Those who have/are thinking about moveing away from windows.

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Private_Ops

[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm not createing this thread to let it turn into a freakin flame war...

I want the true and honest opinion of the intelligent people that roam this forum.

What is your future outlook on your use of windows? Will you ever consider moving away from windows completely? Have you already?



I personally have tried and failed for some simple reason... games. I'm not bringing this up as a flame bait though, it's actually more in the line of my problem but, also it's a stress releif and windows (sadly) is the only thing that runs them efficiently.
 
I use multiple OSes in my daily life, there's no point for me to be exclusive to any platform, considering my job. At home I run Windows Vista as my desktop/laptop OS and virtualize everything else.
 
The ultimate answer depends on "What you do with your computer"

This answer will be different across the board, as different people use their PCs for different things.

I can never move 100% away from Windows, for reasons such as the online FPS games I like to play, and for the reason that I'm a small business network consultant..so all my clients run their networks on Weeenders.

I often boot my dual boot lappy up with *nix when I'm jumping online for casual browsing, IM'ing, etc...when I'm onsite at times, or home sitting on the couch downstairs watching TV.
 
I have been completely windows free for a little over a year. I was dual booting for a year before that but i would usually boot into windows. So I cut the cord and went to only linux. I love it. I love learning some new thing about linux everyday. I also use linux at work. I plan to never go back to windows because there is no need for me to. I only play warcraft 3 (dota) wich runs perfect in wine. I only hope diablo 3 and starcraft 2 work as well as w3.
 
I started toying with Linux around 1998, using it more and more until I finally deleted my Windows partition and went Linux exclusive around 2003. I've also spent time trying out various BSD's and Solaris.

I don't play a lot of games, and oo.org, gimp, firefox, evolution, etc. more than meet my needs. I love to tinker, and there's a lot of things that I prefer to do from the command line, so a *nix system is a better fit for me right now.

Gaming, a specific app that doesn't work well under WINE, or personal prefrence is the only compelling reason that I can see for HAVING to stick with Windows.


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My work requires windows, and the software/games I use/play at home require windows. I don't have time to play with alternatives.
 
I have a windows partition for gaming. And I find it better like that. Nothing on it is installed but games. No AV, firewall, or third-party utilities. Mixing it in with a daily setup would just reduce its performance. *nix for work, windows for play.

Most of the programs I have learned to use are GNU. Trying to learn apps that are Windows only would be a new learning curve, and a waste of time. I feel assured that the GNU apps I learn are cross platform, while if I learn a windows-based program, I will be stuck on that platform.
 
i have to agree with my friend above. I use the OS that pays my bills. I make my money on windows so thats where i stay. I have some experiance with linux servers but other thent hat no. i have to say Nux is alot of funt hought to play with sometimes. I try to run the nux on my lappy as duel boot but is jsut for fun.
 
I use Windows XP/Vista for my daily activites and just tinker with PC-BSD.

As long as windows does all that I want(applications, browsing, gaming) why should I change?
 
Windows-free here. If I "need" Windows for work I just rdesktop into a server at work and use that.
 
I think it depends on what you want to do and learn etc.

I started tinkering with Linux a while ago so I could learn more about Unix. I really do want to learn as much as I can about it because these skills can be ported to other unix varients.

Though if you want to play games, I think windows would be my choice. When it comes to networking/web hosting/ development etc. I dont think you can really make a good choice without looking at your options and deciding what is going to work best for your situation.

To answer your question a bit more though, I do think the Linux OS will continue to grow and become more competitive to Windows. We are already seeing Linux distro's being sold to the general public on the EEE PC's and these seem to be really popular (And not just to the tech fans). In recent years one Microsoft's biggest rivals (Novell) went from a propriatry platform to Linux (Suse). And as people depend on computers and software more and more in business/leisure/society etc etc, I think Linux is in a good place to play bigger roles in the future as the computer world further evolves. So even learning a little bit of linux know could be very beneficial in the future.
 
Boomslang said:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/05/123253

:\
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I did'nt realise that. But still this could be down to that particular linux distribution just not being user friendly. From a everyday user point of view, I think Linux is not all that much different to windows. you browse the in a similar way, open and edit documents and play games quite similar to windows. I think people generally do not like change but I think most people will get over it sooner or later.
 
