QOTD: Have You Replaced Windows with Linux?

[Guest]

I made the switch about twelve years ago, for reasons that don't fit easily into a few sentences. For a while I dual booted to play games, but I don't play games anymore. I still maintain some Windows virtual machines, at home for Quicken and at work to create Windows builds of my software, so I guess I can't claim to have abandoned Windows completely.

Linux comes with occasional frustrations, but they get resolved. My frustrations with Windows only ever got worse. There is nothing about Windows that I miss, and I would never consider switching back if it can be avoided.

 

[Master Exon]

My loyalty is to the games. Windows is where they are.

 

[SAL-e]

Yes, I have. Currently running Ubuntu 8.04LTS for my desktop, CentOS 4.0 for server, EeePC running eeebuntu and NAS running custom version of Linux based on Debian.
The primary reason to switch was security. First on server side. I got tired of fixing and patching my Windows NT4.0 and later 2000 servers because application that was met for desktop can not be removed from server.

The No. 1 Reason to Move to Open Source is to IMPROVE Security

Linux desktop is very new concept for the TUX, so at this time it is only for real Power Users or new users that have the backing of one. For example my mom is loving Ubuntu, but I am the support for it.
The main reason I switch from Windows XP sp2 was the stupid anti-piracy Trojan Horse called TPC a.k.a Digital Restriction Management (DRM) forced on us and even more restrictive version implemented in Vista.
* If 'you' don't trust me I don't trust 'you' and we are not going to do business together. *

Re-learning new desktop os is not fun for most users and I understand that many people will stay with Windows forever. What I don't understand how there are people, who are applauding MS for stripping their freedom. I have read some historical materials in which old slave owners were claiming that slaves are happy to be slaves and I could not believe it. But today I am seeing same thing happening in digital age. You can make slave to serve you and to be happy.

As it looks like there will be no switching back to Windows 7 because DRM still is build-in in it. Microsoft, please allow me to strip down any service that I don't need and will talk again.

There is no "Free lunch", but there is "Freedom" and it is not for sell.

 

[SAL-e]

Yes, I have. Currently running Ubuntu 8.04LTS for my desktop, CentOS 4.0 for server, EeePC running eeebuntu and NAS running custom version of Linux based on Debian.
The primary reason to switch was security. First on server side. I got tired of fixing and patching my Windows NT4.0 and later 2000 servers because application that was met for desktop can not be removed from server.

The No. 1 Reason to Move to Open Source is to IMPROVE Security

Linux desktop is very new concept for the TUX, so at this time it is only for real Power Users or new users that have the backing of one. For example my mom is loving Ubuntu, but I am the support for it.
The main reason I switch from Windows XP sp2 was the stupid anti-piracy Trojan Horse called TPC a.k.a Digital Restriction Management (DRM) forced on us and even more restrictive version implemented in Vista.
* If 'you' don't trust me I don't trust 'you' and we are not going to do business together. *

Re-learning new desktop os is not fun for most users and I understand that many people will stay with Windows forever. What I don't understand how there are people, who are applauding MS for stripping their freedom. I have read some historical materials in which old slave owners were claiming that slaves are happy to be slaves and I could not believe it. But today I am seeing same thing happening in digital age. You can make slave to serve you and to be happy.

As it looks like there will be no switching back to Windows 7 because DRM still is build-in in it. Microsoft, please allow me to strip down any service that I don't need and will talk again.

There is no "Free lunch", but there is "Freedom" and it is not for sell.

 

[Martin Maat]

Every couple of years I pick a new distro and load it onto some old hardware I am not really using. I do see some development in the right direction but over all the lack of consistency and general buggyness of application makes me drop it soon every time. It has been a while so it may be time to check out another one... But then again, Windows has become quite exciting over the last couple of years, plenty to check out in my home environment. I am glad it is there though, I believe its effect on Microsoft and the development of Windows has been significant. The best thing about Linux may be that it makes Windows better.

 

[njalterio]

I used Kubuntu for a couple of years until I could afford to build a decent gaming computer. My original computer (given to me when I went away to college) was a crappy Gateway computer, which I couldn't play games on anyways. Even Windows XP was slow on that computer, so I installed Kubuntu. Everything was very quick.

I've been on XP Pro 64 and now Vista Home Premium 64 ever since I built my current computer (a year ago). Probably will not switch back, but I keep it in the back of my mind as I see the open source community starting to get decent support for graphics cards and games in wine.

I'm debating using mythbuntu or mythdora for a pending htpc build.

 

[hakesterman]

No Windows, No linux. Just pure Apple Enjoyment of virus free and
no application freezes and no driver issues. It's much greener on the other
side of the fence. Go Imac...........

