[GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP PC;

ac ac at main.me
Thu Jul 28 09:49:37 EDT 2016


On Thu, 28 Jul 2016 09:17:28 -0400
Alvin Starr via talk <talk at gtalug.org> wrote:
> On 07/28/2016 08:15 AM, Russell Reiter via talk wrote:
> > On Jul 27, 2016 11:20 PM, "William Park via talk" <talk at gtalug.org 
> > <mailto:talk at gtalug.org>> wrote:
> > > I'll give opposite advice from the rest.  Stay with Windows.
> > >     - Windows comes free with all retail computers, fully
> > > configured.
> Windows does not come free.
> The cost of Windows is built into the price.
> At one time if you tried to sell a computer without Windows 
> pre-installed you would be forbidden from getting Windows to
> pre-install on other computers.
> 
> Nothing is free.
> 
so very true
(unless you are a swimsuit model in a singles bar...)

> But my take is that its an easy sell to tell someone to get a windows 
> computer and once they do I don't have to support them because I know 
> nothing about windows and just can't help.
> If I suggest a linux computer I am suddenly responsible for all the
> ills of the internet and any piece of software that gets installed.
> When Windows problems crop up... "I guess you just have to buy a new 
> computer and upgrade to the latest version of windows."
> 
roflmao - this is so exactly what I do! :) 

> > The only reason this is the case is that Foss became a threat to
> > the profit model, otherwise it would be business as usual at
> > Microsoft, which is to squeeze every cent they can out of consumers.
> > >       If you're used to XP, then you'll have short (if at all)
> > > learning curve to 10.
> > >     - Components you list below, all come with Windows driver.
> 
> That is true that windows has better driver support.
> Partly because of the dominance of the product but partly because of 
> aggressive business tactics.
> 
> > >     - Windows has virtualizations -- Hyper-V and VirtualBox.  So, 
> > you can
> > >       run Linux if you like.
> >
> Linux has virtualization and you run windows with Xen(where Hyper-V 
> comes from), VirtualBox, VMWare, KVM, ...
> Linux also has Wine so you can run some windows apps natively.
> 
> > >     - MS-Windows and MS-Office are standard that Linux fanboys are
> > >       trying to copy.  Open/Libre Office's
> >
> That is hardly a fair comparison.
> OpenOffice has been around for quite a while.
> First as StarWriter  around 1985  where word started around 1983.
> Microsoft chooses to keep Word/Office as a Windows package with just 
> enough support for Apple to keep them out of court.
> 
> One could claim that Word/Office are just fanboy copies of
> WordPerfect which showed up in 1980 and was a far superior product
> till well into the 1990's
> 
WordPerfect was so the best, (so was playing with lantastic and
arcnet :) ), 
ooh, and lotus-123 - before they broke it, and patrick's first Slack, 
o joy, now that was something  /*wipes misty tear from left eye*/

> 
> [snip]
> 



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