Alternatives to Microsoft Windows

Steve,

while there are several other alternatives to windows out there. Mac being one of them of course. may I suggest another slightly more cost effective solution. Get a different set of virus and spyware defense. Currently I'm running Nod32 for my pc protection. have had the system up and running for over 2 months straight now and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

are there alternatives? of course there are but all of which require time to learn, setup and possibly new hardware purchases. I beleive Nod32 has a trial version you can use, I'm not positive though.

hope this can be of help.

It is possible to download both Linux and Solaris operating sysyems from the internet (about a three hour download with a 2Mb/s broadband) but of course it takes a lot of learning to use them.

Nod32 is good and free in its basic form also I have just downloaded Ashampoo optimizer for a free trial and it seems to do a good job.

Linux is one OS that you can install on your machine that is pretty bulletproof, but requires a detailed knowledge to do it. It's free to download, but you really need to understand the nuts and bolts of your PC.

Mac OS X is another choice. The new Intel based Macs are very, very good and the OS is arguably the best in the universe (as far as we know) for stability and ease of use. Macs cost more, but have virtually zero issues with virus and other crud that Windows pick up so easily.

The reason Windows is so easily attacked is they are the 800 lb. gorilla on the market. If Macs had the same market share they would be in a similar plight.

This is why I am an avid Windows supporter and you should be, too! The larger the market segment, the more fire Windows draws from the dingle berries that write all this worthless crud. Meanwhile I quietly do very productive work on my Macs and never have to think twice about your issues.

What to do? I would strongly urge you to buy a Mac and put some joy in your life for a change. No doubt you have worked hard and deserve the reward. I recommend the Intel based G5 and splurge and get their 30" flat screen display. That is what I use. It cost a bundle, but it is computing nirvana beyond your wildest imagination. However, don't stop there! I strongly urge you to go out and buy several copies of Windows XP and Vista when it arrives. Buy as many as you can afford from a favorite retailer!

The reason to do this is to artificially pump up Windows sales so it keeps the heat off of the Mac OS X. You can resell those copies on eBay as unused and recoup most of your investment.

Meanwhile you can bask in the shadow of triumph as you merrily use your new Mac.

Oh, the new Intel based Macs also can run, guess what, Windows! I did this on my laptop and it screams, but never use Windows to connect to the Internet.

Note: The author has injected some sarcasm in this post. It is left as an exercise to the reader to discover what is sarcasm and what is not.

Thank you all for the input. This has given me some ideas, such as using my new machine with the P-4 only for recording and other off-line activities, while using an older PC for internet use. (I cant afford a Mac right now--maybe after the car is paid off!) I was really just wanting to know why nobody has directly challenged ms-windows and offered a compatible OS that you can use to download music etc. Most downloading I have seen on the web says "not Mac apple compatible." It would be nice to have a choice. However, this may be analogous to the many brands of automobiles but 99% run on the same operating system--gasoline...

Not here in Europe 20% run on diesel as we have to pay three times as much for gas as you do!

You don't have to buy a new Mac: Just this afternoon I sold a used 12" G4 iBook (which I bought for $200, since the original owner found the plastic smell objectionable and bought a metal one). It runs the latest version of Mac OSX just fine. Just be sure any you buy has a Firewire Port and at least a DVD reader. If you must run Windows, it will cost more to get a used Intel-based Mac. I just keep a Windows machine around for those few occasions, and never use windows to connect to the inetrnet.

You wrote: "Linux is one OS that you can install on your machine that is pretty bulletproof, but requires a detailed knowledge to do it. It's free to download, but you really need to understand the nuts and bolts of your PC."

Linux has gotten a lot easier to install, thanks to vendors like Red Hat. I downloaded Red Hat's Fedora 4 and had it running on my brand-new Sony Vaio FS780/W notebook in under an hour.