 

[tpi2007]

I have been paying attention to Linux for the last 2 years. Having been a Windows user since version 3.0, I really didn't think Linux was ready for the mainstream. I has a pleasant surprise with Ubuntu/Kubuntu and OpenSuse, the ones I tested. I cannot say I diskike it, but Linux still has a long way to go in user friendliness. On the stability front, I only recall having Linux crash on me once, so I have a pretty favorable idea of it. I managed to install everything I needed to watch DVD's, watch flash based content, and even a few games, the best one being Open Arena (uses Quake 3 engine). But there are somethings you must delve deep to do and I didn't have that much time to give to it.

Personally, I'm paying attention to Linux. It's great if you have a computer without OS that you will be using for Office tasks, but if you are used to Windows and like to game like me, it will, at best, be in a dual boot configuration, ora secondary PC. I won't switch to Linux anytime soon.

Having said that, I'm still using Windows XP SP3. I have a Laptop taht came with Vista Premium and I don't like it. It has caused me two major incompatibility headaches - even after SP1, which resulted in two full reinstalls (and I usually do a lot of research to try to cure the problem before I ahve to resort to that), and then from a usability point of view there are a lot of small things that make the user experience sub-optimal.
I have Windows 7 intalled on three machines, on in 64-bit flavour, the other two being 32-bit - one is on the laptop. I must say it corrects almost everyting I'm annoyed by in Vista, and it's a breeze installing drivers compared to XP - it does it all for you! I'm looking forward to the final version (and the RC on May 5th, of course)

 

[jsloan]

i use both windows and linux, but windows is still my desktop. linux has a ways to go before i would even consider switching...

 

[Ogdin]

I've tinkered with linux but i mostly just use my computer for games,so swapping out windows for linux isn't even a option.

 

[Judguh]

I used to play around with Linux a bunch in college, but then I realized that two CLI's is enough for me (Windows and Cisco). If I feel agumptious, I'll make me a Linux Server for DNS, etc.. but as a primary computer - no way. I love my games. Games are in Windows. Seriously though - have you seen any major titles released for Linux and Windows at the same time?

 

[verenos]

Not much for linux. I use FreeBSD allot for firewall and fileservers. Other than that I mostly use windows OS.

 

[gsacks]

Not fully switched. I've run various Linux distros in the past, and always went back to windows until this last time. I've been running Ubuntu on the HTPC for about a year now and love it. My wife finds it easy to use, and that is something of a milestone. I asked her if she would be OK with me putting Ubuntu on her next PC that I build for her, and she said it would be fine. That would leave only one Windows PC in the house that is strictly for gaming, and doing the finances on Intuit products. If I buy a laptop, and it comes with windows though, I would probably leave it alone, rather than load up Ubuntu, or maybe I would dual boot it.

 

[Greatwalrus]

In addition to my earlier comment and reading other people's comments, let's not forget that Linux has been coming a loooong way with games. Try searching google for Unigine or xreal, they are engines for games on Linux. Also, Linux Game Publishing ports many Windows games to Linux, and some actual games developers are starting to create Linux clients along with Windows ones

 

[dchenard]

I'm in the process of switching my four PCs to Linux. For the rare occasions where Windows is needed I have the family machine set up as a Windows 2000/Ubuntu dual-boot. The other three have SuSe on them exclusively.

I refuse to purchase an OS that's slow, buggy, and unsafe, and I resent being treated as a criminal by being forced to register my copy of Windows (that's why I don't have XP, and BTW my copy of Win2K is legit), and apparently even being spied on. No thanks...

The only drawback of Linux is driver support, but so far I haven't had problems on that front. And I don't play games much (the last one I bought is the original Unreal), but many of them will run under Wine.

I haven't managed to do without Windows completely yet, but this is the goal.

DC

 

[Dave_69]

I dual boot Ubuntu and Vista. I only go to Vista for gaming and video editing, which means about 60% of my time is spent in Ubuntu. I really like it. I thought it sucked a few years ago, but it has really come around. In fact, Ubuntu has made my Windows experience worse. Half the time in Windows I wind up saying to myself "I shouldn't have to know how to do this!" or "Why can't this just work correctly?!" On top of all this, when I remind myself that it's (virtually) free, I'm blown away.

Warning: Use of Linux will make you hate other OSs. Proceed with caution.

 

[martel80]

At work (server SW development) I use Linux despite the company having Windows 2000 and XP as default installations (I installed that and maintain that myself).
At home I use Windows, mostly because my TV tuner doesn't have Linux drivers and sometimes I play a newer game.

