Bringing Linux to the Masses
Hiding Dirty Stuff: Windows vs. Linux
30Dec2007 Filed under: Humor Author: Rami TaibahIn Windows:
In Linux:
Paints you a pretty picture eh? 
Edit: The comparison would hold true even with Apple, just fire up the terminal on your OSX!
Sphere: Related Content54 Responses to “Hiding Dirty Stuff: Windows vs. Linux”
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Royal HeHe2-ness is a world where free software is valued, nay sought for!! While proprietary software is banished, degraded and ridiculed till the end of times.
Jack Vote:
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December 31st, 2007 at 3:12 am
HAHAHAHA
Yep, this pretty sums it up
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ooBia Vote:
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December 31st, 2007 at 10:19 am
LoooL.. vampire porn! on top of my must-download-tonite list.. :p
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Anonymous Vote:
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January 1st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
NTFS supports permissions (ACL). So what’s your point?
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atropos Vote:
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January 2nd, 2008 at 8:06 am
Regardless, the point is that a Linux user would never think of securing his/her files that way. How many Windows users know how to secure their files using ACL? Not many if you look at percentages. The same cannot be said about Linux users.
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Anonymous Vote:
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January 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 am
The same can not be said because Linux users have higher interest in computing.
Permissions/ACL are not made for securing files, they are just to manage the users and services access to files, usually good for remote access. There is no data security without encryption.
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jBen Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 6:48 am
LOL
Really funny, and it’s true…. btw mr windows user dont mess with us-
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Magnus Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Well, thats a pretty retarded way to hide your dirty pictures. Me I have an invisible (you probably heard of it when you stumble) folder, and only I know where its located. People will find my shit if they just search for pictures though.
Windows Pride!
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Leona Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
“The same can not be said because Linux users have higher interest in computing.”
What a stupid comment. I have 10 years Linux experience and an RHCE, managing an ISP infrastrucutre (BIND, web hosting, monitoring, etc), so that makes me a Linux user. I also have 15 years solid usage of SCO unix.
But I also have 10 years experience with Microsoft since NT 4, and have MCSE (2000 and 2003). So that makes me a Windows user right?
I wish people would stop thinking that you either get Linux OR Windows users. Anyone with a ‘REAL’ interest in computing technology would have worked and use both.
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Leona Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Also…
I wouldn’t use NTFS or the method shown here to hide files in Windows. But I’ll let you guys figure that one out.
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atropos Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
@Leona: Of course this isn’t the most secure method. With this method the names of the files will appear anyway, which is enough to incriminate any pimple-faced teenager or aspiring corporate employee…All I am saying is comparing between two security lax users from both “ideologies”…The first method that comes up to mind for a Windows user is “hiding” the folder, either from the properties menu or in some obscure file, or a combo of both…while the first thing that comes to mind for a Linux user is change permissions…which is more secure? You tell me
@Magnus: Ya thats very secure :P:P
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Kenbo Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Just dl magicfolders for windows. then you’re all set
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Seriously Now Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
OK folks, follow along here please.
90% of Windows users arn’t interested in computers, how they work, why they work, best practices, etc… They’re users just like the Linux Guru is a user, however their level of involvement is different, so it’s not a clear comparison.
Take one of the now growing number of Linux users who don’t know how, or why computers work, but enjoy Linux for it’s stability and because someone was nice enough to give them the non M$ option, and they’ll do the “magical folder dance” just like the windows user would.
Likewise, someone interested in computers would have done the file and directory access restrictions on their windows machines just like they would have in Linux.
The Linux / Windows debate is over, now we’re dealing with a war of the “hardcore” vs. “average user”, where the hardcore people refuse to admit that there are people out there who don’t care how a computer works, don’t want to know how it works, only want to use it.
Remember, some people want to disassemble their toaster and put new elements into it to shave their toasting time down or burn pictures into their toast, others just want to put some butter and jam on it and call it a day.
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syb Vote:
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January 20th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
well…mount these 2 disk on a computer where you are administrator or root…and well these technicks are pretty useless.
