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[Nadaka]

Flash 10 works just fine under Ubuntu, firefox is much faster under Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is also free, he didn't mention if his friend had an install disk for windows or not, but a legal upgrade to windows 7 costs most people $200 or more (mine was free thanks to MSDN subscription).

[Ampersand]

I spent a good three hours with him trying to find the Vista Recovery Disk that came with the laptop because that would have been the best choice, but it was lost after having the laptop for some years. We discussed upgrading to seven but determined that the cost of replacing the harddrive upon the cost of buying windows seven would have been too expensive.

Putting Linux on there was my last resort, and I feel it was a good last resort for his needs.

[Footkerchief]

Ubuntu and a netbook (or a notebook operating essentially as a netbook) are a very good fit.  Talking about Ubuntu's deficiencies with regard to drivers, software updates, etc. is missing the point in a major way.  Ampersand's friend will probably never need to update packages, or connect any device more complicated than a flash drive.

[Blacken]

Flash 10 works just fine under Ubuntu, firefox is much faster under Ubuntu.

htop says you're wrong about Flash; with a Youtube video standard-quality video open it's currently pegging one core on my machine. Normally about a quarter that when booted into Windows.

My eyes say you're wrong about Firefox--looks identical to me--but I have no way to benchmark it.

Ubuntu and a netbook (or a notebook operating essentially as a netbook) are a very good fit.  Talking about Ubuntu's deficiencies with regard to drivers, software updates, etc. is missing the point in a major way.

And if it's his computer, that's fine. He knows he'll never use it for more than that. It's not. It's a user's. He doesn't know the user won't. (And the idea that people won't upgrade is laughable. Ubuntu bothers you to do a dist-upgrade through Update Manager, which makes it funny when it breaks halfway through. Still did for a raft of people when going from 9.04 to 9.10.)

You don't dick around with users' computers, ever. Especially when you're trying to score some kind of points in a "war" that only one side is even caring about. It's unprofessional and irresponsible. Because now, in true Free Software fashion (scroll to the bottom of the post for a laugher), when you do that, you've locked him in. He now can get help from precisely one source, unless he's got other friends who happen to use Linux. The installed base, and thus the knowledge base, for Linux is vastly smaller than for Windows, and so becomes his ability to find help should he need it.


And it's not a "victory" for anything. Good christ, that makes me want to purge.

The point is, Ampersand, is that his new Linux laptop isn't doing anything different or special compared to a normal Windows laptop. Everything that you did could be done exactly the same under Windows, right down to installing Firefox, which would of probably helped just as much to get rid of all his virus problems. Hell, seeing as it was a internet laptop, Windows would have been a far better choice, seeing as Flash and various other plugins work miles better, faster, and more up-to-date on Windows compared to Linux.

This? This is a smart guy.

And you can get replacement media for a copy of Windows for like $10 if you call the OEM, if the machine isn't from some stringer.

[KaelGotDwarves]

The point is, Ampersand, is that his new Linux laptop isn't doing anything different or special compared to a normal Windows laptop. Everything that you did could be done exactly the same under Windows, right down to installing Firefox, which would of probably helped just as much to get rid of all his virus problems. Hell, seeing as it was a internet laptop, Windows would have been a far better choice, seeing as Flash and various other plugins work miles better, faster, and more up-to-date on Windows compared to Linux.

This? This is a smart guy.

Flash works fine for me, and the point is that 90%+ of the crap the everyday user is going to run into will fuck up windows machines, therefore if he is a guy prone to viruses, he should probably be running linux or *nix or apple software. He doesn't need windows for games or apps that require windows because of his other machine so he's fine.

And what's with all the "He can only get help from one source"? Since it's ubuntu linux we're talking about, there's this wonderful new invention called "the internet" coupled with this other new invention called "the google" you can find any answers to your open source software problems.

It's free, it gets the job done, everyone's happy except for the people pissing each other over OS choices.

[Footkerchief]

And if it's his computer, that's fine. He knows he'll never use it for more than that. It's not. It's a user's. He doesn't know the user won't.

You don't dick around with users' computers, ever. Especially when you're trying to score some kind of points in a "war" that only one side is even caring about. It's unprofessional and irresponsible.

You seem hell-bent on filling in the situation's unknowns with your own assumptions.  I guess I just lack the Tech Support Bushido or whatever that's given you such a passionate moral stance.

[Ampersand]

At this point Blacken just seems to be trolling. What he neglects to to understand is that putting windows back on the machine is just as easy as it was getting it off of it, and that I will place windows on the laptop the second he requires it, and has the money to get a copy of Windows.

And all this commentary on a situation you know nothing about just to piss on Linux or whatever it is that gets you going starting to piss me off. Keep it up and the thread is locked.

[redacted123]

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[HideousBeing]

Windows doesn't take nearly the amount of security measures that OSX/linux do and tends to annoy you with what it does have even more.

That aside, I do think that your friend should get windows back... I love my ubuntu, but I spend a lot of time getting stuff to work if it isn't in the repositories. You might want to tell him not to upgrade his kernel immediately, but rather have you there.

[sneakey pete]

Would never have expected this much open source hate on these here forums. Oh well, i'm suprised every day.