Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shinjin]

The latest mac vs pc dick-measuring thread got me thinking. To me, this debate is never about hardware, but operating systems and software. Anyone can buy an awesome computer or laptop if they're willing to shell out for the components. The problem with an awesome pc, however, is that you're generally stuck with using that monstrosity know as as Windows Vista or its decrepit uncle, Windows XP.

Not too long ago I made the switch to linux and I think I've finally found a compromise between affordable hardware and a solid usable operating system. I picked up one of those nifty asus eee netbooks and installed Crunchbang Linux (an Ubuntu derivative) and so far the experience has been mostly positive. Almost everything (wireless, webcam, sound etc) worked out of the box. I've found open-source equivalent apps that are at least as good, if not better than, the apps I ran on OSX.

That said, I don't think linux is ready for mainstream use yet. Ubuntu is close but not quite there. Certain things mac users take for granted, for example external monitor and Korean input support, require some research and configuration file editing.

But for those who are technically inclined and like to tinker, or those who want to free themselves from Microsoft's yoke, linux is a great option. Just wondering if anyone else, particularly mac users, have made the switch to linux.

[swigs]

Lynux seems cool. Although for the reasons you listed I don't think I'll be doing making the switch anytime soon. But maybe in a year or two I'll try and make my own 'super cheap' desktop lynux computer as a hobby.

But having all the little features already in Mac makes it hard to move, as one gets used to not having to configure things.

Final Cut Pro and Adobe apps are what I'll be using most, hence my OS of choice.

I think having more than one OS on a system is a good thing. Why limit ones self.

[Underwaterbob]

Ubuntu is great. Dapper (version 6.06) was the only operating system I was using for over a year. I'm hardly a computer expert and I got it up and running on a Samsung SensP28 very easily, and managed to fix a small sound card driver problem and get Korean language support with minimal fuss (more fuss than on a Mac or PC though).

Linux packages are awesome. If you've got an Internet connection you've got access to terabytes of free, open-source software.

I'd be running it now, but a combination of my girlfriend using my machine often and laziness have prevented me from removing the illegal copy of Korean XP I'm using.

[RufusW]

I love the fact Ubuntu is a lot more customizable and has neat little extras like window effects (when you close a window it can 'burn' away etc). Also, multiple workspaces and it actually looks cleaner than XP. I've stopped playing games so would certainly use Ubuntu if I hadn't got Eng XP free from my school.

I know with Wine you can run some XP programs, and some games run on linux but I think maybe that's what's holding it back.

There is a huge amount of support for Ubuntu, you can google answers on their forums for nearly any problem you'll encounter. but fixing a problem is usually a step above just finding and installing packages (which is what windows usually requires).

Paying for Windows 7 or whatever is just ridiculous with Ubuntu around.

[shinjin]

My netbook came with xp preinstalled, so for me, price wasn't a factor in choosing linux. The main factor was its efficiency and performance on lower spec systems. That's why I opted for Crunchbang, which is essentially a light-weight derivative of Ubuntu. It uses the openbox windows manager rather than gnome and provides a custom kernel for the Asus eee series. I basically took all the steps to get my netbook running snappy.

For those who still need to boot windows from time to time, I recommend VirtualBox from Sun. It's a free virtualization app (like Parallels and VMware) that works well on linux. I use windows for only two things, online banking and testing web pages in IE. I setup a dual-boot system but I prefer to run windows in a virtual machine to quarantine activex and all the other windows nonsense.

[Underwaterbob]