I forget how long ago it was that I switched to Linux exclusively, more than a year anyway, probably two years about. I did it cold, my Windows XP drive failed during a new computer build, but my Linux drive survived, and so did the OS (as in everything worked despite being installed on a different system). I also was tired of piracy, and couldn't afford a legitimate version of XP. Prior to that, I had played around with it all the way back to 1999, usually in a dual-boot, but on some occasions on a dedicated old box. Linux has changed a lot since then!

The only game I couldn't live without was Unreal Tournament 2004, and that has a Linux version. The advantages of Linux, with a good distribution of it anyway, are small, but numerous. There are lots of little things that would make going back to Windows hard. Package manager is probably the biggest thing I don't want to give up, and the most confusing to new users of Linux. With a decent set of available packages, you don't go to the internet to search for, download, and install programs, you just go to the package manager.
 
dunnen said:
I have been completely windows free for a little over a year. I was dual booting for a year before that but i would usually boot into windows. So I cut the cord and went to only linux. I love it. I love learning some new thing about linux everyday. I also use linux at work. I plan to never go back to windows because there is no need for me to. I only play warcraft 3 (dota) wich runs perfect in wine. I only hope diablo 3 and starcraft 2 work as well as w3.
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The only windows box I use is my wifes when I'm fixing something for her. Other than that I'm all CentOS & Ubuntu.

At work I have a win laptop, but desktop is linux.
 
I would never go Linux exclusively. There are just too many useful apps that I use in Windows, mostly games but other software too like Photoshop and HDR software (there isn't even a Mac version of the HDR software I use). I only run Linux for the novelty of it and because I had an extra PC that was no longer needed for Windows. Across my other 3 PCs I have XP Home, XP Pro, Vista64 and even WinME installed. I'm not a Windows fanboy either, it just does everything I need is all and Linux doesn't.
 
only loonix here. No windows in my life for 3 or 4 years. To be honest, it pisses me off every time I have to use it now.
 
I only use linux (and sometimes freebsd / solaris) on my machines. I don't game, though, so the "I need windows to game" argument is null here. A WoW addiction years ago broke me from my desire to play online games anymore, haha :p

Anyway, I love it and I love never having to worry about licensing, product keys, activation codes, etc. Furthermore, I love being able to tear apart every program on my computer and create a truly unique OS. Linux is also my hobby, though, the same way that overclocking and gaming are for some people, and I'm sure a lot of people would not enjoy it the same way that I do.
 
Eva_Unit_0 said:
I don't game, though, so the "I need windows to game" argument is null here. A WoW addiction years ago broke me from my desire to play online games anymore, haha :p
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LOl, explains why you're still using a Geforce 4 Ti 4200 then. ;)
 
Private_Ops said:
LOl, explains why you're still using a Geforce 4 Ti 4200 then. ;)
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heh yeah, I love that thing. It's a beast. It does everything I need it to. I haven't always been minimalist though...back when I started getting out of gaming (let's say early 2006) I was running SLI'd 6800 ultras. My whole system now probably draws less power than just those two cards did. :eek:
 
Eva_Unit_0 said:
...back when I started getting out of gaming...
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I'm trying to do that. Only thing I play anymore is CS:S. Plus with my current setup I'm having 3D issues (everything but, CS:S will hard lock the system... CS:S does it every now and then) so it's definitely helping my get out of an old gaming addiction.


I'd love to stop gaming almost completely because I'd love to get a nice 12-14" laptop and get rid of my desktop completely. Nothing more than a waste of space to me.
 
I was basically exclusively Linux for a long while until the damn GPU Windows F@H client for nVidia GPUs came out. I had an XP partition installed for just in case types of things but it wasn't even setup with drivers or anything like that. Well, I set it up for F@H and stayed that way until I couldn't stand not being able to play videos and stuff like that with that client running and switched to Vista to get rid of that problem.

I've stuck with Vista for a few months since but I'm not happy with it. There are a lot of things about Linux that I miss with a passion. There are a lot of little programs I've found through the package manager that I hate to be without. In some cases there are equivilents in Windows but not all the time.

Package management has been one of the biggest things I've missed from going back to Windows as my daily OS although Gkrellm has been something else I have missed a shitload. I know there is a version that works on Windows, but it's nowhere near the same and rather buggy.

Due to some problems getting some video encoded through my normal program in Windows, I booted to my openSUSE 11 partition a little while ago and I'm doing the encoding with OGMRip instead. So far it seems to be working much better than what I was previously using in Windows and it also seems the multi-threaded encoding using x264 has been fixed so it works now which is a major plus.

