SkyOS creator reviews Ubuntu

[Oponium]

Give me a break!

Yesterday I decided to give Linux (Ubuntu) a try. The last Linux distribution I used was SUSE 6.0, from 1999 I guess, and it was a disaster.

Anyway, so yesterday I downloaded Ubuntu 7.01, burned it to a CD and booted it with following configuration:

Intel Penitum 4 2.4GHZ
Intel 865 chipset
onboard intel 865 graphics
2 GB of RAM

From what I read (I read various Ubuntu reviews and articles like 'Ubuntu, the Windows replacement' etc..., it should work painless, be a wonderful Windows XP/Vista replacement and should just work out of the box.

Ok, so back to the installation.
I inserted the CD and booted the PC. A nice splash screen appears telling me that Ubuntu is booting. A few minutes later, blank screen, monitor powers off. Nice! The very first linux I tried years ago, somewhere around 1996, SUSE from 1999 and now Ubuntu from 2007, all fail to just boot!! You can't even install this damn thing out of the box and a standard PC configuration.

Anyway, after enabling the VGA safe mode in the bootloader Ubuntu finally started (with a screen shifted to the left by about 200 pixels). A few more minutes fiddling around with the partitioner (if you choose manual partitioning you still have to specify mountpoints! (how annoying is this?)), the installation finally started.

Did it work? NO!
The installation hangs at 82% with a message like 'Scanning the mirror'.

After making sure that I indeed didn't put my bathroom mirror into my scanner I suspected the local network (especially the proxy) to cause this problem. Well, actually its a Ubuntu problem, because this damn installation doesn't even time out or abort. 45mins later I just disabled the networking the let Ubuntu continue the installation with a error message.

Anyway, one hour later Ubuntu was installed. As it was late already I decided to continue playing around with it the next day and sending the PC into suspend mode using the Ubuntu power off button and clicking on suspend.

Now guess what? Yep, next morning Ubuntu was of course unable to resume from the suspend mode.

Now tell me, this should be a Window replacement?
- You can't even start the LiveCD without getting black screen
- You can't install Ubuntu without knowing how the disable a network device (and that you have to, at all)
- You can't suspend and resume

I don't know what else doesn't work, or how good Ubuntu may be. All I know is that I wont touch a Linux distribution for the next few years again.
(Its a pitty to have the same Linux problems I had decades ago, and at the same time read multiple reports on the web trying to tell us how a good alternative Linux is today).

Fact is, Ubuntu (Linux) completely fails to install (on this system). Any people really suggest non-technical people, yes even their grandparents, should use Linux?

A few other things:
- Why is there a Bluetooth Analyzer program (as very first application in the menu) even if I don't have bluetooth hardware at all?
- PalmOS Devices? Well, I have a iPhone next to my PC, but what should I do with a PalmOS device?
- etc..

Give me a break!
Ubuntu (Linux) may be a nice system for technic freeks, if you actually want to have to configure your system and like little challenges, but a replacement for a normal user (who wants that his computer just works, without ifs and buts) it definitely isn't.

Sadly, I agree.

P.S., SkyOS has a lot of potential, so this is a little bit of advertising for SkyOS.

P.P.S., if you think this guy is a nub, then maybe you should check out what he has accomplished (just run SkyOS -- he created it all from scratch by himself).

[Doobie]

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks. Anyone who denies that is either a liar spreading propaganda or a fool (but, this can be said of anything "Politically Correct" that anyone believes).

[grathganor]

Originally Posted by Doobie

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks. Anyone who denies that is either a liar spreading propaganda or a fool (but, this can be said of anything "Politically Correct" that anyone believes).

[x86]

"SkyOS has a lot of potential, so this is a little bit of advertising for SkyOS"

Yep heard this all before.....................................

[DrHu]

P.P.S., if you think this guy is a nub, then maybe you should check out what he has accomplished (just run SkyOS -- he created it all from scratch by himself)

Actually I do think that
--I would prefer the link to the review/blog so I can read it for myself..
--I am also aware of skyos and the fact that he will be using Openbfs (open source version of beos fs)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyOS

But based on your quote reference..
It (the quotes) have the usual troubling mix of intelligence and wit

Did it work? NO!
The installation hangs at 82% with a message like 'Scanning the mirror'.

After making sure that I indeed didn't put my bathroom mirror into my scanner I suspected the local network (especially the proxy) to cause this problem. Well, actually its a Ubuntu problem, because this damn installation doesn't even time out or abort. 45mins later I just disabled the networking the let Ubuntu continue the installation with a error message.

Anyway, one hour later Ubuntu was installed. As it was late already I decided to continue playing around with it the next day and sending the PC into suspend mode using the Ubuntu power off button and clicking on suspend.

Now guess what? Yep, next morning Ubuntu was of course unable to resume from the suspend mode.

Now tell me, this should be a Window replacement?
- You can't even start the LiveCD without getting black screen
- You can't install Ubuntu without knowing how the disable a network device (and that you have to, at all)
- You can't suspend and resume

I don't know what else doesn't work, or how good Ubuntu may be. All I know is that I wont touch a Linux distribution for the next few years again.

I don't know what else doesn't work, or how good Ubuntu may be. All I know is that I wont touch a Linux distribution for the next few years again.
I wouldn't base every decision about Linux distributions on Ubuntu's version (of things)
--there are other Linuxes that detect hardware better and install better and run better.

