mdlbear: "Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than to curse the darkness" - Terry Pratchett (flamethrower)
mdlbear ([personal profile] mdlbear) wrote2006-09-14 09:28 am
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Can't we all just get along?

I'm always surprised at how emotional some people can get about my choice of software. I get ad-hominem attacks when I mention that I prefer Emacs and LaTeX to somebody's favorite WYSIWYG word processor. I stopped allowing anonymous comments after somebody literally accused me of "child abuse" (those words, exactly) when I mentioned that my kids sometimes used Linux. I continually get snide comments whenever I mention that, as a visual illiterate and long-time X user, I find the Mac user interface unuseable. (And I'm not saying that Windows is much better, but nobody sends me hate mail when I criticize Windows.)

Seriously, I get fewer flames when I mention that I'm an agnostic Druid. In fact, I don't think anyone has flamed me about my religion recently.

I'm not asking for tolerance, exactly. Or maybe I am. At least until Linux achieves its goal of world domination. Then we'll see who...

Oh. Right. Sorry about that.

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SOMEONE really needs told to get a life

[identity profile] capplor.livejournal.com 2006-09-14 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Child abuse for your choice of editors & operating system? The worst I'd call somebody is "crazy" for that (and of course, "crazy" is usually just a description and not a purgorative.)

So if Linux is supposed to dominate, why can't someone explain to Fred & me how to install it? (Or are you only dominating people who can afford new hardware or have time to backup everything before repartitioning the hard drive with EVERYTHING on it)
mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)

Re: SOMEONE really needs told to get a life

[personal profile] mdlbear 2006-09-14 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Most people will, of course, install Linux the same way they install Windows -- go down to Fry's and buy a machine with it pre-installed. (They're only about $150, because Linux is free and performs well on cheap hardware.)

For the rest of us, boot from an Ubuntu CD, which runs Linux without touching your hard drive. When you feel like it, do the install, which includes repartitioning without having to back up.

And if you're willing to spend $150 on a USB hard drive you can use Linux to back up your Windows partition any time you feel like it.
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