I hate WinDoze, quite honestly. For many years I wrote WinDoze applications and device drivers (both user- and kernel-mode drivers) for every flavor of WinDoze except CE. I'm intimately familiar with WinDoze inside and out, and I detest it utterly. As I'm now a diehard linux fan, I don't do WinDoze anymore and my only regret is that I didn't switch to linux sooner.

To quote Mr. Gump: "Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks."

-e

Wow! Whats that; about 5.25 Euro?

True! But it is all the extra taxes they pay that artificially inflates the price.

It's been that way for a long, long time.

The other way to look at it is that the extra subsidies the U.S. government pays (road building & repair, pollution cleanup, security, etc..) artificially deflate the price.

Very, very good point, Steve. And don't forget that our tax scheme, particularly income tax, has over time devolved into a reward-your-friends-and-punish-your-enemies scam that makes all prices and market forces artificial.

Microsoft only recently got savvy to this, you know, when they hired lobbyists for the first time just a few years ago. If they hadn't done this, they'd have gone the way of other "trusts" our politicians have torn up over the years. The only real monopoly is government, of course. And this is why my business, medical imaging, has move almost entirely overseas.

It's a shame engineers must think of politics, but it's worse that there isn't a business that isn't under the thumb of politicians.

www.thefreedomfarm.com

Buy a new Mac. You can also install a windows OS for your windows unique applications and use the Mac OSX for your inernet connections and everything else.

Some years ago I also got rid of Windows.

I replaced it with the Fedora Linux from Red Hat.

They are now at core 6.

You can freely download it, use it and adapt it.

All standard office software is available (Openoffice) and the Firefox is a very stable browser.

You have the choice between different graphical environments and a good idea is to immediatly do the adaptations mentioned at http://www.stanton-finley.net/

My son and daughter are not allowed to go on the internet on a Windows system, they have to use the Linux station.

I tried to sell it to my parents in law, but they even don't want to look at it. That is where the problem persists: everyone thinks that the WOW is so completely different that you won't be able to read your mail and write a little letter without two weeks of brainwashing and training.

Here in europe the free software is gaining terrain over the cracks and expensive stuff. If you ever want to buy software, just ask for a Linux version, big chance that it exists (if the sofware is from European origin this is sure).

Communities, ministeries and schools/universities are taking over this free software idea also.

You can find lots of free engineering software for Linux, not for windows.

Can someone give me a link for a Linux version of Statistica or SPSS?

While I was no fan of the Clinton Whitehouse, they did go after Macroshaft with an anti-trust action and the judge was doing a great job .. I was hopeful that the company would be split into two separate divisions: Operating Systems, and Applications.

After the election, all that changed and the whole thing was basically dropped.

If Macroshaft isn't the most sinister form of a monopoly then I don't know what the word means .. They have systematically destroyed so much innovation and so many better application products it is literally a crime.

It is less a matter of their "success" and more a matter of the government's failure to enforce the most basic anti-trust regulations that has them where they are.

They charge (overcharge) an obscene amount for their operating system and their office suite because they can. And its not as if their applications are better ..they certainly are not, but they leveraged off their operating system monopoly to kill off the competition or at least make things as difficult as possible for them, relegating them to the margins.

Like they emasculated Sun java by "embracing" it, they are now attempting to do the same thing to linux starting at the server software level ... under the guise of sitting on a standards committe to ensure that Windoze and linux servers are compatible.

The only bright spot I see is that their increasingly tough copy protection coupled with their exhorbitant pricing and lack of support for earlier versions of windoze is forcing many to look hard at any possible alternatives .. including "illegal" copies. If you have a number of computers in a household, networked together, which is becoming increasingly common, and you have to buy their software for each, it cost more than the hardware is worth. I respect the value of good software because a computer is useless bookend without it, but it should be fairly priced, based on a competitive market place .. then I have no objection to buying the one I feel is best.

