Ok, I'm through with Windows - I want to Switch to Linux

[Souron]

Hey, how many viruses, Trojans, and malware are there for linux? Instead of security and isolation being built into the system, the windows solution to the problem is to run a virus checker every month to remove malicious software that has already infected the system.

 

[Zelig]

Hey, how many viruses, Trojans, and malware are there for linux? Instead of security and isolation being built into the system, the windows solution to the problem is to run a virus checker every month to remove malicious software that has already infected the system.

This doesn't really matter for advanced computer users. The type of users who install viruses on Windows aren't the type of computer user who are able to use Linux anyway.

 

[Maniacal]

I don't even remember the last time I had a virus, it was at least 4 years ago? Most anti-virus programs are always running and checking for suspicious activity anyway. Also Linux is such a small market share that is further divided into many different distros there's no real gain from making viruses and malware to attack them. Unlike Windows or Macintosh.

 

[NBAfan]

I don't even remember the last time I had a virus, it was at least 4 years ago? Most anti-virus programs are always running and checking for suspicious activity anyway. Also Linux is such a small market share that is further divided into many different distros there's no real gain from making viruses and malware to attack them. Unlike Windows or Macintosh.

I agree. Linux is just more secure because it's not mainstream.

 

[Zelig]

I agree. Linux is just more secure because it's not mainstream.

This is not supported by facts.

 

[mdwh]

When I used linux, admittedly a long time ago now, I found that a lot of the "security" features were merely getting in the way of me doing stuff. Like having to ask for permission every time I wanted to do something vaguely subversive. Before the fanbois (*cough* Bratmon *cough*) go off on one, yes, I understand and realise the reason for this - it makes perfect sense in an enterprise or networked environment. But there is a certain irony in an OS that is, in practice, for "advanced users" treating those users like kiddies and requiring them to get permission from daddy every time they wanted to leave /home/. It got annoying and I didn't like it.

It's not about advanced users, it's about stopping malicious applications - that would otherwise have permission to do what they like.

Also remember that Linux has long been a multiuser OS. Yes, the admin may be expected to be "advanced", but the users wouldn't be (and even if they were, having a situation where one user could mess things up for others would be a disaster).

And Windows these days (since Vista) has the same kind of behaviour.

 

[Mise]

It's not about advanced users, it's about stopping malicious applications - that would otherwise have permission to do what they like.

Yes yes I know all the reasons why it's a good idea not to allow applications to do whatever they want as long as you run them. But that doesn't stop it from being annoying.

But my point was that, in practice, the people who use Linux are advanced users. They don't really need to be babysat by their OS. Indeed, that's why they look to Linux for an OS, so that they can get the kind of control over their experience that Windows and Mac OS denies them. I know pretty well which programs I can run and which programs I can't. I don't need to be asked every time I load such-and-such a program if I was sure I really really wanted to do that. It's the same as the annoying "It looks like you're writing a letter!" paper-clip in Office 97. Yes, thank you, I can handle this myself. Shut up and let me get on with it, please.

Also remember that Linux has long been a multiuser OS. Yes, the admin may be expected to be "advanced", but the users wouldn't be (and even if they were, having a situation where one user could mess things up for others would be a disaster).

I've never been in a multi-user environment that uses Linux for end-users. Servers? Yeah, sure. But never clients. It was always Windows for us plebs. Linux is pretty much exclusively used by super-hardcore techies. I wouldn't expect my grandmother to use Linux.

And Windows these days (since Vista) has the same kind of behaviour.

Yeah, and it annoys me on Windows, too

 

[deanej]

Ubuntu and fedora use GNOME.

Not anymore. Ubuntu now uses Unity.

 

[mdwh]

Yes yes I know all the reasons why it's a good idea not to allow applications to do whatever they want as long as you run them. But that doesn't stop it from being annoying.

But my point was that, in practice, the people who use Linux are advanced users. They don't really need to be babysat by their OS. Indeed, that's why they look to Linux for an OS, so that they can get the kind of control over their experience that Windows and Mac OS denies them. I know pretty well which programs I can run and which programs I can't. I don't need to be asked every time I load such-and-such a program if I was sure I really really wanted to do that.

I don't have this problem with Ubuntu. Obviously some things need root (for good reason, as I say), but if you're an advanced user, you must be doing everything from the command line, in which case it's a simple "sudo" when you need it

There is one area when Ubuntu isn't as good as Windows here, in that you can't temporarily grant "sudo" permission when moving files through the GUI (though the point is that on Windows you get asked, where as on Ubuntu it won't let you at all).

