Posted 01/19/2009 at 02:56:36pm

I made a mistake on my post about the command line.  Because I used the mouse to swipe text and copy and paste, I missed the following opener paragraph.

 I get so tired of hearing people complain about command line, maybe I can help at least a few understand layering.  Look, every icon you have is essentially a command.  It just has the icon as a graphic representation.  You can even look at "properties" and see the command.  Double-Clicking on the icon (in windows - single clicking in Mac and optionally in Linux) is simply built into the operating system to represent "Run" or "Launch". So even though you have icons, you still have commands.  They're just disguised.

 Quote -

 To further make the point, had I done the job with a command like "cat" with the proper switch for "-all", that mistake would not have happened.  In a forum post this is no big deal obviously, but what should become increasingly obvious is that you don't want incidental errors of any kind when you are "playing with the engine", messing around and changing low level arrangements and devices.

 - UnQuote

Hope this helps 

Posted 01/19/2009 at 02:47:37pm

Commands, even windows commands, have switches which adds to or modifies how the command runs.  Some commands have only a few possible variations, while others may have dozens. For example if you are having connection problems in windows you might open the "Network Connections" folder if you have the Classic View "Start" bar.  If not, you'll need to 1st open "Control Panel" and then "Network Connections".  Then you can open the folder for the particular network device, let's keep it simple and say it is an ethernet network card.  If you then click on the "Support" tab you will see a page that has a button reading "Repair".  Each one of these folders, tabs, pages, etc is essentially a command.  Instead of finding and opening all those folders to finally hit the "repair" button, you could have simply typed "ipconfig /renew /all" and you'd be done already.  Conversely if you created an icon for every possible command and switch you would have an unbeliveably unwieldy amount of icons, most of which you would never use, let alone figure out how to label.

   Have you ever wished to remove, for example, every reference to a given program you either uninstalled or moved?  It takes a very long time to wade through the Registry and find and edit every instance.  With some kinds of command line editors this can be accomplished with a single command and a few switches, with which the reference can be deleted or added to or changed as in drive letter or folder locatiion, all with one command.  Bam! Done!
 
  So hopefully this will give some people just the slightest glimpse of how convenient, fast, and powerful the command line can be, and this is but a basic example.  Even if you never "raise the hood" to get involved with nuts and bolts (though I bet you have clicked buttons like the above mentioned "repair" button) these features simply must be available to the tech that fixes your computer for you.  So please try to understand that the command line is power tools for power users and stop bitching.  You need it whether you know it or not.  If you ever desire to actually own your own computer and not leave everything up to somebody else, you will likely find out just how much the command line is your friend.

  Modern distros like Ubuntu rarely need the command line anymore for simple average type usage, but instead of complaining the few times you do, try to realize that in many cases it is the safest and best way to accomplish things, especially low level things that the health of your computer depends on.  When you think you are being forced to use a command, in actuality, you've just been handed The Power and the respect that you apparently have yet to deserve. However, it really doesn't take much to begin deserving it.  Learn how to use the "man" manual pages and worlds will be opened up to you.  If that doesn't appeal to you, buy a copy of "Linux in a Nutshell" and get a glimpse of just how much power we're talking about.  Linux is like a Ferrarri kit.  Learn to use a wrench.

Posted 01/19/2009 at 01:34:50pm

 Aside from ny opinion that MaximumPC is a great mag/site regarding hardware but falls way short on software and ^especially^ when it comes to operating systems, I can find very little in this article to fault.

  First, the "very little":
    Bottom Line - Windows is no longer "easier to install, easier to use", simpler to configure.  The trends laid out in "Cathedral and Bazaar" and numerous other books and articles arguing why Open Source can and eventually MIUST win out are beginning to be shown true.  There are many other values but the main one important here is that propritery software developed by a large corporation simply cannot change as fast as Open Source community developed and evolved software, up to and including the OpSys.  Just compare the original goal set of Windows, even viewed as a whole through releases since 1998 (so we can talk about a 10 year period) to what actually ends up in the final release OpSys and then factor in just how fundamentally little has changed in the last 10 years with windows and then look at what Linux was 10 years ago and compare it to now.  It is so dramatically different I'll even throw in that you can choose whatever Linux distro you like and don't have to just compare to Xandros, Linspire, SuSe, Fedora (RedHat), or especially the variants of Ubuntu.  Even Slackware, the oldest distro still in use and still written to appeal mostly to hackers and geeks, has changed dramatically even if all one considers is kernel changes, and the kernel is the bottom line.

