Why I Want to Use PCLinuxOS
Coranth
I'm a Windows User, okay? Go on. Scoff. Sneer. It's okay. I know you all want to. The thing is... when it's all installed and working properly, Windows allows me to, well... do what I want to do. I don't need to know how to compile code, hack kernels, or modify arcane files named 'xorg.conf.' All I need to do is use Mozilla Firefox to get on the Internet, or load up VLC so I can listen to "Haunted" by the band Disturbed, and other such things. And, for all the time I've had it on my Notebook, Windows XP Professional--despite its age--is a stable, rock-solid O/S; I can prove that because I have only had ONE, yes only ONE Blue Screen Of Death. It was caused by a 'modified' nVidia Driver that I installed on my Notebook.
Standby didn't work properly with said driver, you see. This was easily resolved. Restart machine. Uninstall bad driver. Reboot. Replace with original driver. Reboot. I then later installed a new modified driver, 177.92 and it works fine. It's the driver I'm using on this machine now. Thus, as I said, Windows XP works when properly set up. And yet... I'm here. A user of Windows XP, on the forum for PCLinuxOS. Why, when I use Windows, would I be here? Well, let me tell you.
Windows XP Professional is a fine O/S, but there are just some things I loathe about it. The first thing I don't like is the user interface, Windows Explorer. It's... okay. I mean, it gets the job done, but... it's starting to look a little boring, you know, and I wish I could change it. Now, I know, I know... there are themes and such you can get for it, but if you really want to change it, you need something like StyleXP which is yet another program you must install before you can do what you want. There are also... alternative shells... to explorer, but the only decent one I've looked at is LiteStep, and that's far too complex for me. How I loathe 'step.rc'! Haven't they heard of graphical config managers before? Thus, I'm stuck with Explorer.
The second thing I hate about Windows XP is--get ready for this--Internet Explorer! Oh, GAWDS, I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! And you know what's ironic? I don't even USE it! Why would I... blech! Far too many security holes, and exploits in it, no matter how many they "fix" with that darn "Cumulative Security Update" they roll out every month! 'But Cor,' I hear you ask, 'why do you hate Internet Explorer when you don't use it?' The answer, my friends, is: IT'S THERE! It's there, sitting on my Toshiba, taking up space... and you know what? I can't remove the rotten filth; it's part of the operating system. I don't want it there, but I can't remove it, which is really strange. I mean, I should be able to remove it, just uninstall it like any other Windows App, right? It's the same with Windows Media Player 11: it's on here, but I don't use it and can't get rid of it. Isn't a computer you purchase supposed to be wholly yours? You know... you get the thing, and then you decide exactly what goes on it? I thought I would have full command of what does and doesn't get put onto my Notebook, but... I don't. Microsoft does. That's not right...
The third thing I hate about Windows XP is [censored] "Windows Genuine Advantage." Of course I have a [censored] genuine copy of Windows, you [heavily censored due to explosive cursing] fools! Why the [censored] do I need to keep on clicking "Validate" before I can get the latest version of DirectX, or some other component I need?! The fourth thing I despise about Windows is rebooting the system every time I install a [censored] driver! You guys don't need to do that; you just hotwire a new module into the kernel, or 'modprobe' it I think. You guys only really need to reboot when you do something major, like change or upgrade to a new version of the Linux Kernel.
The fifth thing I despise about Windows: Drivers. Drivers. Drivers. *knock knock* Hello, MS people!!!! Why don't you dimwits take a page from the open-source books and actually provide modules in the O/S for your hardware, eh?! Oh, yes, and let's not forget that since Windows is the most popular O/S, the crackers, malware writers, and virus makers are out in force. I don't like AVG 8. It's protected me for many years, but I still don't like it. You PCLinuxOS guys get far fewer viruses than I do. For Linux, the viruses are a pittance... if they even can live at all in the system due to its nature. Those are the reasons why I want to use PCLinuxOS.
I've heard it said that you shouldn't use Linux unless you're prepared to learn it. Huh? Learn it? What... you mean, learn how to type cryptic commands into a terminal window? It's very strange, that... because when I booted into my copy of PCLinuxOS, I didn't need to open up a terminal for anything at all, except to type in "uname -r" to find the version of the kernel I was running. Sorry guys, I don't want to LEARN Linux, I just want to USE it. PCLinuxOS allowed me to do that, without touching a CLI at all. I'm not interested in kernel hacking and editing obscure text files such as /etc/fstab/ or whatever it is. I just want a rock-solid, stable-as-hell O/S which allows me to do what I want and gives me no grief. And guys... PCLinuxOS IS IT!
The PCLinuxOS 2007 LiveCD that Texstar and the rest of you created is a thing of incredible elegance and simplicity; it is 'radically simple' as you claim it to be. I was able to boot that CD, and get online within moments. I was able to use X-Chat--even though I hadn't even heard of the program, or used it before in my life--and even cranked up Amarok, the music player. It worked, even though my sound was distorted due to an incorrect driver. A small blemish on an otherwise perfect O/S. All I ask is that you incorporate the Linux Realtek High Definition Audio Drivers directly into the LiveCD after PCLOS 2009; that'll fix my sound pronto!
The KDE in PCLinuxOS looked and felt like Windows Explorer, with its 'Start' Button, and the Quick Launch-like panel beside it. Even the window I opened when I accessed my Lacie Drive was reminiscent of Explorer, and this made it SO EASY for me to adapt to and use. THIS is how Linux SHOULD BE. PCLinuxOS is Linux for everyone. The new user, the "geek" (I hate that word, I feel it's degrading) and even those who have basically no computer experience at all can use this utterly amazing operating system. Now... I'm sure there are a few things that I'll need to learn, eventually, like how to compile things from source, or how to properly use synaptic, or how to set up WINE so I can get my (Windows) games up and running. But... I will learn those things WHEN I NEED TO, and I know I can ask you guys for help or look up a HOWTO when I need it.
My computer is an appliance--something that I use--and I don't care how it works, only that it does. And PCLinuxOS allowed me to use my computer. As I moved about the O/S, I couldn't help thinking, 'Why am I still using Windows?' PCLinuxOS is a truly amazing Linux Distro which should be #1 on DistroWatch. May it be coded for eternity and may it never die.