Smart ass answer: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ama_XmSA8wflqkjrwiMowZAjzKIX?qid=1006031517403Seriously, many people have already responded to this thread. Many have made suggestions despite a lack of information from you: "apt-get install k3b", "apt-get install supsys", "try Ubuntu", etc. I agree that if you are having issues with Debian try an easier distro. I particularly like to put new people on Kubuntu. (Insert Gnome/KDE debate here.) Personally I think KDE is an easier transition for long time Windows users.
In you defense print and sound issues can be a real pain. This however is the usually more of a driver problem than OS problem. Many of the hardware manufactures do no release Linux drivers for their hardware. This is starting to change, but slowly. In the mean time people in their own free time are developing drivers usually without even the slightest manufactuer specifications from which to work. The fact that they get these devices to work is quite amazing. Additionally, many printer manufacturers simply slap the same internal parts into a different chassis, speed up some mechanical units, and call it a new model (cough HP cough.) Similar things happen in the sound world. For this reason you have to do a little reading to figure out which driver you need to use. This is not dissimilar to finding the right driver in Windows.
I am guessing that this was not a serious attempt by you to get help, but rather a rant / vent session. If this was a serious attempt at getting help you need to learn a few things about how to ask for help. Humbly saying "please help me" and "why doesn't this crap work" are two completely different approaches to requesting assistance. Further more saying "printing is broke" and "I can not get my HP 2170 to print properly in Debian Etch via CUPS" are quite different. Do you really get legitimate help from saying "My damn printer does not work in Windows?" I bet not. People will want to know; printer model, parallel or USB, Windows Shared or TCP/IP direct, <b>Windows Version</b>
I have been quite frustrated before with Linux, but I have also been just as frustrated with Solaris, HPUX, IRIX, BSD, OSX, and the beloved Windows. To vent your frustration in a "Linux sucks. It is only a partial OS." is not only counter productive but also shows a lack of understanding regarding the definition of an Operating System.
-D S C wrote:
For months now I have been trying to make Debian behave like a real OS. However, I still cannot print, format/initialize a new cd or use one to back up files, get the sound working, watch a movie or read images from my digital camera. With Windows all this was simple. I downloaded the relevant program, set it up and it worked. Windows is supposed to be devilspawn and doomed, and maybe it is. It does, however, have one saving grace; it works. It works without expecting me to become a systems engineer.When I go to someplace like freenode/#debian I am ignored. Maybe I should say to Hell with Linux and sell my story to Microsoft. Obviously I don't really want to, but how much longer should I put up with a partial OS? I don't mind telling you I'm damned sick of it.------------------------------------------------------------------------Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. *Go to Yahoo! Answers.* <http://ca.answers.yahoo.com>