Just to add my two cent worth.

Doubt
->Windows is easy to use
Tell that to any newbie pc user who started using Windows. They will be at a lost. People actually take courses to learn how to use Windows. Sure, GUI helps a lot, but they are still lost. (Let''s not go into GUI and command prompted DOS and stuff) Before you say Windows is easy to use, go use other systsm and judge. I never tried BeOS, nor Mac. But I figure once you tried one, all should be well.

Facts
->Windows is popular.
->Windows is expensive(what? win2k cost like 600 bucks???) as compared to Linux or BeOS(which is going free for next version)
->Windows has very good support(hardware and software)

Windows is a developer dream. Why? Because it''s a standard.
->Wanna go back to the days where you have to write hardware drivers to get the most for your graphics card, sound card, etc? Why not adopt DirectX and have most of these done for you?
->Wanna write a software and start cashing in a couple of thousands to the market of a few thousand users? Why not write for Windows and take advantage of the existing millions of users?

Walking on dangerous grounds here, so i will just stop here.

Whatever you say linux sux.

Now is the silicon age. thats why linux caught on. lemme know the reason why Sun, Be, etc joined the ''get it free'' bandwagon. it is way to late to accept an alternative. nobody can imagine a life without windows. there are too many programs which work on windows.

why use an emulator when it is already bundled in your PC. if you load only linux. you still have to install windows in it to emulate.

forget the geeky OS. its just a timepass. it will die when the bloody thing gets commercialised completely. you guys dont seem to understand.

(i got 2 cds from the mag. linux and its utils for the 2gb)

though MS itself is working on the Windows Neptune, changing the windows way of using things. it will again be backward compatible. you guys will say that will make it more crash prone. you hate it but you use it. i dont know much about this though.

- linux exists because its free, try to understand....

MetalWorX Entertainment Inc.

"Whatever you say linux sux."

Now this is typical of most complete Windows supporters. I''m not saying everyone that appreciates some of Windows qualities (yes, it has advantages) are like this, but people like this are brainwashed by MS. No open mindedness at all, and with people like this it''s no wonder this topic always turns into flame wars. Its not MS vs. Linux that starts em, its people that are too stubborn to even risk realizing facts and truths.

"games: win (yes)
linux (nada)"

umm, http://www.lokigames.com/

_dot_, good points for both sides. Although I dont agree that something is popular because it is widespread (was the Plague "popular" back in medieval Europe?) Windows is definately a target if you want commercial success, but why are people convinced you have to develop games for one or the other? Why not develop for both and satisfy both markets?

Both OSes are necessary, at least for now.

Daniel Major

Please note MetalWorx, you do not need to install windows to emulate it on Linux.
There is a program called Wine, you download it, you compile it (it''s not hard to do that, it tells you how).
Then to run solitaire for example, just type:

wine sol.exe

This enables people like me (windows/linux users) to access my DOS partitions and run my Windows programs. It''s handy, it''s cool.
I don''t care if you like Linux or not, you are uninformed.



When life hands you lemons, throw them at God's head.

Actually, I have to agree with null_pointer. I''m on a P100 16 MB RAM and Windows without the Active Desktop hasn''t crashed once or even locked up for me. Linux has the potential to be a mainstream OS, but it won''t be because you have to know too much about computers/programming to use it. I have seen a lot of programs for Linux (not speaking of anything commercial) and you have to compile them yourself. How many mainstream users do you think want to go through this? God forbid that anything is wrong with the makefile or source. They''d have no clue as to how to fix it even if it''s anything as simple as adding a ; to a statement. Another thing is that most mainstream users don''t need to know every detail about their PC. Most people I know can''t even tell me what their processor is clocked at, how much memory they have (even though its the first thing seen when the computer is turned on), etc. So Windows is fine for what many people need to do with their computers
which is probably word processing, using the internet, and game playing.

I like the fact that there''s one OS that has the majority of the marketshare. I''m not saying that without Microsoft there''d be no PC industry or anything. I''m just saying that one OS being in the lead is a good thing for the same reasons that others have given. If another OS happened to be in Windows'' position, then we''d be having the same arguments today.

All I''ve heard about Windows Millenium Edition is that it''s basically like Win2K only geared more for home use (read: faster) so that you can play games (and they won''t run slow). I personally think that Windows sucks no matter what, but it is the best platform out there for games (both developing and playing) so I''ll stick with it for a while.