If XP Pro cost say $65, it wouldn't be an issue, but at $140 for an OEM version which consists of one CD only, no books or manuals, and supposedly can't be transferred to another machine then that's a monopoly. And, I don't even want to get started on how poorly settings are arranged, often related control functions and settings are spread out over various menus in different places. Wizards that can lead you down a blind alley, only to have you cancel it with little or no idea of the consequences. Poorly explained errors, or no explanation at all. Hiding files in virtual folders. Making changes between versions that can have no purpose other than making things tougher for the competing application software writers, as opposed to changes that improve the use or security which they also do, along with some changes that make the use more difficult. GRRRRRRRRRRRR

"If XP Pro cost say $65, it wouldn't be an issue, but at $140 for an OEM version which consists of one CD only, no books or manuals, and supposedly can't be transferred to another machine then that's a monopoly."

That is not a monopoly, at least not by its definition. If $65 is your price point, that's fine. However, they seem to sell them at $140. There is an old saying about price. If the customer is not complaining about price, you are not charging enough.

While I understand your grief with MS, the only reason MS is the 800 lb. gorilla it is, is that people continue to support it. Griping about it isn't enough. You need to vote with your wallet.

MS has made vast improvements over the years. Their OS is no longer the bug ridden infestation it used to be. It can clearly be better, but it has improved measurably. Many of us are still not satisfied and that is a good thing. However, we need to do more than sit on the proverbial barstool and cry in our beers. Forget the government coming to your rescue. If MS runs against your principles, then be principled and don't buy it. There are alternatives out there and they may not be the most convenient, but if you do nothing you have no reason to expect things to change nor a reason to be taken seriously by any supplier.

Look up the definition of a monopoly, related to the antitrust laws. They have no effective competition when they possess over 90% of operating system sales for personal computers, not because they don't meet my guesstimate of a price point. I didn't realize that others are oblivious to that fact, so I should have phrased it better for sure.

I'm glad you understand my grief ... thanks for "listening" and reading through my rants.

My clients all use MS, so I must also ... it is no more complicated than that. For all my purely own applications, I buy and/or use other than MS. As soon as I find some time, I will install Linux as an alternate OS for whatever I can use it for. I installed a boot mastering program (outside of XP Pro) and reserved a partition for that express purpose when I set up this machine. I don't hate MS, rather I resent them but if they have a better program, rest assured I will purchase it over the competition ... I honestly haven't found one yet but that doesn't mean I won't.

Micro Soft: Small and limp.

"In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows?"

"If you can't innovate, litigate."

Hey, do you know that you can read this thread from a Linux machine.

Really, try it.

"Hey, do you know that you can read this thread from a Linux machine."

Indeed you can! Not only can you read this thread from a Linux machine, you can be reading this thread while a WinDoze machine is still booting - or BSODing.

Speaking of BSOD, here's a little poem I wrote in response to a job application (yes, a job application!) where at one point the application asked me to write a poem about a past or current job, so I wrote about a collegue (Johann is not his real name) whose volcanic temper was most entertaining.

When you see Johann - and I tell ya true

Don't say nothin' that rhymes with 'blue'

He'll screech Bill Gates was the devil who

Begat the Azure Screen of Death.

---

Now Johann likes to try new things

And most of the time his code has wings

But a bug sometimes upon him brings

The Azure Screen of Death.

---

At first he sits there in a stare

But soon fell words fly everywhere

A wise O/S would never dare

Invoke the Azure Screen of Death.

---

He puffs and smokes and breathes hell fire

"How dare this box provoke my ire!

I'll own thee, Gates, and I'll retire

Your Azure Screen of Death!"

---

But lately he's been so happy. Wow!

He glares no more with furrowed brow

He's coding apps for Linux now

Goodbye Azure Screen of Death!

-e

I found this entertaining.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

• 1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
• 2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
• 3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
• 4. Occasionally, executing maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart,in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
• 5. Only one person at a time could use the car unless you bought "CarNT," but then you would have to buy more seats.
• 6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but it would only run on five percent of the roads.
• 7. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "general protection fault" warning light.
• 8. New seats would force everyone to have the same sized butt.
• 9. The airbag system would ask "are you sure?" before deploying.
• 10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, you car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the antenna.
• 11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the cars performance to diminish by 50 percent or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Department.
• 12. Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
• 13. You'd have to press the "start" button to turn the engine off.