Personally, if it wasn't for the damn GPU F@H client only working in Windows right now, I would have moved back to openSUSE 11 as my main OS. I'd still keep a Windows partition for some games that I can't get working with Wine or don't have native Linux ports, but I doubt I would use it all that much. Even a non-tweaked to my liking install of openSUSE 11 is a lot snappier and quicker than Vista. I can boot up in less than half the time and get things up and running a lot quicker.
 
I can't. I like my games and my TV Tuner and my X-Fi card and my wireless card and G-15 Keyboard and fingerprint scanner.

Other than that, I could get by with Surfing the net on Linux I guess.
 
Private_Ops said:
LOl, explains why you're still using a Geforce 4 Ti 4200 then. ;)
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On my Linux PC I use a Geforce2 64mb even though I do have a Geforce4 Ti4200 128mb in the closet. I don't use 3D apps or 3D games in Linux so see no need to put in a better video card. I think 2D performance between GF2 and GF4 are similar.
 
When an OS will integrate virtualization, and allow Windows apps to run seamlessly, I will switch to it instantly as my desktop OS.

For my server use, I'm already running Linux. openSUSE 11 - which I can strongly recommend - much more than Ubuntu, which everyone seems to like, but I found quite buggy, to anyone who knows nothing at all about Linux, and wants to setup whatever they need through a GUI. So far, that's worked on everything except minor things and setting up a WAP, but that's a general PITA no matter what distribution you're using.
 
I have 4 PCs at home:

home office -> Vista/Kubuntu dual boot (this is my main PC)
studio -> XP Home (wife's PC)
upstairs -> XP Pro/Ubuntu dual boot
kitchen -> OpenSUSE

We have mostly Windows servers at work, but do have a few Red Hat Enterprise servers. I love Linux and it's getting better and better going forward. It's going to take virtually everything going GUI though before the masses start adopting it ... Linux is still very intimidating to the average user. Wish I could get away from Windows altogether, but there are 3 apps that keep me from taking Vista off my home office comp:

* games
* electric guitar processor software (can't get it to run in Wine)
* Windows DVD Maker - it's simple, but fast and works great in Vista

So on my home office PC if I'm playing games, playing guitar, or encoding video I'll boot to Vista. Otherwise it's Kubuntu. My wife knows virtually nothing about computers and doesn't care to learn, and she goes and works on the OpenSUSE kitchen computer most of the time because she likes it better than Windows. Microsoft should be very scared ... Linux is getting close to the point where it's a viable option for the unwashed masses.
 
I hope to move away from Windows for everyday work, but I'll keep it as a boot option on my desktop/HTPC for playing the odd game.
 
I use multiple OS's. Mainly Ubuntu, but recently I've been in windows. It switch between vista and XP. I prefer linux, but because of classes (i take my stuff online) and visual basic, i use windows too. Over the summer when i had no classes i was in ubuntu 24/7 for 4 months. I long for that.

Which reminds me, i should install a Windows VM for class and VB... *ponders*
 
morinaga666 said:
From a everyday user point of view, I think Linux is not all that much different to windows. you browse the in a similar way, open and edit documents and play games quite similar to windows. I think people generally do not like change but I think most people will get over it sooner or later.
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You are not the average everyday user, the average user is my grandmother, or your next door neighbor that sets up a wireless network and leaves it wide open for the world, or the fellow employee that uses the word password as their password for everything or the guy that brings his PC to be repaired because the "TV part" doesnt work.

To the average user there is a HUGE difference in a Linux based netbook and a Windows based netbook
 
I have two machines sitting here. One of them runs Windows XP Pro, and the other one has Ubuntu Linux on it. I use the Windows machine much more, for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reason is software. I've used these two examples before, but I have, and use Photoshop CS3 for work. Although the GIMP is nice, and is full of features you can find in Photoshop, it just doesn't compare. I like Open Office, and again, just like GIMP, it's fantastic considering you don't have to pay anything for it. However, Microsoft Office, in my opinion, is a better office suite. I will admit, Open Office stacks up much better to MS Office, then GIMP stacks up to Photoshop. At least in my opinion.

I know the people who have written a lot of these Linux programs have put a LOT of time and effort into them, and as somebody who also writes computer programs, and went to school for it, I know how it goes. However, it just seems like a lot (not all, but a lot), of Linux applications lack the polish found running on Windows and OSX. There are obviously exceptions, and the two I mentioned above are two that do a much better job at stacking up to the competition.

