Comment Applications, Continual Upgrades, Freedom, Power.. (Score 2, Informative) 746
I haven't fully migrated off of Windows yet, but more and more of my day to computer time is spent on Linux.
For me, it is the applications and the general look and feel upgrades that continually get better and surprise me. I'm currently using Suse 9.3, and have experimented with Ubuntu 5.10 which was a very pleasent surprise.
Main experiences that are moving me to Linux:
1.) I know that about every six months i'll see a new Suse, Ubuntu and OpenBSD distribution,
and I know that there will never be a financial cost to upgrading (unless of course, i choose to donate to companies supporting open source software, by purchasing their retail products.)
2.) Firefox. -- It has a very comfortable feel similar to the same version under Windows.
3.) OpenOffice. -- I've recently used the spread sheet and drawing program as at the moment, i didn't have access to MS Office or Viso, and I was like "hey, this is slick. and it just works!" I was also very easily able to export my document to PDF so that i could email it to somebody in a format that I knew they could view easily.
4.) K3B. CD/DVD burning is just easy, powerful, and included in the distributions.
5.) USB support. I recently attended a class using a Linux laptop where the instructor passed around a USB mini storage drive as a way to hand out materials, i was nervous that I may not be able to use it, but again i was pleasently surprise that "it just worked". I popped in the USB device and a window appeared showing the contents of the drive.
6.) Misc applications. Almost anything day to day task that i would do on a computer (even if i personally haven't done it yet.....I could probably find an application for it in my full Suse distribution. There is just an enormous amount of applications available for the platform that are "good enough" for most things that a person wants/needs to do.
7.) Suse Installation -- Just easy. Nice graphics
8.) New Ubuntu experience. Nothing I can put my finger on, but it just like a well laid out product that is awesome to have for free. I was a bit confused at the no root password thing at first, but now quite like keeping it password free and using sudo.
9.) Network configuration has always been a breeze for me on Linux (with exception for wireless).
10.) Backups. It is fairly easy to do automated but simple tar/ssh based backups across multiple machines where i can set it up, and basically never touch it again. (and there are plenty of documented backup solutions available on the internet as well). Windows solutions don't seem as easy or automated. Even if i have to just push a button, i'll forget at some point, and that'll be the day the harddrive fails and i'll lose some important data.
11.) Remote access. Doesn't matter where i am, i can usually find a computer somewhere to download putty, and log into my machines.
12.) Server capabilities. I run a family website, web based mail server (Qmail/Horde), FTP server on my servers, and will be installing mythtv shortly. Its just cool that the mail server that my family uses is better than the yahoo/gmail/hotmail service that is available, because of all the addon packages that are available.
13.) Development environment. I'm a software developer, and it is cool, that I can setup my computer at home to have a near identical development and deployment environment to the one we use at my place of employment. So much of my education at home is relevant to my work, and so much of my on the job training is relevant to my personal hobbies at home. I can replicate an as reliable/robust family website as my companies web site is, using the same development tools and server software that we use at work. That is just cool that an individual has the capability/capacity to do things like that.
14.) VNC. The new VNC client/server software packages allow me to full-screen my Linux desktop on my Windows OS (or vice-versa), and allow me to have access to my linux boxes, like my monitor was attached to the box. This allows for a slow and painless migration off of Windows.
15.) Competition is good. MS products are getting better/cheaper (as well as other Vendors), because very good competition from open source products).
Main experiences/applications keeping me on Windows:
1.) New Games -- The most popular games (with exceptions) are typically only supported on Windows. (e.g. Civ IV, Age of Empires III)
2.) Old Games -- I have a bunch of old games that i've paid for (Quake III, Civ I, II, Age of Empires/Mythology, HeroesII, etc) that I like to play once in a while. Granted, Quake III can be played on Linux, but I keep it all the games together.
3.) Misc software like TurboTax, WillMaker, etc...
4.) The occasional (although getting rarer all the time), need to use IE when FireFox is not supported.
5.) Wireless Linux support. I have a centrino based laptop in which the wireless networking does not work out of the box with Suse 9.3, and i've heard the same about Suse 10.0, and i've not taken the time to find the documentation to get it done in Linux. But....i'd assume in the not too distant future, i'll upgrade to a new distribution/version, and it will just work.
I am not a MS fan, but I do quite like their Age of Empires/Mythologies game series.
Granted, not everybody is going to have the advantage of being a software developer, or have the computer enthusiasts motivation to learn how to install and administer open source products like Horde/Imp, but there are enough developments with new Linux desktop distributions that are making me wonder if this is "good enough" to give to my parents the next time they want to upgrade their OS? And I know, even if it is not now, there will be a day when my parents will be using a Linux distribution in the not too distant future.
