RE: [OS:N:] OSN - what are the best desktop systems foreducational use?

["tek" <tek pervasivenetwerks com>]

> Can you clarify 'linux is far superior to Windows' for me?

If you lived in a neighborhood where there were drive-by shootings every 
minute of the day one might infer that it was an unsafe place to live, 
regardless of what your yard looked like or how great your view is or 
the size of your jacuzzi.

 Sure windows is easy to use, its also easy for 
any user to hose the system so completely only reinstallation is the 
answer. Selling systems with restore disks that wipe all of the data? 
very user friendly i might add, heaven forbid they install it on a 
second computer.

Windows has over 72000 virus's for it, linux has maybe what 5?

OK, still not enough?

Who has root on my linux box other than me? hopefully nobody right?

With Microsofts latest service packs not only does microsoft have full 
rights to your box, so does any 3rd party they chose to allow access to 
it. Ahh, nice big backdoors. Dont know if this is cause of Microsofts 
wishes or Bush and Co but it is enough to keep me from running it.

Dont even get me started on the licensing issues here, but lets just sum 
it up with this. Updating MS office, everyone who didnt steal it has to 
swap disks everytime they need to update it? come on, if its installed 
and its insecure, update the damn thing, your just giving yourself 
bigger blackeyes dude.

 One windows machine running a legal or unlegal version of your software 
can turn around and infect every legal version out there. its in 
everyones best interest to have all of the system updated, stop making 
everyone jump through hoops.

still need more?
I find a bug, its a big bug and it needs to be fixed, but im running 
windows. Can i do it? Survey says ???????

If i am running Linux im only confined by my abilities or my 
network/friends/contacts abilities if i cannot do it myself. If i cant 
but i can document the bug i can always work directly with the guy who 
built the software. Analogy,  how much would you pay to fix your 
electrical issues in a new car by talking to the guy who knows it best? 
free's pretty damn hard to beat, huh guy.

Bottom line, Microsoft has abused whatever trust they had and has not 
been a responsible Business Partner. They might have been able to cut 
off netscape's air supply but this fight is gonna be alot harder to win 
for all the same reasons linux is a better choice in alot of situations.

If piracy is such an issue one would think you might have a lot less in 
the bank though Brian, maybe its not us who has been taking more than 
our fair share?

Hell you guys have even been hit with these bugs internally in good ole 
redmond and brought your network down to its knee's more than once now 
huh?

 Now your behind Akamai and their large network which runs on Linux. If 
windows is better why did you have to use Akamai? I really wish you 
could answer all of these without probably getting in trouble with your 
employer.

I personally endorse your putting a bounty on the virus writers heads 
though Brian. Good job on that one, I hope it does some good. Now if 
you/we/all of us can just do something to the spammers out there we 
might be able to enjoy going online again some day.
Best of luck.
Tnt

> 
>  
> 
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: open-source-now-list-admin redhat com
> [mailto:open-source-now-list-admin redhat com] On Behalf Of 
> Jeremy Hogan Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 12:44 PM To: 
> open-source-now-list redhat com Subject: Re: [OS:N:] OSN - 
> what are the best desktop systems foreducational use?
> 
> I would consider the classroom and lab environment a 
> controlled setting, with staffing for support (in many cases). 
> You can set policy as to how and where to get bits, have 
> content filtering and firewalling.
> 
> The desktop != workstation in our strategy. The article you 
> are likely referring to chose the quotes the author thought 
> made for sexy press. And he was right, what was lost is the 
> inferred "ready for Red Hat to commit support and life cycle 
> resources and service agreements" and also lost the context of 
> our roadmap which puts our desktop offering 12 months out.
> 
> Technically, of course, Linux is far superior to windows. But having
> suffered through rolling 3000 people from Windows 95 to 98,  
> The majority of which use computers because they have to. It's 
> no picnic when things look and feel and operate mostly the 
> same, but in the case of a corporate workstation the user has 
> to adapt to what the IT folks say to run, and for the IT folks 
> having it hard for the user to double click an attachment that 
> grinds the e-mail system to a halt is a bonus. As for home 
> users, they are a nice combination of very fickle and 
> stubborn. They want to and will install whatever they can et 
> their hands on. They want the option of sticking with exactly 
> that if they wish, and won't even go for clones that are 
> functionally equivalent.
> 
> So for many many people, if you grant that the desktop market 
> is a MS market, Linux is not ready. It's not dumb enough on 
> the top, despite being smarter underneath. Too much hardware 
> doesn't work out of the box, mime types act differently for 
> different programs, there's not enough standards compliance 
> within many distributions, let alone between them.
> 
> The last thing I'll mention, before it starts to sound like RH 
> doesn't think it will ever happen, is installation. No matter 
> how easy it gets, it will never be seen as "easy" as a Windows 
> install b/c no one installs Windows. It comes on the machine. 
> 
> For Linux to be the all singing all dancing desktop it needs 
> OEMs, IHVs, ISVs, and developers all looking at that user. 
> 
> --jeremy
> 
> On Wed, 2003-11-05 at 12:07, charles macdonald hrdc-drhc gc ca 
> wrote:
> > I heard a quote the other day that indicated that someone from 
redhat did
> not think that his product was the best desktop for consumer 
> use, I am wondering where it (and the fedora system which is 
> apparently to be the successor)  would fit in in an 
> educational setting.
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Subscription and Archive:
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/open-source-now-list/
> > -
> > For K12OS technical help join K12OSN:
> > <https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn>
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Subscription and Archive:
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/open-source-now-list/
> -
> For K12OS technical help join K12OSN:
> <https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn>
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Subscription and Archive: 
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/open-source-now-list/
> -
> For K12OS technical help join K12OSN:
> <https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn>

--
o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
| Linux Solutions Provider, Linux Consultant and IT Services. |
0           Windows to Linux Migration Specialists            0
|              http://www.pervasivenetwerks.com               |  
o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
              PGP Key Fingerprint
AA05 B115 5019 754A A151 04F2 822D A1C9 EAB6 AA5B