Re: [TCLUG:17041] <OT:anti-M$> *scary* stuff...

[Yaron <jethro@yaron.org>]

   Hi,

On Tue, 2 May 2000 Nick.T.Reinking@supervalu.com wrote:

> Seriously, tho, I'd like to make a point.  It seems to me
> that the vast majority of these highly intelligent Linux
> users can't keep a Windows box going at all.  You'd
> think that some of the smartest computer people out
> there wouldn't find this so difficult.

None of us were born knowing UNIX/Linux. We read docs. We hacked source
code. We tweaked .config files. We are able to pick these things up
because they're documented, semi-standard or we have the source.

Windows, on the other hand, does not. 

Sure, I've seen competent Windows admins who have been responsible for
100+ machines, and kept them all in good order - as long as they set
strict rules as to what may be installed, by whom, etc. But even the best
of the best Windows admin couldn't do much to keep a machine stable once
John Q HelpdeskUser decided he needs ICQ, and Eudora, and 5 different
browsers, and the Mole Whacking Game, etc. 

Here's an example. Last night I switched video cards between my own Linux
box, and my wife's dual-boot Linux/Doze box. 

No docs for Windows on how to do this. At all. 

So I told Windows it's now "Standard VGA", removed all the software for
the old card using "Add/Remove Programs", removed the video card from the
Hardware Profile, and replaced the cards.

Windows boots itself into Safe mode. Why? I don't know. 

We install the new software for the new screen
card. Reboot. Safe-mode. Reboot. Windows can't finx some VXD so it kills
itself. Reboor. Safe-mode. Reboot. Finally Normal mode. Chage
resolution/colour-depth. Reboot. No VDX. Safe-mode. Reboot. 

And it's _still_ trying to load some drivers for the old card. 

Now, during all this time, in between reboots, I replaced the card in my
Linux box, installed X4.0, set it up, installed the beta nVidia drivers
and made sure Quake loaded. I did all this thanks to a little thing called
a README file. 


Anyway, besides the fact that I needed to rant, my point is that being
"some of the smartest computer people out there" doesn't do you much good
when you're up against a black box which you can't open up and look
inside.


-Yaron

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