[Discuss] Why use Linux?

[markw at mohawksoft.com]

> markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
>>> Somehow this starts sounding like a bad Tom Cruise movie :)
>>
>> "bad Tom Cruise Movie" is a tautology
>
> There's "Risky Business". :)

I stand by my assertion. :-)

>
> But seriously, "why use Linux" as an euphemism for "why use Free
> Software" is a question of philosophy over utility.

Yes and no. Seriously, at work I have a Mac. I don't use it. On a
preponderance of the evidence, I am more productive and able to do more on
Linux. The Mac is almost unusable. Even if you get your function keys
mapped right, it is still difficult to do most software development tasks.

Linux has a better grep and find. USB tools on Linux are better. FUSE is
amazing and not on a Mac. Mac's file system does not allow sparse files. 
I can look at almost *any* type of file system on Linux. ISCSI just works
on Linux (if it can be said to work at all). The development tools on the
latest macs are a mess. Multiplatform GCC software had to be modified for
the latest MACOS becausethe C compiler generates 32bit code by default.
The networking stack is difficult to work with. The virtualization tools
are lacking. The virtualized network support for virtual machines is
lacking unless you pay A LOT for vmware. Volume management is lacking. The
latest gdb is not supported easily. I could go on, but these are number of
my reasons, beyond mere preference, for using Linux.

Seriously, for the work that I do for "work" and "fun" Nothing cuts it
like Linux.

As for the free software politic. I don't want to go there. That is a
philosophical debate that does not lend itself to resolution.


> Free Software often
> isn't the best choice -- or even a good one -- in the real world.
> Sometimes the added value of non-free components like Tivo, Android and
> Firewall-1 are more important in day to day operation than the
> philosophy of Free Software. Ideology is all well and good but at the
> end of the day it doesn't get the job done.
>
> --
> Rich P.
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