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Post by Susieg on Aug 29, 2004 8:51:29 GMT
Which operating system are you using? Microsoft's Windows with its ever changing system is the most widley used, but can another operating system compete in the marketplace? The UK advertising watchdog group ( The Advertising Standards Association ) has ordered Microsoft to change an ad which compares the costs of running the Linux and Windows operating systems. The ad suggested the Windows system was superior and less expensive, but did not make clear the fact that different hardware was used in the comparison. It is not news that Microsoft has felt increasingly threatened by Linux. However, Linux is not the pervasive market force......... not yet. A recent report by Gartner, for example, suggests Linux has a number of challenges to overcome before it can threaten the dominance of Windows on the desktop. Gartner's Executive Summary Forecast: PC Market by Operating System, Worldwide, 1998-2008 states:- By 2008, 7.5 percent of new PCs will ship with Linux, but over half of them will end up running a version of Windows. As Linux gains market share in developing markets, who do not have the sophisticated computing needs of those in other regions, Microsoft hits back and are now shipping a stripped down version of Windows XP (The XP Starter Edition) which is designed for the first time desktop PC user. Another advantage Linux has is the ability to work on old or new hardware, unlike Windows. Microsoft has pledged to cooperate with governments in the targeted countries during the Starter Edition pilot program and suggested that the company may introduce a local version of Starter Edition in other developing markets. Microsoft has launched a program called "Get the Facts" designed to debunk claims that Linux is cheaper to run than Windows. Most industry experts say that corporate customers are already well aware that Linux is not absolutely free. Most companies conduct their own in-house research to evaluate the costs in money, time and effort to make technology shifts. But what about the home user? It may be easy to switch when purchasing a new PC but will an average user like myself bother to learn a new system (simple or not) and have to adapt existing programmes to work on the new OS. Most users are comfortable with an interface they know and are used to, we are looking for a PC to make life easier and quicker, not to be learning new systems. Microsoft and Linux will carry on the corporate climb for supremacy in the It marketplace whilst most of us are more interested in sending our mail, playing games and surfing the web. Susieg PS... After all of that brain activity  I am off to play Rollercoaste Tycoon  |
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Post by Susieg on Aug 29, 2004 9:07:51 GMT
Linux Patent-Infringement Threat Surfaces A recent report by U.S.-based consultancy Open Source Risk Management claimed that the Linux kernel is in infringement of almost 300 U.S. patents and could lead to legal cases against Linux users. Last year, the SCO Group filed a suit against IBM for alleged Linux server-software patent infringement. A cursory search of the Linux "base client" had revealed that it was in conflict with more than 50 European software patents, according to Florian Mueller, an adviser to Europe's largest open-source software company, MySQL Watch this space for further developments in the hotbed of the operating system battle.  Susieg.......................Rollercoaster Tycoon at the ready  |
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Post by tenguninja on Aug 29, 2004 12:40:30 GMT
i dont c y ppl moan about windows i love it
its brill
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Post by Susieg on Aug 31, 2004 6:54:20 GMT
i dont c y ppl moan about windows i love it its brill I have no problem with Windows as operating system of choice, after all the majority of PC users are using Windows in one form or another. I think the problem is the perception that Mr Gates is making oodles of cash with each new version released, and human nature being what it is success is always looked upon through 'green' eyes. I wish I had the foresight to see the money making opportunity the IT industry was capable of. Mr Gates saw that and who can say they would not like to be in his financial position, irrespective of all of the 'politics' involved he is a shrewd business man and in the world today making money is the ultimate goal of the majority. Sad though that may be we all wish to be comfortable and many are envious of anothers wealth and position, so we will always have the people who will gripe. At the end of the day our opinions will count for nothing as it is big business which will lead the way concerning OS use, and they are looking for a cost effective answer which is also capable of fitting in with other business users in the market place. I will keep using Windows, all of my PC's use a version of it in, fact my Windows 98 is still going strong and can out shine XP in a lot of ways. Susieg |
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Post by BigHairyKev on Aug 31, 2004 23:46:28 GMT
I agree Susieg - 98 is still the more usable version of Windows. However - I still prefer my trusty old Amigas  |
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Post by Captain Christine Hurt on Sept 20, 2004 7:46:58 GMT
I like Win98se, I'm used to it. I hear so many differant comments about XP, some like it some hate it etc...I've heard a little about Linux, not alot though. It is easier to stick with what your used to, untill there is something better or that has something different one wants. I think if Linux can show it can be compatible with all differant kinds of hardware and software, and be user friendly it might have a shot at competing with Windows.
