Alias said:
Not relevant. Most modem faxes are not compatible with Linux because,
well, they're made for Windows. Same is true for printers without a lot
of configuration which I am not up to and I need a new printer anyway.
When I buy the appropriate hardware, installing it is a breeze.
It may not be relevant to you as you are willing to take the time and/or
spend the money to get your computer working. Most folks expect to be
able to purchase a PC and have it work pretty much out of the box.
Don't get me wrong, Windows isn't perfect, never has been. But until
there is widespread driver support, until there are a multitude of
choices in application suites, until there is strong support available
for the typical home user, the demand for Linux will largely remain with
techies and those willing and able to go through the necessary pains
required to get it working with anything other than the most common
hardware and peripheral devices and Linux just isn't going to make a
major dent in the overall PC install base.
Apple on the other hand, can say something in this area. They have the
support and the capability to quickly expand their share of the PC
install base. If MS doesn't stay on their A game (and some here say
they've already fallen off their A game) then Apple is well positioned,
better so than any other alternative, to quickly increase their share of
the OS usage pie. It would take but a few well planned moves on their
part to pounce on any such opportunity. Only time will tell if Jobs has
the vision and guts to make such a move. The perception is that he has
it, but so far Apple hasn't really made a move.
Your lame attempt to indirectly denigrate the messenger rather than
addressing the message is noted.
There was no attempt at all to denigrate you. You've made my point
quite well on Linux though, thank you. And you're not talking with
someone who is a die hard Windows fan. For a long time now I have had
at least one Linux distro or another installed, including the latest
Ubuntu. I did attempt at one time to switch completely to Linux, but
like you ran into issues with some of my hardware devices where it was a
great pain getting them to work, and even then the functionality was not
as good as the same hardware with drivers under Windows. And I could
not find, even through commercial avenues, the same quality of
applications that I had grown accustomed to using under Windows.
Windows has its flaws, but for now it has the widest hardware support
and the highest quality and largest choice of software applications of
any OS available today. My favorite version is XP with SP2. I am using
Vista now as my main OS, and was even able to get my old '98 Umax
scanner working with it, though not easily. I still sometimes miss the
wider hardware support and overall higher level of finish of XP SP2.