[ltp] Alternative Operating System ?

[EfficientAndSimple Man]

On Fri, 12 Nov 1999 21:49:44 +0100, A Kumar wrote:
AK> Linux "passive"!!! IBM also sells e solutions
based on their own OS's your 
AK> point?

I said Linux is passive because it is based too much
on the man experience. Linux is not intelligent enough
to "self configure" to the hardware but it requires a
heavy manual configuration. This is not practical
expecially when you don't know what there's inside a
laptop, two similar laptops may well contain different
brand components! I tried RH 6.1 and now things seem
to be better than before: the installation is
simplified, although I had to reconfigure manually the
XConfig because the screen was flashing. That means
that I have to have technical spec in hand. If
ThinkPads are the *few* laptops worth to run Linux,
why the installation doesn't reconfigure properly for
the so famed ThinkPad?


>> I use Windows on my ThinkPad as a coercive
convenience.
>> Of course I would not consider anymore any IBM
>> portable if IBM continues the M$ "marriage".

AK> What are you talking about!!!!  The Linux is
officially supported on the
AK> 600E.  How many other companies say they
officially support Linux on their
AK> laptops.  Stop spewing ignorance.

I apologize.
BUT in the case RH Linux doesn't support the TP 600E
internal ACP modem then that's not ok for me. That's a
common sense trick. In this case the RH certification
would mean nothing to me because an OS should able you
to access everything inside a "certified" computer. 

Think a moment: when someone wants a Linux-capable
laptop, sees the TP600E as RH Linux officially
certified, then he buys the laptop. Once bought, he
finds the internal modem not to be working, then what
would him feel? He has even to work around PCMCIA
problems! 

>> Of course, but I cannot use 10 OSs for 10 different
>> purposes!

AK> That's why you find one that suits most of your
needs!

And Linux, in my eyes, suits few needs other than
server and/or "strict" operations if you can't use
some parts of the computer ... For example, does USB
work? Can you easily plug the USB scanner and quickly
scan? Can you plug a PCMCIA and quickly play? 

AK> Okay this is what you do use windows 98!  It seems
that that's the only OS
AK> that has the features you are looking for.  You
can wait for 2000 which
AK> should also work for you.  If you need usb and DVD
support windows 98 is the
AK> only place you will find it.   Again this isn't
IBM's fault!!

This mail has a twofold criticism toward (1) ThinkPads
and (2) Linux so I am not pointing directly to IBM, I
am just criticising. Hoping to show that some
practicity lacks. We are proud of Linux (against
Windows), but we should realize that also Linux needs
some improvement. 

I thought the OS definition was:
a software system that ables you to get the most from
your machine with ease, stability, security, etc.
So upon that definition it seemed to me that Linux
isn't suitable for laptops.
Linux had kernel problems towards PCMCIA till very
recently... May be now things are different?
Can you install Linux on different laptops? And
Windows? Why?

Any way why does IBM take so long to effectively
support Linux on ThinkPads?
Win 2000 is a worser devil! I don't want to build bad
habits upon Windows, but neither to become too
technical with Linux. I already have many things to
worry.

>> And so I should buy a desktop? I spent a lot the
>> ThinkPad for its power and portability, I do go in
different places!

AK> Yes buy a cheap celeron based desktop hookit up to
the net and buy an
AK> xserver for windows you can then use Linux where
ever you are.

The only prob is that I cannot take the desktop with
me when I travel! :)





























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