Thread: How many Linux users here?

I know that Linux is much more safer and stable than Windows...but how can you guys ignore user friendly GUI of Windows....more than 90% people are using Linux round the world.

Even a five year child can operate it....but Linux is not that easy to operate. Now it is getting more easy to use but few years back Operating Linux was as hard as operating an airplane.

I mostly use Knoppix or Ubuntu live CD's when my system crashes to transfer my setting files from C drive to backup partition, There is not much games available on linux compared to windows thats why I sticked to windows till now...

Originally Posted by Sam Bentley

I know that Linux is much more safer and stable than Windows...but how can you guys ignore user friendly GUI of Windows....more than 90% people are using Linux round the world.

Even a five year child can operate it....but Linux is not that easy to operate. Now it is getting more easy to use but few years back Operating Linux was as hard as operating an airplane.

There was a OS called Yellow dog Linux. It was more GUI user friendly at its time than windows. But it was only for apple products.

PS: I just saw that it exists but don't know what it is doing.

Linux user for 3 years here. Currently on Ubuntu 9.10 and Enlightenment WM. Loving it.

I have installed Linux but have not used it..........

hi,

i use windows for my local machine but i use linux on all of my webservers. windows hosting isn't reliable enough.

thanks,
kevin

very true!! A lot of webmasters stick to linux for servers

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

Hi,
I wanted to know many linux users are here?

also please share your experiences with linux, like how you got first used to it?


lemme start first,
I started using linux around may 2007.
the inspiration was my friend who dumped his windows saying that "Using linux is better than using Pirated Windows". my first distro was Ubuntu.

currently, i am using Archlinux
since them i am using linux

Hey Gary, same thing happened with me, but the one who forced me was my TL. I started using Linux Ubuntu since Sep 2009, for first two months i found it much hard to understand and operate. But after using it over and over again i believe that its much secured and better than windows. Just like windows there are many software and applications available for Linux.

People should really look forward for using Linux as it saves your licensing fee for windows.

maybe 1/2??? linux users??

Originally Posted by mickey

maybe 1/2??? linux users??

no, 1/3.........

used to have dual boot but now only windows.

i am use linux for hosting my site and also i am use linux for programming

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

If all drivers work, then you are indeed lucky!

waise, still you have figure out two-three kinds of distros and see whats works perfectly.
macbook is cool & sexy but i always find apple products are priced at a premuim.

they are not VFM.

Indeed. Though many of us buy 'em.
I really don't like Apple's philosophy but still I own their two products (iPod and MBP). I'm happy that a glossy Ubuntu runs on my MBP which is way more stunning and eye-candy than OSX or Win7. Has loads of "Legal" softwares. I only use OSX when I desperately need to run some illegal software
I'm sad because there's no Linux based firmware for iPod.
My desktop is triple boot. Fedora, OSX86 and Win7. Since the motherboard of that desktop is one of the most compatible one for OSX86 so I didn't face any driver issue. But, performance can't be compared with OSX on my MBP. I only use Win when I need to play a game, which is not running with Wine in Fedora or I need to fix some layout issue of any website for crappy IE

I breath in OSX once (twice at max) in a week, in Win once in a month. Rest of my O2 is coming from Linux.

4-5 years before I used Linux Red Hat. I liked it, but after that I stopped using it and switched back to windows. Recently I started using Ubuntu 10.4 . It is very nice, fast operating system.

I use 2 hds. One is dedicated for Ubuntu and another for windows xp. I connect only one hd at a time because I don't want to mix both operating systems as duel operating systems.

We use either Windows 7 or Ubuntu (now Lucid Lynx) on all of our employee laptops (per employee preference), and our servers and core-routers are all *NIX based. I think our CPEs are *NIX based too.

It will take time to switch over to alternate OS , instead of Windows.
Exposure to Windows is maximum even from school level ( freeOS disks ) , teachers
more familiar with Windows OS only
I could not make the change to LINUX, for above reasons.
Even Changing the browser from IE to
Google Chrome/Opera/Firefox etc is
difficult for so many.
Some Govt depts, have started as a cost cutting measure , using Linux OS and Open office etc.
But the Software engineers are all invariably
trained in Windows systems .. the transition will take time/effort..
see the various versions of Linux being used.

( Mac OS another one being, used exclusively by some ) Unless you buy a MAC based Laptop or desktop you won't know it exists!
Now OEM install a version of Linux as freebie, and offer Windows as addition OS for additional cost..

Um, no. I disagree. I've found that many users (my mother included) have found that Linux (GNOME desktops, at least) are easy to use so long as you are a little patient. Almost everything is made intuitive. If you read carefully you'll find your way around in no time -- don't look for a "Start Menu". If it says "Applications, Places, System" it really means "Applications, Places, System". You cannot shut down from a Start Menu! (Really old joke, but it is in context)

Originally Posted by safeguy

Um, no. I disagree. I've found that many users (my mother included) have found that Linux (GNOME desktops, at least) are easy to use so long as you are a little patient. Almost everything is made intuitive. If you read carefully you'll find your way around in no time -- don't look for a "Start Menu". If it says "Applications, Places, System" it really means "Applications, Places, System". You cannot shut down from a Start Menu! (Really old joke, but it is in context)

You are right only in context when user use Linux (more accurately different system). The users you've mentioned, found Linux more useful than Windows after using Linux. That's the point where major share of computer users stuck. In the early of this decade I used to work as freelancer for System and Network maintainer for few public and private enterprises. And from my experience I know how hard it was to switch them from Win98 to WinXP. I can take a wild guess that, merely 20% of computer users in our country have courage and curiosity to play with their system (and sometimes having some disaster). In enterprises, management always go with the solution which is not so critical for major end users. And in the mind of that major population, any unfamiliar thing is way too critical. Even how many new generation employees have any good computer exposure other than attending some few hours a week MS Windows+MS Office short course? Don't think 'bout it sitting in Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore. India is million fold larger than those cities. And for that India knowing the path of mouse pointer from BIG start button to Microsoft Word/Excel and little knowledge of typing and spell checking is enough to get a govt. or other private office job. And the kids having education from five star schools, attending computer classes while watching friends swimming on blue water wearing bikini, hardly know any 'c' exists in this planet other than "Turbo c". I know many B.E (I.T) engineers who can't even compile a 'c' code from terminal (or command prompt, whatever you call).

