Shlomi Fish wrote:
On Saturday 28 February 2009 17:45:11 Yotam Rubin wrote:
2. Linux distributions don't work. Even Ubuntu and other mainstream
distributions simply do not work. Package testing is poor, and various
programs do not integrate with one another. I often find myself having to
fix things manually, usually by digging deep into various
scripts/configuration files. Additionally, at least with Ubuntu, upgrades
tend to break horribly, requiring a clean reinstallation.
Don't know about Ubuntu, and I'm using Mandriva Cooker, whose purpose is that
users will witness the breakages before they reach the main release, so I
cannot comment how well it suffers from this problem. But it's probably not
worse than Windows, in case you have an expert ready. Many simpletons ("Aunt
Tillie"'s and other) users will be perfectly happy in Linux. More so than
Windows anyway.
Agreed. As a guy I know is fond of saying, "If you break things in Linux,
you get to keep all the pieces". At least Linux provides you with the
ability to fix things. Trying to fix problems in Windows is somewhat of a
black art, and is limited to how much you can actually do to fix the
problem and how much the program or Windows will tell you about the problem
in the first place.
As for "mainstream" distribuutions, perhaps this is an example of marketing
over substance. I use Debian and rarely if ever have package problems. Of
course, one of the criticisms leveled at Debian is that the stable
distribution doesn't keep pace with current software releases, but this is
the price you pay for stability. I guess you need to choose then whether
to use a distribution which tests for long enough to iron out all the bugs
and puts out a release when it's ready, or use a distribution with regular
releases and more current software versions which hmight have a few rougher
edges.
Disclaimer: I don't use X.
Geoff.
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