saw this on another forum

[BzK]

MS vs GM

At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated:
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments/General Motors issued a press release stating the following: "If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would accept this, restart, and drive on.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart; in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was more reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water, temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single 'general car fault' warning light.

7. The airbag system would say 'Are you sure?' before going off.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time GM introduced a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd press the 'Start' button to shut off the engine.

[Tea-cup]

And linux/unix would be a free spacecraft, with limited support to drive over the roads made for M$ cars only. Only drawback, you'll have to drive it, cars from M$ would "try to" do it for you (very safe *sarcasm*, I would drive myself anyway ).

-Mel

[Mo]

Thats very funny.
What's even more funny is that for some reason the vast majority of computer users use Microsoft products and last I checked no one was forcing them to.  And since some alternatives are absolutely free, this is even a greater mystery....or maybe it's not.

Microsoft markets better.  Blame competition (though Apple imo is doing a great job).
Maybe I'm a n00b, but in my experience Microsoft platforms are easier to learn and use. Blame competition.

Hey I'll be the first to say: Windows is crap.  But the fact is it's the easiest to use and supports the most software.

If people all turned around and started using Macs or Linux trust me software vendors would support those platforms and Dell would sell Linux PCs.  Software vendors and Dell make their money from consumers and could care less about Bill Gates.  They would leave him in a second (in fact they probably don't even like him).

Problem is the majority don't like Linux.

Just look at Intel Vs. AMD.  Before the Athlon came out Intel had a virtual monopoly on the cpu market.  Then the Athlon came out to wide reviews and praises.  It was a leap in cpu technology for the mainstream PC market, and made AMD look smarter and braver than Intel.  People loved it.  AMD did great marketing with the Athlon...unfortunately they did suffer because they couldn't supply the high demand (cause they were caught off guard by it) so Intel was kept in the game and had a chance to catch up.  Point is the Athlon was a great product that was accepted by the mainstream.  AMD continues to impress us by releasing PC processors that are more innovative than Intel.  AMD 64 bit cpu puts Intels to shame according to most.  Consumers like AMD so all pc vendors (except Dell) offering computer featuring AMD chips.  Intel used their money and current market share to secure the world's largest PC maker...smart business. Microsoft on the other hand can not do that because Linux is free.

[Tea-cup]

M$ it's operating systems are fine if don't care to spend money on hardware and software. Linux is fine if you like to know evrything that's happening on your pc. And it cost less on hardware and software.

The term free on linux is useual misunderstood, it's not like free beer, but like freedom. If you're interested, the debian site has a nice page about it link. (the page can be viewed in different langues)

I'm not really against the M$ operating system, but I don't like to have serval legal copy's of their operating systems that I don't use. The only one I use is an illigal copy of their 2000. I can't buy it in the store...

That M$ it's stuff gets used by users isn't weird, the first steps in windows are easyer than in linux or unix, that's a fact. Hardware gets better support for windows than linux because it's a comercial world, with pantents and stuff. A load of linux users don't want to have 1 single piece of software on their pc that they can't view the source code of. Making drivers for them would force hardware manufacturers to give free their code, speaks for itself that they don't want to do that. The solution linux users have is making their own drivers, somethimes they are even better than of the hardware manufacturer, but new and exotic hardware isn't always supported. Same goes for software, but it's all relative, I run M$ office, Iexplode, photoshop and other programs on linux. The only hardware part I can't get running on my brand new laptop is a smard card reader. And to be honnest, my linux runs more of my software than windows can, and I have way better control over my hardware and software with linux. It's faster and runs longer on it's batery too.

For an enterprize windows can nearly be as good as unix or linux, they want professional support, they want poeple that keep it running for them. This can be found for linux too of course but it costs loads of money as well. Unix/linux is more secure than windows, but a very well maintained windows network can be secure enough, M$ will do anything for you if you pay well. Securety problem aren't limited to the computers anyway, if someone accedently makes a password and account know to poeple that shouldn't know it, then even the most secure system can be "hacked", and brute force attacks can get anything down no matter what the operating system is.

Basicly I think that, if you don't have time, don't want to learn something else, or if you're happy with your current M$ install. Then stay with M$. If you want to be in control, if you want to get more out of your money and hardware, then it's worth to try (read: learn) linux/unix. Most poeple grow up with windows, they are used to it and only know that. I know both, I spend hours and hours in the windows registry, the windows config tools and in the linux config files. And linux/unix is the most userfriendly and best working operating system to me.  But I can imagen myself that someone who only wants to play his/her game, or just want to type a letter and mail it, doesn't want to learn a whole new operating system.

The only thing the opensource community wants, is that they don't get limited in their freedom. And I feel myself free to laugh a bit with all the problems on M$ it's side, you probably know a (huge ) load of them.

Ow, and you're not a noob Mo, and it's nice you want to run host Lm and GodSpire. Only remarks are: keep Lm running, a forum shouldn't have huge downtimes (best no downtime at all), now I can't make that sure because the limited acces I have, you have to ensure that. I hate to see Lm and GodSpire down... And I want to qoute this one:

Also means that I don't mind if I won't keep my current rights on godspire or lucidmagic. Know that removing me is the same as saying you don't need me, I won't (and won't be able to) support anymore in that case, and readding isn't a option. It also would be polite to tell me in case you changed something relevant. But again, I won't mind about a change.

[snapback]18897[/snapback]

-Mel

[Mo]

Godspire has not had any downtime.
These boards where only down when the powersupply of the server malfuctioned.  It should know always be reachable at
http://lucidmagic.bluestarnet.com
use that link if www.lucidmagic.com doesn't work.

[Tea-cup]

Godspire has not had any downtime.

[snapback]19780[/snapback]

Sorry, but I noticed a downtime myself. I ran Arivs while it was down. But well, exept for feedback, that's not important, it runs now.

-Mel

[Mo]

There was always a TEMP server to replace it