Re: Survey Please read

----- Original Message -----
From: hansw <hansw@...>
>
> It's the Linux nightmare that upsets me... Software is not compatible
> across versions and someone can compile in a "thing" and blow up
> everything... I'm not a Linux hater, life is much to short for stupid
> stuff like hating anything, but I dislike wasting my time on something I
> know is not going to be standard and I can't plan for in the near
> future.

Hi Hans,

This is a complaint which seems to be often levelled at Linux but I can well
remember all the same problems when moving from Windows 1 to Windows 2.1 and
then to 3.1 and 3.11. On each of these versions there were problems with
some programs which, in the commercial world we would have been better
without, but then when windows 95 and then 98 came along these problems
faded into obscurity. Windows NT, which is, of course, microsoft's own
version of UNIX for PCs has also had its problems along the way and still
has when it comes to interfacing and networking with other versions of
windows. One has to remember that Linux is still at a fairly early stage of
developement and, by comparison, its problems are almost non-existent - I'm
not saying there aren't any but that, in comparison with the number of
version conflicts and bugs that windows has had and still has, Linux is
pretty much bug and error free. It is significant that now, when the latest
releases seem to be rapidly catching up with the ease of installation and
looks of windows 95, a large number of commercial software producers are
showing an interest in it and I'm sure that before long, the present,
largely free 'academic' software will be augmented by flashy and expensive
commercial packages.
Having said all this, I am not a 'linux nerd' and I still mainly use windows
98 but I do have linux on another machine and intend to also put it on
another machine which currently runs windows 95 so I can play with
multi-screen software. There are no real problems having windows and linux
on the same machine although you have to reboot to change from one system to
the other - my present linux machine also has windows 95 on it and I can
access and transfer files between the two systems easily whichever operating
system I am using. For anyone who may think they have an interest I would
say either find another computer or make space on your existing computer and
intall linux as a supplementary system, play with it and learn and then,
when you begin to discover how much more you can do with linux, you may want
to change your preference.

Ian
--
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK