Posts by apexwm

Microsoft: Someone gave us shot in the ARM by swallowing Surface tabs

No surprises

It is true that businesses are upgrading to Windows 7 from XP, so there's no way they are going to do another upgrade right away to Windows 8, granted the pain would not be as great. But the cost would be scary enough.

As far as PC sales, Windows sales is tied to PC sales so the fact that has dropped is no surprise. Unfortunately, individuals and organizations are forced to upgrade Windows WITH new hardware purchases because new hardware has been needed to run the bloated Windows OS. If other operating systems were used, like GNU/Linux, the hardware upgrade prices would be much smaller. Unfortunately many would rather pay cash and stay on the same software, than try to migrate to something that has a lower TCO.

US killer spy drone controls switch to Linux

I am guessing that they had been thinking of replacing these machines with Linux for a while now. This malware outbreak was probably the last straw. Malware is only one reason, but let's consider stability and other factors. Windows just isn't stable for mission critical applications like this. You can lock down the Windows installation nice and tight but it won't guard you against blue screens of death that Windows is famous for, not to mention other bugs.

Actually, sudo is more flexible and transparent than runas. The concept of running with limited capabilities then escalating them has been around in Linux for many years. Microsoft was last to the table for that feature.

No surprise here

Even the U.S. Department of Defense has suggested the widespread use of GNU/Linux and ditching Windows. This should be a wakeup call to everybody still using Windows. It's not secure, it's flawed, expensive, bloated, and no longer a wise decision in many business and individual cases. I migrated to GNU/Linux years ago, and I'll never look back at Windows again. Many Microsoft apologists will be quick to claim that Windows does this and that, but they obviously have never used GNU/Linux to know that it can do the same thing, too.

The Reg guide to Linux, part 1: Picking a distro

Great comparison

This is a great article for those just coming in to the world of Linux. I agree, Ubuntu us probably the leading distribution because of its ease to get up and running, and administer. Personally, I've used Red Hat / Fedora for over 13 years, and I still prefer it because I'm familiar with it and it's widely supported. However I am more than sure that Ubuntu would be just fine for my tastes as well. So, hopefully more readers will realize that using Windows is simply a waste of time and money in the long run. I have other issues with Microsoft's business activities as well, which turns me away from their products even more.

Ubuntu 'more secure' than Windows, says Dell

Excellent move by Dell

Microsoft has a tight grip on Dell, so it's good to see Dell come out with truthful information like this. Dell still has problems though. They still have yet to offer a Linux-based PC at a cheaper price than the Windows one. There are a lot of reasons why this is, and I am not sure if they'll ever be overcome. Then there's the issue where customers could get a refund and return the Microsoft Windows CDs, which was a great move on Dell's part. Suddenly, they've started to deny this with Windows 7 again. Overall, I think Dell is a good company, but they still have minor problems that they need to work out.

Microsoft and Oracle lose among open sourcers

Title is misleading...

Oracle IS a partial open source company now, so effectively I wonder how they are actually losing since they have MySQL now which is growing. Microsoft is in their own world of proprietary software so it's no doubt that they are losing here. I think the slow economy has forced companies to re-address their spending and find more efficient alternatives like Linux and open source. Just what the doctor ordered.

Intel answers Microsoft's Linux 'noise' with MeeGo show

Microsoft still touting its products

Time and time again Microsoft is about the only one touting Microsoft products. If you read carefully you will notice that close Microsoft allies have been publishing a large amount of articles recently that also try to degrade Linux. Why all of a sudden? Because Linux is being adopted more and more, and Microsoft is trying to find ways to keep it at bay. Microsoft has also recently picked up a lot of software patent threats and lawsuits. Google around and you will soon see what is going on. Personally, I would advise only reading articles published by real network admins or reporters that USE the software.

