Well i had my first customer bring there pc yesterday wanting vista taking off and xp installing. It is a new hp pavilion dual core 2 3.0 gig blah blah blah so said no probs etc etc etc. They gave me what discs they had which were no help at all. I went to there driver and support section for them to say they no longer support xp on any of the newer systems and everything is vista compatible but you may want to try to search each product driver yourself and we only recommend vista for these systems blah blah blah.
Well have i had 6 hours of fun with this bag of crap until i found all the drivers and finally got them installed. It was easier to find the drivers for the devices on linux than it was for xp. So now we dont even get an option any more. After all this time and being such a loyal customer of Microsoft xp for some years buying lots of licenses *cough* they feel they now have the right to tell the consumer and try and force us into using that particular OS.
Got me to thinking, not everyone is Unix minded and would head in that direction but from what i can gather there are a lot of vista users downgrading there systems for xp, I wounder how cripling this is for microsoft on the release of there big project?
vista to xp
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computathug
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Big-E
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Have you tried Ubuntu? Aside from actually giving a spoon to users, and feeding th...wait, Ubuntu pretty much does do that for users.
Okay, so my question is this: How can Ubuntu get any easier for the common user, aside from changing the UI to that which is similar to Windows?
My thoughts:
Mis-information is likely to be the largest cause of people not downgrading from Vista --> Linux and with time, and enough promotion you may see a difference.
Microsoft spends millions in advertisement, mean while Linux spreads via word. I should hope that Microsoft's advertisement initiatives gives them at least some advantage - but you will see a slight decline in the aforementioned advantage as the word of Linux is spread.
Okay, so my question is this: How can Ubuntu get any easier for the common user, aside from changing the UI to that which is similar to Windows?
My thoughts:
Mis-information is likely to be the largest cause of people not downgrading from Vista --> Linux and with time, and enough promotion you may see a difference.
Microsoft spends millions in advertisement, mean while Linux spreads via word. I should hope that Microsoft's advertisement initiatives gives them at least some advantage - but you will see a slight decline in the aforementioned advantage as the word of Linux is spread.
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isapiens
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actually i am using ubuntu and its awesome. yehe!
What can be improved with ubuntu? No need to look like windows. Here is what i want:
Well personally i just couldn't find quick fixes for my computer. Basically what i am trying to say, is that in my opinion, when an average person gets a new laptop, in next 5 minutes he probably wants to do the following: connect to wireless internet, download something and be able to install it.
I have dell inspriton 6000, 2 years ago it was the most popular and cheap laptop. Everyone at college, that is in my year, pretty much has that laptop model. It took me a month to figure how to dual boot with windows, then a month to figure out how to make wireless work, then a month to figure out hot to compile. (I am exagurating with numbers here obviously) But it took quite a while, someone who is not that committed would probably quit.
For example, why is it that you have to run "apt-get install build-essential" in order to get the C++ compiler, so you can compile anything... But before i could do that i had to change my repository entries cuz they were all messed up. And wireless.... always a problem for me but i dont think that linux's fault...
Looking at these problems now, it seems they are pretty simple to fix now. But when you have zero knowledge in linux it seems impossible.
Moral of the story:
Making internet work right away on linux is a priority to me, because then i can fix any problem because i have access to google.
For example, right now i am using my other computer, cuz i cant figure out how to make wpa work on my ubuntu. I only got wep option.
What can be improved with ubuntu? No need to look like windows. Here is what i want:
Well personally i just couldn't find quick fixes for my computer. Basically what i am trying to say, is that in my opinion, when an average person gets a new laptop, in next 5 minutes he probably wants to do the following: connect to wireless internet, download something and be able to install it.
I have dell inspriton 6000, 2 years ago it was the most popular and cheap laptop. Everyone at college, that is in my year, pretty much has that laptop model. It took me a month to figure how to dual boot with windows, then a month to figure out how to make wireless work, then a month to figure out hot to compile. (I am exagurating with numbers here obviously) But it took quite a while, someone who is not that committed would probably quit.
For example, why is it that you have to run "apt-get install build-essential" in order to get the C++ compiler, so you can compile anything... But before i could do that i had to change my repository entries cuz they were all messed up. And wireless.... always a problem for me but i dont think that linux's fault...
Looking at these problems now, it seems they are pretty simple to fix now. But when you have zero knowledge in linux it seems impossible.
Moral of the story:
Making internet work right away on linux is a priority to me, because then i can fix any problem because i have access to google.
For example, right now i am using my other computer, cuz i cant figure out how to make wpa work on my ubuntu. I only got wep option.
Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.
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Big-E
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Well, most users don't know how to install Microsoft Office on their Windows Machine - let alone, why would they need to install a C++ compiler?
In Ubuntu Synaptic Package manager essentially eliminates the need to use the command line apt-get command anyway - synaptic was developed to solve the issues that you '/outlined/'.
As for wireless capabilities, they are working on it - but it's pretty hard when all the hardware manufacturers have proprietary drivers and wont release source code. However, with ndiswrapper - it's pretty easy to get your card working. I had mine up and running, first time I installed linux, in like 20 minutes. (I used a tutorial of course but there is another good thing about Ubuntu - The LARGE community willing, and able to help you for FREE with your system).
On a side note: WPA should just work out of the box, with your wireless card if you're using 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon).
As far as it not working, I would say you messed up the install some how.
See: http://www.larsonsworld.com/misc/linux- ... -6000.html
In Ubuntu Synaptic Package manager essentially eliminates the need to use the command line apt-get command anyway - synaptic was developed to solve the issues that you '/outlined/'.
As for wireless capabilities, they are working on it - but it's pretty hard when all the hardware manufacturers have proprietary drivers and wont release source code. However, with ndiswrapper - it's pretty easy to get your card working. I had mine up and running, first time I installed linux, in like 20 minutes. (I used a tutorial of course but there is another good thing about Ubuntu - The LARGE community willing, and able to help you for FREE with your system).
On a side note: WPA should just work out of the box, with your wireless card if you're using 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon).
As far as it not working, I would say you messed up the install some how.
See: http://www.larsonsworld.com/misc/linux- ... -6000.html
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isapiens
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haha this is funny. I just finished burning ubuntu 7.10 just before i read your last post.
But ye, Linux is the shit!!! Whatever it is, sooner or later people will find a solution to the problem because so many people work on it. i love it.
The reason why it took me so long to learn linux, because when i was doing it i was in school and i constantly needed windows because i couldnt figure it out in linux because i didnt have enought free time. its hard to learn smth, when you can always boot into windows and do it there real quick.
I think to learn linux quickly one should just find time and straght up only run linux for like a month. That WILL make you learn the essentials real fast lol.
But ye, Linux is the shit!!! Whatever it is, sooner or later people will find a solution to the problem because so many people work on it. i love it.
The reason why it took me so long to learn linux, because when i was doing it i was in school and i constantly needed windows because i couldnt figure it out in linux because i didnt have enought free time. its hard to learn smth, when you can always boot into windows and do it there real quick.
I think to learn linux quickly one should just find time and straght up only run linux for like a month. That WILL make you learn the essentials real fast lol.
Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.