His comments about some deficiencies like graphics failure or network connection failures or suspend on a notebook ? not working
--I don't know that many people use suspend on a desktop..
are just that: deficiencies, that may also afflict other OSes..
http://playbacktime.com/2006/09/05/w...my-desktop-pc/

Does that mean no-one should buy the that other OS, Microsoft hopes not.
--one bad review is not enough of a disincentive

Maybe its time for some more MAC OS-X adverts, only this time showing what Vista is missing, not just what the comedic differences might be; they were overblown, but it's still good comedy/parody.

[Oponium]

Originally Posted by DrHu

Actually I do think that
--I would prefer the link to the review/blog so i can read it for myself..
--I am also aware of skyos and the fact that he will be using Openbfs (open source version of beos fs)

But based on your quote reference..
It (the quotes) have the usual troubling mix of intelligence and wit

I wouldn't base every decision about Linux distributions Ubuntu's version of things
--there are other Linuxes that detect hardware better and install better and run better.

His comments about some deficiences like graphics failure or network connection failures or suspend on a notebook ? not working
--I don't know that many people use suspend on a desktop..
are just that: deficiencies, that may also afflict other OSes..
http://playbacktime.com/2006/09/05/w...my-desktop-pc/

Does that mean no-one should buy the that other OS, Microsoft hopes not.
--one bad review is not enough of a disincentive

Maybe its time for some more MAC OS-X adverts, only this time showing what Vista is missing, not just what the comedic differences might be (and there were overblown, but it's still good comedy/parody)

1) http://skyos.org/?q=node/637
2) SkyOS uses SkyFS
3) He is Austrian or something weird like that, so he doesn't have good English (makes him sound stupid at times).

Additional information: he does all his development/cross-compiling on Windows (this might make him biased?).

[DrHu]

Ok, thanks..
http://skyos.org/?q=node/411

I agree with him about hardware detection and service enabling..

A few other things:
- Why is there a Bluetooth Analyzer program (as very first application in the menu) even if I don't have bluetooth hardware at all?
- PalmOS Devices? Well, I have a iPhone next to my PC, but what should I do with a PalmOS device?

But that issue is not limited to Linux, the only OS that avoids it is MAC OS-X, as they sell it as a package, their OS + their hardware..

The other general purpose or non integrated (doesn't come as a package of hardware & software) OS like Linux or Microsoft will sometimes fail due to missing drivers, newer hardware or older hardware that they have moved away from, examples might be serial ports or floppy drives..
--they might prefer to support USB devices and no serial or parallel ports in their OSes

Now, even though Microsoft has the advantage over Linux in this regard (oem hardware packages), they still have problems, despite the long development cycle for Vista, being their latest effort

http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/wi...ck-1-beta.aspx

Improvements were also noticeable in resuming from Hibernation or Sleep on both my desktop PC and laptop running SP1.

[DrHu]

Originally Posted by Doobie

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks. Anyone who denies that is either a liar spreading propaganda or a fool (but, this can be said of anything "Politically Correct" that anyone believes).

Count me in on the list, you must be keeping..

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks
You should read more..expand your horizons.

Even the guy who wrote the blog/review of Ubuntu and decries its operation/function, while possibly being annoyed/jealous that it is getting too much publicity..

Alas he makes his own skyos
--so he can't think Linux is all bad!
http://www.osnews.com/story/18203/Fi...Szeleney_SkyOS

[mr.gigabytes]

Originally Posted by Doobie

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks. Anyone who denies that is either a liar spreading propaganda or a fool (but, this can be said of anything "Politically Correct" that anyone believes).

I am 100% Microsoft-Free because of CNR and the advances of Linux and Linux Software in the last few years. If it works for me, it will work for others - and I have customers that will tell you the same.

[PRRawlins]

lol "Politically Correct" is to say windows is all there ever will be, you sir are the "Politically Correct" person.....and a bit of a dumb one at that. I am set free from the prince of darkness ( blue screen of death leads to darkness), no longer am i held captive in the evil empire (microsoft). I don't know what visa looks like and unless someone forces me to fix their vista machine i never will see a vista operating system.

[midnighter]

Originally Posted by Doobie

Linux will never be anything more than a hobbyist OS. Linux sucks. Anyone who denies that is either a liar spreading propaganda or a fool (but, this can be said of anything "Politically Correct" that anyone believes).

You're entitled to your own opinion, but that's all it is, your opinion. Of course, i think you're a ###, and a ###, but that's just my opinion.


Moderated to remove name calling.

[Doobie]

Originally Posted by midnighter

You're entitled to your own opinion, but that's all it is, your opinion. Of course, i think you're a ###, and a ###, but that's just my opinion.

I don't cherish the condition of Linux that leaves it languishing at 1% of the desktop market. But, there are things wrong with Linux that make it unsuitable for users (users, as opposed to hobbiests). And, there are too few people who both recognize these problems and have the interest in fixing them. Myself and many others already put in a lot of time to make Linux something that an amature has a chance to have a working install. It's time for a new generation of young men (I don't bow to the gods of Political Correctness) to tackle the real jobs that still need doing. So, spare me your name calling and stop the anti-MS FUD. Just fix Linux so you don't have people like the SkyOS creator, and other people with more OS experience in their little fingers than you have in your whole body, having to express astonishment at how much Linux sucks.