Biz Linux needs Office license to run MS web apps

Get Open Office instead

If you just need a good all around Office suite, just get Open Office. It's a great and full featured solution, and doesn't require purchase, registration, activation, and all of the other garbage of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft's Linux patent bingo hits Google's Android

Microsoft is scared of Linux

Linux has been chipping away at Microsoft's market share for several years. Mainly since 2006, in various areas. Right now it's mainly mobile phones. And Microsoft has been left scrambling to find a way to couteract, since they have not been able to product a compelling product on the market. I think Microsoft is getting desperate at this point, they are using the legal system to try and undermine open source and Linux. I really hope no more companies pay Microsoft for the supposed patent infringements. Let Microsoft show which patents are being voilated, so that we can see them and rewrite Linux so that the patents are not voilated, and move on without Microsoft.

Google is a great company, they release great software that uses open source and open standards, and Microsoft can't stand it.

Dell bars Win 7 refunds from Linux lovers

Hopefully Dell will get the message...

That there are users out there that DON'T WANT WINDOWS. It's being shoved down our throats. How simple is it to sell a computer with NO OPERATING SYSTEM? Clearly Microsoft has their hands on this one, they have worked out a deal with Dell so that Dell is essentially forced to sell PCs with Windows. And the whole story about Windows costing zero is fake. Windows is and has never been FREE. Somebody is paying for it, and you can bet it's not Dell. The cost of the Windows operating system is being passed along to the customer, you can count on that.

The other posters that are questioning the Windows Tax refund need to know that yes Dell DOES offer Ubuntu on selected systems. But... when you compare the machine specs to the same system with Windows, the system with Windows is cheaper. Windows costs money, Ubuntu Linux is free. Do the math, something is wrong here.

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/the-open-source-revolution-10014902/the-windows-tax-refund-at-dell-continued-10015387/

Forget Dell then, look at HP

I haven't looked at HP's line lately, but I've heard that they have honored the Windows Tax refund. If Dell can't step up to the plate and simply offer computer with NO OPERATING SYSTEM, or sell systems for less that have Linux bundled with them (since Linux is FREE), then it's time to look at a vendor that WILL do this. It's too bad that Dell is stooping this low, they were a good company at one time and over the past year everything has been going downhill for Dell. They obviously have some sort of deal with Microsoft where they have to sell Windows. There's a reason that they bundle Windows with PCs and make them cheaper than ones with Linux. My broad assumption with the Windows Tax refund is that your mileage may vary. I've found with Dell support that you get different answers with different reps.

This is a disgrace

We all know that Windows is not free. If you have to buy it in a retail store, then you need to buy it with the PC. If Windows was free, then it would be free to download, like Linux. However, treating it like a "component" of the PC is very clever on Dell's part. If they are not willing to allow the customers to truly customize their PC and remove Windows, then I'd suggest shopping at another vendor like HP. I've heard HP honors the refund, not sure on Windows 7 though.

PHPers prefer Windows desktop to Linux

Why choose the less stable platform of Windows?

I would never choose Windows of Linux. I've been an admin of Windows & Linux for over 13 years. Linux has always been more stable than Windows, hands down. Windows needs to be rebooted every 30 days or even more if you want to stay 100% on top of the M$ patches. Linux only needs to be rebooted when you upgrade the kernel, which is very rare. There are even products now that can upgrade the Linux kernel while the machine is running so it never has to be rebooted. Plus, the LAMP platform is extremely flexible, without the need to purchase extra software. I don't see why developers NEED Windows as the server platform, it should be independent of the desktop OS.

<a href="http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux">http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux</a>

Microsoft's IE 8 misses Windows 7 updraft

IE is riddled with problems

It says a lot when Windows 7 had good success, yet IE usage is still sinking. This means Windows users are purposely avoiding the built-in browser and choosing something else, like Firefox or Chrome. Personally, Firefox has several huge advantages over IE. First, it's not nearly as bloated as IE. It's MUCH easier to back up my entire Firefox profile which is all stored in one single folder on the hard drive. IE's profile data is spread all throughout the hard drive and registry, making it a challenge to back up, even for advanced users. And the number of plugins available for Firefox is huge, and they are free. You typically find that plugins for IE are available for purchase to corporate users. And lastly, Firefox is MUCH better at being backwards compatible. All of the time you hear of issues with different versions of IE working/not working with various sites. You don't hear this of Firefox because it just works. You put all of this together and it's no wonder people are scrapping IE. It's also riddled with security flaws, too.

