Why Windows users dont like opensource

[suselinux]

I was thinking (now this might be unintellectual dribble compared to what some of the other members here consider in day to day life, but bare with me I've had a revelation) and I figured out why Windows
SHEEP ,I mean users, think open source software is crap.  

The only thing that Windows Users hear when some one talks about OPEN SOURCE software is the word FREE.  either because they ignore the code part of the explanation because they never realise some one actually wrote that OS or App. they honestly dont consider the creation of software before the stage of printing the CD or DVD,s that it comes on.

Or they only hear the word Free because they still
have flashbacks of the agonny of giving someone fivehundred dollars for two CD's with a couple of shiny decals on em.

And a Windows User's only experience with free software (I am excluding Mozilla, OpenOffice etc they were designed for linux first) tends to be second rate or superfulous crap(couldn't spell that with a dictionary beside me)
sorry but free ware and sharware just do not compare to GNU and GPL products.

So when A Windows user hears about this "Free" opensource OS called LINUX, all they have to compare the idea of this "FREE" "LINUX" thing to is the crappy stuff they get from Download.com.


How the hell do you deal with a stigma like that eh?   :confused:

[Faust]

quote:have flashbacks of the agonny of giving someone fivehundred dollars for two CD's with a couple of shiny decals on em.

I didn't get shiny decals on the Windows XP "recovery" cd that came with my PC.  Jesus christ I've missed out on the best part!  

edit: and, yeah you've hit the nail on the head

[ May 03, 2003: Message edited by: Faust ]

[HibbeeBoy]

I see a lot of "noise" about corporations not renewing their M$ licenses. I think Linux is very much going to be a part of the corporate IT infrastructure.
The home PC user, their another breed. Why they insist on  buying a Window$ PC is beyond me. If I had the money, I would buy a Mac but I just can't justify spending that kind of money right now. Particularly when SuSe Linux is doing all I need right now !

[The Devil]

The problem I usually have when telling people about Linux, is that they seem to think it's illegal since it's free... that's pretty sad. They're living in a world where if something is free, it can't possibly be legal... and hell, even after I explain the whole open source bit, they still seem skeptical about how that can be legal. CUMPUTAR PRGRAMS PAY FOR$$$ ARJAJAJA

[TheQuirk]

Mozilla and OOo were designed for Linux first? I don't think that's a very true statement.

[AmarokShadow]

Being a windows (and linux) user myself I can say that what you said is not true. I build my own PCs and install windows 2K/XP on them purely because I like them, then I make a partition for Linux and install that too. People like windows for its stability and if you tell me its unstable then the last version of windows you probably used was Windows 98. I remember when Linux was more stable but not many software companies and game developers would recognize it as something that is worth their time. Now more people are starting to use it however in a post win2k world, Linux has lost the stability edge. However if someone is stuck on Windows 98 or WinME and can't afford a new version of windows then I fully recommend Linux to them.

Its just that for the average user windows is easy to use, there is great support and help for it, chances are one of your friends can help you if you get stuck and mostly its because they know about MicroSoft and hear that windows is good. However if the average user gets linux and they get stuck, which they will, all of their friends are like "WTF?!". Basically MicroSoft has established itself well into the minds of consumers and Linux is not for everyone. Windows isn't evil, windows is for the average joe or people that like flashy things and games.

Just my $.02

[flap]

quote:Originally posted by AmarokShadow:
Being a windows (and linux) user myself I can say that what you said is not true. I build my own PCs and install windows 2K/XP on them purely because I like them, then I make a partition for Linux and install that too. People like windows for its stability and if you tell me its unstable then the last version of windows you probably used was Windows 98. I remember when Linux was more stable but not many software companies and game developers would recognize it as something that is worth their time. Now more people are starting to use it however in a post win2k world, Linux has lost the stability edge. However if someone is stuck on Windows 98 or WinME and can't afford a new version of windows then I fully recommend Linux to them.

Its just that for the average user windows is easy to use, there is great support and help for it, chances are one of your friends can help you if you get stuck and mostly its because they know about MicroSoft and hear that windows is good. However if the average user gets linux and they get stuck, which they will, all of their friends are like "WTF?!". Basically MicroSoft has established itself well into the minds of consumers and Linux is not for everyone. Windows isn't evil, windows is for the average joe or people that like flashy things and games.

Just my $.02

[Faust]

quote:People like windows for its stability

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!  What in Gods name is WRONG with you?  Are you not sane!  Get help!  Flap, you are damn right.  

