OMG! I've ditched Linux!

[megamaced]

I've moved back to the darkside. I am back in the Windows terrain and strangely its not such a bad place after all. I've got a polished Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 installation with Windows Media Center working wonders with my Hauppauge TV card, heck the remote control worked without any configuration. I can create PPTP connections and manage wireless networks without tearing my hair out. I can manage two sounds cards graphically without having to edit asound.blah blah blah. I can run Microsoft Office 2007 natively. I can use some DECENT desktop widges. I've got greater control over ACLs and know exactly whos got access to what. I no longer have to worry about upgrading my whole operating system every 6 months just to obtain the latest Firefox. Everything is easy peasy click next next next. I've got Avira AntiVir Premium and UAC enabled to I feel pretty secure. I am in heaven once again.

Linux was fun for the last two years but it became more of an obsession then anything else. A computer is for entertainment, for music, video, chat and work. Linux is about Linux at this point (for me personally). Maybe in a couple of years i'll come back should Linux become more universally accepted on the desktop and I no longer have to worry about whether XYZ hardware will work or whether there is a Linux alternative to XYZ software on Windows. Sure I'll keep updating Ubuntu in a virtual machine, but Windows and specifically Vista is where I am confortable once again. And besides I make a living from Windows. I work with it every day. I will no longer fight it!

 

[donkey42]

Don't fight it

Mega, you traitor, & this from the man that recommended Kubuntu to me,

BTW: i think i've seen the light, could you please tell me if i'm heading in the right direction?

currently planning to use Strongswan, setup port forwarding, SELinux (may be out dated now) OpenLDAP & Samba (to sync password with Win)

am i right ?

BTW: using Debian Lenny b2, & it's great

 

[Fred]

I've moved back to the darkside. I am back in the Windows terrain and strangely its not such a bad place after all. I've got a polished Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 installation with Windows Media Center working wonders with my Hauppauge TV card, heck the remote control worked without any configuration. I can create PPTP connections and manage wireless networks without tearing my hair out. I can manage two sounds cards graphically without having to edit asound.blah blah blah. I can run Microsoft Office 2007 natively. I can use some DECENT desktop widges. I've got greater control over ACLs and know exactly whos got access to what. I no longer have to worry about upgrading my whole operating system every 6 months just to obtain the latest Firefox. Everything is easy peasy click next next next. I've got Avira AntiVir Premium and UAC enabled to I feel pretty secure. I am in heaven once again.

Linux was fun for the last two years but it became more of an obsession then anything else. A computer is for entertainment, for music, video, chat and work. Linux is about Linux at this point (for me personally). Maybe in a couple of years i'll come back should Linux become more universally accepted on the desktop and I no longer have to worry about whether XYZ hardware will work or whether there is a Linux alternative to XYZ software on Windows. Sure I'll keep updating Ubuntu in a virtual machine, but Windows and specifically Vista is where I am confortable once again. And besides I make a living from Windows. I work with it every day. I will no longer fight it!

I'm not going to bother trying to convince you to "go back" but I just have some observations.

I do get what you're saying about Linux being a pain to configure and how Windows is all about "next next next," but on the other hand, in the last year or so I haven't had to make nearly any major changes in my OS and its been running perfectly. In fact, the majority of changes I make are for things that I don't need in the first place and I'm just curious if I can accomplish. I have 5 systems in my house running flavors of Linux and I have no complaints about any of them. I am content. I have one system running Windows which I have had to remove major infections from twice in the last year.

I'll be the first to agree that I am sometimes frustrated by endeavors in Linux, but I've been much much more frustrated by Windows. It seems ironic to me that I repair upwards of 20 Windows PCs a day, used by people scared of trying Linux and then go home and use any of my Linux PCs without a hitch.

On the other hand Mega, to each his own. I'm all for people having a choice in OS, so if Windows is making your computing a happier place, then have at it!

