Windows rapidly approaching desktop usability

A

Apex

Skilled
Every year or so I like to see how Microsoft is doing in its attempt to make a desktop operating system as usable as Linux. Microsoft Windows XP, Home Edition, with Service Pack 2, is a tremendous improvement over previous Windows versions when it comes to stability and appearance, but it still has many glitches that keep it from being competitive with GNU/Linux for everyday users, including a tedious installation procedure, lack of productivity software included with the operating system, hardware compatibility problems, and a price so much higher than any of the Linux distributions I've tested lately that I don't feel this product is a good value for most home or small office users.
Click to expand...

Read this "honest" Windows review by a LINUX user... :eek:hyeah:
[RANK="os.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/05/18/2033216"]Here's the LINK[/RANK]
 
This was slashdotted too ...

Wow, thats quite some sattire, I am enjoying reading it :)

The article brings up many interesting points, however, I must say that despite how much I love and use linux, windows is a good OS too, and it may not have reached an excellent level of stability or security, but as for desktop usability - that was achieved way back in 1995, before even GNU/Linux achieved it. Linux/unix is better for those users who like to tweaks their OS's a lot, and its great for servers & offices, but as far as desktop usability for the masses, windows is still a tad better than linux, just because of the sheer time for which it has been so popular, which results a greater fraction of applications being created for "windows only".

It's possible that the monitor manufacturers aren't willing to give Microsoft and other proprietary operating system companies the information they need to create appropriate drivers and that the manufacturers, not Microsoft, deserve the blame for this problem. But from a user's standpoint it doesn't matter who is at fault in this game. It simply means that hardware must be carefully chosen when contemplating a switch from Linux to Windows XP -- and that you can't expect "it just works" hardware compatibility from this operating system.
Click to expand...

Hehe :rofl:, I like this one. Internal modems, eh?

Also check some of the comments at NewsForge and Slashdot :rofl:
 
I must say I agree with ujjwall. Even though Linux may be more stable and secure, Windows is still a better desktop solution. I know of a friend who could not make his digi camera work on his linux box for months until someone wrote a driver or something. So for now, ease of use, Windows all the way.
 
Back
Top