Hi,
I was wondering how many of you guys used linux? I use Ubuntu on my laptop, but am ashamed to admit that I have to use Windows on my desktop for things like, well just sketchup...
So how many of you use linux and which distro do you use and why ? :)
"but am ashamed to admit
"but am ashamed to admit that I have to use Windows"
Why is that?
I use Windows for all my work both at home and at work and I don’t find it embarrassing at all. Windows is by far the dominant operating system so why would you be ashamed of using it? Your PICAXE or Arduino don’t mind where the compiled code comes from.
So no, I’m not a Linux user and see no reason to become one.
(That said I have used Red Hat Linux years ago and Ubuntu but always ended up with either a dual boot or some sort of windows emulator… so why bother…?)
I dabbled with Linux back in
I dabbled with Linux back in my computer science days. Now I`m more into engineering and just want things to work so I mainly use Windows.
** I hate the idea of putting**
I hate the idea of putting extra money into already wealthy peoples pockets, especially when there is a very good alternative.If only the big software companies would support linux… Everything about Windows (and mac) are about making profits, never mind customer service… For example to use the product key for the vista OS that came with my laptop I would have to spend £50 on an OEM disk for it, surely if I own the product key I own the operating system and should be able to download the files to install Vista! I also hate the way windows installs automatic updates, especially when you only leave your computer for half an hour or so with a couple of unsaved documents open and you come back and the computer has rebooted. And if you turn off automatic updates you are pelted with warnings saying ‘your computer is unprotected’ which are just annoying! Windows has also been made for people who don’t really understand computers, and this means that speed has been sacrificed for ease of use which in general isn’t a good thing for most of us here. Finally windows is much more vulnerable to viruses and for me takes at least twice as long to install.
Ok rant over, I can understand why some people may prefer to use windows if it is what they are most comfortable with :)
I might be wrong, but it
I might be wrong, but it seems that your typing robot also favors Windows?
https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/node/23727
Mainly in response to geir,
Mainly in response to geir, but also answering the first quesion:
1) I use linux ubuntu, with an openbox wm+ lxpanel and a simple background set with geh
2) The hatred for windows by some linux users, such as myself, come from the support of free software. Just as arduino is open source, i like using an open system, which i don’t need to pay for, where i know i’ll find a community of people like myself trying to get the most of my computer. However, i hate windows mainly because it’s propietary software which has a price.
Cringes for hatemail to come
Linux is better in that it teaches you all the ins and outs and lets you see where everything is and fiddle around with it. However, with that said I use windows because it avoids me compatibility issues and is overall just easier to work with. A lot of the time people are “ashamed” that they use windows because there is this whole stigma like the lower level the programming is closer you are to the machine, the better it runs ect. I think that’s silly. If everything was written in assembly we would have long ago killed ourselves. And yeah MS bashing is fun but statistically Windows 7 is pretty darn effective. Use the right tool for the right job, lower level is good but not always. I want something fast, quick and easy. Like a cheap date Windows has always delivered. And if you have a Mac…well…you can probably edit some wicked home videos!
I grew up on windows
I grew up on windows and always loved the way I could find everything and with very little knowledge modify deeper settings. The BSOD is a bit of a pain and the general locking up and errors will make me hate windows but there is no other option.
Dont want to pay 2 times the price of a normal computer to get a mac and be locked to apple, hate steve jobs way of thinking and they are more of a fashion item than an actual up to date machine. I will say that mac laptops are ergonomic which is nice.
Recently installed ubuntu in dual boot and it is very very fast, but there is a bit of a learning step to get used to it.
Always windows
Have always used windows. Just never had the patience to play with linux. I appreciate the philosophy of people who are strongly linux and anti windows. Hell I’ll even give microsoft a bashing sometimes. But I have to say I am really happy with win7. It is the most user friendly OS ever. I didn’t feel so much appreciative in the jump from 98 to xp because it was not all that different and it seemed you had to click extra times to get down to the settings you wanted to change. I didn’t bother with vista and from what I hear that was smart.
