Posts tagged Free Software

Actually, I am presenting here, the points some Windows users arise in our casual talks on Gnu/Linux and Windows. I would like to get answers for these points from our vibrant community behind all the developments of FOSS. Please remember to replace the word linux with Gnu/Linux in the fragments while reading. Poor chaps don’t know that Linux is just the kernel of the Operating System, the name Gnu/Linux is the right one..!

Let me name Gnu/Linux user as X and windows users (a group) as Y

Y: Windows is the presently available O/S for end-users. No arguments in that. It alone supports all hardware and can run all applications. Even I am an Windows Exploiter.Linux is strictly losing in terms of glamour.

Buddy, are you aware of Compiz Fusion?

Now, they talks about a specimen laptop in which Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex was installed. Here goes on his statements

Y: Poor image rendering in firefox, the image rendering quality is sub-standard with normal images appearing to have
very low resolutions..sometimes it becomes hard to figure out the person from the photo.The smiley are too distorted with shape resembling amoebas..!.also photo tagging couldn’t be done..as we can’t type anything in the text box that appears.

To say, I have never met these situations when using orkut with firefox, iceweasel,opera or any web browsers in Gnu/Linux. What does the community say ? I think you have never met with the situations above said.

and they continues….

Y: and one thing which linux lacks is the support of genuine device drivers. Device Drivers are to be provided by OEM themselves and these are supposed to be stable.Linux drivers are developed by developers by reverse engineering,which,well can be unstable at times. Unless this is fixed,there will always be a limit for the level of linux penetration.

No comments ! It is evident that there is no point in their argument…! ( My Sony Vaio is the best example)

Y: Regarding games: There is OPENGL in linux parallel to DIRECTX in windows [OPENGL is available for windows also]. Yet there has not been a game [there maybe but I haven't heard any] which would provide a realistic experience like their counterparts in windows[using directx].I guess absence of genuine device drivers maybe the root cause since opengl/directx resides in a higher level on top of device driver layer.

Hey buddy, you don’t know nothing about OpenGL. Please check out http://www.opengl.org . Next, check out http://www.playdeb.net and enjoy !

They again continue with No. of Bugs….

Y: The level/no. of bugs in windows is not as alarming as in linux. Program crashes maybe the result of inherent bugs in the program itself,and windows cant be blamed for that. Recently in ubuntu 8.10 , I found a serious bug. If a program which opens a socket and listens to it is terminated abruptly, the socket handle is not released immediately and we have wait for sometime before we can access that socket again.I tried the same with windows but such an anomaly didn’t occur !

Buddy, if you came across a bug in Ubuntu 8.10, try to report that soon to the development team, It will be fixed ASAP ! Contributions can be done to the community by anyone.

Now they talk about the Viruses and Malwares in Windows like this …   (this was an answer to our question on security of Plugged devices like pen drives)

Y: That isn’t the problem of windows.The malware spreading through pen drives uses the autorun ‘facility’ provided by windows. Indeed autorun in CDs was a great help for many people who weren’t that well-versed with software installations and all.And later, the same thing was implemented in removable media too, but with a difference.Of course there is a workaround to prevent getting infected from pen drives. Autorun was a facility introduced by windows to enrich the user friendly experience but it is getting used for the wrong purpose.

And they itself provided a solution

Y: and next time when you pop in a pen drive, choose run and type the drive letter followed by a ‘:’ and hit enter, this will open the drive for you without executing the malware defined in the autorun.inf file [if it exists] .For eg. , if the drive letter assigned to the pen drive is ‘g’ , Hit ‘g:’ in run and you’ll be safe..

Buddy, there is no such difficulties for plugging in a pen drive in Gnu/Linux

Y: and its cowardliness to just call windows as a bug ! Earlier there was this news of linux breaking many patents of windows….!

No comments ! Leaves the above fragment for the community to answer this. ( Because, I’ve not yet heard of such a news )

Y: linux entirely free from viruses????then what is the need for clamshell AV??? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Viruses .And do understand that viruses/ malware are not special creatures with special properties….these are normal programs but with a wrong intention.Think of this:if a virus can be created in C for windows,the same code should run on linux too[since C is platform independent] .there can be complications with this but I assume the ideal simplified case…

Buddy, I am very sorry to say that you don’t know anything about Gnu/Linux. Please read the article you said carefully. It says something about root privilege.

They continues ….

