iOS certainly has an influence on OS X but as far as i can tell there is a lot of development happening on OS X which isn't iOS related at all. |
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| >In the entire Discussion the »Windows faction« has not used the word 'privacy' for a single time. Only the »Linux Zealots« are using it - I wonder why ... My privacy is already crap thanks to delete-resistant cookies, data mining, using Google, etc. No one can prove my OS spies on me any more than I allow it to, nor disprove it -- we can only suspect it, same with any other OS not open to public audit. Windows 10's amount of "connected" functionality can be somewhat disturbing for privacy advocates. I find it acceptable for my use once I disable most of the personally-identifyable stuff like cortana and the keylogger. The fact that it logs what people type into "non-connected" query boxes all over the OS is pretty disturbing, but it's also something that appears to be an "always-connected" inevitability considering that many of us have already given up that privacy using GMail or ChromeOS. People will give up their privacy because they don't see how it is an invasion anymore, and instead what they see instead is an "impartial" algorithm giving them better tailored results. OTOH, what you trade for your privacy on Linux isn't just the type of experience you might expect on a previous version of windows (before everything was "connected"), in some ways it is much less polished than even that. What you have is an advanced piece of kit which works fantastic for certain tasks (as others have pointed out in this thread!) and would take an incredible effort to configure for certain other tasks. Privacy is more like an "icing on the cake" inherent feature of an open source system, although that was not necessarily the original intent. Merely a bonus you get with the fine control you have over the OS. One day I hope Microsoft will continue to move on with Windows beyond the phase where it is considered a product in itself to where it is a service only, with no vendor lock in for the underlying system. To that end, they always seem to develop new kernels with cross-platform in mind, only to settle back to the comfortable position of "well, most people appear to be using just this platform for our stuff, so we should go back to concentrating development there". NT, CE, RT, Azure, yadda yadda. When they become like IBM and the desktop stops being their core market is when you'll see Windows finally recede into being just another operating system that anyone can roll a distro for. |
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| I shall say this: There is good and bad in all operating systems regardless. What you use is your preference. Me I use what ever it takes to get the job done, even though I prefer to use Linux for a hell of a lot of the tasks. You can go on, and on, and on, and on for which is better etc,etc. And when it comes to privacy; you should read the agreements on what you sign up for on the web and any devices that can communicate with telecommunication services etc. Edit: >My privacy is already crap thanks to delete-resistant cookies, data mining, using Google, etc +1 |
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| Once you connect to the 'normal' internet, your privacy is gone. The more restrictive you configure your settings, the less content you'll get. Even the HumbleBundle guys track you these days. Proxy services aren't really anonymous too. You can use DuckDuckGo or something similar instead of Google but you won't be pleased when you really search for something. Hmm Google results feel more filtered these days too. ... To the original poster, if you think (more modern) cars don't track you as well, you have no idea. |
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| One advantage of Windows that hasn't been mentioned is backward compatibility. Your old software (both that which you wrote and that which you use) generally works fine on new versions. I don't know how Linux is, but I understand Mac is terrible that way. |
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| @Gerry Quinn: Linux tends to be "If you build a piece of software on a newer version of a Linux distribution, then it's not guaranteed to work on an old version.". But old software on Linux general works unless there was a major change in the core runtime files. |
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| @dawlane: sounds like windows as well doesnt it, there is loads of software I have that refuses to run under Windows 10 which is a shame but using VirtualBox and an older version of windows they run right off the bat. Now im not saying install a old version of windows and I can see where the OP is coming from but to convince most users to use linux they will have to have a lot more than a pretty interface and security, these days telling an end user about their security is like banging your head against a wall they do see a problem until they are affected by it. @wiebow: im not saying its a issue for me BUT try explaining it to a end user who has just bought a PC with windows 10 installed and knows how to use that, explain to them if they install Linux its much more secure. As a first question they will say what can I run on it and does it play x game as soon as you say 'you might have to install x software and it might not work' then they will say 'nah mate sorry not interested'. Until linux runs LOADS of games people want to play these days its going to stay niche. Personally I like Linux I have it on a netbook with monkey installed and plan to release products on Linux as well as OSX and windows but I cant see it toppling windows yet until it can successfully run stuff and be as useful as windows is for playing games etc. Quite a lot of developers these days from the big companies are still windows centric IE they use all the .net crap to create games etc. What I would like to see is much more cross platform development and platform independent coding this will make all targets equal and allow much more revenue for all. |
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| I tried to get into Linux a few years back. I believe it was one of the "Mint" flavors or whatever the heck they call it. Found it weird and didn't see what the big deal was so just stuck with Windows 7 and OSX. I'm considering trying it again soon though. Perhaps its better now. |
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| Their actions speak plainly enough: they are working to turn today’s open PC ecosystem into a closed, Microsoft-controlled distribution and commerce monopoly. . . From article linked below. Universal Windows Platform. Yet another reason to avoid Windows 10 and MS. Written by Tim Sweeney (co-founder Epic Games) this article demonstrates MS's intentions for open development (as I have expressed concerns about here) and why as a developer you're screwed. Why there is any support for MS and Windows 10 is beyond me. Just one more reason to go Linux. |
