SRL Archive - News and General

I have messed around with some random flavor of linux a while ago, it was very light and I just put it on a cd and booted from it. I found nothing cool that attracted me to it. So I see no reason to use it, especially since many applications and games are not even compatible with it (wine, i know, but I've heard lots of programs are buggy with it).

So… Why do people like it?

Is it just so they don't have to support Microsoft?
Can it do more stuff than Windows?
I've heard its easier to like configure or change it around, what type of things would you change in Linux that windows bars you from changing?
Does it use less resources or something and increase performance?

I just want to know why people use it.

No virii?
Uhhh… a loathing for Microsoft?

…That's all I could possibly think of =P

Oh yeah, didn't think of the virus one. But I mean if your computer-smart enough to know what Linux is / install it then your smart enough to not get a virus…

its free and better for programming/cracking

From: kyleisntwild
Oh yeah, didn't think of the virus one. But I mean if your computer-smart enough to know what Linux is / install it then your smart enough to not get a virus…

The thing is, people don't create viruses for Linux (or even Mac). They don't encompass the majority of computer users, so they don't bother. That's one of the main reasons Windows is so "insecure". They're targeted the most.

You can do much more with it I think than Windows. No widespread viruses. You may need to be more computer literate to use it but it is much more powerful and safe then Windows.

Generally all hardware works on a clean installation because the drivers are built into the kernel. Some things, like graphics cards, may require third party/closed source software to work very well though.

It is very customizable. You can change just about any aspect of the GUI you want.

You can compile it specifically for your hardware for better speed and smaller size.

Not many viruses.

Almost any software that doesn't have a Linux port has an equally good, or better, Linux counterpart.

EVERYTHING'S FREE!

www.whylinuxisbetter.net Check it out!

From: bullzeye95
Generally all hardware works on a clean installation because the drivers are built into the kernel. Some things, like graphics cards, may require third party/closed source software to work very well though.

It is very customizable. You can change just about any aspect of the GUI you want.

You can compile it specifically for your hardware for better speed and smaller size.

Not many viruses.

Almost any software that doesn't have a Linux port has an equally good, or better, Linux counterpart.

EVERYTHING'S FREE!

and how'd that turn out for you?

Most games work in WINE. If you're using a PC, which I assume you are, you will not have any problems, but if you are using Mac hardware you might have some (drivers in WINE somehow crashes the game)


Bullzeye, it works fine. If it didn't work for you you must be a retard.

From: bullzeye95
Almost any software that doesn't have a Linux port has an equally good, or better, Linux counterpart.

Except SCAR? :rolleyes:

From: Nava2
www.whylinuxisbetter.net Check it out!

Thank you

I think Ill stick with Windows for now :)

From: Infintry001
The thing is, people don't create viruses for Linux (or even Mac). They don't encompass the majority of computer users, so they don't bother. That's one of the main reasons Windows is so "insecure". They're targeted the most.

Yeah, I've explaining this in some of my previous posts. Linux and Macs will be doomed if they ever hit the main stream, because than they will have to deal with the shit that windows ALREADY dealt with, which is all the security bypasses and crap like that.

From: Buckleyindahouse
and how'd that turn out for you?

Would probably be better if I didn't answer that on this thread…

From: tarajunky
Except SCAR? :rolleyes:

Notice the "almost" part.

From: tarajunky
Except SCAR? :rolleyes:

SCAR works okay in Wine, or it did when I tested it :3

From: Feroc1ty
Yeah, I've explaining this in some of my previous posts. Linux and Macs will be doomed if they ever hit the main stream, because than they will have to deal with the shit that windows ALREADY dealt with, which is all the security bypasses and crap like that.

Agreed.

+1

From: Infintry001
The thing is, people don't create viruses for Linux (or even Mac). They don't encompass the majority of computer users, so they don't bother. That's one of the main reasons Windows is so "insecure". They're targeted the most.

From: Feroc1ty
Yeah, I've explaining this in some of my previous posts. Linux and Macs will be doomed if they ever hit the main stream, because than they will have to deal with the shit that windows ALREADY dealt with, which is all the security bypasses and crap like that.

That is simply not correct.

If linux acheived 90% market share, there would still be no problem with viruses. Linux not having viruses is nothing to do with its lower market share.


Think of it this way.

You write viruses so you can take control of more bandwidth or processing power. Would you rather control powerful servers with massive upload rates or would you want small, pathetic home computers with adsl broadbands.
I know which I'd like.

But you cant have servers, they all run linux, your only choice is home computers because they run woe.

I have though about installing Linux on my computer for a long time now… Only downside is that I can't run SCAR on it without WINE is that so?

What about Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and all those? Must those be run in WINE too?

EDIT: And what about wireless internet? I have heard there is problems with that in Linux…?

They have stuff such as OpenOffice, etc.

From: Infintry001
They have stuff such as OpenOffice, etc.

What file format does the documents save as? Are the files compatible with Microsoft Word?

From: Zyt3x
What file format does the documents save as? Are the files compatible with Microsoft Word?

I believe so, although I don't have too much experience with Linux and it's programs =P

From: Zyt3x
What file format does the documents save as? Are the files compatible with Microsoft Word?

Yes, you can export as MSO applications. OO is easier to use in some cases as well.

