Why Linux?
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Problem in the kernel? I find it hard to believe that the kernel has a problem that manages to make full screen Flash video slow. X11 perhaps but given that full screen Flash video is also slow on OS X and nothing else seems to have a problem with full screen, I suspect the problem more likely lies with Flash.
Soldato
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There's been a bunch of them, including this which required X.org and the kernel to be patched:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/314928/
Believe it!
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The description seems to suggest that it affects video playback in general though, rather than specifically full screen Flash video. Perhaps I should clarify that I was saying I found it hard to believe that the kernel would have a bug with such a specific graphical symptom.
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I havent been using linux long. But I dual boot with Windows 7.
I have a 5 second delay on boot which gives me the chance to pick windows 7 over Linux. And if i'm honest, I've not bothered interrupting the boot sequence in quite a while. Linux does everything I need at the moment. And I have windows 7 there for gaming, which really is the only main reason to go back to it. There is also my blackberry modem capabilities that dont work in linux. But the media management works fine.
So to sum up my post, Why do I use linux? It just feels lighter, quicker and does everything I find important.
I have a 5 second delay on boot which gives me the chance to pick windows 7 over Linux. And if i'm honest, I've not bothered interrupting the boot sequence in quite a while. Linux does everything I need at the moment. And I have windows 7 there for gaming, which really is the only main reason to go back to it. There is also my blackberry modem capabilities that dont work in linux. But the media management works fine.
So to sum up my post, Why do I use linux? It just feels lighter, quicker and does everything I find important.
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Because linux
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Of course there won't be kernel defects specifically interacting with Adobe's code like that. But there are A LOT of performance defects in the kernel, most of which will never be seen, some affect lots of things, some affect a very narrow field of tasks, like full screen flash video playback.
Linux is quite a buggy thing, I wouldn't get on a plane running it.
I use Linux on my work machine because it's mainly for bioinformatics (handling genetic sequence data), and almost all the decent, free, academically developed software doesn't run in windows. Having said that I have learned to love it after a bit of a learning curve, it just lets you do things without treating you like a moron. The only downside was in the first few months where I was used to being treated like a moron and didn't know how to do most of the things I wanted to do....
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Im currently running my really old laptop using ubuntu, and the Firefox UI is so much better compared to windows!
I would use it, to get out of paying a lot of money just to make a decent image for example, or a 3D model and so forth, programming etc..I know MS have free versions of visual but thats like only scratching compared with the full
Also its worth learning as the OS is a lot more powerfull, and secure
Also its worth learning as the OS is a lot more powerfull, and secure
Didn't there use to be an old analogy about planes and OS's, and in that vain tbh I wouldn't get on any plane that ran on a full blown OS. Blue screens at 30,000ft would bring a new meaning to the phrase BSOD
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Soldato
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I agree, any life critical system should run something that does only what it is designed to do, nothing more - otherwise it might not do that job nearly as well. Like those old 8-bit CPUs, you can either run an OS and something in it, or write programs that run independent of an OS.
And come to think of it, do you trust i686 CPUs to have few enough computing errors?
And come to think of it, do you trust i686 CPUs to have few enough computing errors?
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Faster install then Windows plus it virtually installs everything for you so unlike WIndows where you got to install drivers and software after in most cases, huge software support that's free plus their software package manager makes finding things very easy.
Large range of Linux Distro's to choose from.
Regular updates.
Don't need AV really for Linux,stability is excellent.
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Also you can't muck around with Windows nearly as much 
OS preference is subjective... what do you want to do? If you want to play games most of the time then its a no brainer, Windows. If your not fussed about security or the way your system looks, i.e. work and play I would say Windows again. Want to surf the web and write the odd document or two, go for Linux! It's just as capable. If you want to customise, have access to lots of free software, have a somewhat secure system out of the box, be able to automate and batch process on the go then I would say Linux.
And Linux comes in many flavours, depends what you like. I use FreeBSD for my server which is Unix, this supports my git repo and webDav, that because its more suited for the task! and I have gentoo and slackware on my other machines, main box and laptop respectively. For the developer, me at least , there is an abundance of tools. From VIM (the only editor you ever need) to code::blocks and eclipse, hell you can even customise your terminal and shell (I used zsh rather than the default bash), everything in Linux is customisable, just depends how much time you want to spend doing it. On gentoo I have to compile everything, yes including the kernel, and I use the intel compiler not GCC (default), and everything is cutting edge, that means it may be riddled with bugs, flaws etc... but that's what I like. It not about the money, its personal preference.