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| I'm happy to say that I have migrated all my development apps to Linux. Also, some of my house keeping tools as well. I only have Windows 7 as a dual-boot for games now, and compiling of course. So making good progress! Now I need to get Monkey 2 working. Going to test that tonight. |
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| I'm not sure who will be using this but it's an interesting move nonetheless: http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2016/03/07/announcing-sql-server-on-linux/ |
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| I don't know why, but I get the feeling that MS are going to shaft a few Linux vendors at some point for patents. |
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| In the beginning they tried to fight Linux the way they used to fight other corporations. By suing them for patent or other infringement. I'm pretty sure they are past this strategy as is never actually worked and left them with a bad reputation. The only "classic" Linux vendor from the "old ages" still in business is Red Hat and blowing them out of the market wouldn't change anything for MS. I'm pretty sure they are going to play nice. Instead of fighting Linux directly they will try to make money with it. |
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| Watch out! Reports of MS now putting get WinBlowz 10 adware in 'security updates'. extreemtech.com There are also reports of domain connected Windows 7/8 devices also getting this and with an icon on the task bar that when clicked reads "Your system administrator has blocked upgrades on this PC" and "Check with your system administrator about upgrading this PC to Windows 10". LOL, sneaky bastards and now MS is apparently pissing off admins around the world. inforworld.com Reeks of desperation. Don't be a Windows 10 lemming. Blaze a new path on Linux. ;) |
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| extremetech article won't even load unless I allow JS, so much for respecting security, LOL. Setting sail for clickbait P.S. IE11 isn't even offered with Windows 10. It's been retired. So users who are still using IE can either get Microsoft's new browser (Edge; part of the win10 package) or they can upgrade to something better |
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| P.S. IE11 isn't even offered with Windows 10. It's been retired. So users who are still using IE can either get Microsoft's new browser (Edge; part of the win10 package) or they can upgrade to something better LOL who uses Edge? Not many. W3SCHOOLS does not even list it and NetMarketShare lists it at 3%. MS has now showed it's hand in including adware in a 'security update' for Windows 7/8 PC's and pundits claim a move that may be ultimately costly for MS and perhaps prompt users to avoid security updates. You can gloss over it all you want but at the end of the day MS is progressively alienating it's own base of users and in the long term perhaps putting them at risk by incentivising users to avoid security updates, especially when said update appears to do nothing (aside from delivering malware) by some accounts.. |
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| W3schools count edge as IE → see here. But 1.1 percent in February is not that much :) Updates on Windows … I never liked them. No one knows what is inside (is it really a security update or is it spy-ware?). Sometimes you have to wait over an hour because Windows installs tons of updates at startup – and when it is finally done, the first thing you see on your desktop are two or three pop-up messages telling you that you should update Java and some Adobe stuff – because Windows does not update this software! Linux on the other hand updates most of your software and while the updates get installed you can continue whatever you want to do. An other thing that is really complicated on Windows is customization. It is not easy to change the look and feel of the system. If you want to change some system icons and the graphics of your windows, you have to use the registry editor, hack inside system dlls using resource editors and do tons of other complicated stuff. And in the end some system update overwrites the modified dlls and destroy all your hard work. On Windows you must be a hacker to change the appearance of your user interface – and people say Linux is complicated :) |
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| W3schools count edge as IE → see here. But 1.1 percent in February is not that much :) Huh, I guess they are pairing it with IE as the same family of browser. Strange. I closed my MS account today and I am now on a path to abandon Windows development entirely. Feels liberating. :) I will try to support Windows 7 as long as it is possible but at the end of the day I am walking away from Windows as a development platform. I am hoping to retain supporters/followers of my current project by offering stronger mobile (Android and IOS) support and additional support for PC operating systems like OSX and Linux. Hopefully this will provide viable options to retain supporters. It's just sad that I cant agree to the Windows 10 EULA, privacy policies and a host of other issues, which in turn negates development. Someone wish me luck. I'll need it. ;) |
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| OK, good luck Richard! :) |
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| Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who previous called Linux “a cancer,” thinks the open-source Windows alternative has improved a lot lately and is now “in the rearview mirror,” becoming a stronger rival for Redmond’s operating system. From article linked below. Interesting SoftPedia news article. |
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| I'm curious what it is in the Windows 10 EULA that you have such a deal breaking issue with. |
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| I'm curious what it is in the Windows 10 EULA that you have such a deal breaking issue with. Where do I start? :) The windows 10 EULA has been described as the most open ended and vague user agreement around allowing MS to basically do as they please in almost every important aspect of privacy and control of your PC. There are many articles about the Windows 10 EULA out on the net that describe how unclear and nonspecific it is. I could go point by point but here are a few examples of what I mean. Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage. The phrase "Examples of data we collect" is nonspecific and by many accounts really describes nothing in detail. For example they might collect other data not listed here as there are 'no' limitations listed. We may collect information about your device and applications and use it for purposes such as determining or improving compatibility and use voice input features like speech-to-text, we may collect voice information and use it for purposes such as improving speech processing Again nonspecific and open ended (such as). How is MS limited here and exactly what data is being collected. If you open a file, we may collect information about the file, the application used to open the file, and how long it takes any use [of] it for purposes such as improving performance, or [if you] enter text, we may collect typed characters, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving autocomplete and spell check features. The phrase "we may collect typed characters" is nonspecific and open ended. The phrase "we may collect information about the file" is nonspecific. The phrase "such as improving performance" is nonspecific and open ended (such as) and really describes only one aspect of what they can do. I could go on and on but I hope you can see my point and the point of many others out there that have a better grasp on the legal aspect then I do. Edit: I'm checking to see if the copy I have has been updated just in case. |
