[ubuntu-uk] Are we missing the point with an OS ?

[Liam Proven]

On 3 December 2011 17:33, John Davis <davisjo at wanadoo.fr> wrote:
>
> I am an experienced Linux/Ubuntu user, I went to night school to learn it.
> I use Ubuntu and Windows 7 on a daily basis and think that the OS is just
> somewhere to store the programmes I need to work with.
>
>  In Windows, it is the Apps that have to perform properly, like
> Office,Photoshop, email  etc.
>
> It seems that with Ubuntu et al, effort is put into the OS but it does not
> seem the same with the applications,  there developers seem to be left to
> their own devices. Without applications,  the OS is useless.
>
> I think this is why cloud computing is becoming more popular,
>
> Or am I missing the point,

Well, it's a lot more than somewhere to store programs. The programs
are specific to the OS - the strength of the system is only the
strength of its apps.

It is not that Linux has great apps - TBH the choice is better on
Windows or Mac and often the quality is a lot higher, too.

It is that:

[1] these days, Linux does all the stuff that most people really *need*

[2] you get all these tools for nothing

&

[3] by using Free software (as in, libré, not gratis), you avoid
vendor lock-in: everything's open, you can change tools and platforms
freely without finding that all your content is kept in some
proprietary format that only one company's products can open.

All this is fine and dandy, but if you have particular requirements or
need to work with particular tools, it may be irrelevant.

The other thing is that the volunteer, hacker culture that builds FOSS
OSs and apps does not have the same drivers as commercial vendors - so
sometimes the commercial software can be a lot more polished and
professional and feature-rich.

Saying that, if you find things missing, or defects, or bugs, or
problems, then *let the developers know*. It is an open process of
give and take. The "price" of FOSS software is that occasionally you
have to do some legwork, isolate bugs and let the people behind them
know.



-- 
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