Also, afaik, the new MO applications don't run well in WINE.

Yea I installed Ubuntu the other day, and after a night of leaving my computer on, it suddenly dc's from my router, and cant find it if I do a wireless signal search =\

From: Zyt3x
What file format does the documents save as? Are the files compatible with Microsoft Word?

It has almost 3 times as many save as file types the Microsoft office, and yes you can save it to be compatible with office.

From: Feroc1ty
Yeah, I've explaining this in some of my previous posts. Linux and Macs will be doomed if they ever hit the main stream, because than they will have to deal with the shit that windows ALREADY dealt with, which is all the security bypasses and crap like that.

Although I do think it would become a bigger thing for developers to worry about, consider how Firefox is doing. Although it isn't by any means at 90 % market share for browsers (and probably never will be), the open nature of the software allows for fixes to be identified incredibly quickly. Yeah, malware writers get to also see the source and figure out holes as well, but it's more rewarding in the open source community to help out.

In response to the original question, it's so much better and more comforting to know that instead of one sole company deciding what's best for you, hundreds of users are making smart decisions. If they aren't smart in their decisions, then there's such things as software forks :D

From: Buckleyindahouse
It has almost 3 times as many save as file types the Microsoft office, and yes you can save it to be compatible with office.

Awesome :)
I'll try the CD-boot first and then see if I like it :)
Thanks Buckely, Nava2 and Infinity001.

From: bloooblooo
Although I do think it would become a bigger thing for developers to worry about, consider how Firefox is doing. Although it isn't by any means at 90 % market share for browsers (and probably never will be), the open nature of the software allows for fixes to be identified incredibly quickly. Yeah, malware writers get to also see the source and figure out holes as well, but it's more rewarding in the open source community to help out.

In response to the original question, it's so much better and more comforting to know that instead of one sole company deciding what's best for you, hundreds of users are making smart decisions. If they aren't smart in their decisions, then there's such things as software forks :D

s/hundreds/thousands/

Including the fact that 99.999999% of the programs you use on Ubuntu are in the repos, and the other small percent is compiled from source (which you can either read easily, or just risk it), then there is no chance of getting viruses, even if it obtains 90% of computer users.

@Zyt3x: SCAR works very well under Wine when I tested. If you run into any sort of bugs, feel free to ask at the SRL IRC, and probably one of us users will know :)

From: Yakman
That is simply not correct.

If linux acheived 90% market share, there would still be no problem with viruses. Linux not having viruses is nothing to do with its lower market share.


Think of it this way.

You write viruses so you can take control of more bandwidth or processing power. Would you rather control powerful servers with massive upload rates or would you want small, pathetic home computers with adsl broadbands.
I know which I'd like.

But you cant have servers, they all run linux, your only choice is home computers because they run woe.

That is simply not correct, as an asshole might say. Viruses are made to be a source of income, it has nothing to do with having more bandwidth unless it's a very specific type of virus with a very specific function in mind.

Think of it this way.

You write viruses so you can take control of more computer, which holds more personal data. Would you rather control more powerful server with information that is pretty much always encrypted using various encryption methods, or easily accessible privileged information from home computers, which might include credit cards, social security… etc. I know which one I'd like.

Not everyone writes viruses for personal info. I personally would only use a botnet (if I had one) to use its bandwidth and processing power, to process (and do) illegal things for me, such as torrents.

From: Feroc1ty
That is simply not correct, as an asshole might say. Viruses are made to be a source of income, it has nothing to do with having more bandwidth unless it's a very specific type of virus with a very specific function in mind.

Think of it this way.

You write viruses so you can take control of more computer, which holds more personal data. Would you rather control more powerful server with information that is pretty much always encrypted using various encryption methods, or easily accessible privileged information from home computers, which might include credit cards, social security… etc. I know which one I'd like.

Rogueware and keyloggers work this way, but not all malware is like that, most people are just more familiar with them because they are more obvious. Zombies machines are different, and could benefit greatly from controlling a server, and most owners of zombies don't even know about it. I don't know how up to date these numbers are, but check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet#Historical_List_of_Botnets

I'm on a netbook with Ubuntu 9.04 UNR right now. It works very well off a fresh install. If you want to change anything, the learning curve seems pretty steep, though.

For example, the sound is not working. I've searched all over for a way to fix that, and there have been a few posts on forums saying run this or that or the other line of gobbledygook code, but I haven't found a good user friendly tutorial to be able to really understand what they're talking about.

It seems like most of the Linux people are snobs, but I thought the same thing about "SCAR people" years ago, lol.

From: tarajunky
I'm on a netbook with Ubuntu 9.04 UNR right now. It works very well off a fresh install. If you want to change anything, the learning curve seems pretty steep, though.

For example, the sound is not working. I've searched all over for a way to fix that, and there have been a few posts on forums saying run this or that or the other line of gobbledygook code, but I haven't found a good user friendly tutorial to be able to really understand what they're talking about.

It seems like most of the Linux people are snobs, but I thought the same thing about "SCAR people" years ago, lol.

90% of all the sound problems are because the sound is muted by default. Did you try un-muting it?

Only problem with Linux is sound. It is often easy to fix, but it is the only thing that does not "work out-of-the-box" like 5% of the time.