It Ain't Windows

I have made the conversion over to Linux and I must admit that I am happy and a little disappointed at the same time. I have been able to get most all of my issues ironed out during the transformation process. The few that are left (My checkbook software, my invoicing software, and syncing my PDA) are livable, since I have to log on to the Windows box to do system updates and support my wife on that box as well.

The reason that I am happy is that I have proved to myself that Linux can compete with Windows as an alternative operating system. Alternatives usually are not as fluid as the primary choice, but will do the job nonetheless. In my case, I could use other software for my check book and for invoicing, but that would require me migrating data that is not easily done. I could start from scratch and run both versions of the software until I would no longer need the legacy stuff, but that is a tad inconvenient. However, that is still an option that I am considering. The PDA issue looks like a specific problem with my PDA, so I cannot fault Linux for that, although it would be nice to see the process become a bit more automated.

The reason I am a bit disappointed is because Linux is not Windows and I think I was expecting it to be just that. I know, I bash the Gates created monster quite a bit but Windows is a standard the world is used to. Linux was not designed to be a Windows replacement, but a Windows alternative. Most commercial software is written for PC 's and MAYBE Mac's, but very little commercial software is written for Linux. The bulk of software written for Linux is written by enthusiasts who write for a particular need. The bulk of Linux people do not need accounting software, I guess.

Windows tends to use some proprietary formats (office documents, audio and video, etc) while the Linux model supports a more open standard. That is one of the reasons I like Linux so much. I can view media that was created on almost any machine as long as the format is the standard. Another nice thing is that Linux can read other file systems (including NTFS) and write to some as well. Windows reads...Windows and DOS formats. You can buy software that allow you to read other formats and I even found one that lets you read AND write the ext2/3 format (without SAMBA). The big drawback is that the permissions are lost when you use this. Anyone can read and write to the partition.

Gaming, though not something I am concerned with, is still a Windows strength. Even simple games tend to look less polished in Linux than in Windows. I loaded a few simple card games on my test Linux box and they looked and acted rather boring. Eye candy is something that sells. People want "shiny" applications. I know I enjoy eye candy to a degree. I immediately changed my default Windows theme to a clone of the "Milk" theme for the Mac OS. I may not be a big Mac fan, but the eye candy quotient they have is high.

I got to thinking about the eye candy thing yesterday as I was playing with the composite manager on my Ubuntu Linux Box. I have a pretty good mid grade video card, so the effects were nice. Problem? The compmgr kept crashing as I would shut down. I guess I could have F2 and got a terminal and killed the process gracefully, but instead I did a to reboot. This is a known issue. Linux is not ready for "Joe User" yet. I can survive, but Mrs El Gee could not. All the little quirks would drive her nuts.

Am I disappointed enough to go back to Windows? Nah, I don't think so. I am having fun learning Linux just like I did learning Windows 10+ years ago. I am still an infant in my knowledge level, but I am comfortable making changes. Besides, I have test box I can do things on first if I am really nervous. I have a test box at work and one at home as well as a production box at home. I can test all I want.

I am sure I am going to get some flack from some of my die hard Windows colleagues about this, but I do not care. I am a explorer who loves to try new things. Consider this just one more thing I have tried before God takes me home.