Linux

I recently tried Red Hat Linux 6.1.
Linux is NOT my kind of operating system.
After spending about 4 hours (and many reboots) trying to get the Installer
to BEGIN copying files, it finally started installing files from the CD.
My response to this was, 'This better be REALLY cool.'

After installing it i was greeted by a dos-style login prompt asking for
a username and password. Remembering i hadn't set up any usernames and passwords
i got slightly upset. I called a friend and he told me how to start the Linux
GUI. Now came the fun part.
My response to this was, 'Ooh. A DOS clone.'

When I booted up the GUI I was pretty happy to find a fully functional OS
and I started using it. I was pleased to see how much software came with
it and was enjoying myself until I tried to set up an internet connection.
My response to this was, 'Hey, this isn't too bad after all.'

When I tried to set up an internet connection i was greeted by many crashes
and failures to work. I then decided to try the ultimately popular image
editor, 'GIMP'. I opened it up and really liked the features. I then noticed
how little space 640x480 was and decided to crank it up to my windows resolution,
1024x768. Unfortunately for me, Linux may have had drivers for my video card,
but it didn't support any resolutions except 640x480. And I couldn't open
any files off my hard disk, either. So I was basically screwed and had no
way to get new apps. Can you say, 'Uninstall'?
My response to this was, 'Darn. This would have been cool if it worked.'

When i tried to uninstall linux i discovered that there was no real 'Uninstall'
feature. So i deleted the partitions and discovered that its bootloader had
attached itself to my Windows drive, and would automatically freeze my system
by trying to load its default OS, the now non-existent linux. After about
6 hours i had a copy of PartitionMagic and had removed all linux partitons
from my system and recreated my master boot record.
My response to this was, 'LINUX SUCKS!'

I still feel that way today.

I recommend BeOS, which is much easier to install and actually more stable.
www.be.com

I have a friend who's a hard-core Linux kinda guy and I've been over there
looking at it. I feel much the same way you do. It's a great OS for someone
like him who can code in C++ and it's a great OS for folks who love living
in command line all day long, but it sucks for someone like me who is mouse
happy and wants ease of use.

It might not crash, but then I really don't experience many crashes at all
anymore. I guess for a firewall or a server I'd consider it, but since I
already have Windows 2000 running just fine on my machines I don't really
care either way.

But, I am learning it anyway just to stay up with all the hype and to be
there if/when the hype turns to reality.

My mom ain't gonna use Linux for a very long time (unless you count some
sort of device that only surfaces a Web browser ala the IOpener as "using
Linux").

--
Robert Scoble
###



"Kevin Gadd" <xsinteract@aol.com> wrote in message
news:3903f1a3$1@news.devx.com...
>
> I recently tried Red Hat Linux 6.1.
> Linux is NOT my kind of operating system.
> After spending about 4 hours (and many reboots) trying to get the
Installer
> to BEGIN copying files, it finally started installing files from the CD.
> My response to this was, 'This better be REALLY cool.'
>
> After installing it i was greeted by a dos-style login prompt asking for
> a username and password. Remembering i hadn't set up any usernames and
passwords
> i got slightly upset. I called a friend and he told me how to start the
Linux
> GUI. Now came the fun part.
> My response to this was, 'Ooh. A DOS clone.'
>
> When I booted up the GUI I was pretty happy to find a fully functional OS
> and I started using it. I was pleased to see how much software came with
> it and was enjoying myself until I tried to set up an internet connection.
> My response to this was, 'Hey, this isn't too bad after all.'
>
> When I tried to set up an internet connection i was greeted by many
crashes
> and failures to work. I then decided to try the ultimately popular image
> editor, 'GIMP'. I opened it up and really liked the features. I then
noticed
> how little space 640x480 was and decided to crank it up to my windows
resolution,
> 1024x768. Unfortunately for me, Linux may have had drivers for my video
card,
> but it didn't support any resolutions except 640x480. And I couldn't open
> any files off my hard disk, either. So I was basically screwed and had no
> way to get new apps. Can you say, 'Uninstall'?
> My response to this was, 'Darn. This would have been cool if it worked.'
>
> When i tried to uninstall linux i discovered that there was no real
'Uninstall'
> feature. So i deleted the partitions and discovered that its bootloader
had
> attached itself to my Windows drive, and would automatically freeze my
system
> by trying to load its default OS, the now non-existent linux. After about
> 6 hours i had a copy of PartitionMagic and had removed all linux partitons
> from my system and recreated my master boot record.
> My response to this was, 'LINUX SUCKS!'
>
> I still feel that way today.
>
> I recommend BeOS, which is much easier to install and actually more
stable.
> www.be.com

Kevin Gadd <xsinteract@aol.com> wrote in message
news:3903f1a3$1@news.devx.com...
>
> I recently tried Red Hat Linux 6.1.
> Linux is NOT my kind of operating system.
> After spending about 4 hours (and many reboots) trying to get the
Installer
> to BEGIN copying files, it finally started installing files from the CD.
> My response to this was, 'This better be REALLY cool.'