Y: And why should one make the code which is his intellectual property open for all? Windows was created by a group of developers at Microsoft.and it is their right;its their intellectual property.Would you like to create something new and then make the code public? I wont do that.I don’t think any normal person will do that.And the allegation that windows stole the code from linux are mere
speculations,they don’t need to steal anything.

Buddy, please check out the this : http://www.mixx.com/videos/3620112/youtube_vandana_shiva_on_seeds_and_open_source_software .What would be the situtation if all the vehicle companies need to “reinvent” the wheel..?

Y: there is a myriad of developer tools available for developing applications for windows[take for eg.Visual studio]. MS ensured that they provided not only the OS but also tools to create powerful applications for the user…and all the free software counterparts in linux are not without hiccups…! linux lacks the level of application development support which windows has….
is there an accounting s/w in linux which is as powerful as tally?

Buddy, do a research at least on Qt. All your doubts on developing applications will be cleared..!

Y: What is the need for WINE[windows emulator] project? If linux by itself is a complete OS as you claim, providing the user with all his needs ,why does he have to emulate windows programs in linux?. This implies the indirect dependence of linux on windows…..there are certain things which linux lacks which windows has and that gives windows its cutting edge.People at MS are not developing OS to earn merits but for money…!

Y: Developing a modern OS is not child’s play.Its obviously a pain staking process.Developers at MS took the pain to give what most of us use today[ but we are pirates though].And its their right to get paid for the work they have done and they deserve it.
IF U ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING,DON’T DO IT FOR FREE..!

Buddy, try to be honest. Talk to me about the merits of Windows if you have a Genuine License for Windows….! I’d like to get more opinion about the above said fragments from community.

In between, here comes a statement from my dear friend Aswin…

X: “virus is for fools” —(1)   { this statement was told by Y , I’ve not added it in any of the fragments earlier said…}

“windows has lot of viruses” –(2)    { Known to all…! }

(1) & (2) ==> “windows users are fools”

Now, Y gives  huge comparisons…. I am not breaking it up into several, just pasting it as a whole…

Y : You talk a lot about development. Where are you going to reach ? You are just developing. I know many linux ’sanyasins” works on linux simultaneously doing some parallel job in a some private companies.

Linux GUI applications are of very poor efficiency. In fact they uses the CLI version of same application internally. And very poor communication techniques between both.But windows applications are GUI in nature by birth. I like top call them the real GUI applications. Linux CLI may be powerful. But who is going to use CLI ?. Are you developing softwares for people to use? or for something else ?

You say that you have replacement for all windows softwares in linux. let me compare them
1. Blender and Maya
Least compare the file sizes of their installers
Autodesk Maya 2009 Extreme Bundle(latest) 23.7 GB
Blender 2.48a(latest) , Python 2.4 13 MB
Need any more comparison?

I think its better you suggest me softwares I can bring windows corresponding
applications.

X: Openoffice.org
Now they compares Openoffice with  MS Office

Y:

2. Open office and MS office

Open office installer size – 130 MB

MS office 2007 installer – 600 MB

5 times extra features.
Don’t come with the argument that file size is immaterial.Remember you are not comparing two image files. Two executable. Where each line in a machine instruction. Then its obvious that MS office is 5 times better(in fact more) than open office.Or are you going to argue that you have used extreme programming techniques and compressed 600 MB’s code to 130 MB. Please don’t argue that. If you argue that, its obvious that you know nothing about an event base application.

I wonder how people can be foolish like this…

Y: Now, see the advantages of MS word
1. Different from old style menu based interface. Very easy to use
2. Context menu containing most commonly and recently used operations
3. Editable context menu( how is it?? )
4. Translate word to 15 other languages
5. Translate even screen tool tips
6. Support over 15 file formats
7. Previews available just by passing mouse over options
8. Ability to see and edit clip board data(in MS word style format itself)
9. smart art feature(if u want t oknow abt it i ll giv u screen shots)
10. Better look (undoubtful)
11. Math library for mathematical text books

Buddy, Please use openoffice.org 3.0, then come and talk to me

And now, here comes another statement from Y, with this I am winding up ,my post here. I need our free software Community to read these foolish statements from Windows Users and Enjoy.. !

Y:  Windows Vista is more than enough for Rs. 6000. If you give more money, we will give you more softwares with it. So the argument that “there are no softwares packed with Windows ” have no existance.