I guess it depends on whether you want to spend most of your time on using the applications your OS supports or share some of that time on an OS to get applications to work. How strong is your feelings for open source?
In the days when my wife and
In the days when my wife and I had the one computer, it was always a Mac. She still has her Mac, a nice MacBook, but I use Ubuntu for pretty much everything these days. Having a bunch of free dev tools available is great; I can dabble in programming to my hearts content.
We recently bought a laptop running Windows 7 for our kids, as they needed Windows for some of their stuff.
So I have access to 3 types of operating system now, but I find I only need Ubuntu for what I do personally.
I have Ubuntu laptop at
I have Ubuntu laptop at home. Using linux for almost 2 years now. It used to be dual boot, but now it is single linux system. I use windows a lot as well. Trying to move to Ubuntu which is very nice and fast but unfortunately still behind windows with regards to stability. Yes, I have stability problems with linux.=) That is mostly codecs I believe. Multimedia software tends to dead hang my system pretty often. But Ubuntu have developped rapidly. I compare current release and, say, 9.4… Huge progress. Hope to move on linux completely soon.
Yum !
I’ve used Fedora exclusively for 4 years although, I’ve dabbled with Linux when Slackware had to be loaded on two floppies (root & boot disk). I have to say, I am a software developer and I am enamored with Linux and Open Source. I have always been a tinkerer, so the ability to tinker with the software down to the very core makes me tingly all over. I have had the pleasure of looking at code created by exceptional “artists” like Alessandro Rubini.
The company I work for requires Windows so I occasionally fire up VirtualBox to interface with them. My wife had Vista on a laptop (which was a complete piece of ■■■■ - whoever came up with the concept of making security just irritating nag screen over there, should be throttled) - As soon as it crapped out, I replaced it with Linux.
Mac’s have good interfaces and good hardware, but they always have been “very” proprietary and for me too expensive.
By the way I have SketchUp running on Wine on Fedora - works great. There was an OpenGL problem with a whitebox around the cursor previously, but now it works seemlessly ! Google seems more supportive of Linux than many other software companies.
I’m a
I’m a Windows/Linux(ubuntu/mandrake/mandriva/slackware/solaris/redhat/freeBSD)/Mac user.
I use each for different areas that I need them in.(Use the best tool for the job)
Windows -for games and apps that I just can’t get on the others(free doesn’t make it better, just cheaper)
Linux - dev/testing/server setups/various other tech side things. Have used it as a desktop, but prefer windows.
Mac - dev on iphone/ipad and other specifc mac only stuff.
Usuaully use virtual machines when I can to run either windows on a linux host or linux on a windows host. I also practice safe surfing, don’t install crap I don’t need on my machine and test installs on virtual machines to make sure that they are safe. I keep up on all different os’s because I’m in the tech field dealling with differnt apps so I need to know how to use each and have an open mind to them as well however, I’ve become fond of OSX running a vm for the other os’s.
My typing robot favours the
My typing robot favours the desktop computer 
Which I have Windows on for the occasional time I want to play games or use sketchup. I’m not really ashamed (clearly the wrong choice of word :L ) , I just disapprove of windows. Although having said that I am getting windows 7, which I do quite like - still way too expensive though!
Windows all the way!
I use windows for everything and have never had any problems, even on high performance computing like LIDAR data crunching in real time. Give me windows 7, Matlab, and a decent compiler, and anything I can’t do with that doesn’t need to be done (referring to robot stuff). I understand that some people want to know what’s going on behind the scenes, but personally I just want to get the job done as easy as possible and move on.
…maybe I shoud add I’m a mechanical engineer, not a computer science guy
Most of the things i do can
Most of the things i do can probably be done on linux, windows, and mac. So to me it comes down to which one does those things the quickest, easiest, and hassle free. I went with mac (which is like the worse thing to say on the internet for some reason), but yes of course i still own a windows machine (with ubuntu on it also) and a windows 7 virtual machine on my mac. There are somethings that you are only going to be able to do on the windows OS, whether virtual or not.
