Ubuntu and WinXP

[Eric Dunbar]

On 10/26/05, squareyes <squareyes at internode.on.net> wrote:
> 'Forum Post wrote:
>
> >Ubuntu will never harm other operational system, mainly consindering
> >that WinXP keeps in another partition. Microsoft's system crashes by
> >themselves. They don't need other systems to do that.
> >
> >You must explain it to your neighbour, so he won't keep a bad image of
> >Ubuntu in mind.
> >
> Hi,
> many thanks to all who replied, he won't put Ubuntu back,
> doesn't understand that Win XP is much more unstable.
> Took me quite a while to convince him to allow me to install
> it in the first place. Looks like I will just sitback and wait for the
> inevitable major problem to re-occur, and fix it again. Has happened before,
> will happen again. Next time will try and convince him to allow me to
> install Ubuntu without  Win XP, and give it a fair trial.
> Thanks again,
> Take Care
> Winton

Don't try to re-install it if you value your friendship! For most
people [in the developed <ahem> rich world] closed software is the
BETTER choice when it comes to ease of use and power. [please refrain
from the flames... they are boring and give non-fundamentalist
Linuxers a bad rap]

Linux is _great_, but it's not great for everyone (MOST people). Yeah,
you and I may appreciate the philosophical underpinnings of F/LOSS or
may appreciate that we can "hack" software to our heart's content or
may like the fact that we also get so much software for _free_ or may
appreciate the incredible tools available for Linux (that would
otherwise cost, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of [insert unit
comparable to a Euro or do the appropriate multiplier]).

But, all of this comes at a knowledge cost. You and I are "experts"
when it comes to using computers so for us diving to VT1 to modify
httpd.conf barely requires a conscious thought anymore.

You can make the argument that for a _limited_ set of users Linux is
as easy to maintain as is Windows or Mac, but, unfortunately, for most
users that "ease" comes at a price -- you LOOSE choice!!! (yes, I know
the propaganda is that you are gaining choice in F/LOSS but...) You no
longer have the option of easily installing Windows Media Player
merely by downloading it, or buying and installing Adobe Photoshop or
Microsoft Office or whatever! You've lost that choice!

Anyway, the point of my anti-Linux fan(atic) rant is that Linux REALLY
ISN'T for everyone. It's not even for "most", YET! There may come a
day when "free" (as in $) Linux really can go head-to-head with the
commercial OSes, but, that day definitely is not now (Mac OS X (hybrid
OSS-closed) or Microsoft (probably hybrid OSS-closed but they'll never
admit to it ;-)).

A "fair trial" won't convince your friend of anything. If you're not
around to troubleshoot his every problem, he'll eventually give up and
simply buy a new computer. You wouldn't believe (probably you would
;-) how many people buy a NEW computer when all they had to do was
re-install their OS to clear up the bugs (and, please don't tell me
that Linux doesn't require that b/c I've had to re-install Linux (YDL
& Ubuntu) enough times to show me that breakage in Linux is sometimes
more quickly fixed with a format and reinstall than with
troubleshooting that can take days)!!!

Eric.