Yes I have used Windows for more than 5 seconds (6 or 7 years, more or less), though I admit, nothing more recent than XP (though I've seen Vista, and the majority of users I've talked to dislike it, and I know at least 1 personally who "downgraded" to XP). And in my defense, you did take a shot at Mac OS before I took one at Windows.
Just don't bash other people's favorite systems and promote your own without being prepared for others to do the same to yours.
And you're a linux guy (as in, not a Mac guy), and I was referring to linux when making that final comment. Seems more like you want free reign to crap all over anything M$ and would really prefer that nobody said anything in it's defense, at all, ever, for any reason.
BTW - as I've said before, Windows is NOT my "favorite" OS. I don't have one. Closest I *did* have was BeOS, it was just cool, but nobody supported it and it died. There again is the Mac (and apparently even Linux) snob cult - it's not an appliance, or a car, or a prized posession, it's a freakin' computer, it runs applications and plays games. It's a Leatherman, not a car or accessory.
While I admit that I can make clippy go away, and after a registry hack (or was it in gpedit.msc?) the funny baloons that pop up out of the system tray too
And yet you choose to focus on that like it's some kind of significant thing.
Windows just kept throwing up dumb things like that.
....And then proceed to be vague in further complaining.
There was the business of "We're hiding this files because Microsoft doesn't think you know what you're doing in the Windows directory", and also that whenever I sit down at another computer, I need to go to the view menu in Explorer, click a couple of other things, and get it to tell me what the file extensions of things actually are, rather than trying (and often failing) to guess what the file type is.
This is done partly to help clean up the directory views, partly because it was requested by the bulk of users. If it was forced upon you, you might have a complaint, but it's just a setting that is a few clicks away. Laziness is no justification for hatred. (and by the by, most of the system (hidden) files are of no real use anyway, even though I always show all files and make that the new default on my installs, I never actually bother to DO anything with them, just no need)
Icons show file type. You can see what's executable, what's data, and what app will open. Also you can even tell that by the file name (sans extension) most of the time too if you really look at it. It's not that hard.
When you have to deal with multitudes of end user's PCs you spend a lot of time looking at the view you are hating on. Sometimes it's not just the PC that needs to be flexible, but the user. (and isn't that what's supposed to separate us from the end users?
)
Also, I'll be quite impressed if you can make a windows installation boot to a command line only interface by default, for low end systems where you don't want to wait 30 seconds for everything (like old P3 sitting on my desk next to this computer). That's rather limiting.
95 could do it. Since then, who cares? I have a P4 3.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and a GF6600 at home (same thing with an ancient Radeon at work). Those are old (got the home system in 04). I just spec'd out a new Dell for the secretaries up front and it's a Core2Duo 3.16GHz with 3GB of RAM, a 256MB Radeon, a 320GB drive, a 22" widescreen LCD, Office 07 (standard), Acrobat (Full, Standard), a 750Va APC UPS, and 3 years of hardware warranty for $1400. That was upgrading from a base of about $750 (which still included all that hardware sans UPS).
Furthermore, 2K works just fine on "older systems", but that's assuming you can actually find a use for something that old other than being a paper weight or door stop.
Also, all the apps are GUI based, so booting to a command line would buy you pretty much nothing anyway.
Another thing I'll be impressed by: take a computer running windows, and use tools found by default on the computer to change the file extensions of 3000 files from .txt to .csv (or some other equivalent task) in under an hour, 6000 clicks, and 3000 keystrokes.
A few lines in VBScript will do that, and Windows Script Host IS a tool that comes with Windows. (not that the pre-installed nature is of ANY consequence whatsoever) (And of course I'm sure that's a vital operation that you do every day or so too.....)
And how about the limits on how many different computers you can install it on?
Legally, 1:1, but you'll find that to be the norm for just about any application (the most being either 1 desktop and 1 laptop, or unlimited with the use of a hardware key - grab Acrobat 9 and tell me how many machines you can successfully install and use it on).
Non-issue.
Or the limits on your access to the source code?
Has nothing to do with actually using it. And as in the case of the mass re-name, I'm sure this is something you NEED to do every day, right? (and be careful about answering that, if "yes", then that highlights the limitations of your chosen platform)
And while I wouldn't be flabbergasted (I don't know for sure, I've never seen User Account Control in action), I would be surprised if anything in Windows gives control as fine grained as sudo. That would be limiting on a multiuser system.
NT is MADE for multi-user setups and buisness networks. Security entirely integrated on every level, and particularly on an AD or even NT(4) Domain I have more fine control over users and resources than I'll ever have use for.
What about something like kickstart files, for automatic installation on large numbers of machines?
Windows CAN be automated for mass installs. This is a major issue for large networks, and this has been around in one form or another since NT4 (at least). Additionally, there are a multitude of remote installation and imagine suites (Ghost, PowerDelpoy, Altiris, LANDesk, etc) for OS's, Apps, self-healing of Apps, updates, and even entire system images. (HP even had tech to push BIOS updates across the network to their desktops, haven't played with them in a while, but I'm sure they can still do that)
I like being able to do strange things with my computer, and if as a result, Microsoft's products don't serve my needs, then so be it, there are excellent (and cheaper) alternatives.
Which doesn't invalidate, nor villify Windows in any way. It's funny, I've never seemed so pro-Windows in my life. But then, I've never met up with so many anti-M$ zealots either. As I keep saying, I'm no fanboi, I just get sick of seeing the falsehoods and unfounded hate spewed just because it's the cool thing to do.
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No, that's positively ancient. I have lots of those things sitting around, and the only reason they are sitting around is because they are useless.
The OS won't limit you with that hardware, it's trying to actually DO anything (as in apps) that will be the limiting factor there.
And how will it compare to windows XP?
Vista Enterprise is EVERY BIT as fast as XP, WITH everything turned on. And I have nearly identical systems from which to make that claim (in fact, the Vista system has very old video card, unlike the XP system).
How does a car compare with a rock? NT was good in it's day, still good if you have some ancient piece of server-side software that needs to run and have an NT Server CD to use with it. But otherwise..... put that rock on your pile of papers and get something that's actually useful (in modern times).
When I bought it, my laptop had 256MB RAM and Windows XP installed. It was a bit slow, but it worked (now I have 1280MB). And Windows XP only needs 2GB disk space. And doesn't need a high-end video card (SVGA will do).
256MB is shallow even for the lightest OS if you really want to do anything cool with it. Games are a good indicator, most require more than that. The OS will run, via virutal RAM, but it won't be happy. Even something as simply as Acrobat Viewer and a large PDF will kill it. My P3 laptop with 512MB and Win 2K is a good example. Runs Office, Acrobat viewer, and can play YouTube videos, but large PDFs put a hurtin' on it. I have it only because it's free, and it's handy to have when out in the garage and needing to look up some torque specs or the like.