[Faust]

quote:and if you tell me its unstable then the last version of windows you probably used was Windows 98

What I have seen in Windows XP in less than 6 months:

 3  BSOD (device driver in infinite loop anyone?)
 5  "Lets reboot so they dont see the BSOD" on my machine alone
 2  "Oh look it trashed a file you needed to boot with"
50+ Program crashes
 15 Complete system halts, lets hit the reset button
 Countless instances of "ctrl-alt-delete" being a necessity
 Countless application crashes

 I've also had to put up with a "windows virtual memory too low - windows is increasing the size of your paging file" within ten god damn minutes of logging onto the Windows 2K computer I needed to fill the details on my uni account.  I checked the process and all it had was "system" process like scvhost and internet explorer running.  On 128 meg of ram.  And it needed a bigger swap file.  And don't ask my why it automatically resized the swapfile or why a normal level user had permission to do so.  And do you now what happens when a swapfile is increased to fill the entire drive?  Yes thats right, the computer is well fucked.

 Oh and how many security holes has Windows had in the last 6 or so months?  Like millions?  Like the one that you could embed in HTML to delete your choice of browsing users files?  Like the one that let you read a users files?  BTW got any cup holders lately?

 What about viruses?  In the last 6 or so months before I started on Linux I was hit by 9 seperate variants of the fuckers and I dont even open attachments!  joke_russa, joke_smallpen, nimda, blah blah blah, god damnit people get an OS that is at least a bit more resistant to these things!  Jesus christ the dude running the apache server on our network has actually had to disconnect users until their "nimda infection is brought under control."  And by "brought under control" I don't mean "removed" I mean "brought under control to the level were the logs are readable and two out of three logs aren't describing a nimda attack."  If I boot into this shit OS I have to put up with "norton has detected and cleaned nimda" twenty times an hour!  Do you have any idea how annoying that is when your playing a game and it minimises that often to tell you that it just cleaned up a nimda file?

[suselinux]

I really did not meen for this to turn into a debate about windows VS Linux, I wanted to point out that windows users are conditioned to think that if you don't pay for it its crap.

suselinux


BUT since you had to go and bring up all of this stuff(AmarokShadow)why did you even join a forum at FuckMSN when you are clearly endorsing it.

Microsoft Might be easier to use for the average joe, it might be getting closer to being stable, but its the principle of the thing.  

I think I can speak for most people on this forum when I say that it feals fucking great to read all of this digusting shit about MS, and then realize that your reading all of this with jaguar or galeon or mozilla, or netscape and thats running on BSD or Solaris or Linux or MAC OS and we know that our minds are free.
 

fuck me eh!   does any one else feel that way or am i misrepresenting the whole community?

[Calum]

quote:Originally posted by suselinux:
I was thinking (now this might be unintellectual dribble compared to what some of the other members here consider in day to day life, but bare with me I've had a revelation) and I figured out why Windows
SHEEP ,I mean users, think open source software is crap.  

The only thing that Windows Users hear when some one talks about OPEN SOURCE software is the word FREE.  either because they ignore the code part of the explanation because they never realise some one actually wrote that OS or App. they honestly dont consider the creation of software before the stage of printing the CD or DVD,s that it comes on.

Or they only hear the word Free because they still
have flashbacks of the agonny of giving someone fivehundred dollars for two CD's with a couple of shiny decals on em.

And a Windows User's only experience with free software (I am excluding Mozilla, OpenOffice etc they were designed for linux first) tends to be second rate or superfulous crap(couldn't spell that with a dictionary beside me)
sorry but free ware and sharware just do not compare to GNU and GPL products.

So when A Windows user hears about this "Free" opensource OS called LINUX, all they have to compare the idea of this "FREE" "LINUX" thing to is the crappy stuff they get from Download.com.


How the hell do you deal with a stigma like that eh?    :confused:  

translation: these people are simple people, basic people, morons.
treat them with sympathetic kindness.

[chaizak]

Whats wrong with Windows users is that nobody (with no knowledge) whant's to compile source. What they don't understand is that they have bigger problems when using binary(virusses,trojans e.t.c) my company develops both on Windows and Linux but I prefer windows as a programer because they are far faster and far more flexible than windows is.
I can't count how many time I lost source code because of Windows and how many times I had to format my Pc and loose data again (I hate B*ll G*tes)
The only think I have to say don't use Windows the suck ass

[Faust]

No offense chaizak but is english your second language?  If it's not please spend more time reviewing your spelling.  If you don't speak english natively, sorry, ignore me.    

 

quote:I prefer windows as a programer because they are far faster and far more flexible than windows is.

What?

 

quote: I really did not meen for this to turn into a debate about windows VS Linux, I wanted to point out that windows users are conditioned to think that if you don't pay for it its crap.

Sorry about that suselinux, i couldn't resist telling off this goon.

[Pantso]

I think he meant to write that he prefers Linux as a programmer.   :confused:

[Faust]

That's what I think too, but I wanted some clarity.