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On Sunday 09 November 2003 12:18 am, Craig Brooksby wrote:

That's a lot of problems in your list.  I would lke to contrast some of you=
r=20
experiences with mine.

> 1) Can't back up my files -- image creation chokes on symbolic links.

I just burned a CD tonight.  Symbolic links worked fine.

> 2) Unable to get my palm pilot to sync since moving to Linux.

jpilot works great for me, including Avant-go web site downloads

> 3) (Forget my digital camera)

Don't have one, can't comment.

> 4) Installing a new font takes two pages of instructions.

Haven't needed to, can't comment.

> 5) Samba is opaque to me. The Win boxes were networked up in 10 minutes.

Samba works great for me.

> 6) Rpms: dependency hell.  Solution:  "ignore warnings."

Been there.  The I installed apt with RPM support.  Rarely encounter this n=
ow.

> 7) Mozilla arbitrarily stops communicating with the web.

I have had one case of configuration corruption so I have seen a bump there.

> 8) I keep System Monitor running so I can kill Nautilus when it hangs.

Don't use Nautilus so can't comment.

> 9) I need deep knowledge of the filesystem in order to install anything.

Um, why?  What constitutes "anything"?  apt and rpm work fine for me.  For=
=20
example, tonight I decided that I would try to get the "Castaway" movie DVD=
=20
to play on my Linux box.  First time to try a DVD under LInux.  Here is wha=
t=20
it took:
  - Research via google searches to determine the application to use.
  - Ten minutes later, conclude that ogle is supposed to be able to do it.
  - As root, issue :apt-get install ogle ogle_gui.
  - Popped the DVD in and it plays, menus and all.

> 10) If I upgrade GNOME to the latest release, would my system get more
> stable or less?  Any bets?

I use KDE so can't comment on the GNOME desktop.  I use many GNOME based ap=
ps=20
in KDE with mixed results.  I stick with KDE apps when I can.  Isn't choice=
=20
great?

> 11) Open Office is cheaper -- I'll say that for it.

And it's Free.

> 12) Formulas in Calc sometimes just refuse to calculate.  Unlike their
> more compliant neighbor cells, these prefer staying text.  Deal with it.

I have not seen recalculation problems since before 1.0.  Some Excel formul=
as=20
don't translate, the "higher math" ones.  Some graph properties don't=20
translate with Excel but OOo's own flavor of those work fine.

> 13) Python IDEs are better on Windows.

Don't know, can't comment.

> 14) How many variations on "cut and paste" do I need to learn? Answer: 1
> (until I moved to Linux).

I admit, coming from Windows, I too find this an irritant.  What I have don=
e=20
is use the middle mouse key first, then use Ctl-C - Ctl-V if the mouse=20
doesn't fit.  Seems to work every time.  My hand is usually on the mouse=20
anyway so it is not too much extra bother.  I do wish there was some=20
consistancy there.

> "Most people aren't interested...until they are forced to be" could
> easily be interpreted as imputing laziness to people like me.  I think
> that is too simple an interpretation.  Why blame anyone for picking up
> the tools they need to get their work done?

You are correct.  If a job is more efficiently done outside of Linux, users=
=20
will almost always choose that method.  It's just that most people don't kn=
ow=20
the freedoms they are surrendering or the real costs they are agreeing to=20
(TCO, data access, forced upgrades, etc.) when they decide that $500 is "al=
l=20
they have to pay" to solve a problem "easily."  The proprietary easy soluti=
on=20
is not always the best long term solution.

Alan
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