  Now the basic truth of the article:
    The greatest problems Linux faces are inversely proportionate to adoption.  The single greatest advantage windows has is widespread support, both hardware (drivers) and software (primarily games, but also apps such as a few  Adobe products).  This already shows it is improving with the Linux adoption rate since it is not only older hardware that Linux supports right-out-of-the-box, but increasingly newer and even newest hardware as well.  In fact 64 bit is *better* supported in Linux than it is in Windows and ram addressing alone can make that a huge issue starting now.  Linux is gaining.

  While kudos are certainly due to BARTPE and it's clones (there is too little difference to call them offspring) there is simply no comparison possible to Linux-based LiveCD's especially on thumbdrive.  The latest Live distros have excellent hardware detection and auto setup and drivers and software of all kinds can even be added on-the-fly.  The value of these distros is almost impossible to quantify since they have so many uses, from simple diagnostics and repair maintenance platforms, through non-commital test trials for newbies that give a good idea of what to expect to would-be converts (no comparable windows feature exists or can exist without paying first) to incredibly portable on-the-go system.  Once you've setup a bootable thumbdrive with the latest Ubuntu and tried it on several computers, you will see the future and your jaw will drop.  Linux is gaining.

  As for the main thrust of the article it cannot be faulted because despite the ongoing Windows vs/ Linux feud, the fact remains that Linux is indeed already gaining and as the article points out, tight economy equals more pressure to at least try it. These are both unarguable accomplished facts. More gains.

  Meanwhile, back at The Feud:
    Another situation changes with adoption rate and that is consumer perception of The Feud itself.  All one has to do now, and it will only get easier and more compelling as time goes on and Linux changes more quickly to respond to user needs, is try a modern distro for a month and it will be obvious that the overwhelming majority of Linux lovers have used Windows extensively while the majority of windows hold-outs have not given Linux a fair trial.  They either tried it a long time ago (2 years is a long time in the Open Source Linux world) or they didn't try it long enough to even begin to properly compare, considering how many hours everyone, evem granny, has invested already in learning Windows.  A sizeble proportion of Windows users began with Windows 95 or at the very least XP, which is now nearly 9 years in, so they have years invested in Windows.  One week or one day of dual booting is hardly a fair comparison, at least without over-the-shoulder supervision.  Still, despite the noisy Luddites, Linux is gaining.

  The Ultimate Bottom Line:
    Computing is now and will ever increasingly become far too important to leave in the hands of one or even two companies.  Software is far too important to be dependant on platform.  Changes come far too fast for corporations to respond quickly enough.  Therefore: Open Source, and that presently means primarily Linux, must win.  Period. 

Posted 03/30/2007 at 06:59:19pm

Hey Dave I can't help but wonder why heatsinks with excellent thermal resistance which, assuming they fit, should perform well, like Swiftech and Alpha Novatech rarely get reviewed anymore. I know they may be somewhat old-school in some ways but they have evolved just like everyone else at the very least in the performance department. I don't know if anyone has equalled Alpha's hi-tech octagonal pin manufacturing process so it isn't like they're ancient. I'm asking you about heatsinks because I've bought many and will likely buy more but I am also just curious in all hardware areas why it seems all but the mainstream companies get overlooked in magazines? Sometimes it even seems to carry over to the internet but at least there hardware sites review more than just Creative when it comes to sound cards , for example. What gives? Jimmy

Posted 03/30/2007 at 06:51:04pm

Hello The only power you have has already literally been spent. Companies see dollars as votes. Once you've spent your money with a company your importance to them is minimized in all but rare cases. Solution: Research first and buy hardware that IS supported for your favorite OS. Write the company from whom you bought and tell them why you bought it. Write other cmpanies that you didn't buy and tell them that you regrettably didn't buy their product because they don't supply or even modestly support Linux drivers for their products. Examples of Linux supported Hi Quality Soundcards M-Audio (home theater especially) ESi (check out Juli@) RME Hammerfall (big bucks pro stuff) You have to check the chipset for each model to be certain and you can look up support on http://www.alsa-project.org/ and select "soundcard list" Just plug in manufacturer and csee results for level of support. Also, most manufacturers have forums where one can beg and plead, but dollars work best. Like Dylan said, "Money doesn't talk, it swears!" Jimmy