Thanks Microsoft for Encouraging me to Look at Linux

Published on January 7, 2007 By Gideon MacLeish In Personal Computing

I have been online pretty consistently for ten years now. Previously I had dabbled in computers, but only dabbled. Since March of 1997, and my 166 MhZ Acer Aspire, I have been online consistently and dealt with just about every operating system Windows has put out.

Some years back I played with the idea of Linux, got a copy of Red Hat Linux and was not able to install it properly. I know what the problems were now, but with nobody to guide me I ditched the idea of Linux. Windows was easier, and more user friendly. Or so I thought.

Windows XP changed all that. My experience in becoming a tech geek is changing that further.

See, I'm now forced to question whether issues that I thought were hardware issues were, in fact, Microsoft issues, and whether I couldn't have saved myself a ton of money on hardware purchases by knowing more about the O/S installed on my computer and its finicky ways.

But more to the point, Windows XP is anything BUT user friendly. Sure, it puts on a user friendly "shell", but actually working with the thing is a bit more complicated.

I just finished my most recent of over a dozen calls to activate Windows XP on an End User's computer. Yet another night of listening to that irritating automated voice on some server in Redmond, followed with a short chat with someone with a heavy Indian accent. Yet another night of having to validate a perfectly legitimate copy of Windows because Windows employs the "guilty until proven innocent" model on its latest software release.

In its zeal to eliminate piracy, it's my firm conviction that Microsoft may eventually wind up eliminating customers. Their activation process is so buggy, so decidedly low tech that it is an infuriating, time consuming process that usually gets handed off from one tech to another until someone decides to just make the call. Usually us graveyard stiffs, because we have more time at our disposal than the day or evening shifts have. And then there are the automatic updates, which, in my experience have knocked out not a few video drivers. I now keep a burned disc of all of the drivers for my home PC because once I'm back online, who knows what the latest Windows release will do. I've had to do so many repair installs, so many ASR's, that I am hesitant to call Windows XP "user friendly" OR stable.

And so I head in the direction of Linux. Because I'm also dealing with some dinosaur machines, some replicas from the golden age of Socket 7 Motherboards, when USB and Plug n' Play were still innovative technologies. Because I want my new machines to be stable, and not have to spend time pandering to Microsoft every time my machine heads south on me.

Linux has fortunately evolved quite a bit from those days when I tried to install Red Hat. Fortunately, live forum help is available to answer questions, and it's a fair bet there are very few things that can happen to you that someone else hasn't encountered. Sure, there's command prompt to be dealt with in the Linux environment, but, truthfully, if I have a choice between command prompt or someone in Bangladesh who answers my questions from reading off the computer screen, I'll take command prompt any day of the week. ANd over the course of time, maybe I can put that saved money into better hardware components to build more solid machines.

I guess I should send a "thank you" card to Bill Gates. If he keeps up with these "innovations", Linux may be the new Windows.

Comments (Page 2)

Larry Kuperman

on Jan 07, 2007

Actually, Gideon, I think that you hit it right on the head when you said "so it MAY be a Dell issue." The decision by OEM PC makers, the big guys, to give a restore disk rather than an OS disk as the default with a new PC has caused untold hours of grief. Virtually all the times that I have had to activate by telephone rather than over the internet, it has been for a Dell.

I am a MS fanboi, I'll make no bones about it. But I think there are places where Linux makes sense. In an environment where the end-user has a limited number of tasks, has a fixed hardware configuration, has a technical support person on hand and doesn't need full Office support, Linux may well be the way to go. If the user wants to play PC games, wants to be free to trade up their hardware and know that the latest drivers will be available, wants to be able to manage their computers themselves or works in an enterprise that requires Office, then Windows is the right choice.

Ten years ago, the goal of the Linux community was to make Linux so user friendly that "Grandma" could use it. In my opinion, Linux still isn't there. Noting my caveat above regarding restore disks (or the "Devil's OS" as I like to call it) most end users can figure out their own install and get their PCs up and running with full hardware support. I don't think that is true of most Linux distros today.

Maybe I am wrong, out of date on that. I am curious as what your experience will be like if you do try to set end users up with a Linux box.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jan 07, 2007

Maybe I am wrong, out of date on that. I am curious as what your experience will be like if you do try to set end users up with a Linux box.

LOL. I don't intend to set EU's up with a Linux box. If asked, I would install it, but the O/S is THEIR call, and, honestly, if they're asking ME to work on their PC...they're probably better off with Windows.

The PC's I intend to setup as Linux machines will, initially at least, be almost primarily reserved for WP/office apps. My game plan is to use the Windows machines almost exclusively for the higher end apps. From my understanding, Linux should serve me quite nicely as a word processor, especially since I don't need Internet access. If I need to put something from the Linux machine on the Internet, well, there are a number of ways to do that.

I don't see Linux becoming "so easy Grandma could use it". But I think programs like OpenOffice (Sun Microsystems' open source office software) make its use for certain office applications a very real possibility.

SanChonino

on Jan 07, 2007

The second is a Pentium 166 (overclocked at 200 mhz, but still, slower than all get out). I picked it up to cannibalize for the drives, but got it home and it's a better machine than I expected. It would make a fair word processor, as well as a platform for some older educational games for the kids. It may be a dinosaur, but it hasn't been abused (it's one of the cleaner used machines I have seen), and I'm not sure I want to scrap it out. Not yet anyway.

While I told you to use Ubuntu on the other box, on this old honey you should look into using DSL - Damn Small Linux. It's really, really space efficient (less than 50 megs) and runs really quick, even on older machines. Plus, I kinda like the name.

PS the other benefit these days - most linux distros come with Open Office pre-installed. Saves you a large download and a decent chunk of time.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jan 08, 2007

Yup...already there.

There's a forum post from someone who installed Ubuntu on a 75 mhz machine, but...umm, they can have it. I'll use DSL for the dinosaur.

Dr Guy

on Jan 08, 2007

Regardless of the intent, the MS Activation may accomplish what Apple and Linux have not been able to. Put a dent in the MS goliath. I hate it as well. ANd like Larry, I am an MS fan (only cause it pays the bills).

Gideon MacLeish

on Jan 08, 2007

ANd like Larry, I am an MS fan (only cause it pays the bills).

Yeah, I'll give it to ya there. If it didn't screw up, we wouldn't have jobs! LOL

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