I've been pondering for a while on my use of a computer; what I use one for, and why. This has led me, seemingly inexorably, to a post on my OS of choice, and my reasons for it.
Allow me to give a brief history of my computing experience: The first computer I used was a BBC B microcomputer. I then used Acorn Archimedes computers at primary and secondary school, progressing to Acorn RiscPCs as my school upgraded.
My first experience of an x86 processor was in the second processor slot of a RiscPC at school. It was just about able to run Windows 95, which seemed woefully inadequate as an operating system. It was clunky, unintuitive, and there seemed to be no way to customise it to make it better.
Computers have moved on since then. I no longer have the luxury of using RISC OS as my main OS - the hardware just doesn't currently exist that can do what I want from a desktop computer - and so every once in a while I take a quick look at what the current selection of OSes available for x86 architecture has to offer. As I try out the latest offerings from Redmond and Cupertino, I am invariably left feeling unsatisfied, as though attempting to shoehorn my work method into an inflexible mould someone else has created.
As Neo so eloquently put it in The Matrix Reloaded, the problem is choice. Or more specifically, a lack of it: I simply cannot get either Windows or OS X to work the way I want them to, because the creators never saw fit to allow the necessary parts of the OS/window manager/file system to be customised to a degree that enables me to use a computer the way I want to. That is why I use Linux.
More specifically: I use Ubuntu because I know how to configure it (via apt) to work how I want it to; I use the Gnome desktop because I know how to configure it to work how I want it to; I use Metacity and Compiz WMs because I know how to configure them to work ... you get the idea.
I am aware that Apple and Microsoft both have many loyal followers who would argue that everything is fine for them, that they have no problems, that I must be doing something 'wrong or 'weird'. Quite simply, I don't care. If it doesn't work for me, I'm not interested. That may be perceived as selfish, but then again, I don't expect anyone else to instantly love my standard setup, as it's set up for one person only. I have also come to realise that upon a fresh install (something I haven't done in over a year - thankyou dist-upgrade), I will spend around half an hour tweaking settings to get them how I want them. I am perfectly happy to do that. I would also suggest that I am not the only person who does this. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that I believe the majority of people who own a computer have customised it to a greater or lesser degree from its initial factory settings; that most of these people also have a set of 'core applications' that they cannot work well without; and that none of them would think twice about spending time setting up their work area in a manner that they find beneficial to their productivity.
I try not to be over-zealous in suggesting my OS of choice to others. I am merely trying to inform people that, should the giants at Microsoft and Apple fail you, you need not suffer,, and you certainly aren't the only one.
Allow me to give a brief history of my computing experience: The first computer I used was a BBC B microcomputer. I then used Acorn Archimedes computers at primary and secondary school, progressing to Acorn RiscPCs as my school upgraded.
My first experience of an x86 processor was in the second processor slot of a RiscPC at school. It was just about able to run Windows 95, which seemed woefully inadequate as an operating system. It was clunky, unintuitive, and there seemed to be no way to customise it to make it better.
Computers have moved on since then. I no longer have the luxury of using RISC OS as my main OS - the hardware just doesn't currently exist that can do what I want from a desktop computer - and so every once in a while I take a quick look at what the current selection of OSes available for x86 architecture has to offer. As I try out the latest offerings from Redmond and Cupertino, I am invariably left feeling unsatisfied, as though attempting to shoehorn my work method into an inflexible mould someone else has created.
As Neo so eloquently put it in The Matrix Reloaded, the problem is choice. Or more specifically, a lack of it: I simply cannot get either Windows or OS X to work the way I want them to, because the creators never saw fit to allow the necessary parts of the OS/window manager/file system to be customised to a degree that enables me to use a computer the way I want to. That is why I use Linux.
More specifically: I use Ubuntu because I know how to configure it (via apt) to work how I want it to; I use the Gnome desktop because I know how to configure it to work how I want it to; I use Metacity and Compiz WMs because I know how to configure them to work ... you get the idea.
I am aware that Apple and Microsoft both have many loyal followers who would argue that everything is fine for them, that they have no problems, that I must be doing something 'wrong or 'weird'. Quite simply, I don't care. If it doesn't work for me, I'm not interested. That may be perceived as selfish, but then again, I don't expect anyone else to instantly love my standard setup, as it's set up for one person only. I have also come to realise that upon a fresh install (something I haven't done in over a year - thankyou dist-upgrade), I will spend around half an hour tweaking settings to get them how I want them. I am perfectly happy to do that. I would also suggest that I am not the only person who does this. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that I believe the majority of people who own a computer have customised it to a greater or lesser degree from its initial factory settings; that most of these people also have a set of 'core applications' that they cannot work well without; and that none of them would think twice about spending time setting up their work area in a manner that they find beneficial to their productivity.
I try not to be over-zealous in suggesting my OS of choice to others. I am merely trying to inform people that, should the giants at Microsoft and Apple fail you, you need not suffer,, and you certainly aren't the only one.
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