Re: Talk to your frTalk your friend into switching to Linux(Re:)

[Josh.McKee@cbns.com (Joshua T. McKee)]

In article <356631ED.40DA8AE4@delphi.com>, crc3419@delphi.com wrote:


> George Graves wrote:

> > Bullshit. You end up with a very techy, very geeky OS that makes the user
> > jump back through his own rectum in order to perform even the simplest
> > task. You get an OS with almost NO software available for it and that which
> > is available is VERY primitive (StarOffice, for example). If one is
already > > a "Unixmeister", its probabaly fine. If one is not, its a
nightmare.
> > Whichever you are, your computer needs have to be pretty simple in terms of
> > functionality, because most software categories simply are not represented.
> 
> Hmm....sounds like the rantings of a troll who hasn't actually *USED*
> the software...


George is very correct when he says that there really is no software for
Linux.  Yes, there may be software for it, but most of it is not what the
general population wants.  In another thread, someone claimed that there
were "billions" of Linux programs.  I asked them to name 10,000 out of
those billions...hoping that they would reveal software that I was unaware
of so that maybe I might look into Linux a little closer.  What did they
give me?  A list of ~2,800 programs that for the most part, only "geeky
OS" people would be interetested in using.  I was hoping for big name
titles...instead I get:

WebRman - a RosettaMan CGI-Gateway urlmon xIrc 2utf 
@linuxbbs A ethernet device driver for Arlan 655 radio 
modem A really simple failsave init extension A video frame 
grabber device driver for the Cortex I BANAL BeroList 
Bzip2-HOWTO-1.5.lsm CCCC C and C++ Code Counter CGMDraw CMU 
SNMP DIPC (Distributed Inter-Process Communication) 
Display_Dhammapada_Verse Distribute Driver for NSM 
TrueSound Decoder Extended Module Player Flick Generic 
Internet Games Service Hatman IRQTUNE -- A Linux IRQ 
Priority Optimizer KMastermind LE text editor LFTP command 
line ftp client LinCity MultiMail (source) Murple's BSD 
Talk Daemon NewstoHOWTO Pixcon/Anitroll Quarks SIMPLE - 
Simple Is a Macro Processing Language Element SPlay-Tk 
SixPack File Transfer Protocol Supermount Synaesthesia TeD 
Traceroute-Ulmo Trashcan Linux file utilities TurboVision 
for UNIX Tutanchamun ULC VICE, The Versatile Commodore 
Emulator Ver WINTERP -- OSF/Motif Widget INTERPreter 
WindowMaker/AfterStep CPU/Memory Load Monitor X11 Icons for 
StarOffice 3.1 XBanner XEvil XFracky XLines game for XFree 

[ rest of list ommited, but of similar interest. See other thread for
complete list ]

Is this the best you can do?  If so, this only backs George's point. 
While Linux may be a great OS (I'm a Solaris advocate myself), unix just
doesn't have the application support it needs to compete with Windows and
Mac OS.  Hopefully this will change in the near future...if it does, you
can bet that I will look into using it (hint to prospective
developers!!!).  If I've overlooked something right now, please name
it...I'd be more than happy to give Linux its due.

Josh