I'll see you in another two years when you're tired of infections :P

[ot]Eh, Donkey I'd say your OT was at least kinda on topic[/ot]

 

[donkey42]

I'll see you in another two years when you're tired of infections

two-shay[ot]

Eh, Donkey I'd say your OT was at least kinda on topic

removed OT tags[/ot]smart ass :chk:

 

[Anti-Trend]

I'm with Fred on this. I was considered a Windows expert by many, had my own consulting business. At the last Unix shop I worked at in San Diego (we integrated a BSD-based content filter with existing Windows networks), I was the go-to guy for Windows and AD knowledge. That in mind, you can have my Linux boxes over my cold, dead body. :) If you want to use Vista, that's entirely your issue.

 

[donkey42]

I'm with Fred on this. I was considered a Windows expert by many, had my own consulting business, and even at the last Unix shop I worked at in San Diego, I was the go-to guy for Windows and AD knowledge. That in mind, you can have my Linux boxes over my cold, dead body.

well said AT

as far as i'm concerned you always be the AD[ot]just looked it up on google[/ot]i may be considered "good" & probably am by some, but then you have spent about 4 times longer than me on *nix, so, probably i'll be up there with the HWF gods, but i'm still lacking i the technical department, but i keep trying.

as i post stuff i've actually expirienced as you will have probably observed

anyway, :good: luck Mega in your Windows journrey, you will be back on *nix soon

 

[Anti-Trend]

[ot]

as far as i'm concerned you always be the AD[ot]just looked it up on google[/ot]

"AD" as in "Active Directory", Microsoft's broken implementation of LDAP. :)[/ot]

 

[Pimp]

I guess i should say welcome to the dark side :chk:

It's not so bad is it???

 

[Swansen]

woah.... woah...... um.. woah, wait? woah, April fools in December ???

 

[megamaced]

woah.... woah...... um.. woah, wait? woah, April fools in December ???

Nope! Its for real. Ubuntu got wiped and Windows took over my hard drive yesterday ;-)

Maybe its because I am a professional Windows administrator or I just use common sense but I have never had a virus on one of my Windows PCs. Sure I have to clean viruses from other user's PCs almost every day but thats because these people download software they aren't familiar with and from dubious sources. And most users of Windows run as Administrator on Windows XP without any UAC which means they are totally suspectible to such malware.

Linux can and will suffer the same problems once it becomes more accepted. How easy would it be for an inexperienced user to download a debian package from a dubious website and install it. Wham! Welcome to spyware on Linux.

Windows Vista is my no means perfect but it certainly does what I want it to do. Though I will say it's biggest flaw has to be the huge system requirements but I must say that once booted and logged in, some applications actually open faster then on Linux (Ubuntu 8.04.1 on the same hardware). Firefox opens almost instantly on Windows. In Ubuntu i'd have to wait at least 5 or 10 seconds. And i'd have exactly the same extensions installed too. Windows Media Player opens almost double as quick as Rhythmbox. Plus it will completely retag and rename my mp3s for me, meaning less boring work for me to do!

but on the other hand, in the last year or so I haven't had to make nearly any major changes in my OS and its been running perfectly. In fact, the majority of changes I make are for things that I don't need in the first place and I'm just curious if I can accomplish

Ditto Fred. That was my Linux obsession. And that got me thinking what do I use a computer for? Do I always want to be tinkering? Or do I just want to get on my computer for entertainment and leave the operating system alone? I came to the conclusion that the latter is the case. And as such Windows is so automated and I don't even have to think what I am doing because I know the OS inside out. Which leaves me more time doing the things I really want to do.

well said AT

as far as i'm concerned you always be the AD

LMAO!! What does that mean? AT's not a directory service....