I was lucky, one of my teacher has introduced me to Linux back then when a smallest change in hardware had corrupted the installation. That time Linux used to attract me due to it's complexity. And with my growing age and maturity I understood the philosophy of FOSS and quite obviously glued to it. Initially I used to refer Linux to those people who liked to play tough with their system but now, for many years, I'm referring it to almost everybody as it became more user friendly than Windows (according to many of us). And I'm happy that nobody has turned his/her back on Linux till then. Despite everything (and rapid improvement of Wine) you have to depend on Windows when it comes to gaming. I wish Linux could make it easy for us. Out of my many favourite title I'm only able to play Guild Wars with wine.

Since gaming is not an issue for majority of end-users, Linux fits the boot perfectly. But problem lies deep down somewhere. Like essbebe said, our education system shapes us in form of MS applications. The service engineers for enterprises also don't have knowledge or the intention to learn alternate system. So where would end-users go when they'll face a problem with Linux? That's one reason which holding Linux back. Please don't bring the "Freedom" and "Legality" issue here in our country. Many well educated people even don't understand those two things. I guess a massive govt. initiative and large no. of volunteers for FOSS can change the scenario.

Wow. Very well written. I can connect to everything you've said. Well done.

About that last point about govt initiative, I was really glad to hear that the Kerala has revamped the whole computer education system. All govt computers run Ubuntu (I'd say for such important things Debian might be better, but it's their call). Free OS means cheaper computers. As a result many government schools now have computers too. Python is the now the main programming (I think it is now acceptable to call it programming not scripting) language in many comp. science syllabuses. Kids are loving it there. Wish Kerala could inspire the central govt also.

That's really a great move of Kerala govt. They really take the technology quite seriously. And yeh, you're right, we just can hope that central and other govt. will follow Kerala. And may be eventually our kids will understand how it's more than just free-of-cost, it's our basic right, "Freedom".

Yes and no. I really don't see many Indians understanding Richard Stallman's interprettation of "free" for a long time. Not until they understand that the answer to "which operating system do you use?" need not begin with "Microsoft Windows ..." (like the guys at BSNL). Really, I get irritated when even our governments litterally endorse MS products. I mean what ever happened to the free market system?

So true, couldn't agree more.

Hello,

I am using the linux from last so many years. Its really amazing to work on it.

Hi guys, I started using linux in the form of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) (LTS stands for Long Term Support). It all started as this. My Hard Disk of laptop got damaged and i was not having enough bucks to purchase a new one. So i was thinking of something so that i can directly boot from pen drive or external HDD. So i googled it and found many distros of linux available which can be easily be booted from pen drives. I found Ubuntu was the best due to its vast available repositories which is backed by CANONICAL. So i made a live USB pen drive using UNETBOOTIN and installed Ubuntu 10.04 on another pen drive connected to the same laptop. After the installation was completed i was amazed to see how fast it is and the also the GUI. It is very easy to use and as i had heard, they have improved upon the GUI a lot. Once I get adopted to the environment, which was very easy, i got addicted to it!! For days i have stopped using Windows 7 installed on my desktop and researching on this There are many free applications in Ubuntu and there is one for everyone!! They will also ship a FREE CD to you if you have a slow net connection or if you want a brand new CD with Ubuntu logo on it (I did order it for this reason...lol). You can do this by clicking here!!

There are many other linux distros available on the net for example Debian, Linux Mint, openSUSE, PC Linux OS, Mandriva, Gentoo, Sabayon, jolicloud,etc. Which one to use is completely on the user's choice. In fact as they are open source, users can modify the code according to their preference and distribute it freely!! Gradually users are shifting to open source softwares and OSes as they are free and easily available. Gone are the days in which a user has to input commands to operate in Linux. With GNOME and KDE, the two GUI of linux, things can be done in a jiffy and efforts are constantly made to improve upon the so called "eye candy". In my opinion if u want "eye candy" more, then u should go for KDE GUI. One such example is Kubuntu, the KDE version of Ubuntu. However the choice is at last of the user.

To conclude, i want to say that Linux is gradually gaining confidence of the users and i think the day is not too far when Linux will give any other commercial OS a run for their money. Linux ROCKS !! 3 cheers to Linux (Ubuntu for the time being...lol!!)

I have been met with a rather bullheaded resistance to Linux in all those to whom i recommended Linux. They would rather stick with their pirated XPs, i don't get it. I suppose it's because of the rampant piracy prevalent here. Probably, "I got XP for free and it costs money so it must be better than something given away for free" or, "there must be a catch somewhere or why would they be giving it away".

Yo Gary4gar, reopen the poll maan, things might have changed a lot since when you started it. Some really great new developments have been made since then, Mint 9 and Crunchbang Statler are out, i am sure we must be around a thousand at least.