free vs commercial
Hi folks,
Since my discourse about free software last month, I
had installed Debian GNU/Linux Sarge on one partition
of my harddisk while retaining WinXP in another.
Starting with the maxim "To beat MS you have to be as
good as, if not better than, MS", I am constantly
comparing the Linux I had installed with WinXP.
With Konqueror, the Window Management, File
Management, Web Browsing is on par with WinXP.
What I find wanting in Linux is Device Management.
With plug-in, adding new devices to WinXP is a breeze
but not in Linux. I used a Prolink ADSL bridge/router
for my broadband service. Installing it was plain easy
and the gui to operate it is superb in WinXP. But in
the case of Linux, I managed to locate a driver, free
of course, called 'amedyn'. Installing it was a long
and arduous process. I had to get the right files with
all dependencies sorted out, re-config and recompile
the kernel, set up the communication config files,
etc. before I got it to work. It works alright but way
below its commercial counterpart, performance-wise. I
had to start-and-stop it in CLI and moreover, about 3
out of 10 tens, it failed to connect on the first
attempt. This doesn't look promising for a start. I
noticed there is a choice for 'plug-in' in the kernel
config menu but it does not have any means to select
or specify devices. Hopefully work is being done in
this area.
Ken
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