liberty student:I don't believe that is true.
I don't know much of the software side but have you ever tried to get an ATI card or more obscure pieces of hardware to run under linux?
Much fun indeed.
liberty student: You can email, create spreadsheets, design graphics and create music online, and that trend is going to continue as we move more and more to androgynous thin clients.
You can email, create spreadsheets, design graphics and create music online, and that trend is going to continue as we move more and more to androgynous thin clients.
To be honest, I don't see the benefits of this. I'd like to be able to access my utility software without having to connect to the world wide web, for reasons of both privacy and functionality.Being dependent on broadband internet access for your everyday chores seems like quite a gamble to me, even if you live in an area with a lot of sophisticated infrastructure.
Powdered Toast Man: I don't know much of the software side but have you ever tried to get an ATI card or more obscure pieces of hardware to run under linux? Much fun indeed.
I tried Mandrake in 2000. I bought a box of the software, incl. support at FutureShop. It worked except for my soundcard, which was a Soundblaster 128 iirc. So I ditched it, because back then I used my computer as a stereo.
I ran Fedora a couple years ago, but an upgrade broke it, and I couldn't be bothered to fix it because I am on a dual boot system and I can't afford to muck up my primary Windows install.
I've installed Ubuntu several times since, becoming increasingly pleased with the hardware support, but never really getting into using the system very much.
Anyone complaining about Linux h/w support now should have been around 10 years ago. Then it really sucked, and there were no user friendly installs, or the proliferation of web resources for help.
I get it. Windows is superior at games. Probably some other things too, but those are niche markets. Most of the world is not playing video games. Most of them, to be quite honest, are looking for sex and/or relationships online, and it is an industry significantly bigger than the gaming industry, and one that really does not need specific software to participate in.
If you find something evil that wobbles, push it. - Gary North
Sphairon:To be honest, I don't see the benefits of this. I'd like to be able to access my utility software without having to connect to the world wide web, for reasons of both privacy and functionality.Being dependent on broadband internet access for your everyday chores seems like quite a gamble for me, even if you live in an area with a lot of sophisticated infrastructure.
I'm always connected. Most people with broadband are. When the net goes down, about once or twice a year for a couple hours, I go lay down and take a nap. My net connectivity is usually very robust.
The benefits are that when I come to your house, I can access my data. When I travel, I can access my data without carrying a local copy with me. I don't even need to carry a computer with me. I only need to find one with a net connect, and it doesn't matter what OS it is running or what software it has installed.
There are downsides. Security. Redundancy. But everything in life has ups and downs, my point is that for most people, the downs are not as mission critical to what they are doing. There is a pretty good chance Gmail and Facebook keep very good backups, dare I say, better backups than most people keep locally.
What has a greater chance of failing? Your local PC harddrive, or Gmail?
liberty student:generally use my computers for productivity and income generation
Now I'm curious as to what you do
The difference between libertarianism and socialism is that libertarians will tolerate the existence of a socialist community, but socialists can't tolerate a libertarian community.
liberty student: The benefits are that when I come to your house, I can access my data. When I travel, I can access my data without carrying a local copy with me. I don't even need to carry a computer with me. I only need to find one with a net connect, and it doesn't matter what OS it is running or what software it has installed.
Most web-based applications require some kind of special software to be run. Flash player, Java, Windows Media Player plugin. But granted, that's much more cost-effective than having to use disk space for every new program you'd like to use.
On the other hand, portable HD and USB flash drives have improved in capacity to an extent that you can comfortably carry all the information you need with you all the time. I haven't tried yet, but I'm sure you can even lock the data with a barely decryptable key code.If I ever come to a place with unstable connectivity or some menacing state firewall, I'll take local control of my data over ISP dependency anytime, though it's become hard to imagine what productive work without the web could actually look like.
liberty student:What has a greater chance of failing? Your local PC harddrive, or Gmail?
My main computer is currently running on a 390 kbit / s connection. If I had to load OpenOffice in my browser every time I want to use it, my opportunity costs would rise immensely.
Vichy: I have already discovered one good reason to switch from Windows to Linux. Seeing that document (see link) convinced me that Microsoft does not respect their users' liberty at all. Why should they? They want your money, not your liberty. Microsoft is a company, not a charity. There's also the problem that it's a pain in the ass to get most software to work on Linux, and everyone already knows how to use Windows. And for many people anymore, it's free.
I have already discovered one good reason to switch from Windows to Linux. Seeing that document (see link) convinced me that Microsoft does not respect their users' liberty at all.
Why should they? They want your money, not your liberty. Microsoft is a company, not a charity.
There's also the problem that it's a pain in the ass to get most software to work on Linux, and everyone already knows how to use Windows. And for many people anymore, it's free.
This is just flat out false.
Package manager > all.
Thedesolateone: liberty student:generally use my computers for productivity and income generation Now I'm curious as to what you do
Marketing basically.
Sphairon:Most web-based applications require some kind of special software to be run. Flash player, Java, Windows Media Player plugin. But granted, that's much more cost-effective than having to use disk space for every new program you'd like to use.
Usually bundled with the browser these days.
Sphairon:On the other hand, portable HD and USB flash drives have improved in capacity to an extent that you can comfortably carry all the information you need with you all the time. I haven't tried yet, but I'm sure you can even lock the data with a barely decryptable key code.
I have a 2.0 GB Sandisk jumpdrive with it's own productivity apps already on it. But still, that data is nowhere as secure or redundant as storing it online.
Sphairon:My main computer is currently running on a 390 kbit / s connection. If I had to load OpenOffice in my browser every time I want to use it, my opportunity costs would rise immensely.
I run OO locally. But you could easily use Google Documents (or any of another number of document services) to do the very same thing online.
Your connection is slow, but 10 years ago I was also on dialup, and now I have a 5mBit line. In another 10 years, 24/7 broadband access EVERYWHERE will be taken for granted. I understand today, (as I am surrounded by 4 PCs) the PC is still the king of the jungle, but I can see no reason why that will be so a decade from now.
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