just on the little point of uses for linux:

as i'm currently in uni doing my astrophysics degree I have to point out that most of the decent programs that do any proper scientific work without crashing are run on linux.....from an astronomers point of view most of the programs that interface with the camera's and telescopes are run on linux, same goes for partical physics even more so....and those computers need to run perfect 100% of the time, all the time otherwise you can miss what could potentially be a ground braking discovery....

it may take a while, maybe another 10 years, but linux will slowly start becoming more mainstream, and that can only be a good thing.

Would like to say as well that on my own PC i only run XP and although I have yet to have any problems what-so-ever with it crashing that doesn't mean that its better than linux, linux has far more potential and is not limited by the design ethos of one company.

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I heard someone say once that the world is a fine place and that it was worth fighting for....I agree with the last part.

People of our generation should not be subjected to mornings.

Rbots website

That has to be one of the best things ive read on this whole thread...

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"Ahhhh!! I'm Burnin'! I'm Burnin!!!" - Cleaner from Max Payne 2

On the other hand, the very nature of open-source means that whilst individual versions can progress very quickly, a unified release can take forever.

It's precisely this that makes Linux good for specific tasks such as servers and astronomy, but not very good for the average PC which is nowhere near as specific in it's taskload.

I know I bash Linux a lot, but if I had to create a system that has a single purpose (I do have one project in mind which is all part of my omghugelifeplan, but it all depends on finance and other factors) I would probably start with a very empty Linux base and build up.

You said you were having problems with Gentoo, I only offered an alternative. I once lost 2 days of compiling because of a small bug in their scripts, so I don't use gentoo. I can't comment on gentoo vs. debian any more than that. But if you haven't tried knoppix/debian, maybe you should take a look.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log

I am a CS student. My professors require that my code be able to compile on a UNIX or UNIX like environment. Sometimes I'm not around a connection where I can telnet into the school UNIX server. So that's why I installed Linux on my laptop.

That was my original train of thought. Now I'm finding I have more access time than I thought. Also going from VS .NET -> gcc/g++ isn't a monumental task. So. When I find my XP CD, I'm reinstalling Windows. I've tried the Linux method of as a desktop, but it's just not cutting out.

Like Jon'C and co. have pointed out: Linux is great for servers, poor for desktops.

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<scribbly handwriting barely resembling name>

Depends on what you want your desktop for. I use linux 100% of the time I'm working, 99% of all the rest of the time, and windows for games (which I don't play often anymore). I really like the flexibility of the software available for linux. If I don't like something about how the desktop behaves, guess what? There are a zillion alternatives, and chances are, one of them is EXACTLY what I want (and it is). Stability is better, speed is MUCH better, and of course, it's free. It's a lot easier to run php/mysql/apache/postgresql/perl/etc. on linux than on windows. It all Just Works. Of course, I'm talking about debian. I had horrible experiences with red hat and mandrake, so if you're trying those distros and basing your "linux is not ready for the desktop" arguments on, you really need to try knoppix/debian. I always say knoppix because it has a great installer, compared to debian's, which is horrid.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log

Going debian soon, guess I might as well get Knoppix for the installer. Personally I hear nothing but rave reviews from Gentoo, because it's fast, stable, and has portage, the supossed single greatest thing to hit linux. I'm using Debian because it's not so hard to install and run, and has a system similar to portage. I've got my flaws with being able to handle windows, so I figure I might as well use a system that handles installs/uninstalls for me easily.

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There is no signature

I avoid RedHat like the plague. I tried Mandrake once and thought, bleh, to hell with this. I've pretty much been a Slackware user. It's quite minimalistic (needs only 2 CDs instead of 4 like RH). Yes, people seem to be happy and fine with Linux as their desktop. I wasn't. I may yet switch back. I found a 4 GB HD lying about that I might throw in my desktop machine and put Linux on there.

To each his own.

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<scribbly handwriting barely resembling name>

I've been through the "newbie" distros: Red Hat, Mandrake et al. I recently dumped Slack 9.1 to try out Mandrake 10 (Mandrake 9 being my first linux install). Boy was that ever a mistake! My system is sluggish, everything feels bloated. It feels like I have 10 programs running the background slowing my computer down.

Now, I loved Knoppix. It runs great, and with Brian's arguments, I'm going to install it. I wanted to try Debian, but decided against it because of the degree of dificulty for the installation. So how do you go about installing from the Knoppix Live-cd?

[EDIT]Nevermind, I answered my own question. Anyone interested in doing a Debian/Knoppix HD install, check this out.[/EDIT]

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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.

[This message has been edited by MaD CoW (edited March 25, 2004).]

Gentoo is like debian, except it's more cutting edge, more 'do it yourself', and less stable. Apt-get is an older and more polished tool than portage simply because it's more mature.

This saturday I'm going to try tackling a real Debian woody install, with disks 5 and 1 with the bf24 kernerl so I can use reiserfs.

Edit: Yes, I did say Slackware. I meant Gentoo.
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I check my e-mail.

[This message has been edited by Mystic0 (edited March 25, 2004).]

Debian is really very easy to install. When I tried it out I was anticipating something difficult, instead I got a pretty straightforward install.

My problem with the vanilla debian install was configuring everything after the fact.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log

I meant Gentoo, not Slackware. (That should make more sense )

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I check my e-mail.