Guide Some myths about GNU/Linux

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
1. Linux Online - Applications
2. Richard Colbert's Rants, Raves, Ideas and Complaints: Making the Switch from Microsoft to FREE!
3. 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 (Official site of the table) the last one is quite a bit out of date.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 OF DEFENSE TRUSTED COMPUTER SYSTEM EVALUATION CRITERIA[/url]

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. http://www.reactos.org/
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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. Last & not the least :- No. of companies working on GNU/Linux fields. Here's a list of companies in Pune working in GNU/Linux

9. 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 :)
 
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Well, I consider myself reasonably computer savvy, and I had a hell of a time with linux. :P 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. :P
Solution? FDisk/mbr. Bye bye Linux.

Recently, I got the free Ubuntu CDs :hap2: 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 :S I got it finally, but only as Read-Only.

FDisk to the rescue! ( ubuntu didn't let go easily though, it took one of my windows partitions with it :( I was without pRon for 2 weeks. :ashamed: )

So, Linux, thank you, but no thanks.
 
zhopudey sorry for u'r loss:ohyeah: 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 repositories & apt-get whatever formats u wanna play.

In fact the TechEnclave as well as the wiki take time to read some of the documentation as well as talk with some people as u would for any new software & u'll find giving advice & suggestions to other people in no time. Of course once u switch over the bug has bitten u & u're strangely addicted. Better than pRon for sure.

In fact fdisk/mbr might 've been the culprit. There are some things that u could do so a repeat doesn't happen. Better work-arounds before. Will get back on this later.
 
well, linux had beaten me, clobbered me, burnt me and what not. It had resulted in a million reformats n repartitions and just when things were beginnin to look up, they had to remove mp3 compatibility.
Am presently on dual boot with fc5 and i still havent been able to configure my internet on it.
otherwise, its damn neat
 
Ubuntu, cause I got the free CDs. Here's my core wish list -

1) Mounting NTFS drives
2) Live peacefully on the same hdd with other ntfs partitions.
3) MP3, DivX, Xvid, etc etc
4) Internet. (mtnl triband).

If you suggest some other distro, I'll see if I can get it.
 
U can mount NTFS. U can recompile the kernel. But write support is still buggy.
MP3 u can play. Xmms. Search xmms + mp3 in google and u can get the plugin.
I use Tata Indicom Broadband with linux so MTNL should not be a problem.

Hmmm... Looks like the time has come to write a guide on NTFS mounting.... Will try to post with pics in some time.
 
thanx josh.... I'm happy with FAT32 on my own but more people seem to live on NTFS here so something in that direction would be cool.
 
Ya FAT32 is cool but it has problems relating to data loss/corrupt when system is switched off suddenly. Whereas NTFS is a filesystem with journalling capacity, just like ext3. So no issues of data loss/corrupt with NTFS.

I am writing a tutorial on NTFS filesystem access in Linux , but through kernel compilation.
 
Josh,

I know NTFS has journalling feature, the only issue I've is that everything is encrypted. I think u didn't look at this post hence I had advised him like that. I'm sure there would be some NTFS recovery tools & stuff which I need to look into but as of now I'm happy where I'm.
 
Hi all,

Although it would be cool to look at Josh's way but it seems atleast with Ubuntu 6.06 LTS the NTFS partitions mount by default. I did an install at a friend's place & discovered this. Were short in time otherwise would 've seen what entries were written on /etc/fstab as well as few more things. Would be doing at my end sometime soon.
 
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