For me, it is the applications and the general look and feel upgrades that continually get better and surprise me. I'm currently using Suse 9.3, and have experimented with Ubuntu 5.10 which was a very pleasent surprise.
Main experiences that are moving me to Linux:
1.) I know that about every six months i'll see a new Suse, Ubuntu and OpenBSD distribution,
and I know that there will never be a financial cost to upgrading (unless of course, i choose to donate to companies supporting open source software, by purchasing their retail products.)
2.) Firefox. -- It has a very comfortable feel similar to the same version under Windows.
3.) OpenOffice. -- I've recently used the spread sheet and drawing program as at the moment, i didn't have access to MS Office or Viso, and I was like "hey, this is slick. and it just works!" I was also very easily able to export my document to PDF so that i could email it to somebody in a format that I knew they could view easily.
4.) K3B. CD/DVD burning is just easy, powerful, and included in the distributions.
5.) USB support. I recently attended a class using a Linux laptop where the instructor passed around a USB mini storage drive as a way to hand out materials, i was nervous that I may not be able to use it, but again i was pleasently surprise that "it just worked". I popped in the USB device and a window appeared showing the contents of the drive.
6.) Misc applications. Almost anything day to day task that i would do on a computer (even if i personally haven't done it yet.....I could probably find an application for it in my full Suse distribution. There is just an enormous amount of applications available for the platform that are "good enough" for most things that a person wants/needs to do.
7.) Suse Installation -- Just easy. Nice graphics
8.) New Ubuntu experience. Nothing I can put my finger on, but it just like a well laid out product that is awesome to have for free. I was a bit confused at the no root password thing at first, but now quite like keeping it password free and using sudo.
9.) Network configuration has always been a breeze for me on Linux (with exception for wireless).
10.) Backups. It is fairly easy to do automated but simple tar/ssh based backups across multiple machines where i can set it up, and basically never touch it again. (and there are plenty of documented backup solutions available on the internet as well). Windows solutions don't seem as easy or automated. Even if i have to just push a button, i'll forget at some point, and that'll be the day the harddrive fails and i'll lose some important data.
11.) Remote access. Doesn't matter where i am, i can usually find a computer somewhere to download putty, and log into my machines.
12.) Server capabilities. I run a family website, web based mail server (Qmail/Horde), FTP server on my servers, and will be installing mythtv shortly. Its just cool that the mail server that my family uses is better than the yahoo/gmail/hotmail service that is available, because of all the addon packages that are available.
13.) Development environment. I'm a software developer, and it is cool, that I can setup my computer at home to have a near identical development and deployment environment to the one we use at my place of employment. So much of my education at home is relevant to my work, and so much of my on the job training is relevant to my personal hobbies at home. I can replicate an as reliable/robust family website as my companies web site is, using the same development tools and server software that we use at work. That is just cool that an individual has the capability/capacity to do things like that.
14.) VNC. The new VNC client/server software packages allow me to full-screen my Linux desktop on my Windows OS (or vice-versa), and allow me to have access to my linux boxes, like my monitor was attached to the box. This allows for a slow and painless migration off of Windows.
15.) Competition is good. MS products are getting better/cheaper (as well as other Vendors), because very good competition from open source products).
Main experiences/applications keeping me on Windows:
1.) New Games -- The most popular games (with exceptions) are typically only supported on Windows. (e.g. Civ IV, Age of Empires III)
2.) Old Games -- I have a bunch of old games that i've paid for (Quake III, Civ I, II, Age of Empires/Mythology, HeroesII, etc) that I like to play once in a while. Granted, Quake III can be played on Linux, but I keep it all the games together.
3.) Misc software like TurboTax, WillMaker, etc...
4.) The occasional (although getting rarer all the time), need to use IE when FireFox is not supported.
5.) Wireless Linux support. I have a centrino based laptop in which the wireless networking does not work out of the box with Suse 9.3, and i've heard the same about Suse 10.0, and i've not taken the time to find the documentation to get it done in Linux. But....i'd assume in the not too distant future, i'll upgrade to a new distribution/version, and it will just work.
I am not a MS fan, but I do quite like their Age of Empires/Mythologies game series.
Granted, not everybody is going to have the advantage of being a software developer, or have the computer enthusiasts motivation to learn how to install and administer open source products like Horde/Imp, but there are enough developments with new Linux desktop distributions that are making me wonder if this is "good enough" to give to my parents the next time they want to upgrade their OS? And I know, even if it is not now, there will be a day when my parents will be using a Linux distribution in the not too distant future.