Encryption…
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Jach Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 2:34 am
You forgot to make the folders hidden (just add a . in Linux), and make sure you edit that one config file so the folder doesn’t get found using updatedb and locate.
But as others have pointed out, you ought to use encryption as the best strategy.
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me Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 7:25 am
just burn to a disc. problem solved
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god Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 7:30 am
but where to hide the disc…
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SomeGuy Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 8:16 am
Label it as something good and put in your “software collection” of CD-R’s
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orange Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 8:19 am
I use trucrypt for my sensitive data, it mounts as a virtual hard drive. There is a big diffrence between windows user base and linux user base. Most peole who use windows really dont know a lot of the features, they just use it because that is all they know. Linux users on the other hand usually use linux because they have a better understanding of computers.
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Drewag Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
Us mac users just put it on an encrypted dmg and just mount it with a password whenever we want
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Colin Dean Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 9:24 am
CryptFS. More secure and obscurable than anything.
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Zach Pruckowski Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:28 am
Given that most home computers have only a single account (and this goes for PCs or Macs), chmod 700 wouldn’t help you.
I think the most effective thing Linux has going for it is the easy invisible files. You can’t accidentally stumble across something named .porn simply because you can’t see it by default. ls -a would find it, but if you name it something 4-5 letters long and innocous, you’re fine.
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Tired of Win vs. Lin Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
I’m so tired of the windows vs. linux crap. I use both. I like both. And I think people who participate in this argument on either side are numbnuts.
Anyway, I keep my porn on an external drive. I get to watch my porn on my windows box AND my linux box, plus it’s not on the computer to be searched out by prying eyes. Does that mean I win?
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Intruder Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Why nobody mentions the linux loopback device? You can hide an entire filesystem in a container file (encrypted even) and just mount it when you want to access it.
And *that* is why Linux is better than Windows.
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apt Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Hmm. I wonder what this all is about. Seems to me like the poster (and a lot of the commenters) just wanna demonstrate how less they understand about windows and linux.
1) NT has ACLs and you can use them. If you don’t you are not a very experienced user, but that has nothing to say about windows or linux at all, because I’m sure no low-experienced ubuntu or suse user knows about the chmod command.
2) Why do you talk about *hiding* stuff if you actually do only restrict permissions on it? A folder which my gf can see but not access will attract her interest and bring me in a situation where I have to answer her questions, so your idea is even worse then the “windows users” idea as you tell it.
3) Some commenters tell something about encryption: But how would that help? See 2) for a reasoning why disabling access to a girlfriend or wife is not enough.
It should be clear that only a solution mix of encryption _and_ hiding can lead to the goal.
4) Intruder, how exactly does a linux user benefit over a windows user by beeing able to use images? Do you actually know that its possible to have images and mount them under windows, too? Okay, it takes additional software, but its not really harder to get them, as finding out how to loopback mount.
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spotswoode Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I am a Linux user and do appreciate the post. Your example shows the elegance and power of the command line in Linux. One way to do this in Windows (NTFS) is through the use of Alternate Data Streams. I’ll let the Windows “power users” research that one.
Please continue to irritate the Windows users. Their responses are very entertaining.
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nerd no.1 Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 9:24 pm
*cough* truecrypt *cough*.
fuck permissions, hidden folders, and such retardifications. Truecrypt FTW.
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bob Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Typical bunch of self serving geeks trying to prove they are the uber geek. Twits.
I keep my moooovies in a folder named Porn in plain sight where anyone and everyone can find them. Just last week a very attractive woman in our office found them and told me, “WOW! I’d like to try that.” We did.
Another fellow employee found my stuff and took it to the boss. Boss told me his response to that employee was like, “Hold it, you’re telling me that a god fearing christian like you is opening folders clearly labeled porn, peeking at the contents and then complaining. Sounds wierd to me.”
Yah, I get laid a lot, unlike you geeks who masturbate alone while you watch your mooovies.
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Fran Vote:
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January 21st, 2008 at 11:13 pm
TrueCrypt, GNU Privacy Guard, PGP, OpenStego, Steghide, FreeOTFE. The list goes on. Encrypt it or stego it, but _never_ rely on OS-enforced access control.