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Post by Susieg on Sept 20, 2004 20:39:29 GMT
I like Win98se, I'm used to it. I hear so many differant comments about XP, some like it some hate it etc...I've heard a little about Linux, not alot though. It is easier to stick with what your used to, untill there is something better or that has something different one wants. I think if Linux can show it can be compatible with all differant kinds of hardware and software, and be user friendly it might have a shot at competing with Windows. Hi I know what you mean about using what you are used to, after all we just getused to one system then they go and upgrade the thing just to make us learn new stuff  I got a new insight into the use of operating systems when I did my Cisco Networking course. Even the different versions of Windows work in slightly different ways which makes their interaction on a large scale difficult. although at home we have managed to network 98, 98SE, ME and XP machines all on the same LAN. XP has a lot of features which I like it also has a few quirks which I am not so keen on Linux is not something I have used myself, but I have just been looking for a base unit for my son to play games on and although I did find a system which could not be built from scratch cheaper the OS was Linux and even the shop it was sold in advised me to steer clear of it (and no they did not get a sale so it would have been worth their while to get me to purchase it anyway) Susieg |
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Post by ladytass2001 on Oct 4, 2004 23:00:57 GMT
.well I don't know as much as you guy's but I find window's very easy to use--though it may not do everything you may want it is reliable--and it is upgradable(loads better than the old DOS systems I learned how to use in junior high school) but then I use windows XP and have never tried Linux so it isn't really fair to say I wouldn't try it,I will say I have tried using Mac's and am not tech enough to use it right
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Post by runny75 on Oct 20, 2004 16:33:10 GMT
Well I for one miss fully functional DOS in Windows XP. There's so much that you can't do now with some older programs because of the fact that XP isn't DOS based. Maybe if they made alittle bit better DOS emulator.
Ron
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Post by BigHairyKev on Oct 24, 2004 12:19:36 GMT
Well I for one miss fully functional DOS in Windows XP. There's so much that you can't do now with some older programs because of the fact that XP isn't DOS based. Maybe if they made alittle bit better DOS emulator. Ron I agree with you Ron - some older systems here are still on 98 and I can do alot more with those - there's also the fact that the old hardware can't take XP or 2000 - but the newer systems run XP - I still like to delve into the old MSDOS to do something Windows can't quite manage  |
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Post by Captain Christine Hurt on Oct 24, 2004 20:58:48 GMT
That remains the most common complaint I ever hear about XP, Ron. I agree, they need to either build a better emulator or find a new way of integrating a seperate, real DOS program.
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Post by ArbyEmm on Apr 28, 2005 7:05:50 GMT
Bill Gates is a thief! Now he is a very rich thief, but still a thief. He stole DOS from a friend. After fifteen some years of stalling in the courts, He settled that suit for, fifty some million. He had 5 or 6 hundred million by that time. Then Gates, immediately, released windows 5 in which half the code was “stolen”. The entire Memoir Manager, plus the new Disk Doubler, plus several other smaller, but notable, applications were blatantly added his new release.
However this time the courts wouldn’t let him stall, but ordered him to recall the millions of software packages he had just sold. So he tell his customers to return to ½ the product for the same price. (Ya right. Like that was going to happen).
Even today, load a virgin copy of Windows XP on to a formatted hard drive, then run a spy program. Its infected, but its for your own good, its so they can help you, its so they can improve Windows, est. est..