Don't get me wrong though, I like Linux, but I just can't bring myself to move away from Windows. When I build my next machine I'll take my current Windows rig and put Linux on that, and probably turn it into a dedicated server. But that new machine will have Windows as it's primary OS for sure.
 
never at home. I spend all day working on ESX/Linux/etc, and when I come home I want something that just ~works~ for playing games, email, and basic web browsing :) Something I don't ever have to fight with to find drivers, configure resolutions, or just use. Linux isn't there yet, especially for the gaming.

After 8 hours of log scanning, fibre traces, and SAN troubleshooting outputs, the last thing I want is to do it at home :p
 
Completely Windows-free here - I'm lucky enough to be part of a dev team who all use Linux (although we have the choice, since our app is built in Java). I don't really game much any more, and the only game I do play has a Linux native version (UT2k4).

Oddly, unlike a lot of people I've rarely had driver issues - much less, in fact, than Windows. Since Ubuntu 7.04, I haven't had to do anything except install the NVidia drivers on rebuild - everything I've got is supported out of the box. Contrast that with Windows, where there's a whole stack of stuff which needs installing, in a particular order, along with hours of updates...and you've got the main reason I moved over in the first place. As it is now, I can't live without the flexibility that Linux-based desktops give you...Windows desktops make me feel positively claustrophobic these days.
 
I like Linux. Recent versions of OpenSUSE and Ubuntu are great desktop OS's. Installation is easier than Windows, there's drivers for everything and it's easier to find, download and install software. The user interfaces and visual themes are becoming less amateurish with fewer design flaws since the developers actually adhere to UI design guidelines now. It's getting more consistent and user friendly.

My problem with Linux, and the reason I can't go Windows-less, is that every time I've fully installed a Linux distro, got all the drivers working and installed software for all the basic stuff, there comes a moment when I go "What now...?". I've got the equivalent of a clean Windows installation plus all the basics like IM, email, Web, photo editing, media player etc. but there's nothing more for the typical desktop user to do once the OS is installed.

Sure, there's thousands of apps to download, but most of them fill some obscure function that I don't care about or duplicate functionality that is already included in the distro. There are almost no quality games for Linux. There's no music production software or synth plugins that do what Live7 or Sonar with a ton of VSTi's can do.

For a netbook or "mom's PC", where you only need Office, basic internet functionality and maybe some photo editing and media capabilities, Linux is perfect, but for it to be a replacement for Windows, it needs more and better software and games.
 
I just threw Ubuntu on my laptop. The wireless manager kinda makes me mad.
 
I have tried but Linux and BSD..PC-BSD was the "best" experince, but nowhere near toppling my Windows experince.

Surfing:
More fluid, video far better "accellerated" under windows.

Desktop:
Look better under Windows, font ect looks amatuerish under BSD/linux

Gaming:
No contest, Windows for the win.

Applications:
More, better and functional software for Windows.

OS:
Windows is FAR better supported on the update/hardware side.

I won't go windowless for years...if ever and OpenSource has nothing better to offer to me right now..and i doubt that will change anytime soon.
 
Atech said:
Desktop:
Look better under Windows, font ect looks amatuerish under BSD/linux
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I have to disagree with you there - every single font (including the new Vista range - Segoe UI, Candara etc) look far better on my Linux box than they ever did on Windows. I'd hazard a guess that you haven't set up subpixel rendering...
 
:LJ: said:
I have to disagree with you there - every single font (including the new Vista range - Segoe UI, Candara etc) look far better on my Linux box than they ever did on Windows. I'd hazard a guess that you haven't set up subpixel rendering...
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no offense, as I'm a heavy linux user, but the fact that we HAVE to means something isn't yet done right.
 
lopoetve said:
no offense, as I'm a heavy linux user, but the fact that we HAVE to means something isn't yet done right.
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Don't know what it's like in your distribution, but Preferences > Appearance > Fonts > Subpixel Rendering (4 clicks) doesn't seem particularly onerous to me. In Windows, it's Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Effects > {select something from dropdown}. Not massively different, really.
 
:LJ: said:
Don't know what it's like in your distribution, but Preferences > Appearance > Fonts > Subpixel Rendering (4 clicks) doesn't seem particularly onerous to me. In Windows, it's Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Effects > {select something from dropdown}. Not massively different, really.
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I use slack most of the time or KDE, so I don't have a preferences button that I can remember. (been a while since I fired up the desktop linux system).
 
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