Quite frequently on the Ubuntu Forums, someone will make a suggestion that Ubuntu (and/or Linux distros in general) adopt a feature or approach that Windows has to handling a task. Inevitably, someone else will counter that Linux is not Windows and then link to the appropriately titled article “Linux is not Windows.” The problem is… Continue reading Linux can be Windows sometimes, can’t it?
Category: Windows
Without education, it doesn’t matter which OS is “more secure”
In Linux online communities, oftentimes there are debates about which operating is the most secure—Windows or a Linux-based distribution. The debates usually go something like this: Do I have to worry about security in Linux the way I did in Windows? No, you don’t have to. Linux is much more secure. But isn’t that just… Continue reading Without education, it doesn’t matter which OS is “more secure”
File Recovery Fun
She thought she was doing everything right. She wanted to departition her computer and reinstall Windows. So she backed up all her files to an external hard drive, deleted all the partitions and reformatted as NTFS, then reinstalled Windows. She didn’t remember she still had her backup drive still plugged in, though, when she was… Continue reading File Recovery Fun
ReactOS could be good… much, much later
Many hopeful migrants to desktop Linux expect Linux to be a cost-free version Windows without problems. It’s with that expectation that many of these potential convertees run back to Windows at the first sign of trouble… or just culture shock. Well, there is a free version of Windows called ReactOS. It’s done in partnership with… Continue reading ReactOS could be good… much, much later
Open Source for Non-Programmers
On a Linux forum, when you get into discussions of the benefits of open source over proprietary software, inevitably someone will say something to the effect of If you don’t like it, you can change it—that’s the beauty of open source. While that may be the beauty of open source for programmers, how does that… Continue reading Open Source for Non-Programmers
Evolution trumps Outlook for Exchange?
I just took a new job, and my new school uses Microsoft Exchange for email, so Thunderbird is out as an option (yes, I’ve tried to read about how to use Thunderbird for Microsoft Exchange—all the instructions are too complicated or incomplete). The computer I got for work was supposedly configured to check Exchange using… Continue reading Evolution trumps Outlook for Exchange?
Software Installation: Windows or Linux?
Purpose This document is in response to two things I’ve seen on Linux forums: People asking for Synaptic Package Manager tutorials People insisting that installing software on Linux is difficult Before I continue, I should say that I’ve been using Windows since 3.1 (and DOS before that). I’m a big Windows fan. I am, however,… Continue reading Software Installation: Windows or Linux?
A Linux/Windows Comparison
Introduction Someone posting on the Ubuntu Forums asked if there was an article around that honestly compared Windows with Linux in a way that’s not anti-Microsoft. Honestly, I couldn’t find one. And, as someone who has no loyalty to any operating system (truly… in our household, we have one computer that dual-boots Windows XP and… Continue reading A Linux/Windows Comparison
Mac Zealots, Linux Zealots, and Windows Zealots
Mac Zealots For a while, I read with interest a site called X vs. XP. After a while, though, I got sick of all the zealotry, particularly on the part of Mac users. Now I understand that people like their OSes—that’s generally why they use them. What bothers me most is that some Mac fanatics… Continue reading Mac Zealots, Linux Zealots, and Windows Zealots
Mac v. Windows: The Sequel
This is an excerpt from an email I wrote recently to a friend who is considering buying a computer but isn’t sure 1. whether to get a desktop or a laptop and 2. whether to get a Mac or a PC. Believe it or not, _______—if you get a laptop, Apple may be your best… Continue reading Mac v. Windows: The Sequel