Commander M
http://commanderm.8m.com
cmndrm@commanderm.8m.com

hm... i won''t waste time to speak of what Linux offers and what windows offer, hence the posts above covered much ground on it... However i think its time to talk about the future...

Lets see... all companies have started to support linux! From hardware vendors, to software vendors...
Just keep in mind that Borland has already released JBuilder for Linux, and they''re after Borland C++ Builder for Linux (can''t wait on that )!

Its true that to setup Linux you have to know a lot more than with Windows, however take a loot at the releases that are out there noe... Suse supports graphical setup (Don''t flame me if it didn''t display correctly for you... neither it did on my PC...) and it goes on and on in becoming user indipendent!

Also, consider that there are DirectX like servers under development for Linux!!!! Check at Genesis3D!
Tell me, when you bought Quake 3, you needed a SUPER PC to run it with good FPS under windows.... with the same hardware under LINUX... you just have a lot higher FPS!!!
In other words, LINUX is pocket friendly!!!

Also, XWin are stable! They don''t crash!! (Although setting ''em up if XConfigurator can''t do it for you is a real pain...)

I know that MS is hard to fall, but if it keeps like that it will someday (in the next 25-30 years). In about 5 years linux''s setup will be almost fully automated, and with XWin to start uppon system startup... i think users will start to like it.

PS: Be honest with that.... how many times was it that you were doing some serius work on Word, and suddenly it closes... just like that, and say you loose 2 complicated pages????? Hopefully Backoffice is here

Windows is the present... Linux is the future!!!

PS: When windows 2xxx will cost $1000+, and linux will be free, and user friendly, tell me... won''t people turn to it massively????

Closing: Windows 2K Pro. looks very promising... very stable, yet i don''t trust ''em, + they''re VERY VERY VERY heavy!

PS: I read on some post that Linux took him some Gigabytes to install????? For Gods shake!!! I''ve seen Linux, with XServer and a Web-browser in a single 1.44 disk!!! My linux partition (including swap) is less than 800MB (with KDevelop, and many many other stuff installed...)

c ''ya

Kylotan: I had the same problem with spontaneous rebooting -- turned out a tiny portion of my RAM was bad. There''s a program called BCM Diagnostics that has both DOS and Windows versions, checks DX and other things. My dad''s computer had bad cache in it -- L2 cache. it would only crash sporatically. Since I got those problems fixed, I haven''t had any trouble.

As for the work computers, the NT server used to crash all the time until they applied a patch to the Lotus Notes (whatever that is). My dad''s computer at work crashed only sporatically too -- they replaced the RAM and all was fine.

Spontaneous rebooting is almost ALWAYS hardware/driver related. Lock-ups and crashes are almost ALWAYS software/driver related.

Good Luck!


- null_pointer

quote: Original post by null_pointer

Spontaneous rebooting is almost ALWAYS hardware/driver related. Lock-ups and crashes are almost ALWAYS software/driver related.

So,what is it when it locks up, and then reboots? That''s Windows being none-too-well programmed and failing to isolate separate processes. Oh well

It also only seems to spontaneously reboot when I use IE5. Strange, I wonder what hardware it''s using that the rest of my system doesn''t?

Why care about the past? In my eyes windows was a good thing for the PC industry.

Nowadays there are a couple of other OS''s that are good too (even alot better in some parts).

I use windows 95 (my version of gigasampler doesnt work with win98) when i make music... (are there any really good music programs for any other x86 OS''s?)... bytheway.. it crashes atleast once per day. seriously!
I use a patched Solaris 7 on a little server because of the major kickass stability and security
I use Linux for everything else... painting... coding... surfing... whatever

I dont care what OS that WAS good... i just want a stable, fast, good looking, easy to control, kickass system!

And for now it''s linux... i DO NOT care what other people think about it... the programs i want is there, its fast and stable and all other things i want.. if another, "better" OS show up i''ll be very happy and install it (if i dont have to pay a months salary for it (like windows2000... im a student)).

well.. back to subject... i think it sounds like a VERY good idea to make a more stable win98, i really look forward to testdrive it. go microsoft!

oups.. forgot to mention a cindof important thingy... linux support my laptops hardware... windows don''t.. the world is changing...