Many business today run windows shrouded within a Linux environment , mostly because there is very little trust in Gates products.
An article just out:
"According to ZDNet, Microsoft plans to add the software equivalent of a 'black box' flight recorder to Windows. According to the article, 'The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of documents that were being created.'" Commentary available via C|Net as well.
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Post by kobold on Jul 31, 2005 14:13:00 GMT
ah dos... happy days. Actually I do a lot of work in dos myself. As you said it is often better to do some things in dos than windows. I have tried several Linux installations over the years, and all but one could not get me online  The only version of Linux to work properly, right from setup, was the cd based knoppix linux (which I was using over xmas as my windows 2k install went tits up ). Knoppix worked flawlessly. Whilst all the various versions of Windows have their faults, moving to linux permanently would be too much of an upheaval to be honest. Sourcing and learning software similar to what I already use is an unneccessary chore I don't have time for. I have been chastised for not upgrading to winxp (I prefer 2k myself), bu I have no need for xp - I don't see what benefits if any I would gain from it, since I can do everything I want on 2k (except a couple of games I have wont run on 2k OR XP for that matter) What I would like to see is a windows Idiots (or NOOB) Edition ;D - where the user cant really do anything like change settings to mess things up - that would save me a lot of time sorting other peoples pc problms out. A couple of years ago i had to have some tests done as I was losing my memory /being very forgetfull. The psychiatric dept. of one of the local hospitals were still using commodore pets :32k ram, with twin 5 1/4" floppy drives hehe. You don't need the latest and the best. |
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Post by kobold on Jul 31, 2005 14:21:53 GMT
Even today, load a virgin copy of Windows XP on to a formatted hard drive, then run a spy program. Its infected, but its for your own good, its so they can help you, its so they can improve Windows, est. est.. Just curious - what spy program reports this? Having just installed (legit copies of) Xp for a couple of people (its OK I washed my hands afterward), and running AV and anti spy ware progs myself immediately XP was installed (I always do this), nothing was reported. |
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Post by CommodoreKipper on Oct 1, 2005 22:01:13 GMT
Hi Folks,
Sorry to join in with this debate a little late on, but lets put this Operating System thing into perspective. In computing as a whole, the dominant operating system in the world is UNIX. Microsoft operating systems are only dominant (at present) in the desktop market.
The UNIX operating system has been going since its inception in the late 60s (yes the 60s!?!). Over the years there have been several versions (compatible through the recompilation of source code for applications), and has always been the operating system of choice for true "power" applications.
The microcomputers of the day could not hope to handle OSes this large therefore the rise of Microsoft's operating systems was possible.
Linux on the other hand appeared when a chap called Linus Torvalds (apols if I miss-spell him) - as a project built an operating system which was very "UNIX-like" but would run on much lowlier hardware. Unbeknown to him he had at long last created something capable of shaking Bill Gates' powerbase on the desktop.
Early versions were often criticised for being hard to set up and in the realms of the "geek-only" brigade. Lately things have changed a huge amount since then. For instance, Fedora Core (fully open-source version of Red Hat) version 4 is so easy to set up - its easier than the Windows installer - however there is a big difference between the Windows distribution and a Linux distribution.
Firstly, most Linux distributions are free to download and install. There are some distributions which appear to have a high price on them like Red Hat Enterprise Edition, but this is because they sell you a very comprehensive "support package" with it and loads of "non-open source" tools which the authors need paying for.
Secondly, most distributions are "complete" desktop solutions - i.e. office software and many more packages are already there and ready to use. You have to pay more out for Windows ones as a rule as Windows does not come with 2-3 office suites to choose from. Also, when you install Linux, YOU are in control - NOT the installer as per Windows.
Thirdly, if you feel inclined you can rewrite bits of the OS as per your requirements - as long as you share them with the rest of the user-base.
Anyway, I'm not going to argue about what OS you "should" have on your system - that MUST be your choice, based on what you want to run on it - not what some marketing idots want you to run.
