Re: Ubuntu (Linux); my first experience of...

Robin wrote:

I thought that the future would be the Mac but now I am not so sure,
even Linux stands a chance. No way is it going to be Vista.


I've had just a little experience lately of Linux, though I've known about it for a long time. While it is obviously very capable, it has a few huge hurdles before it can compete with Windows or OSX for the ordinary user.

- you (and I) have a DSL connection. You need it with Linux, because there's no such thing as an install package for a program. You have to get the "right" one, and usually need several additional dependencies installed as well as the desired application. The only way to get them easily is a good fast internet connection, which makes Linux a first-world only luxury: you wouldn't want to risk being in the African bush, say, and find that all your teaching materials or survey software need a 40Mb dependency download. This is related to the second point:

- library anarchy. There used to be a syndrome called "DLL hell" in Windows, but I've installed many programs over the last 5 years without a problem. This is probably related to a fairly conservative application area, no cutting- edge games etc, but is also because the application distributor can be reasonbably confident of a consistent base of compatible DLLs already installed, leaving only a few extras to be included with the install disk. But with Linux, not only is the library base protean, but each version of any given library seems to be subtly incompatible with all others, both forwards and backwards. The number of possible libraries to be included on the disk would require a DVD even for a "hello world" install. A source code install would probably work better, but most commercial outfits won't want to give their secrets away.

- the utter supercilious unhelpfulness of much of the Linux community. The most common response to a problem is "RTFM" or "why do you want to do that?" Many of the advocates appear to be people who have learned to run an OS install, do a few basic system admin functions, and run whatever comnes packaged with the disk. They then spend the rest of their careers comparing the diferent distributions and desktops. just read the magazines.

Having said that, I've now got a reasonably well- functioning development setup. I'm not going to distribute my programs, they will just go out ready installed in equipment, so I don't have to worry much about that side of it. and I save £60 per system.

Paul Burke
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