Subj : Re: Open Source Leaving Microsoft Sitting on the Fence?
To   : comp.os.linux
From : wild bill
Date : Thu Jul 29 2004 09:58 am

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 04:59:57 +0000 (UTC), swift@TheWorld.com (Peter
Lu) wrote:

>To be fair, both M$'s business and Open source have advantages and
>disadvantages.  Because M$ has sole control over Windoze, it is
>on average more stable,

Bullshit!

Windows has, at least since version 3, been boobytrapped to
acquire crap that causes it to bog down, requiring periodic
re-installations to clean it up. It has NO decent error checking
nor correction capabilities simply because MS wants you to
'buy the newest version' every couple years.

Sort of like a clothes dryer with a lint filter you can't clean.
Sooner or later, no air at all goes through it and it just
doesn't work any more.

I've never seen an installation that didn't somehow manage
to corrupt it's own system files within months of being
installed. Usually, the files failing comparison checks with
themselves (on backup right after install) don't cause
the system to completely crash, only periodic weird
stuff, usually overcome with a re-boot. Memory leaks
are probably the biggest source of trouble. That, and
all the undocumented ''features'' of the registries.

To call any version of windows ''stable'' is laughable.

Windows ALWAYS ships with hundreds if not thousands
of KNOWN BUGS. The only quality control criteria seems
to be, if it runs some of the time, it's ready to ship. Users
only find out about the bugs the hard way - something
crashes. They're only ''known'' to MS. At first.

Any time somebody finds a Linux bug, the 'fix' is instantly
broadcast. You don't HAVE to implement it, but you CAN
if you want to. At least you know what's going on.

Computer buyers in the 60's and 70's also wanted 'turn the
key and let it run' machines. We still don't have them. But
instead of getting a factory-trained software engineer,
now we gotta become one ourselves. Or, pay somebody
to fix it for us.

Nothing beats knowing the machine and what it can and
can not do. Linux exposes ALL the innards for anyone to
poke about in. Just because you don't care to know doesn't
leave you with any real alternative, operating systems wise.

MS is in control and you're just along for the ride.

Bill

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