Re: I wish to advocate linux
On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:57:22 -0500
Mark Filipak <markfilipak.linux@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2013/2/26 5:39 PM, Joe wrote:
> > On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:29:06 -0500
> > Mark Filipak <markfilipak.linux@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 2013/2/26 5:08 PM, Miles Fidelman wrote:
> >>> Mark Filipak wrote:
> -snip-
> >>>> Your attitude, Miles, is typical and is a large part of the
> >>>> problem.
> >>>
> >>> Ummm... what exactly is the problem of which you speak?
> >>
> >> That Linux hasn't become the People's Operating System? The
> >> Volks-Machina? The dominant OS? That success has come to only
> >> commercial operating systems from companies with questionable
> >> devotion to the best interests of their customers in particular and
> >> the public in general? Or do you not care?
> >
> > Linux is where it is without mainstream or mass interest. Enough
> > people want it, and use it, to maintain its viability. It *is* a
> > success.
>
> No, it isn't.
It's still growing. That's success. OS/2 is not a success, even though
there are still a few users.
>
> > Would you say that classical musicians and opera singers are
> > failures because the popular TV channels aren't full of them?
>
> That's the wrong analogy. A better one is this: Would you say that TV
> would be better if classical musicians and opera singers were
> regularly featured?
Maybe, but we're not talking about Windows users occasionally using
Linux, are we? We're talking one or the other. Only a small minority
would watch a TV channel exclusively showing classical music. I don't
mind being part of a small minority.
>
> > Somewhat better support from hardware vendors would be nice, but if
> > the price is viability of Linux malware, then it's too high.
>
> You're kidding, right? Hardware support is crucial. How can you run
> an OS on hardware that doesn't have drivers available? Besides that,
> it isn't hardware that facilitates malware, it's backdoors and
> unattended port listeners.
>
>
Large-scale use by people with no idea of even rudimentary security is
what makes malware viable, and good hardware support will greatly
increase the user base. We do worry about Ubuntu.
V-e-r-y slowly, Microsoft is pushing Windows users into running
unprivileged, but it's an uphill battle. The number of apparently
serious Windows domain admins who want their users to be able to
install software on their workstations has to be seen to be believed.
I'm seen as a bit of a fundamentalist zealot on the SBS forum for my
complete lack of tolerance of users running as root. Windows
unfortunately evolved from a single-user standalone OS, and is slowly
dragging its users along with it in the general direction of Unix.
--
Joe
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