Linux Sucks. Java sucks. I'm a Microsoft guy again!

[libertylover]

I used to be a hardcore computer geek, but I've never dabbled in radio (even though I may have the face for it, I have the voice for text only).

I ran programming groups / little dot-com start-up attempts (which I took way, way too seriously) when I was in high school, dabbled in some game programming, etc.

Not any more.  I haven't even worked full time with computers since like 5 years ago... 

I totally feel you on this one.  Burnout is one of the biggest problems in the IT world.  I knew this computer programmer who just up and quit his job one day and went on to become a house painter.  He said he never wanted to deal with IT ever again.  I too felt some burn out on IT and threw off the shackles of a desk for an outside physical labor job. 

Now I just do minor stuff like surf the net.  This is why Linux is difficult for me but I do so loath Microsoft and Apple.  If there really was a reasonable alternative which worked right out of the box I would be all over it.  This is why I keep pulling for Linux to get it together.  Keeping my fingers crossed that some bright developer out there will put together a functional Linux package at a reasonable price.   Maybe they need some sort of easy to follow guide.  Maybe I should run down to the bookstore and purchase a copy of Linux for Dummies. 

[BobRobertson]

Burnout is one of the biggest problems in the IT world.

Agreed. It's intense, hard intellectual work. And no matter how good a job one does, it's never "done". Someone always comes up with something they want changed, or added, or whatever.

My field is networking. "Router Guru", as it were. On-call SUCKS. Years of having to get up in the middle of the night, or spending weekends doing overnight migrations, really takes it out of a body. If I were any good at house painting, I'd prefer that too. At least when you leave a painting job and go home, you know you can get a good night's sleep.

Now I just do minor stuff like surf the net.  This is why Linux is difficult for me but I do so loath Microsoft and Apple.  If there really was a reasonable alternative which worked right out of the box I would be all over it.  This is why I keep pulling for Linux to get it together.

When I set up a Windows system for someone, it takes me quite a while to get all drivers loaded, the 3rd party applications together, lock down the network (getting better, at least Microsoft has learned to turn some few things OFF by default), make sure their anti-virus isn't going to be the source of their problems, etc. Then I just make sure that FireFox sets itself as the default browser and there is no Internet Explorer icon on the desktop. That solves quite a number of problems all by itself.

Comparing the work of ensuring that Xwindows has the right screen size, that the network interface is correctly being detected, then doing the same basic work of getting the applications together, a Linux install is (for me) far less intensive to get to the same level of usability.

I understand perfectly well that familiarity, technical skill, simple preference, all make one or the other work better for a person, but the impression that it just doesn't work is a constant surprise to me.

There's a YouTube of people trying out a GNOME/Linux system after being told it's the next version of Windows. The reactions are all very positive. "Gee, that's easy!"

Keeping my fingers crossed that some bright developer out there will put together a functional Linux package at a reasonable price.   Maybe they need some sort of easy to follow guide.  Maybe I should run down to the bookstore and purchase a copy of Linux for Dummies. 

If you're going to get a Dummies book, see if there is one for the distribution you want to try. RedHat, for instance, has their own installer that has some WONDERFUL options I've never needed to use.

Descriptions, sources and languages: Distrowatch.com: $0
Install disk: $0.10 to burn, $1.75 finished from LinuxCD.org
Linux.org HowTo guides: $0
LXer.com, LinuxQuestions.org, DebianPlanet or hundreds of other forums: $0

Heck, send me a personal message with a mailing address, I'll mail you a liveCD to see if your hardware is all correctly detected. Do you like GNOME or KDE or XFCE as a desktop?

So what's the price you call "reasonable"? 

[blackie]

I have an old Red Hat distro, (maybe 6.2) and the paper case was signed by Linus Torvalds at Linux World 2000. Wanna buy it? I've been wondering how much a linux fanboy would pay for it.

[TimeLady Victorious]

I have an old Red Hat distro, (maybe 6.2) and the paper case was signed by Linus Torvalds at Linux World 2000. Wanna buy it? I've been wondering how much a linux fanboy would pay for it.

Many people would pay good money for relics of the prophet of the penguin god.

[LordMarius]

I have an old Red Hat distro, (maybe 6.2) and the paper case was signed by Linus Torvalds at Linux World 2000. Wanna buy it? I've been wondering how much a linux fanboy would pay for it.

eBay it, and buy Vista for all the $

[Jetfire]

If you know what your doing..... then vista is free. Not that I would know anything about that....

[blackie]

If you know what your doing..... then vista is free. Not that I would know anything about that....

I haven't used any warez in years. I have had legal access to the entire MS software library for the last 9 years.

[Jetfire]

warez? never used that before

http://tinyurl.com/mxchcl

[Kevin Freeheart]

Run Windows 7 RC 1. It's free.

[libertylover]

I have an old Red Hat distro, (maybe 6.2) and the paper case was signed by Linus Torvalds at Linux World 2000. Wanna buy it? I've been wondering how much a linux fanboy would pay for it.

Many people would pay good money for relics of the prophet of the penguin god.

Don't diss the penguin god lest your ballsack be frozen to your inner thigh.

Sadly at this point my collection of stuffed penguin toys seems more useful.  Hey but I will continue to work on learning Linux because I am so sick of Windows pushing out yet another bloat ware version making all my very expensive programs useless.  It isn't the cost of Vista but the cost of all the programs which I purchased and use that now have to be repurchased to function that makes me angry.  And I do think I am making an effort to transition because I already use firefox and open office.  I am getting ready to start using nue and gimp.  It might take some time but I have told myself even if I have to buy an Apple I will be done with Microsoft.

[Jetfire]

Run Windows 7 RC 1. It's free.

for what like a year?

[Kevin Freeheart]

I re-install my operating system every few months, mainly because I get bored with it, regardless of which one I'm using. By the time the Windows 7 RC expires, the full version will be out and I can install that one as a trial too.

[Jetfire]

yea too much trouble to go through. when its fully available and cracked then i'm good to go.

[BonerJoe]

I'm installing Windows 7 on a fresh 320 gig drive on my laptop. We'll see how it goes.

[BobRobertson]

I re-install my operating system every few months, mainly because I get bored with it, regardless of which one I'm using.

Heck, I don't even REBOOT every couple of months. 

I had one server loop the old Linux uptime counter...twice.