I'll admit that Windows does slow down eventually and requires maintenance. But there are programs which can clean and optimise Windows in the background giving you less to worry about. One such program that I use Tune-Up Utilities 2009. It runs once every week in the background cleaning the registry, deleting obsolete temp files and runs a quick defrag ensuring that Windows is always running aok

 

[donkey42]

"AD" as in "Active Directory", Microsoft's broken implementation of LDAP.

thanks, i realize that now :doh:

LMAO!! What does that mean? AT's not a directory service....

yes, yes. i'm a plank (as usual) but at least i've got the b4lls to say[ot]not aimed at you Mega, cos i remember you & AT discussing my routing requirements, can't find it on a quick search[/ot]what i did was a quick google on "[google]ad wiki[/google]" and the first entry was

 

[Fred]

Maybe its because I am a professional Windows administrator or I just use common sense but I have never had a virus on one of my Windows PCs. Sure I have to clean viruses from other user's PCs almost every day but thats because these people download software they aren't familiar with and from dubious sources. And most users of Windows run as Administrator on Windows XP without any UAC which means they are totally suspectible to such malware.

I agree, the majority of infections on people's computers are because they just dont know any better than to click on the advert that says "You're infected! Click here to download Antivirus 2008"

Linux can and will suffer the same problems once it becomes more accepted. How easy would it be for an inexperienced user to download a debian package from a dubious website and install it. Wham! Welcome to spyware on Linux.

Absolutely. And that's why a lot of experienced admins do not like Ubuntu. Giving an average user sudo God-powers opens the OS to that sort of problem. I would like to see a system in Linux where there is an obvious choice for the user to install the game/application to their user account vs entire system.

Well like I said before, to each his own. I wish you the best in your OS endeavors.

Ditto Fred. That was my Linux obsession. And that got me thinking what do I use a computer for? Do I always want to be tinkering? Or do I just want to get on my computer for entertainment and leave the operating system alone? I came to the conclusion that the latter is the case. And as such Windows is so automated and I don't even have to think what I am doing because I know the OS inside out. Which leaves me more time doing the things I really want to do.

I meant it in a good way. I can tinker when I want to. The tinkering is not a requirement for my system to continue running, but is an option for when I'm in the mood. But I get what you're saying and luckily, because of VM's, I can break things in a controlled environment and still have a computer sitting here for when I "just want to get on my computer for entertainment."

As for Windows being automated... TBH, in a way it is not so much automated as it is limited. If you want to install a firefox and an antivirus you have to go to each respective site, download the file, then install (next, next, I agree, next, etc). But in Linux, I can type 'aptitude install firefox clamav' or go to synaptic and check both off and click install. It's not so much that Linux has too many steps so much as too many options.

But limited is what most consumers want, it turns out. They dont want the option to install 13,000 packages and have to guess which ones are best. People want to buy a computer from BestBuy and ask Geek Squad which AV to install. Then, a year later, they want to pay 200 bucks to remove the malware that made it through. For some reason, I guess it just seems easier to them.

 

[Anti-Trend]

Malware doesn't exist on Linux and Unix because the default user privilege separation is simple and it works. Granted Ubuntu and OS X have challenged that by making a normal user sudo everything, but it's still a whole different model than Windows.

When I ran Windows myself, I was usually compromised by drive-by installs that don't require user interaction. If it gets by the AV, what can you do? Try to recover, and then possibly reformat, but there's no way to keep it from getting on in the first place. Drive-by installs are still a major issue for Windows users: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/16/internet

 

[Swansen]

No, i have had a WHOLE lot of that in life lately, what do i use this or this or this for, and its generally all not what i'm actually doing. (??? yes, that made sense, don't question it) BUT, my answer to that conundrum is to have multiples, ie, a machine for gaming, a linux box for tinkering, and a machine for every day use. It my eyes, this is the simple best solution, and i'm SUPER close to achieving it.
---edit--
oh yeah, buntu, i've never really understood your choice to use Ubuntu, but to each his own. If Linux ever gets a noticeable sized market share it still won't have the virus problems that plague windows simply because of Linux's structure, and even then, virus detection would be much easier, that and everything being opened source helps all that out to, everyone checks up on everyones stuff, and also, official repositories i think would completely wipe out viruses being in a package.

FINAL NOTE, and to be honest, once Haiku OS finishes, i think that will be my ultimate OS of choice.

 

[Anti-Trend]

[ot]Haiku is a clone of BeOS, which I never found very compelling even when it was relatively new. But hey, each to their own. At least Haiku is open source, unlike its predecessor. :)[/ot]