 

[ehenry818]

I have used both windows in Linux. Never had to much time to mess with linux. Got fed up with XP, and started running a linux distro. Ended up going back to windows as I could not get things to function properly in Linux. Linux lacks good wirless driver support. I have been running Vista since pre sp1 and I love it 1 million times more than XP. As long as you have a decent system it runs great. No more BSOD. No more computer freezing up in XP. No more worries about system crashing after updating to a new sp. Yes people SP3 cause many blue screens of death. I find XP unstable and worthless. I love Vista, and never had 1 problem with it. Watch movies on it fine, listen to music fine, surf web fine, use all sorts of editing, music softwawre fine. I am not sure what people are doing to there machines. Honestly Vista is on the same box I had XP on. Vista runs much faster. Faster boot, faster file copies...Just faster all the way around. And I had installed a clean copy of XPSP2 2 months before I installed Vista.
As much as I love vista, I do enjoy Windows 7. I hope with this people will stop complaining. People spend a few hundred bucks and buy a dual core or Quad core cpu, get that nice 4 gigs of ram. But yourselves shiney cases. Get the 1 TB hard drive. Maybe even splurge for a decent video card and a new LCD monitor. And most importantly get rid of XP. All these years later and it still has all sorts of issues

 

[eddieroolz]

I had one on a Pentium 4 small-factor PC I had lying around. Ubuntu 7.10 I believe. Booted it twice, and never went back to it.

Not that it's bad, but it confuses the hell out of me. I couldn't even find a simple menu for installing Adobe Flash. While that may be more of my problem than the OS, it still left me slightly bitter.

 

[danimal_the_animal]

I use Vista on my main PC and XP/ubuntu dual boot on my laptop.

my 9 year old daughter is using ubuntu netbook remix on her acer aspire one
and it can boot to xp if she wants.

I use ubuntu as a server....and also use ubuntu for mythtv in my front room.

I usually only use my main machine (quad core) for encoding video's for my mythbox as i rather import them instead of fooling with DVD's and bluerays...LONG process but i almost have my entire collection converted.

usually i find myself exiting out of the front end of the mythbox and surfing the net and checking e-mail on my 42inch Phillips....it's GREAT!

i take advantage of all the technology i can get....

I am a network administrator for a college so i HAVE to be well versed in windows/ and server......

i choose both to have the best of both worlds.

just like gaming...i cant limit myself to one system...i have a wii, 360, and a PS3.....i like to walk into a store knowing i have a choice to play any game no matter what system it is on....

 

[gnice3d]

I quad boot both my primary laptop and desktops with Ubuntu, Fedora, Vista and Mac OSX 10.56.
Some people ask why, I ask wtf not?

 

[waikano]

I haven't completely switched, play too many games, but I do have a File Server that runs completely on Fedora.

 

[danimal_the_animal]

[citation][nom]danimal_the_animal[/nom]I use Vista on my main PC and XP/ubuntu dual boot on my laptop.my 9 year old daughter is using ubuntu netbook remix on her acer aspire oneand it can boot to xp if she wants.I use ubuntu as a server....and also use ubuntu for mythtv in my front room.I usually only use my main machine (quad core) for encoding video's for my mythbox as i rather import them instead of fooling with DVD's and bluerays...LONG process but i almost have my entire collection converted.usually i find myself exiting out of the front end of the mythbox and surfing the net and checking e-mail on my 42inch Phillips....it's GREAT!i take advantage of all the technology i can get....I am a network administrator for a college so i HAVE to be well versed in windows/ and server......i choose both to have the best of both worlds.just like gaming...i cant limit myself to one system...i have a wii, 360, and a PS3.....i like to walk into a store knowing i have a choice to play any game no matter what system it is on....[/citation]

just go to the website and choose ubuntu.deb choice.

it's fall out of your chair EASY!!!!!!!!!

 

[whiz]

Dos was where they were before windows came up, you can say that again. I've almost since forever been dual-booting between Windows X (Currently Vista x64) and Ubuntu. I've recently Upgraded to the latest 9.04 Ubuntu, and I use it on daily basis. I do everything I can on it, and when it can't run some specific software like Autocad, Rhino, 3ds max, CS4 or some of those I start an XP virtual machine through Virtualbox - it even has OpenGL acceleration. Ubuntu is much more trouble-free than windows. Windows being "just use it" is a myth, everybody has had to put up with so much crap on windows. It's just that when you install a radically new OS like Linux you expect to see everything work out of the box - well it doesn't. But at least you know WHY. You find the problem, and fix it. Forever. Not until the next reboot or unexpected power outage. So yes I've gone Linux and I love it, especially for being so customizable and open-minded (if you can say so about a software, i think you can) But until the poor fellows at Adobe and Autodesk cut their marriage with Windows, I'll have to switch back and forth sometimes. Oh, and games. I can't give that up. Go open source.

 

[gnice3d]

njalterio - don't bother with the slimmed down myth distros - Just install from the Ubuntu repos on a std distro. It has a fantastic gui setup interface to your mysql options 8)