It doesn’t make me an anarchist.
It doesn’t make me a teenager.
It doesn’t make me anti-MS.
It doesn’t mean I hate BSD.
It does NOT mean I am too stupid to use BSD.
IT DOESN’T MEAN I THINK YOU SHOULD USE IT.
It’s not the world’s most difficult thing to use.
It’s not something most grandmothers will want to use.
It’s not the holy grail.
It’s not the savior of all humanity and computing.
It. is. not. perfect.
Don’t give me those ‘oh, one of THOSE people’ looks. I am trained on MS products, I have to work on MS products, there are some MS products I like. There are some GNU software suites I like and/or dislike. There are things about Macs I like and dislike. I am most comfortable working in a comprehenisive CLI environment, which windows doesn’t give me. You don’t like that? FINE. Don’t use it. Why do -I- mention it? See above! I know it pretty much as well as the inside of my armpit.
Please don’t froth at the mouth about MS. Yes, I dislike many of their business practices too. I also dislike the quality of some of their software. I used to froth about them until I realized that a. I look like an idiot and b. It accomplishes nothing unless you are in a group of like minded people, in which case it accomplishes the same thing as a circle jerk - makes ya feel good. Good for us! But it’s not winning us any points where it matters, in the desktop arena.
I know there are a bunch of threads that all suffered from the one above on this board - and some it was my own durn fault - some lost in the great crash, etc, and the search engine is not cooperating with me.
I rant because this feels better than beating my head on the desk.
Agreed, and I certainly wouldn’t characterise you as a frothing anti-MS type.
It does seem, though, that it’s impossible to post a Windows-related question on the boards without someone using it as a springboard for an irrelevant and unhelpful pro-Mac/pro-*nix rant.
The second thread you linked was a prime example of that: pointless digs that irritate any reasonable observer. I think it’s just that there seem to be more anti-MS ones than pro-MS, and that they pop up in inappropriate places.
I’ve got direct experience with five different flavors of Unix, including Linux. I’ve been using Microsoft products since version 3 of DOS. I used to admin an Apple lab in college.
Every OS has it’s place and intended audience.
It’s not my fault that the audience for Mac OS is artsy-fartsy types who are too uncoordinated to manage two buttons. OOOPS!
Hey, if it wasn’t for the overly-sensitive Windows users who attack those of us who don’t want to use an OS that gets five million new Outlook/VB viruses a week, we would all just hold hands, embrace our diverse OSes of choice, and sing Kum-by-ah around the monitor screen.
Meanwhile, I’m getting forty KLEZ virus emails a day, and all I can do is wonder why Microsoft zealots claim to have the “superior” system… :rolleyes:
An OS is fucking tool, nothing more, nothing less. It makes as much sense to argue ‘My screwdriver is better then your pliers’ as it does to argue that MS is better then Unix is better then MacOS.
I deal equally in Windows 2000 Adv. Server and Sun Solaris at work; Only a braindead fool who never worked with either would claim superiority for one or the other. They both wig out about equally. MS wigs out predictably (Every few weeks, a server decides to reboot itself.) Sun wigs out randomly. (WTF? Grep should not cause a kernel panic…) But they both wig out.
If you are gamer, MS is superior. If you are a coder, *nix is superior. If you drool and are not allowed near sharp objects, MacOS is superior. (Kidding!). But to simply declare one OS better then all the rest at everything is ludicrous.
Thanks for the hijack. Some of the idiots at work still get off on arguing for the superiority of this or that OS, and it pisses me off!
And no, using Linux does not make you a zealot, unless you have a Slashdot account with postive karma, in which case you must be a linux freak!
Well, since Mac OS is a Unix, and has a more friendly UI than Windows, I think that puts it in a good position to scale the *nix-Windows divide. Plus it’s pretty. Linux isn’t pretty. I don’t like things that aren’t pretty… ooh, pretty colors… now where did I put my medication…
Yes, but the only Mac OS in current development is Mac OS X. Apple has stopped all development on Mac OS 9. Even maintenance releases are iffy at this point.
And by that brilliant piece of logic, :rolleyes: you should buy an el-cheapo $1 hammer for your home improvement projects, instead of shelling out more for the well-designed, durable, shatter-resistant professional-grade alternative.
It’s not even that simple, though. I bought a cheapo £1 screwdriver set because I needed to screw a drawer back together. I didn’t need anything more advanced or reliable.
You and Brutus are both right, IMHO: an operating system is nothing more than a tool, but you should ensure that you select a tool of the right quality, usability and versatility to meet your needs.
Venoma, I’m confused; you shouted me down in that thread when I expressed my regret at having set up a soapbox and yet here you are ranting about MS/Linux soapboxing.
Sorry Mangetout - it wasn’t entirely directed at you - not really directed at anyone except for the fact that yes, you’re right, you can’t bring up windows without getting frothing groupies showing up. But by ever mentioning it, I feel like I’m lumped in with those groupies.
I feel like I have to contest the “but it’s so hard to UUUUUUSEEE” crowd because that’s patently not true, and I apologize for my hijack in your thread. I just get a little head of steam sometimes when it seems, as I said, that you can’t mention it without being labelled as ‘soapboxing’. wasn’t entirely sure if you were referring to me in that thread or others.
Shake hands? Do I make more sense now? (probly not, the caffeine injections haven’t had time to take effect…)
Fair enough; for the record, I wasn’t specifically referring to you, but rather to my own complete and naive failure to anticipate that the thread would turn into a Linux/MS match.
Most of the rest of the posts here reflect my opinion - each OS has tools that are useful for specific and/or general purposes. Use what makes you happy
So, did you throw away the screwdriver set when you were done? Or will you be using them in the future, while hoping that they’ll hold up for the next task – instead of stripping the head, damaging whatever you’re working on, and/or hurting you in the process?
No, I kept it. It did the job once, and I based on my experience then I believe it will be fine for the next job.
My point is that you buy the right tool for the job, based on your expertise and your needs. Windows is right for some people who would feel uncomfortable with the added interaction or complication involved in *nix systems. That’s not to put down *nix systems, nor to label them as genius-friendly only, but to indicate that there isn’t one right system for everyone.
