Why most run Microsoft, not RedHat

[Les]

On Wed, 2007-04-18 at 15:44 +0100, Scott van Looy wrote:
> Today Les Mikesell did spake thusly:
> 
> > Scott van Looy wrote:
> >> On Apr 17 Les Mikesell did spake thusly:
> >> 
> >>> No, there are three methods known to fix windows problems and you always 
> >>> try them in this order: (1) reboot, (2), reinstall windows, (3) reformat.
> >> 
> >> Possibly 9,000,000 years ago, unsurprisingly things have changed somewhat 
> >> since.
> >
> > I have a long memory and have not forgotten the wasted time.
> 
> Yes, but that's not very relevant/practical these days :P
> 
> >> IF it's not booting, insert CD, go to recovery console, log on, type 
> >> "fixmbr"
> >> 
> >> For other issues:
> >> 
> >> 1) reboot
> >> 2) last known good
> >> 3) safe mode (if it runs in safe mode, try rebooting, sometimes that's 
> >> enough to fix things, sometimes not). Fix the issue there
> >
> > I've had this work a few times, and not a few times.
> 
> Most of the time it works for me. Occasionally not, so I go on to the next 
> step
> 
> >> 4) insert Windows CD and let it automatically find and repair windows by 
> >> going through the install wizard until you reach the bit where it finds 
> >> your old copy of windows and can reinstall
> >
> > I've never had this work - it's all very mysterious.
> 
> I've never had this not work. It's called an "in place upgrade" and 
> bascially should (provided you've not screwed up your registry somehow) 
> always work. Registry screwups are usually salveagable because there's 
> backups kept automatically...
> 
> >
> >> 5) IF it won't run or won't reinstall correctly, then and ONLY then, 
> >> reinstall
> >> 
> >> It's easier to fix windows without reinstalling than it is to fix fedora ;)
> >
> > What?  After the boot loader, there is no magic in fedora.  Anything can be 
> > fixed by putting the right file(s) back in the right place and there are 
> > several approaches to doing it.  If X breaks you can use the command line or 
> > connect remotely.  You can boot to single user mode if something late in the 
> > startup sequence causes problems. You can pick a previously-working kernel at 
> > bootup, or boot in rescue mode from the install CD.
> >
> > Many people have rescued their Windows data by booting a Linux run-from-CD 
> > version like Knoppix to get access to their disk and network because windows 
> > alone couldn't do it.
> 
> I've never needed to, having been able to rescue windows in all 
> situations. Plus I partition my disks so all I lose at any one time is my 
> apps and whatever's sat on my desktop if I do need to do a complete 
> reformat, something I've only ever needed to do once
> 
> -- 
> Scott van Looy - email:me at ethosuk.org.uk | web:www.ethosuk.org.uk
> site:www.freakcity.net - the in place for outcasts since 2003
> PGP Fingerprint: 7180 5543 C6C4 747B 7E74  802C 7CF9 E526 44D9 D4A7
>        -------------------------------------------
>        |/// /// /// /// WIDE LOAD /// /// /// ///|
>        -------------------------------------------
> 
> One can search the brain with a microscope and not find the
> mind, and can search the stars with a telescope and not find God.
>  		-- J. Gustav White
> 
I'm sorry, but "WIDE LOAD" applies to much of this debate.  Windows has
BUGS!  Linux has BUGS!  But I have extensive experience on both.  I will
not ever go back to Windows, except for those things that Microsoft
Lawyers (not engineers or engineering principles) force me to do.  And
those things are very short lived now.  Vista is not the success that
Microsoft wanted.  What happens now is pretty much up in the air.  But
for me the war is over, the debate, however rages on.  Windows was a
good system for browsing the internet, or playing games or some other
things, primarily because Microsoft forced developers to deal with their
clearance procedure.  How many of you have looked at the licensing
requirements for Windows software?  Now, go back a few years, and
remember "Super Calc" or "Wordstar" both of these programs were
destroyed by the OS intercepting certain keystrokes.  Don't argue about
this, look it up.  Check out the entry of "Ctrl-j" which was one of the
key strokes needed in Wordstar.  "Control-h" I believe was one in
Super-Calc, but it has been many years, so I may be misremembering the
Super Calc one.  However both of these programs were far superior to the
windows counterparts, and when Microsoft couldn't beat them any other
way, the key strokes were usurped by the OS.  End of story.  The
programs ceased to exist, Europe won and some American Companies won
some lawsuits and now those keys are no longer trapped or used by the
OS, but it was too late.  So now you have wordprocessors that FORCE you
to use the mouse for many things that were simple control functions from
WordStar.  When the patents finally run out, I am sure more and more of
the Wordstar functions will find their ways back into Word.

Whether you agree on systems or not, such tactics as hiding information,
intercepting key strokes, and other guerrilla warfare in software is
what characterized Windows evolution.  I don't know if Bill Gates
engineered any of that or not, but the company certainly did do these
things at points in their evolution.  Today they buy up competitors with
good ideas based upon deep pockets.  But they cannot buy up Linux.  It
poses a threat that they have to counter with FUD.  If their product
were known to be superior they wouldn't have to do that.

	Most service programmers charge more for windows development.  I know I
would if I ever chose to do development on Windows, which I would not
do.  Not because I am inept, but because Windows is at its very best a
frustrating environment in which to do development.  It is bloated,
crashes far too easily and has problems that are not well known, well
understood, and not well supported by their own staff.

	Much of the same is true of FC6.  But I didn't pay $1200 for FC6 with
the tools I need, which I did for windows.  If you pay for a Cadillac
and get a Hugo, you will most likely never buy the Cadillac ever again.
Customers will tell you the story.  Right now Windows has a huge
following among the public because Linux has the reputation of a
"prototype" in post development phase.  However it is really in post
development phase, and is becomming a real threat to Microsoft.  Thus
FUD, the Novell deal and some others to soon follow.  Even Microsoft
knows that their server software is less than robust, and they have
already announced that Vista is their last "windows" software.  What
next?

	Anyway, Lets move this off the list here and put it some where useful
to those who are interested.  I am not.  I just want to know how to make
Linux, specifically FC6 (soon FC7) do what I want.  Microsoft has
received its last dollar of mine.

Regards,
Les H