Why not Windows?
I don't like Windows. And not because of the usual "It's buggy, it's insecure, it's overpriced" reasons. Or not just because of them, anyway. Even if Windows were released free with the best, most secure code ever written, I still wouldn't want to use it.
Why not?
It's mostly, I think, the fact that a Windows computer always feels like somebody else's. It's like borrowing a friend's car - you might adjust the seat and move the mirrors, but aside from these tiny changes, you can't do anything. You can't replace the radio, respray the bodywork, or make any other real changes.
Think about it: What can you change on a default XP installation? You can move the taskbar to one of the other edges. You can choose one of two themes. You can add things to the taskbar. You can change the wallpaper.
What if you don't want a taskbar? Or what if you want TWO taskbars? What if you want more than one menu to be available from the taskbar(s)? What if you want the window toolbar to be at the side instead of the top?
Those are trivial in Linux. Good luck getting them to work on Windows.
The Windows GUI is pretty good at its job. But there's a lot I don't like about it. Can I edit it? No. Can I skip having it at all, and run a different one? No. At best, I can run another GUI on top of the existing one. And even then, the normal GUI comes straight back at the tap of the Win key or Alt-Tab.
I never use IE. Can I uninstall it? I want more functionality in my login screen than just a place for names and passwords to be entered. Can I have it? I want to use my own icons instead of the dull Windows ones. Can I?
Nope. I can't escape the Windows logo or the look-and-feel of a Windows computer. It's a perpetual somebody-else's-computer, and that somebody is Microsoft.
There's too much I can't change, too much that I don't want & have to have, and too much that I want but can't have. Even with all the third-party enhancements in the world, I couldn't get Windows to work the way I wanted it to. My Linux computer, however, works exactly the way I want it to. It runs only the specific software I want it to be running, it looks exactly the way I want it to look, it acts the way I want it to act.
My Linux computer is *my* computer. Not Linus Torvalds', not RMS's, not anybody. It's *mine*.
A Windows computer, I borrow from Microsoft and obey their rules.
Since I pay for the hardware it runs on, I'll install an OS that lets me actually keep my computer for myself.
Why not?
It's mostly, I think, the fact that a Windows computer always feels like somebody else's. It's like borrowing a friend's car - you might adjust the seat and move the mirrors, but aside from these tiny changes, you can't do anything. You can't replace the radio, respray the bodywork, or make any other real changes.
Think about it: What can you change on a default XP installation? You can move the taskbar to one of the other edges. You can choose one of two themes. You can add things to the taskbar. You can change the wallpaper.
What if you don't want a taskbar? Or what if you want TWO taskbars? What if you want more than one menu to be available from the taskbar(s)? What if you want the window toolbar to be at the side instead of the top?
Those are trivial in Linux. Good luck getting them to work on Windows.
The Windows GUI is pretty good at its job. But there's a lot I don't like about it. Can I edit it? No. Can I skip having it at all, and run a different one? No. At best, I can run another GUI on top of the existing one. And even then, the normal GUI comes straight back at the tap of the Win key or Alt-Tab.
I never use IE. Can I uninstall it? I want more functionality in my login screen than just a place for names and passwords to be entered. Can I have it? I want to use my own icons instead of the dull Windows ones. Can I?
Nope. I can't escape the Windows logo or the look-and-feel of a Windows computer. It's a perpetual somebody-else's-computer, and that somebody is Microsoft.
There's too much I can't change, too much that I don't want & have to have, and too much that I want but can't have. Even with all the third-party enhancements in the world, I couldn't get Windows to work the way I wanted it to. My Linux computer, however, works exactly the way I want it to. It runs only the specific software I want it to be running, it looks exactly the way I want it to look, it acts the way I want it to act.
My Linux computer is *my* computer. Not Linus Torvalds', not RMS's, not anybody. It's *mine*.
A Windows computer, I borrow from Microsoft and obey their rules.
Since I pay for the hardware it runs on, I'll install an OS that lets me actually keep my computer for myself.
1 Comments:
If you really hate the explorer interface and you are in a situation where you have to use a windows box, you should try running LiteStep, a replacement shell that is quite painless to install (but I kind of think you would like a little pain but I guess you'll just have to deal without it ;-) ) and gets rid of most of the compaints you have about UI and logo issues of windows. The interface is completly customizable using individual modules for different fuctions and text only configuration. There are also many published "themes" on the web that even make windows look like Gnome or KDE. Some of my favorite sites about Litestep are: http://wiki.litestep.com , http://www.litestep.net , http://ls-universe.info
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