Linux is not Windows

Puppy related raves and general interest that doesn't fit anywhere else
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jcagle
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Linux is not Windows

#1 Post by jcagle »

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

I found this article today.

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L18L
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Re: Linux is not Windows

#2 Post by L18L »

seven and a half years ago jcagle wrote:http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

I found this article today.
Thank you :D

Just one click to read: http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
Have fun

mini-jaguar
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#3 Post by mini-jaguar »

Pretty good article, but misses a few points.

For example, Linux is not one o.s., and different distros can be more different from each other as Windows from MacOS, or more user-friendly, or even perhaps more similar in some ways to Windows. O.k., maybe he does touch upon it, but not in too much detail.

And the author also doesn't bring up how different MacOS is from Windows, yet it doesn't have the fear factor from new users as when they hear the L-word, mainly because their friends use it.

tlchost
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Re: Linux is not Windows

#4 Post by tlchost »

[quote="jcagle"]http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
[/quote}
Someone should write Puppy is not, and the long list of Linux distros what do not arokd as puppy does...it sure would reduce the number of questions that surface in #puppylinux on frenode.net

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Karl Godt
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#5 Post by Karl Godt »

Apple is partly Linux or vice versa ( cups ) .
Android is partly or at whole Linux .

A lot of servers run Linux to compete .
My Homepage Hosting company once send me an email , telling me that they are about to upgrade from Debian Lenny to Debian Squeeze .

Today I got the bill for 6 Month Anti-Virus :lol:

Their user-interfaces are Non-Open-Source !
«Give me GUI or Death» -- I give you [[Xx]term[inal]] [[Cc]on[s][ole]] .
Macpup user since 2010 on full installations.
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L18L
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Linux is not Windows

#6 Post by L18L »

mini-jaguar wrote:... as Windows from MacOS, or more user-friendly, or even perhaps more similar in some ways to Windows. O.k., maybe he does touch upon it, but not in too much detail.

And the author also doesn't bring up how different MacOS is from Windows, yet it doesn't have the fear factor from new users as when they hear the L-word, mainly because their friends use it.
Why complaining about MacOs :?:
I did not see MacOS in neither the title of this thread nor the referenced http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm.

What I like most in that article
-Problem #5: The myth of "user-friendly"
and
Linux is not interested in market share. Linux does not have customers. Linux does not have shareholders, or a responsibility to the bottom line. Linux was not created to make money. Linux does not have the goal of being the most popular and widespread OS on the planet.
which is true for Puppy I think :D

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#7 Post by R-S-H »

If you want an OS that doesn't chauffeur you around, but hands you the keys, puts you in the driver's seat, and expects you to know what to do: Get Linux. You'll have to devote some time to learning how to use it, but once you've done so, you'll have an OS that you can make sit up and dance.
I'm convinced, this is especially true for Puppy Linux and this should be given as the first (main, top) information ever to each and every new Puppy Linux User!
[b][url=http://lazy-puppy.weebly.com]LazY Puppy Home
The new LazY Puppy Information Centre[/url][/b]

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L18L
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Re: Linux is not Windows

#8 Post by L18L »

tlchost wrote:...list of Linux distros what do not arokd as puppy does..

Code: Select all

# dict arokd
No definitions found for "arokd", perhaps you mean:
gcide:  Aroid
wn:  aroid
vera:  arkd
#
:?:

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Re: Linux is not Windows

#9 Post by tlchost »

L18L wrote:
tlchost wrote:...list of Linux distros what do not arokd as puppy does..

Code: Select all

# dict arokd
No definitions found for "arokd", perhaps you mean:
gcide:  Aroid
wn:  aroid
vera:  arkd
#
:?:
So many words to point out a typo....
the magic word is work....one needs to be more context sensitive.

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L18L
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Re: Linux is not Windows

#10 Post by L18L »

tlchost wrote:
L18L wrote:
tlchost wrote:...list of Linux distros what do not arokd as puppy does..

Code: Select all

# dict arokd
No definitions found for "arokd", perhaps you mean:
gcide:  Aroid
wn:  aroid
vera:  arkd
#
:?:
So many words to point out a typo....
the magic word is work....one needs to be more context sensitive.
I did not know that arokd could be a typo of work :oops:

not much words to type if you use copy and paste 8)

..but too much work to install a spell checker :wink:

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#11 Post by musher0 »

@Karl_Godt and perhaps to all:

AFAIK, the Mac system is based on BSD, not Linux.
musher0
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ardvark
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#12 Post by ardvark »

"The biggest cause of friction tends to be in the online interactions: A "3a" user new to Linux asks for help with a problem he's having. When he doesn't get that help at what he considers an acceptable rate, he starts complaining and demanding more help. Because that's what he's used to doing with paid-for tech support. The problem is that this isn't paid-for support. This is a bunch of volunteers who are willing to help people with problems out of the goodness of their hearts. The new user has no right to demand anything from them, any more than somebody collecting for charity can demand larger donations from contributors."
And here lies part of the problem. If Linux is going to seriously compete with Microsoft on the desktop it's going to have to adjust its "business model" in a few areas and this is one of them.

