Quote:
Originally Posted by Istlota
Linux is a _GREAT_ operating system, vastly superior to Windows. And, on top of that, it can be had for free, all of which helps explain its remarkable acceptance by Network Administrators as a server OS. But, John Q. Public would be wise to carefully research HW/SW compatiblity before FDISK-ing their hard disk.
Even with the cool way Linux distros will now automatically partition your hard drive to retain your existing Windows OS, unexpected HW compatibilities can still occasionally prematurely abort the install. This is not a major problem for geeks. But, unfortunately, most of John Q. Public still has no idea what a Bourne Shell is or how to use it.
My compromise was to go with a MAC. Since Apple purchased NeXT, MAC OS [like Linux] has been Unix based anyway. And, even better, Apple's paranoid control over hardware increases the chances that you will be able to find compatible HW/SW.
Have you tried any of the WINE based programs for running windows apps on Linux/Unix/MAC OS X? I tried it when I first got my MAC and was dissapointed. WINE targets only a few of the most popular windows apps. Rather than try and go both ways, I kept my Compaq laptop and run Windows on it for apps I need which are not supported on my MAC.
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Wine does a pretty good job of running quite a few programs out there, but of course it will never be a fully compatible windows API solution. I've used Wine, Cedega (formerly winex), and Crossover Office. For my system configuration, Crossover Office performed the best for me but Cedega was a close second. My need for windows applications is very limited. Office 2003 is the only thing I really occasionally run in it besides a few games.
Its all personal preference really. There are distros out there that a regular computer user would hardly ever have to touch the commandline and could do everything visually. Some people out there even had the gumption to start a BSD flavor aimed at the Desktop too (DesktopBSD). A person should just use whatever they want. Its only a tool.