Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Re: Linux and winning
Author: Paul L. Bruno Posted: 3/10/1999; 6:54:17 AM Topic: scriptingNews outline for 3/5/99 Msg #: 3880 (In response to 3867) Prev/Next: 3879 / 3881
Chris, re: your move to Linux and away from Exchange: Smart move.I've been experimenting with Linux for a couple of years, but now I'm using Linux and Star Office regularly at home and on my laptop and it works great, opens all my old Excel and Word documents. Saves to those formats too, so I can share my work.
I don't need about 17,950 of the supposed 18,000 apps that are available to Windows users in order to get work done. As a programmer who builds internet applications, I need a word processor, a spreadsheet, a text editor, email, and a browser. I need to be able to write applications in perl, python, java, and C/C++. Those applications have to run in a predominantly Unix server environment. I need to be able to talk to an Oracle database. Heck, I'm running Linux and Oracle on my laptop. I need cron. I need to be able to telnet and ftp. I can do all that most conveniently in Linux.
I want an OS that stays out of my way if it can't help me. The telnet that comes with NT is terrible, so I have to go out and get another one (I recommend CRT if you're stuck on Windows). Same with Notepad -- has to be replaced. I don't need an active desktop. The NT file system changes capitalization on my filenames. Sure it doesn't matter to the file system, but it matters to me, and it matters for files that I'm going to put on a Unix file system. And as far as I know, Star Office doesn't gather user info to embed in my documents or send back to the Mother Ship. It makes me wonder who the "My" in "My Computer" is.
While I'm at it, I don't like the windowification of the latest windows version of PGP -- can't run it on a command line, therefore can't pass parameters. Therefore, can't automate it. That's an OS dependency problem.
BTW, I'm writing this on my desktop at work, which is running Windows NT so I can use the proprietary email system (Notes), and because Support won't allow me to install any apps on my desktop because of the fragility of the registry. As soon as the system changes, so does my OS.
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