People expect professional, knowledgeable support when using a product, especially when they pay for it. When it comes to software, whether paid or unpaid, if a person can't figure out how to use it or something goes wrong and can't get help with it, they're going to chuck it and try another product.

With Linux, usually the only support you ever get is through support forums like this one by people who may or may not have the experience or skill level to offer the support that is needed for a given situation. Sometimes, that involves someone receiving the wrong information, as I have on occasion. Sure, this happens on Windows support forums, too (and probably support calls to Microsoft) but reliance on fellow end users for primary support only for most distributions isn't an effective way, in my opinion, to attract new and keep current "customers." I would add that a lot of the behavior I've seen on Linux forums doesn't lend itself, either.

An idea would be to provide paid tech support for distributions that can or an organization that can handle many distributions at one time along with the individual forums. Folks could pay either per call or a reasonable yearly subscription that everyone can afford. :)

Any thoughts?

Regards...
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#13 Post by musher0 »

@ardvark:

Isn't that what the original open source business model was supposed to be?
The open source software itself is free, the user only pays for the manual,
the training and the support (if need be)? E.g. OpenOffice | LibreOffice.

The user can trust a forum that's supervised by the author (e.g. muCommander),
but as you say the level of skill in unmonitored forums is quite variable.

Besides, freedom never comes cheap. The lazies don't mind being serfs
to some monopoly, as long as they don't have to think on their own -- it's
too much work! :?

Best regards.

musher0
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Karl Godt
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#14 Post by Karl Godt »

«Give me GUI or Death» -- I give you [[Xx]term[inal]] [[Cc]on[s][ole]] .
Macpup user since 2010 on full installations.
People who want problems with Puppy boot frugal :P

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Re: Linux is not Windows

#15 Post by tlchost »

L18L wrote: 8)

..but too much work to install a spell checker :wink:
Thank you for your comments

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ardvark
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#16 Post by ardvark »

musher0 wrote: Isn't that what the original open source business model was supposed to be?
The open source software itself is free, the user only pays for the manual,
the training and the support (if need be)? E.g. OpenOffice | LibreOffice.

The user can trust a forum that's supervised by the author (e.g. muCommander),
but as you say the level of skill in unmonitored forums is quite variable.

Besides, freedom never comes cheap. The lazies don't mind being serfs
to some monopoly, as long as they don't have to think on their own -- it's
too much work! :?
Hi Musher...

I'm not sure what the original model looked like. I know that the Preamble of the GPL mentions this...
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for them if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things.
Whereas companies like Canonical, Red Hat and Linuxant have sought to make money developing Linux distributions and drivers, others have chosen to do this entirely free of cost. So, I don't think it's "cut and dried" in that respect.

Also, I don't think it's entirely out of laziness that folks seek support options. Most people are just average users with no experience in getting "beneath the hood" of a computer system nor do some have the ability and/or inclination to do so. If the Linux community started offering paid support options (not counting forums,) I think this could be one way we could start becoming competitive.

Others issues include software and driver quality (and vendor support) but that's for a different thread. :wink:

Regards...

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session
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regarding tech support

#17 Post by session »

I'll take this forum over customer service any day; the "regulars" here seem to offer more thoughtful solutions than the cookie-cutter answers you often get from tech support.

As for the article, mini-jaguar's right, Linux with all of its flavors can be extremely user-friendly; some would say GNOME hides more of its settings than Windows. Say what you want about GNOME 3, but it looks as coherent and pretty as Win8 and OS X.
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Re: regarding tech support

#18 Post by ardvark »

session wrote:I'll take this forum over customer service any day; the "regulars" here seem to offer more thoughtful solutions than the cookie-cutter answers you often get from tech support
Excellent point and that's something that shouldn't change! I have noticed this in other Linux forums as well. :)

Regards...

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#19 Post by musher0 »

@ardvark

Thanks for the additional info on GPL'd software. I hadn't really noticed the possibility of variance.
And true, some users just don't know where to start or where to ask, and that's anxiety :cry: rather than laziness. :lol:

BFN

musher0
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ardvark
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#20 Post by ardvark »

musher0 wrote:@ardvark

Thanks for the additional info on GPL'd software. I hadn't really noticed the possibility of variance.
And true, some users just don't know where to start or where to ask, and that's anxiety :cry: rather than laziness. :lol:
No problem :)

Regards...

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