Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

i believe that X is becoming very powerful, and that performance wise, it will definantly be outdoing windows soon, however.. Linux desktops are a lot like Windows was to Dos.. Windows required Dos to run.. as X requires linux. Although nowadays, windows doesnt depend on any other software, which gave it a giant performance boost, if someone can make those steps with the X desktop, they can create a completly self-sustaining desktop operating system, which WILL challenge windows! (Anyone got a few months free time? :D)
Software companies are seeing the demand for *nix based games, and they are starting to emerge, and i have seen PC World (Major UK PC Selling place) have a couple of machines with Linux + X as standard :)

FreeBSD = the best BSD distor
Gentoo = the best linux distro

kthxbye ;)

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

guys, be real. Windows will never be beaten. They are rooted into this world now. 80% of the computer users did not even hear of Linux. They dont even CARE.

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

pfft.. If people see a FREE alternative (or something that costs 50p for a cd) then they will start noticing.. some people dont like change.. but tbh.. change is coming slowly (did you hear? Longhorn REQUIRES a DirectX 7 gfx card to work..) With the way windows is going, people will be looking for something differnt ;p

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

The current system specs of Longhorn are just...pathetic, you need atleast a few gigs of ram and a few ghz...
Linux is growing popularity, it was even on the news here a few weeks ago :) And as said its free while you pay for Windows XP Home atleast > 200 euro.

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

look buds, do you fake to ignore the amount of cracked copies in the world ? Officially no, Windows is NOT free. But in practice... it is. And almost everywhere. Sorry lads 9_9

Microsoft knows it, and actively entertains this situation. For it is the #1 warrant of their leader position on the market.

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

lol, well, i'm not gonna say how i got my copy of windows.. but it was free, and its legal :D

[EDIT] In fact, MS gave it to me! [/EDIT]

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

lol, i got my copy legal as well. As i bought this laptop, it had a MS Win XP home cd with it .... as does any other pc you buy have it. So why would some one bother removing that, installing Linux AND hoping all their goodies still work ?

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

when you buy a PC / laptop, approx £50 goes towards an OEM licence, some people dont like windows, i find it ugly, and in most ways impractical and slow. a LOT of linux apps are ported to windows BECAUSE loads of people use them.. but here is a small example of a few costly windows spefic apps, and their linux counterparts..

Windows - £50+
MS Office - £150+
MSVC.Net - £300+

Now, some KDE Alternatives..
KDE - Free
KOffice - Free
KDevelope - Free

People switch, because they would rather have a free application which does the same job as an expensive microsoft product, hell, theres even a Visual Basic alternative for Linux / X (Gambas (Gambas is AlMost BASic)), there is the issue of illegal copies of programs.. but some people feel guilty, there are also a lot of 'call home' features now being implemented into MS products.

As another note, have you READ the EULA for Windows XP? i'm not sure if MS changed it, but recently, they made a change that said they could come and repossess your PC, whenever the hell they wanted too, people who read the EULA get scared of shit like that :)

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

Let me guess: U live in the UK?

Microsoft was distribuiting some free copies for illegal XP users who wanted to "get legal"... My guess is there is some sort of tracking thingie in that so they can see if you're being a good boy and not illegaly downloading M$ products... ???:(maybe...9_9:D

Re: Linux Geeks Unite!
 

@ that Longhorn system specs thingy:

I don't think that's a disadvantage for M$... the opposite might be true! Look at the entire PC industry: What are they interested in? OSs that run on the slowest PCs so that nobody needs to upgrade? Hell, no! They need a constant development of more and more resource-hungry OSs, apps and games so that their MHz hype can continue. Why would companies like Dell be interested in selling low-cost PCs bundled with a resource-saving OS, when with Longhorn they have a good argument to pack even the most basic office PC (profile: electronic typewriter with internet access) full of components like gigs of RAM, a 3+ GHz CPU and a 128+ MB DX7+ gfx card and so on? They will be eager to use the new windows version, the more resource-hungry, the better! The additional money they get from selling higher performance PCs outweighs those few $$$ for a Longhorn installation 10 times.

And the users? Well, they don't want to think about PCs in any other way than they think about electric toasters or refridgerators... take what's in the box and be happy. And if those boxes keep getting more expensive, that's just the way things are... I mean, look at me: I'm still running Win98SE, and everything runs fine on it. I don't need no XP to run my apps and games - but the vast majority of all people think "the newer, the better", so they will upgrade to Longhorn as soon as they can...
And 80% of them won't even know they can use a different OS... it would sound to them like using some obscure Russian heating mechanism for your beatiful new American-brand toaster... no way, and if it's free and programmed by some geeks, all the more reasons to steer clear of it... why would a free OS be better than one I paid 200 bucks for? Sad, but that's the way it is IMHO.