Pain in the Butt Microsoft

[Bob Henson]

Why have Microsoft got them, if Linux haven't? Because they make the effort.

There are drivers for B43 chipsets - they just don't bother to supply them with Mint and Debian and thus make them backwards compatible - I don't know about the other variants. There are drivers for both my 3G modems - they just don't supply them - and, boy, do they take some finding and installing. Why is getting a network to work such a long job, needing so much advice and help? They all work without effort in Windows - certainly from 7 onwards. If the Linux devs spent less time adding bells and whistles, and trendy GUIs that no-one wants, developing software to match the Windows suppliers, and making the OS work half as well as Windows they'd be getting somewhere. They do say that you get what you pay for - and it shows.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love Linux to succeed - but they're going totally the wrong way about it, and falling into the same open-source traps as Mozilla, who are pouring away their hard earned market share by developing the wrong parts of the Firefox program. I keep trying Linux because I want to tell people how good it is - but it just isn't, and it gets worse. As a desktop user, I hate Windows 8 and 10 - but they do actually work. The rough development version of Windows 10 is far, far better than the latest "stable" Mint 17.1.

[whisky-dave]

You don't have to be rich to buy a Mac. PCs cost more NOT less. (unless you get a real crappy one of course)

[Martin Brown]

What planet are *you* on?

Apple stuff has always been priced high. You are paying a premium for the brandname.

I am not saying that Apple stuff isn't good, but you can tell when there are Hackintosh compatible PCs/laptops in Aldi because there are queues of unwashed long haired geeks outside at 0800 on Thursday mornings and a scrable when it opens to get them before they sell out.

Certain Medion models made exceptionally good Hackintoshes.

[Tim Streater]

When did you write this paragraph? 15 years ago? I haven't seen a computer with a floppy drive for must be 10 years. About 10 years ago I bought a USB external floppy drive, and in the same way I now have an external DVD +/-/sideways/whatever drive. The floppy I've used oooh, must be at least three times in the last 10 years, and the DVD drive from time to time.

[Capitol]

My experience does not resemble yours. My Linux boxes and Android phone generally work perfectly over the network without me doing a thing. I'm using Ubuntu 10.4 in most cases, but the next box will be Mint 15. The Windows computers regularly lose their network settings and do not find them again when rebooted. They also cant find the scan function on printers and lose the ability to print on a regular basis.

[Tim Watts]

I suppose we could say it was the OP's fault for buying a shit OS when better alternatives have existed for a long time

[The Natural Philosopher]

Definitely finding Mint 17.1 is OK on most stuff.

Sure there are some places where you still need Windows, but restoring a windows VM from a virtual machine is a few seconds only with an SSD disk, which I am now running on for OS use.

Use Linux for all the GP stuff and fall back on winders for the edge cases or specialist software.

[michael adams]

About 50 years before you finally learn to recognise irony, by the looks of things.

This information is all very interesting I'm sure, to you at least. But somwhat misses the point I'm afraid.

michael adams

...

[J.B.Treadstone]

"If the hardware manufacturers will not provide drivers," M$ don't make the drivers, the /hardware manufacturers/ do. THEY provide M$ with the drivers FFS. M$ don't make /any/ effort.

[whisky-dave]

This one.

you could prove it like for like.

My brother wanted a PC I suggested a mac mini, heb rang dell and they quoted for a 550 UKP PC i5 not much cheaper than the mac mini but didn;t come with any useful software. Mac minis come with quite a bit. So he needed to buy office, luckily he doesnt need any photo software. I'll see if this PC last anywhere near as long as my 2010 mac mini without needing a repair or service.

wouldn't touch one myself.

[Bob Henson]

If you use Windows you don't need to fall back on Linux - there's nothing Windows won't do.

[Bob Henson]

Android is different and I don't think of it like a generic Linux - it's a pukka commercial system and a case on its own. It hasn't been made to run on desktops, and it's not like any other Linux - it works, for a start. I use Android on my phone and am about to acquire an Android tablet.

I've never had a problem with network settings since Windows XP (and then it didn't lose them - just hard to set up) , and never had printer problems at all.

Out of curiosity - why Mint 15 and not a newer one?

[dennis]

That's not true, M$ have written a lot of the drivers in windows. Nearly all the old stuff is M$ drivers. New bleeding edge stuff has drivers from the manufacturer.

[Capitol]

I like systems which work, obsolete generally means reliable (Like boilers!), hence Ubuntu 10.4 and happen to have a Mint 15 DVD on hand and am going to replace Mandriva on a spare machine when I get through the current DIY job. If it is OK, I'll upgrade probably to a later Mint version, but 15 has a good reputation and seems the best starting point.

[Malcolm G]

Certainly whenever we have had this problem and needed to speek to them that is what they have done.

if they are OEM copies I think it may be a different matter (change the system too much and it is not the system they were sold with so the OEM licenses ceases to apply)

[dennis]

But why a Dell? Just to convince himself that PCs can cost more than Macs?

Medions are usually pretty good, at least as good as a Mac the same price.

[Huge]

Jesus, that's wronger than a big bag full of wrong things on national wrong day.

Sorry, but I'm afraid you're an idiot.

[Huge]

Precisely.

[Bob Henson]

Plonk!

[fred]

In article , Bob Henson writes

A good sequence of posts and views I think Bob.

By using the big W, users have access to a huge wealth and variety of drivers and applications written for the huge installed base of these machines.

Don't like that image viewer/media player/video editor/spreadsheet/word processor/anything and the chances are there will be another that you can try and may like better.

With the (less) big L OS and variants you get a limited choice and we should all know that one size fits all means one size fits none.

I value my time and I spend less of it on the family and friends that I support by using MS to do it.