Dave Ralph - Editor-Publisher - The Abaconian

On the positive side, in terms of reliability, consistency, and ergonomics, Microsoft Windows has got to be the world's best showcase for bad industrial design. Not only that, but in terms of corporate arrogance, Microsoft virtually stands alone. With the possible exception of Sony/BMG, of course.

Got rootkit?

-e

My BMW E36 2.0L used to go on strike occasionally and refuse to start, the solution was to get out lock the doors then get back in and then it would start.

I think Microsoft must have had a hand in the software, my current BMW does not have this problem but it had a generator failure at 15,000 miles which caused great in convenience as the computer controlled gear box locks up when you have no power!

PS there is no warning light to tell you that it is not charging, you don't know until it grinds to halt!

Coming from Bill Gates, the cost claim seens odd. Yes, the vehicle is cheaper, but the fuel consumption is through the roof.

I should have posted a date...this was several years ago; I believe 1998.

steve-o, heres my take on it:

1) You can switch to Linux, but you may face a steep learning curve (don't be scared of the command prompt!; you can get some pretty neat GUI's with Linux now anyway). Then your problem is trying to find software you want to run - yeah, StarOffice may be free, but what about that whizbang program you need for a certain niche task - unless you are a programmer, you may be up the creek.

2) I would consider switching virus scanner and firewall. Also, I run AdAware - free for home use, pretty good from what I can tell.

3) A computer to work with and a computer for Internet browsing is an excellent solution if you have an extra machine - your surfer needn't always be the latest hardware out there, though it seems many Internet sites are driving you that way nowadays.

4) A lot of crap you pick up on the Internet is from the Internet lifestyle you lead - sad to say, but if you stick to reputable Internet sites you can usually steer clear of keyloggers, etc., though you'll likely still pick up lots of ads. Visit the dark side though, and you get what you ask for - keyloggers, bots to make your machine part of the zombie-thon, etc.

I think your best bet is the second machine method, if you have the extra machine. I don't bash Linux or Mac, as they are both excellent alternatives to MSHell. A machine for surfing and a machine for real work is the way I go and I don't have near the trouble. As for getting MSHell to work stable, that's another story! It is getting better, though much more bloated. My problem is specialty software that will never be written for anything else but MSHell, so I have to suck it up. Until we get a secure Internet, that's the life we lead! Hope this helps.

Thanks.

Yeah I run adaware too among others. As far as visiting the dark side, I'm not as bad as darth, but not as pure as luke. somewhere in the middle...

If I can get one of my spares running, I will definately do the 2 machine route.

WOW! Interesting how strongly people feel about OS's.....I use windows XP...Norton and several other programs on laptops and desktops....I have problems requiring re-boot rarely, less than 1 time a month. I spend 10 hrs or more a day on-line between work and home. I agree that it is a pain with hackers etc...and malicious code out there but the alternatives require extensive training for linux or using a Mac with reduced application titles compared to Microsoft. I don't have the problems others have described and for that I am thankful. Maybe since I live in the USA I am not exposed to some of the problems others on here have stated from europe etc...

If I am just lucky then so be it...I think I will stick to my Microsoft based machines and keep using my Creative Labs MP3 player and leave the Ipods and Macs to others. I learned long ago if it isn't broken don't attempt to fix it. For me it isn't broken...

I highly recommend you to try ubuntu.

You don't even need to installed to try. Just dowload the bootable cd version, burn it and boot from it.

It will not touch your hard drive and you will use mouse and clicks to do everything.