I wonder if you just ran everything as root, that would get rid of the annoyances you don't like? Not that I recommend it...

 

[Mise]

Yeah, when I used linux I just logged in as root... I knew it wasn't not the "correct" thing to do, but it stopped me from tearing my hair out. Shame I can't do that in Windows anymore!

 

[Grisu]

the main reason people think Linux is clumsy/unituitive is that they've used Windows all their life. Naturally, switching to Linux is going to give you a few headaches because some stuff just doesn't work the same way. The ironic thing is, that most Linux users are, as Mise pointed out, advanced users, when the people who'd benefit most would be the less advanced users who somehow (I never understood how the do that) manage to get every possible virus/trojan/rootkit on their machine...

Windows 7 is great, IMHO, especially compared to earlier windows versions, but modern Linux distributions really don't lag behind, except when it comes to playing games.

 

[Zelig]

the main reason people think Linux is clumsy/unituitive is that they've used Windows all their life.

I don't think that's it, I've been using Linux for years, and just recently have been using Mac OS quite a bit - right away, I found the UI in Mac OS to be better than the Linux distros I've used.

Shame I can't do that in Windows anymore!

Just turn off UAC.

I turned it off when I was using Vista. However, Windows 7 tuned downed the aggressiveness, and applications are generally better behaved now about when they actually need administrator rights, so I generally leave it on in Win7.

 

[Civrules]

I installed Ubuntu 11.04 - went without a hiccup. Windows Vista is gone.

I think we all need to agree that both Linux and Windows do good work. What else matters?

I've been using it for less than a day - but so far it seems solid. I really dig it - it feels tight.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

Ubuntu, not bad, but I still prefer Windows.

 

[Luckymoose]

Windows 7 > Any Linux or OSX. Anyone who has Microsoft hate really doesn't understand how great 7 works.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

7 is awesome. I didn't believe it. But its true.

 

[GenMarshall]

I generally prefer windows due to the programs I use are only made for windows. Yes I know about WINE, but I don't want to go through the hassle with the software just to make it work right (some games are quite finicky with WINE anyway).

 

[deanej]

There is one area when Ubuntu isn't as good as Windows here, in that you can't temporarily grant "sudo" permission when moving files through the GUI (though the point is that on Windows you get asked, where as on Ubuntu it won't let you at all).

Windows has the opposite problem on the command line, and worse. Unless command prompt is specifically opened with admin privileges, it will just deny admin actions instead of prompt. This can be a huge problem, if say, you need to update the hosts file from every computer on a corporate network because the industrial division decided to move their website onto a different server.

On XP you can just drop a batch file into the network login folder... on Vista/7 you need to visit each and every computer manually!

 

[Padma]

I run Linux on my home computers (for the last 7 years). I am required to use Windows at work. My work laptop, running XP died last month, and was replaced by a new one with Win7. While I will grant that 7 is better than XP, I am still thankful that my actual job requires me to SSH into Linux servers all day. I even prefer the Linux command line interface to using Windows.

My son bought a 2nd-hand Mac yesterday because he was tired of dealing with Windows with his assorted iDevices ( ). I had to help him set it up. It made me glad I don't have to use it regularly, either. It's certainly not "intuitive", and I don't care for the looks.

As for UIs, I don't care for gnome -- never have. I like KDE, and I also use enlightenment and xfce regularly. Lxde is also good on "resource challenged" systems.

 

[Zelig]

I run Linux on my home computers (for the last 7 years). I am required to use Windows at work. My work laptop, running XP died last month, and was replaced by a new one with Win7. While I will grant that 7 is better than XP, I am still thankful that my actual job requires me to SSH into Linux servers all day. I even prefer the Linux command line interface to using Windows.

My son bought a 2nd-hand Mac yesterday because he was tired of dealing with Windows with his assorted iDevices ( ). I had to help him set it up. It made me glad I don't have to use it regularly, either. It's certainly not "intuitive", and I don't care for the looks.

As for UIs, I don't care for gnome -- never have. I like KDE, and I also use enlightenment and xfce regularly. Lxde is also good on "resource challenged" systems.

Do you use putty for SSH? I can't stand the putty interface, so run a linux VM solely to ssh into servers at work.

Honestly, I basically see Mac OS as a nice unix UI. I don't like gnome (prefer xfce, but it's still not great). I really should get around to trying KDE sometime...