I'm hoping to upgrade this year, being a dumbass at the moment and holding out for socket 2011 sandy bridge extreme or ivy bridge Q1 next year, Im still running my trusty core 2 from 5 years ago and it runs everything beautifully. An you bet, the beast I will be building will run Linux!
ATI works just as well on Linux as does NDivia, sorry my opinion. I have always been an ATI geek even when their drivers were crap and ok its been a bumpy ride on Linux but for the past couple of years its been a blast.
I play games, but not so often, I find a 30GB partition for XP is enough for my needs, but that only carries games. So I duel boot. I need windows sometimes in linux so I have a VirtualBox image of it to boot up, use and shutdown right there and then.
I used to love running windows but with these malware flying round targeting window, its a real pain keeping your antivirus up-to-date, firewall , adaware etc... and stuff like zeus (http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/05/11/1326257/Zeus-Crimeware-Kit-Source-Code-Leaked) and other uber malware rootkits which could subvert windows security protocols.
On Linux, well you don't really need antivirus, you can install one for free, avast kaspersky, clamAV etc... they all are free Linux versions, I wonder why? because maybe you really don't need one.
So with respect to security IMO and without offending anyone, Linux is safer out of the box.
If you want to customise your windows you typically get these commercial tools to replace the shell, alter the menu etc...
For the curious wanting to try Linux, its easy... you don't have to modify your partitions, you can boot it straight off CD/DVD. Look for ubuntu or fedora or opensuse flavours.
I wouldn't say the Linux kernel is flawless... its has its problems, perhaps most recently with the power regression on mobile devices
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_mobile_uffda&num=1
doesn't mean its bad, I can wait for another release or re-install a previous kernel with a command or two ...
My first post, sorry its a bit long but I hope it sheds some light on the initial question of why some people use Linux and also convinces some of the people to wet their toes and give Linux a try
And Linux comes in many flavours, depends what you like. I use FreeBSD for my server which is Unix, this supports my git repo and webDav, that because its more suited for the task! and I have gentoo and slackware on my other machines, main box and laptop respectively. For the developer, me at least , there is an abundance of tools. From VIM (the only editor you ever need) to code::blocks and eclipse, hell you can even customise your terminal and shell (I used zsh rather than the default bash), everything in Linux is customisable, just depends how much time you want to spend doing it. On gentoo I have to compile everything, yes including the kernel, and I use the intel compiler not GCC (default), and everything is cutting edge, that means it may be riddled with bugs, flaws etc... but that's what I like. It not about the money, its personal preference.
I'm hoping to upgrade this year, being a dumbass at the moment and holding out for socket 2011 sandy bridge extreme or ivy bridge Q1 next year, Im still running my trusty core 2 from 5 years ago and it runs everything beautifully. An you bet, the beast I will be building will run Linux!
ATI works just as well on Linux as does NDivia, sorry my opinion. I have always been an ATI geek even when their drivers were crap and ok its been a bumpy ride on Linux but for the past couple of years its been a blast.
I play games, but not so often, I find a 30GB partition for XP is enough for my needs, but that only carries games. So I duel boot. I need windows sometimes in linux so I have a VirtualBox image of it to boot up, use and shutdown right there and then.
I used to love running windows but with these malware flying round targeting window, its a real pain keeping your antivirus up-to-date, firewall , adaware etc... and stuff like zeus (http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/05/11/1326257/Zeus-Crimeware-Kit-Source-Code-Leaked) and other uber malware rootkits which could subvert windows security protocols.
On Linux, well you don't really need antivirus, you can install one for free, avast kaspersky, clamAV etc... they all are free Linux versions, I wonder why? because maybe you really don't need one.
So with respect to security IMO and without offending anyone, Linux is safer out of the box.
If you want to customise your windows you typically get these commercial tools to replace the shell, alter the menu etc...
For the curious wanting to try Linux, its easy... you don't have to modify your partitions, you can boot it straight off CD/DVD. Look for ubuntu or fedora or opensuse flavours.
I wouldn't say the Linux kernel is flawless... its has its problems, perhaps most recently with the power regression on mobile devices
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_mobile_uffda&num=1
doesn't mean its bad, I can wait for another release or re-install a previous kernel with a command or two ...
My first post
, sorry its a bit long but I hope it sheds some light on the initial question of why some people use Linux and also convinces some of the people to wet their toes and give Linux a try
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