JP

I agree with everyone else, that windows isn't as secure, or reliable as OSX or linux (I Recommend Ubuntu, or Xubuntu (for slower machines), because it's similar to the windows environment). But as long as you know the ins and outs of windows, you just don't have any problems. I run McAffe Virus Scan Enterprise, and that's it for virus protection. In my opinion that's the best program you can get. My computer boots in about 30 seconds, and I don't even have a ridiculous processor, or restrict the startup processes. I have an athlon xp 3200, and I have like 57 startup processes compared to 27 when you first install. I don't see a valid argument that macs or linux machines are really that much faster. I reinstall windows once a year or every 8 months on average, and I can get it installed, (with all programs drivers and some games) in about 2.5 hours or less now. I don't like microsoft and what they stand for, but the software usually works. I don't think I would ever buy a mac, because I like being able to buy my pc in separate pieces, and put it together, mod it, etc...

As long as you have a program like Virus Scan Enterprise, and use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer... you should be fine

Nick,

I just moved from Dayton, Ohio to Florida. How's the weather? ;-) That's probably an unfair question.

I wonder who you work for. Are you part of the base out there by any chance?

My PC hasn't ground to a screeching halt, crashed and burned and in flames in the corner! It's still fairly fast, it just looks like there's a lot of trash in there that was downloaded that shouldn't be in there; taking up memory space. I run Mcafee too, it seems to me that it should have removed all of this. The problems as of late are I cant get windows update to work and I cant uninstall a pc-cam software-don't know why. I have heard that re-installing windows once a year is good but why should a person have to do this?? Seems like a separate index of all downloaded trash should be located somewhere (I know that its not in the temp downloaded files because I empty that all the time.)

The Ubuntu looks interesting.

In a recent Thread about Laptops - Miffed by BestBuy - it was given out that doing Start,Run -msconfig, select START, and unticking "the ones you don't want" you could clean up your system and not have 57 programs running atn once - I did this and was able to eventually always having MSN Messenger obliterating my screen everytime at startup - however there are still another 56 to go and I do not know what most of them go. I can recognise my firewall and virus software but many others have such cryptic labels such as WZCSLDR2, I do not know what they do.

I asked the question "if I untick them all except the AV and Firewall etc, would my poor little machine ever start up again?"

So far no answer to this query - maybe someone here can supply an answer.

How do I determine what is the function of what I am unticking in my Start menu and how important is it to my system operation?

Maybe if you copy paste & post your start menu, someone can dissect it for you. I don't know what most of that stuff means either, and when I get on a computer forum, it's like hieroglyphics to me..

Maybe if you copy paste & post your start menu, some.......................

For a start, maybe someone could tell me where to find the actual start menu - I have looked as best I can w/out success

Hellup!!!!!!

Click Start, Run, then type in the box "msconfig" <enter>. The startup menu should be there.

Good norning Steve-o,

Click Start, Run, then type in the box "msconfig" <enter>. The startup menu should be there.

Thanks, I knew to do that already, but cannot work out how to copy & paste from there.

I think the window is protected from doing this sort or thing, and I cannot find the file for this window anywhere.

I really don't know. I'm not a computer guru. I know just enough to be dangerous..

I've done really bad things to my computers in the past in the name of learning/ knowledge-(but now I know better..?)

Were you logged-in as a User or as an Administrator when you made the attempt?

-e

Were you logged-in as a User or as an Administrator when you made the attempt?

I would think I was logged in as a User - I have not got any password etc requirements to get into XP - would clicking onto the left side half of the screen get me into an area where I can "see" the Start / Run menu of Commands in a format that they can be copied into here for examination?

This is where it al got wrong: we like to get in control of our computer and at least know what the hell he is doing.

95% of the users are completely not interested in this knowledge: it needs to do what they expect it to do when they click a button.

Linux is build by and for active users, no marketing strategy is interfeering with the development process.

Somewhere above I read that you must reinstall you machine every 9 to 12 months. And people seam to accept this. I only have to reinstall my Fedora when I fucked up the installation by trying to compile some new kernel modules. Something this 95% will never do. And I never loose data with this actions.

