P-J wrote: ..snip...
I try Linux every six months or so, and in my opinion (which I'm entitled to), Linux is still the fragmented piece of crap it was ten years ago.
Well Im the same been using Windows since version 3.0 and tbh in those days it was a really nasty badly hacked cludge of and OS and linux (although a real swine to get your head around was infinately better).
Windows 2003 server for me is rock solid, its still a little bit of a pain to use but the key issue for me and my company is price, man we know were being shafted, cause we all walk like we have been ridding a horse for a week straight!
Linux has improved dramatically, I can now boot Mandrake 10 RC1, and instantly have all my hardware recognised, including my optical sound connections, my HT P4 my SATA and all the obscure kit I use (firewire...). I can fire up straight into a graphical UI which is supper fast (believe it or not more responsive than XP!) that uses all my card features. I have out of the box a workstation, or a server with fully qualified world beating software (Apache, MySQL et al), I can chose to configure these graphically if I want now... and I can expect bugs to be fixed within weeks if I find any and improvements such as adopting standards every month or so. I can burn CD's DVD's, view Xvid, DivX MPEG out of the box... Need to share windows 2003 server drives...not a problem fire up smb4k and type in my domain password and yep Im fully connected. Want a quick development environment that I may need to trash, fire up a virtual linux box on the same machine and login hey presto I have a PureBasic development machine, didnt cost me more than 20 minutes config time...Did I mention that I havent rebooted this machine since install? That was over 2 months ago.
Kernel 2.6 also now allows me to scale the same OS from a PDA to a massively parrallel mainframe, I dont have to buy and license Windows CE or Windows Enterprise Server infact it costs me exactly the same amount, £0.00.
Linux is now a creadible OS for the non super geek, its fire and forget install and fully support for modern (even cutting edge kit) is as good as XP and better than 2003 server imho.
BTW did I talk about the cost...it cost me 3 hours of download and 3 CD's.
Seriously Windows should feel threatened by Linux, and if MS keep making me walk like a cowboy, they will lose their grip on the market. Its not just me and my boss who have noticed the costs associated with running MS, the world has. By that I mean there are practiacally no 3rd world users of Windows, Most seconds tier countries use Linux, slowly a lot of First world countries are moving to linux for key applications (Web servers, email etc..especially in schools and universities) and before you know it more than 50% of the worlds PC workstation and server users will know linux MWWWHHHAAA>..
BTW it may feel like all Linux users sneer at MS users, they probably are its difficult not too when all you can see is MS users as people who pay MS taxes to keep the MS empire in power. Especially when the Linux world would replace MS quicker if you hopped into the crazy Linux world
Phew...now for some work.
IRIA