<a href="http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux">http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux</a>

Microsoft predicts Linux will fail mobile 'quality' test

Microsoft will say anything...

To stir the pot, and also try and promote sales. Microsoft is notorious for making public statements that often do not materialize. They are in rough times right now fighting open source which is slowly eating away at its market share in several areas. They are getting desperate, and therefore will say anything to get attention and try and put a false image through.

Windows XP on netbooks to lose life support?

Don't believe Microsoft's word

Think of Microsoft as the salesman. They want to sell you a product. So, they are going to say whatever it takes to sell that product. This is just a fact, and it happens all of the time. Microsoft stretches the truth as much as they can in their favor all of the time, to make themselves look good. In this article, they mention the threat of Linux but mention it's not a worry at the moment because of misorganization, etc. The truth of the matter is, Linux IS organized. Use a common distribution like Fedora, Red Hat, or Ubuntu. He failed to mention how Windows 7 Starter Edition that is installed on netbooks is crippled and very limited. Linux is full featured because nobody is waiting to force you to upgrade to the higher edition and pay more. Linux comes with everything out of the box, Windows doesn't.

http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux

Windows 7 busts the 3 per cent share barrier

Figured skewed?

Most of the numbers I've seen recently show Mac using closer to 10% of the market, with Windows below 90%, on a global scale. Linux seems on with this though, at 1%.

Firefox blocks and backtracks on 'insecure' MS add-ons

Microsoft should be embarrassed

Microsoft should be embarrassed that somebody else had to come along and fix their work. What's even more disconcerting about the whole thing is that Microsoft never prompted to install their plugins for Firefox, they just installed via MS Update.

Personally, I use Firefox on Linux, so I don't need to worry about all of this extra garbage being installed unless I want it. With Linux I have the freedom to install what I want, not what somebody else wants.

http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday fixes record number of flaws

@ apexwm #

The only time you should need to reboot a Linux machine is for a kernel upgrade. I've had to reboot for a kernel upgrade or two, but my point is that's about it. Whereas with Windows, about 80% of the patches need to reboot. For servers, this is results in excessive downtime when there doesn't need to be. With the ability of Linux to update packages on the fly, administration is made a LOT easier. Yes, there are a lot of patches needed for a lot of newer Linux distros, but a majority of them aren't needed to address remote exploits. You simply don't have all of the same exploits as Windows does where users suddenly have viruses and spyware just from using Internet Exploder and visiting websites. Sometimes I wonder if it's absolutely necessary to make it a habit of installing every patch that is available by default, in Linux. It seems a good practice in Windows where there are more security issues. Personally I've had better luck only installing Linux updates that necessary, to address a specific issue.

It's time to ditch Microsoft and go for Linux

A year and a half ago I migrated everything I do from Windows to Linux. And this is one of the reasons why... I became tired of downloading and installing security patches, and rebooting everything every few weeks. Since I migrated to Linux, I can sit back, relax, and USE my PC rather than MAINTAIN it. I also use Linux to run the servers of my personal business since 2001. I never have to reboot the servers. The only time they've been rebooted were times when the power was off so long that the UPS batteries couldn't keep them running any longer. This has happened several times over the 8 years, other than that, we've never needed to reboot for maintenance. I take this into consideration as this means our services are more available to our customers.

<a href="http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux">http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux</a>

Stallman backpedals on Mac OS backdoor claims

Everybody makes mistakes...

Stallman has a lot of opposition because he is outspoken. But, I have to admit that usually when he makes a statement, he has good reason to. He's probably one of the more honest people out there. If he didn't speak up back in the 1980's, Open Source wouldn't be what it is today. If you use Open Source software, you should thank him for making it happen. He's the one that came up with the idea of sharing source code, nobody else did. In this case he made a statement without evidence, and went back and apologized. Case closed, let's move on and continue to promote the freedom of Open Source.

http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux