Linux Gets The Boot

Glad to see people at least giving it a try, and I hope you got a good understanding of what Linux was all about. Of all the things it had, you didn't have to pay for one of them, and it's probably the same users on the forums you visit that create and modify the drivers and other software you use. I've always liked Linux/*BSD, but I'd never recommend it as an operating system for an average home user. When someone makes a compilation like Ubuntu, the normal user expects everything to work right off the bat, and when it doesn't work the way they like they usually go around screaming about how bad Linux sucks. On the other end of the spectrum, you have those that brag about running Linux because they think it makes them sound like they know what they're doing with it.

That filesharing problem would've been easy to fix--you likely could've changed the mount options and it would've mounted it as RWX to every user, or you could've made it mount it as a different user. As far as the other issues, I would've posted to the appropriate software designers' forums, and they might not incorporate it right away but it would likely be added in the future if they see how they can make their software better.

To those interested in LEARNING why Linux is so great, I've recommended they start with a very basic CLI install of something like Slackware, and not using a package manager to install the rest of the applications they'd like, such as X.org. When you know what the OS is doing behind the scenes, you're capable of doing much more and customizing to your exact likes. Plus, when you see an error, you easily understand what went wrong. There are quite a few Windows command-line tools that'll let you do things you can't do by pointing and clicking anywhere, too, and knowing how to use them can be a great help. The one I use the most in Windows seems to be the "route" command, but I'm usually the one called for network issues only after 3 other companies have tried and failed.

I have a box of Ubuntu discs at home and I occasionally give them away to users who keep messing up their entire install of Windows by visiting sites like MySpace and clicking "Yes" on every security dialog that pops up. Basically, Ubuntu's live disc will protect the users from the number one Internet enemy--himself.