Personally, if I want to play games I run my Windows box. BUT, if I am doing anything important such as for my work I always use my Linux powered box (currently Fedora Core 4). Why might you ask would I do that? 1) Linux is very secure (one of the most important things it inherited from UNIX) - Windows is distinctly lacking in this area - hence all the problems with viruses etc. 2) Network/Internetwork access is part and parcel of the OS rather than an addon module as it is in Windows - i.e. its very efficient in a networking environment. 3) I can change my graphical user interface (GUI) to suit the type of applications I'm going to run. 4) It saved me a fortune in office software as OpenOffice2 which comes with it does everything I could want and is MS Office compatible.
If anyone wants to try playing about with Linux, it will quite happily share a hard disk with Windows or like one of our previous members quoted, the nice little Knoppix distribution will boot and run from a CD so you don't have to put it on the hard drive at all to try it.
If there are any questions on how to set up/get hold of Linux, I would be quite happy to start a thread (if its OK with BHK) in the PC section about it!
As it stands at present, Linux and UNIX run the Internet - I would not be at all surprised if this very board (in fact I am certain of it) is being run from either a UNIX or Linux server.
Anyway - enough of my shpiel! (did I hear someone shout hooray???)
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Post by CommodoreKipper on Oct 1, 2005 22:06:56 GMT
....to answer the anti-spyware question, Spybot (available for free download from download.com) picks up an "Alexa" related spyware cookie as soon as it has been installed and run on a fresh Windows installation. A little worrying eh?
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Post by Arbo on Dec 7, 2005 15:17:20 GMT
I know very little about OS, I hate to say it but my home PC is running Microsoft ME. My Brother and now farther have gone the way of the apple. I'm not 100% sure what OS they run, but they have had no problems. But I don't think they play to many games.
How is Rollercoaster Tycoon going Susieg?
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Post by Susieg on Feb 25, 2007 10:23:40 GMT
Has Microsoft given Linux the foot boost it needs?
The new Vista O/S which was launched with the WOW publicity drive may find that it the only Driver which will work.
Vista have been designed to protect access to premium content. The design requires changes in multimedia cards before
Microsoft will support them for Vista use. Content that is protected by digital rights management (DRM) must be sent
across protected interfaces which means cards using non-protected interfaces can't be used by Vista PCs.
This means PC users may find driver software is stopped from working by Vista if it detects unauthorised content access.
Vista requireds Device drivers to poll their underlying hardware every 30ms - thirty times a second - to ensure that
everything appears correct. Effectivley Vista will use much more of a PC's CPU resource.
Vista also requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM but indications are if you use the minimum RAM vista will not match the
performance given by XP. To enable the perfomance which has been touted by Microsoft you are looking at 4GB of RAM. It seems
this is due to Windows SuperFetch which stores Data from the hard drive in the available RAM making it readily
accessible to the processor. Superfetch gives better software response but to enable this Superfetch heavily depends on
user predictability and takes snapshots of user activity. If SuperFetch determines that an application is launched at a
particular time, it will have it loaded into the available RAM.
Food for thought if you are looking to try the 'New baby'
PS a little late I know but Roller Coaster Tycoon has had to be uninstalled due to my addiction to making bigger and bigger parks. But hey this is a Sunday and just one more wont hurt.....I'm off to get the disc...................
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Post by kobold on Aug 4, 2009 21:00:24 GMT
Currently using Windows 7 RC on my main desktop, Windows xp Pro sp3 on my gaming pc, Ubuntu 9.x on my new mini pc, and Windows 2000 on my old laptop.
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Post by Captain Christine Hurt on Aug 10, 2009 22:17:52 GMT
Yeah, pretty much everyone I have heard from hated Vista. I'm enjoying sticking with my one WinXPSP3. I would like to build a Win98SE system, just for burning off DVD's and CD's. It would be a real workhorse.
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I am off to play Rollercoaste Tycoon 
