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Upset that my school is now a "success story" for migration to Windows

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  • Upset that my school is now a "success story" for migration to Windows



    As one of the founders of the GCC Linux and Unix Users group, this is extremely disappointing.

    I actually am founding the LUUG in part because the culture here is so unfriendly to Linux users, so this is a definite setback.

  • #2
    “The problem with Linux is that you have to be a ‘Linux geek’ to figure it out. Many students are intimidated because it’s so complicated,” says DiStasi.
    This makes me cringe! Microsoft, that propaganda spewing machine.

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    • #3
      Well, looks about right to me. Having your box break after every Ubuntu kernel security update (happens every time) because fglrx won't work anymore is not exactly user-friendly. And you need some geek skills to recover from that.

      Until this stuff is fixed in Linux, Windows *is* the better OS for the computer illiterate. Instead of complaining about people preferring Windows, Linux distros should get their act together.

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      • #4
        Come on now. Like the distros have much control over the how well FGLRX doesn't work.
        Once the open source drivers are in a little bit more usable state, those problems will be nonexistent. Thats what needs to be done.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by RealNC View Post
          Well, looks about right to me. Having your box break after every Ubuntu kernel security update (happens every time) because fglrx won't work anymore is not exactly user-friendly. And you need some geek skills to recover from that.
          But since most computers have Intel or Nvidia GPUs it's not really a problem. And distros could just use the open-source ATI driver instead of fglrx, if it's that unreliable.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by movieman View Post
            most computers have Intel or Nvidia GPUs
            Most computers also have Intel or AMD GPUs.

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            • #7
              Binary drivers for ATI/NVidia are a must. Otherwise those people (especially students), won't be able to play games (isn't wasting your time with games the primary job of any student? ) Which brings us to our next problem: compare the easiness of running a game in Windows vs the method required to install and run it in Wine. And even if they do, chances are, recent games won't work anyway or have glitches.

              Since Linux can't do much about this (these are Windows games, not Linux games), how on earth can Linux compete with Windows on that front? Can we really expect "gamers" (probably the single largest Windows user group) to switch to Linux? They gain absolutely nothing by doing so, and indeed actually lose something (performance and compatibility).

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              • #8
                What is the issue here? From the article it sounds like the rest of the campus was pretty much all Windows environment except for this HPC cluster. Why bash your head against the wall just to be different. It sounds like it makes perfect sense for them to change over to Windows for the HPC cluster as well.

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                • #9
                  Well, my issue with this is several-fold.

                  One, the entire campus isn't Windows, the Chemistry department uses Linux for research and modeling almost exclusively. Also, we have a Computer Science department (which I take some classes in, as a Computer Engineering major), which includes Architecture and OS classes, which use, you guessed it, Linux, almost exclusively.

                  I have had Computer Science majors drag me in to the CS Lab to one of the few machines that run Linux so I can show them how to use it so that they can complete their projects.

                  I feel like the school is making it very difficult for anyone to learn how to use Linux, and I do not approve. We're training a new generation of computer illiterates, especially as concerns Linux.

                  FGLRX is a mess, but I don't use it at all, and I haven't had a graphics drive issue on Linux (except subpar 3D performance) in years. The school is disapproving of students playing games anyhow (we have a proxy that blocks all outbound traffic except http and ftp), so I don't see why that would be a concern of theirs.

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                  • #10
                    Getting your assignments done is usually more important than learning how to use Linux. It's the reason people stay away from Linux on my University too. The time needed trying to learn Linux is better spent actually doing the assignment.

                    People don't want to learn how to use a new OS; they want to do their job as fast as possible. From that point of view, Linux has nothing to offer them; they can do their job just fine already in Windows.

                    Pretty much the only reason to switch to Linux would be reducing costs for the University. But the people making monetary decisions are either working for, or are in very close contact to MS, so no go there. (MS tends to actively approach people and make offers; Linux companies like Red Hat or Novell do not.)

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