I reinstall windows once a year or every 8 months on average, and I can get it installed, (with all programs drivers and some games) in about 2.5 hours or less now. I don't like microsoft

If you have a laptop bought with XP Pro installed and a Certificate of Authority stuck on the underneath, as I have done, how can one re-install XP Pro every 8 months or so without the CD?

There is another solution. Buy an external hard drive where you can move all your important files and periodically (every year or so) reinstall windows. These Trojans and spyware tend to build up over time. If you reinstall windows, you can reformat you hard drive, which will erase everything, including the bad stuff. Just make sure you've moved everything you care about to the external hard drive.

For weekly maintenance, try using Adaware along with Spy Bot. Once they are done cleaning your system, make sure you restart you computer. Don't forget to check for updates before you run your computer.

I recommend ditching any Norton or McAfee or any other antivirus you may be running. They pretty much suck and tend to chew up your memory on your computer. Also, never download and files from a source you don't know.

Finally, get more RAM. Many programs use a lot of memory now. This can severely slow your computer down. I currently upgraded from 256 MB to 1 GB and the difference is unbelievable. The more RAM, the better.

I hope that helps. Linux is good but is a little technical. Macs are supposed to be great, though as one poster noted, the more market share they gain, the more attacks will target them.

Roger,

Thanks.

Yes, I recently bought a 100 gig external usb HD, and have backed up a lot of photos and music (priorities:) . I use adaware, spybot and defender. I do MS auto-update. If I don't use anti-virus, though wouldn't I be unnecessarily vulnerable to attacks? My previous norton and present mcaffee (which I don't like very well) do weed out the trojans and viruses. I'd feel exposed without any anti-virus. I've got 512M ram now with a pent4 and 80G HD. After reading some of the posts here on this thread I thought -well ms windows isn't all THAT bad, I guess.. As far as reinstalling windows, I know that I would need something later that I forgot to save, Murphy's or somebody's law is inevitable, you know. I suppose I'll have to do it eventually...

Some people use AVG antivirus. Any opinions on this?

I have found the Antivirus software is a bit of the cure killing the patient. What I mean to say is that in my experience, the antivirus software lets 25% of the baddies through and slow your computer down considerably in the process.

A pentium 4 should be good enough. RAM is really the thing now, since there are so many programs running in the background. 1 GB is amazing. I can't believe how slow my old computer was and I didn't even know.

Wiping your hard drive really does make it pristine, if you back up all the data, you should be fine.

For me, Adaware and Spybot are enough. If you take any of my advice, try living without the Antivirus for a week or so and see if your computer seems much faster. You might be surprised.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. Computers can be frustrating for sure, but we can't live without them.

Oh yeah, one other thing, someone recommended Firefox as a browser. Definitely a good idea. Firefox seems much more stable and intuitive than IE.

Yeah "can't live without them." What does this say about a society that is so heavily dependant upon PCs and the internet that we can't function without them? In my opinion, the entire internet will crash one day and we'll be sitting here with our ethernet hanging out. No banking, no direct deposit, no paypal or stock trading etc. (just like here at work where our oracle and noetix are always crashing) I have always maintained that computers are a good source of entertainment, but I don't trust them as far as I could throw them. I do make purchases on-line (something that I said I'd never do) But it's so easy--I guess that says something about me.. (lazy?) ..or I hate going to walmart:/ Anyway, (I digress) Thanks for all the good info.

Steve-o

Windows slows down over time - even without "help" from malware. The Registry accumulates junk that apps put there and don't remove, "helper" processes spawned by apps continue executing when no longer needed, and Windows itself encourages "code bloat" in Windows-compatible applications. And with every new release Windows just keeps on getting fatter and fatter (to keep up with Americans in general?). Just look at Microsoft Vista: Vista has simply got to be the most morbidly obese product ever to be late seeing the light of day.

You can't say Microsoft isn't making progress. With every release they consume your CPU cycles in a new way.

-e

"Planned obsolescence"