In reply to my last Ubuntu post…
I received some responses to my last post on my decision to dump Ubuntu. They can be read here and here. I replied to all of the comments posted on my site, which took me a while. I’d like to add a few overall points here.
First, there is a difference between having a lot of available software and having access to a large percentage of software. It is true that there are thousands of software programs available for Linux. However, if you pick any piece of software you can find on Windows, chances are you won’t be able to find a Linux version. This difference won’t matter if you’re looking for an internet browser, an email program, or a text-editor, but when it comes to some select software that’s only available for PC or Mac, you’re out of luck.
And yes, you can run Windows XP as a virtual machine inside of Linux, but doesn’t that help prove my point? Linux requires a virtual Windows box to make it useful enough to use. By moving from Ubuntu to Vista, I’m just cutting out the middle-man.
Second, when I pointed out the hardware issues I was having, I don’t want to imply that everybody will have the same issue. However, I think my situation can be used as an example of the problems that are possible if you try to switch your computer to Ubuntu. And if you look at the hardware support of Linux compared to Windows, I think your chances of having problems with Linux are much higher than Windows.
I don’t want to ruffle so many feathers, I’m just giving my honest assessment of Linux and my time with it. It’s fine if you prefer Linux, but let’s be honest about what it is. Perhaps part of the problem is that I bought into the hype that it was ready for the desktop. If I knew how far it was from being ready for the desktop, I wouldn’t have bothered to try it. Now I don’t think I’ll ever want to go back.
Tags: [linux, ubuntu, vista]Comments
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