A complete install of RH6.1 requires 40/50 minutes, 60% of them spent in
finely selecting
the packages you are going to install. One reboot required.

> After installing it i was greeted by a dos-style login prompt asking for
> a username and password. Remembering i hadn't set up any usernames and
passwords

It is impossible. You have to give the setup the password for root in order
to go on.
Just a prompt? why would you necessarily need a graphic login on a computer
which can be
used as a server locked somewhere? by the way, you don't even need a
keyboard: you can setup
up a server without any external connection apart from a serial line an
network card!!!

> i got slightly upset. I called a friend and he told me how to start the
Linux
> GUI.

$ startx

> Now came the fun part.
> My response to this was, 'Ooh. A DOS clone.'

no comment (I am merciful)

> When I booted up the GUI I was pretty happy to find a fully functional OS
> and I started using it. I was pleased to see how much software came with
> it and was enjoying myself until I tried to set up an internet connection.
> My response to this was, 'Hey, this isn't too bad after all.'
>
> When I tried to set up an internet connection i was greeted by many
crashes
> and failures to work.

The only point on which you are right. RH6.1 PPP dialing is completely
broken
(I switched back to RH6.0) RH6.2 should be all right. For example, with Suse
6.3
the thing is as complex as the Remote Access.

>I then decided to try the ultimately popular image
> editor, 'GIMP'. I opened it up and really liked the features. I then
noticed
> how little space 640x480 was and decided to crank it up to my windows
resolution,
> 1024x768.

Using a SGVA driver you can go to 1600x1200 (though your monitor might not
handle it).
I customarily work at 1024x768 and 1152x864 with partially supported card
(not as fast
as it could be)

>Unfortunately for me, Linux may have had drivers for my video card,
> but it didn't support any resolutions except 640x480. And I couldn't open
> any files off my hard disk, either.

??? Are you sure you mounted the partitions? (/etc/fstab + mount?)

>So I was basically screwed and had no
> way to get new apps.

Try rpm and gnorpm (for a visual interface).

>Can you say, 'Uninstall'?
> My response to this was, 'Darn. This would have been cool if it worked.'
>
> When i tried to uninstall linux i discovered that there was no real
'Uninstall'
> feature. So i deleted the partitions and discovered that its bootloader
had
> attached itself to my Windows drive, and would automatically freeze my
system
> by trying to load its default OS, the now non-existent linux.

Read the lilo HOWTO. lilo is one of the best boot managers existent and it
need
not necessarily boot to Linux (provided you configure it beforehand!!!).

I guess the aol address says it all, but I found it pretty easy to install,
as well as remove. Of course I had read the manual as well as looked at a
few newsgroup listings prior, and avoided the disk druid. Just breezing through
the How To's on the cdrom would tell you how to get started (I couldn't boot
because of a promise controller, so I had to just make floppies, which took
about 5 minutes).

Granted the os doesn't come with wizards to tell you what to do, or isn't
bloated with a zillion lines of extraneous code (how do you unistall something
in Linux? Easy, just delete it! Not bad for an os "that sucks" and costs
about $3.

Tony

What is the MFC equivalent of UNIX or Linux?

Nothing. As the Linux folk sometimes say, MFC is what you get when you start
object-oriented programming and lack any self-control :-)


"Kevin Gadd" <xsinteract@aol.com> wrote:
>
>I recently tried Red Hat Linux 6.1.
>Linux is NOT my kind of operating system.
>attached itself to my Windows drive, and would automatically freeze my system
>by trying to load its default OS, the now non-existent linux. After about
>6 hours i had a copy of PartitionMagic and had removed all linux partitons
>from my system and recreated my master boot record.
>My response to this was, 'LINUX SUCKS!'
>
>I still feel that way today.
>
>I recommend BeOS, which is much easier to install and actually more stable.
>www.be.com