Hi all,
I’ll try to de-bunk some of the popular notions about GNU/Linux. I’ll be using hyprerlinks rather than doing the copy-paste method as it doesn’t make sense to re-invent the wheel. Attribution comes by itself. :-
A. GNU/Linux distros. are hard to use :- Go to Linux and Open Source Screenshots - Linux Distribution Screenshots or watch clips from Flash Library & tell me if you can spot any difference between any of the distros. to your current OS.
B. No applications or very less applications :-
Take a look at
- Linux Online - Applications
- Richard Colbert’s Rants, Raves, Ideas and Complaints: Making the Switch from Microsoft to FREE!
- The table of equivalents / replacements / analogs of Windows software in Linux. (Official site of the table) the last one is quite a bit out of date.
C. GNU/Linux is not secure enough :- Look at An introduction to Linux security: Myths as well as Desktop Pipeline | Five Linux Security Myths – Exploded
The best secure OS’s have something called C2 ratings [www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/rainbow/5200.28-STD.html]DEPARTMENT](http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:n8yr4Ko1uhcJ:
SELinux for Distributions info. about state of Security-enhanced Linux
Some more alternatives with very rough benchmarks Access Control Comparison Table - Gentoo Linux Wiki
4. GNU/Linux means you cannot run windows applications. :- Look at
a. Wine Application DB - Wine Application Database
b.
c. CodeWeavers - CrossOver Office
d. TransGaming.Org Games Database Cedega for gaming
if anything MS itself tries to stop people using MS products on GNU/Linux see wine-devel mailing list: Microsoft genuine downloads looking for wine
-
Windows has lower TCO than GNU/Linux :- Here I could also have used links but it’s whom u ask. In a small organisation yes, it may work out expensive as GNU/Linux sysops/admins cost more than the average MCSE. This is 1. due to supply & demand 2. the GNU/Linux guy is a scripter/hacker/security audit guy all rolled into one. He’s also expected to know how to play around with Samba (for Windows) as well as other architectures such as Solaris, Sparc & OpenSparc.
-
Upgrade cycle too quick :- This one is true to some extent. Most of the GNU/Linux distros. follow a 6 month cycle which gives updates to new softwares, better support to new as well as old hardware as reverse-engineering happens but that’s upto the user as well as the vendor. For e.g. the newly released Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, the LTS means long-time support so a desktop guy could install & have support by means of backports for the next 3 yrs. while the server will have support for 5 yrs.
-
Lack of Support :- This is again a non-issue with mushrooming of LUG groups all over the country. Also vendors themselves do give commercial support either by phone/mail or in-person. For e.g. The Pune Gnu/Linux Users Group for Pune & LFY’s LUG page
-
Last & not the least :- No. of companies working on GNU/Linux fields. Here’s a list of companies in Pune working in GNU/Linux
-
Mainstream magazines don’t talk about it :- This again has proved to be nothing more than a ‘myth’ both of my favorite mags. ‘Digit’ & ‘Chip’ do regularly give articles. In fact ‘Digit’ went over-board in the ‘April’ 2k6 issue by giving 4 distros, 5-6 apps. & a fast track book to read.
So there u have it guys. An amateur attempt no doubt hopefully in clearing myths about GNU/Linux. You’re welcome to thrash/flame/in-flame about the article
RHL 8 was pretty ok. Then I tried RHL 9, and found I couldn’t even play mp3s :O. Some quick googling revealed that I need to install some stuff. So I downloaded it, and tried to decipher the readme, which kept talking of MAKE and all such cryptic commands. After about half an hour, I thought I’d installed it, but no mp3s for me yet. 
So the experimentation bug bit me again. The live CD seemed to work ok, so I took the plunge and installed it. And then spent the better part of an hour trying to mount a partition 
I got it finally, but only as Read-Only.
I was without pRon for 2 weeks. :ashamed: )
Believe me when I say I’ve seen worse but that necessarily doesn’t mean it’s an software issue. I’ve lived on with dual-boot GNU/Linux for more than 2 yrs. without a single incident of the kind u say. Having said that I’ve found rpm based distros to be more a pain than debian-based distros. I’m suprised it took u an hr. to mount the partitions. Do u have the partitions in FAT32 or NTFS as NTFS write is still sketchy with the native drivers. There are better options available but u have to search for them. FAT32 is 2 minute. Couple of entries in /etc/fstab is all it takes. Would do a full-length tute on that sometime soon. AFA playing mp3’s are concerned if using ubuntu just enable the