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| From Betanews... This may come as a bit of a shock, but, yes, OS X and Linux are nearly as popular as Windows among developers Hi, Here is an interesting article (Betanews) showing that nearly half of the developers surveyed on StackOverflow use either OS X or Linux (basically split between the two) for their development system. The trend looks to grow over time and Windows looks to be loosing ground. If you are moving to Linux or OS X as a developer you are not alone. ;) |
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| Thanks Richard, pretty interesting: - stackoverflow: Developer Survey Results 2016 - Desktop Operating System Nice growth rate for developers using Mac OS X. More and more every year. ----------------------------------
| Developers using
Year | Mac OS X | Windows | Linux
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2013 | 18.7% | 60.4% | 19.9%
2014 | 20.3% | 57.9% | 20.9%
2015 | 21.5% | 54.5% | 20.5%
2016 | 26.2% | 52.2% | 21.7%
----------------------------------
4years| +7.5% | -8.2% | +1.8% |
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| From what I understand (which is all based only on various things I have read over the years) MS has to collect as much data as possible on what their users are doing to help identify patterns of suspicious behavior. I'd actually be very surprised if MAC OS and Linux don't do the same thing due to Federal government / NSA requirements. I mean even the major search engines are required to track every search you perform (well not specifically "you" rather your IP) and store it for a minimum of 2 years last I read. Same for your ISPs. At least here in the USA. Other countries may or may not comply. But everything (in USA) is tracked these days. The only way to not be tracked is to never use a credit / debit card, throw cell phone in trash never texting, calling, surfing etc and never use the Internet from your own computer. Basically just go back to non-tech lifestyle. It's just the way life is in this age. |
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| Yes, but that is a different subject. This is about a company controlling your pc, doing things you don't want and that cannot be disabled. There is a choice, to move to an open system that give you control over your OWN pc. |
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| t's just the way life is in this age. This apathetic attitude of acceptance is why MS is daring to steamroll it's own user base. Until individuals understand the cost of trading privacy and control for convince they will just get more of the same. Fortunately there are alternatives that do not force you to trade privacy and control for access such as Linux Mint. |
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| It might be a historical/cultural point of view, comparing the USA to germany. It is possible for a large amount of people to get used to all kinds of surveillance and control, without noticing the consequences... In my opinion there should be a clear distinction between tracking/data the government can use for security reasons when necessary and the everyday tracking and collecting of data just for commercial reasons. The main issue seams to be how to lock away tracking data so they cannot be used by everyone. |
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| USA sounds like a police state in control of everything (want to control the whole world, actually). It's scary. The land of the free... really? |
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| USA sounds like a police state in control of everything (want to control the whole world, actually). It's scary. The land of the free... really? I initially wrote several paragraphs to respond to this as my knee-jerk reaction just about put my knee through the desk. :) I can't agree more (American police state) and why I consider Edward Snowden to be an American hero risking his future to expose US police state styled actions. The main issue seams to be how to lock away tracking data so they cannot be used by everyone. I think it is a 'slippery slope' once an entity begins to collect any personal data. Data collection started off quite innocuously with basic and simple metric goals. It now is an industry and it's pervasive nature needs governmental regulation at the very least. For me the bottom line is any personal data collection should be heavily regulated even when the user agrees to it. |
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| Well, the control system will get installed world-wide anyway. All big data collectors (Microsoft/Bing, Apple, Amazon, Google, Internet Service Providers, and …probably every other company, too) need to give access to the government, FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. - there is no way around it. Installed latest iOS update on iPad yesterday, and the license agreement had a part about giving data access to government. No company could prevent that anyway, if ordered by court. They know everything about us. The books we read, all communication (eMail, telephone conversations, Skype, Facebook, ...), the searches you do in search engines, everything. Some people used always encryption and it was a problem, so it’s better to build a keylogger in the OS and give access to all files directly. Visiting the USA you need to give fingerprints and a photo is taken. AFAIK it’s also the required procedure if it’s a stopover only, and you don’t want to visit the states. You get registered anyway (just in case, you know ;). I read they are currently working on a world-wide system, so every flight passenger gets tracked. Where you go, flight number, reason for the trip, how long you do vacation, the place where you stay… everything needs to be collected and controlled. Maybe we are not too far away anymore and everybody gets a chip implant. It works fine with dogs and cats already… ;) |
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