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bob is a virgin Vote:
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January 22nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Yeah sure you did Bob. First of all, work would not be the place to show off your porn collection. Women would think it was tacky and perverted to have it there.
Please either hire a prostitute, become an hero or hit yourself in the face with a hammer, virgin.
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smooth Vote:
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January 23rd, 2008 at 1:36 am
i love my BSDs
FreeBSD & OpenBSD
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pwnd@hehe2.net Vote:
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January 26th, 2008 at 2:39 am
wow… why doesn’t everyone dual boot??? if you know how 2 turn the damn thing on… i’m sure you can dual boot any box. (i’m am dual booted win xp pro/ ubuntu 7.10). there will never be a clear ‘winner’ here because some fuckers are too stupid to run linux… so the general populous will use what is easier. and as for the porn issue…………… GO GET SOME REAL GOD DAMNED PUSSY!!!! finish poppin’ that pimple and go meet a girl. E.N.D-O.F-DISCUSSION btw…Leona, u make more sense than any of these fuck-sticks…
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pizza Vote:
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January 27th, 2008 at 12:05 am
why should you bother hiding your porn?
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Seb Vote:
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January 29th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
mkdir \ .
put all your dirty stuff encrypted in the dir now named ” .”
chmod -R 700 \ .
now if you ls -l, you really need to pay attention
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Dwindle Vote:
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January 31st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Silly. Anyone with admin privileges can view a locked out folder. Use FolderGuard for Windows, and even the admin can’t get in it.
Are you going to deny your wife admin in a shared computer?
Mine are packed as a 12 gb rar file, which opens with my file manager with a password.
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Dave Vote:
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January 31st, 2008 at 7:32 pm
No, a Windows user would simply mark the folder as hidden. What’s the point in all of this? If Linux had the capability to do a single thing Windows could, or at least do 10% of what it does, people would actually use the silly thing. Linux has been ignored for 15 years for good reason.
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Seb Vote:
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January 31st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Sense of humor anyone ?
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blue2518 Vote:
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February 4th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Asian–Normal
Black–Normal
White-Normal
Horses–Well thats interesting.
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Ron Vote:
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February 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
You’re right Dave. There is a good reason Linux is ignored, lack of marketing.
On porn here’s another suggestion. Actually get a real girlfriend and have sex with her.
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That one guy Vote:
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February 7th, 2008 at 8:10 am
I agree. Need to find her… I’m sure for the furries out there though they can just get their pet dog… (massive sarcasm quotes)
Oh and everything sucks by comparison to anything, seriously you all have opinions, no need to state them, cause this just shows how easy it is to hid porn but why hide it, obviously cause you are a 8 year old with a mom to watch you, well then that sucks to be you don’t it?
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Aatch Vote:
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February 8th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Ok, Windows = Good, Linux = Good. (Mac is bit of non-point here). Just for different things. And as a previous person has said, Linux has been ignored because of marketing. Ever tried paying for advertising when most of your income is advertisements and donations?
Just because I feel like it, I dont hide my porn, my mum & dad don’t go on my computer, and can’t most of the time (locked down screen etc). Having porn at work is silly, at the very least download it straight to an external drive, so you can take it home.
And as a last troll-trolling. Bob, your story is one that seems unlikely, I cant think of a single instance where having porn on your company storage (be it local or network) is acceptable (unless its the porn industry). A “very attractive” colleague happens to go through your porn archive /and/ watch it at work, now every woman knows that men watch porn, but they dont openly admit it, and its hard to find a girl that is 100% comfortable with porn. Another colleague told your boss that you had porn, and he got told off, not you.
I’m not even allowed games at school, I dont see how an office situation, in which you are being paid, would be drastically different.
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Joshing Vote:
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February 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
A pretty sad comparison though. In Windows you use a graphical interface in Linux you have to be a code monkey to do anything!
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Stefan Vote:
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February 8th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
The comments were more interesting to me than the post itself… Well said LEONA.
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lowkey Vote:
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February 9th, 2008 at 5:01 am
bah. if you really want to hide it, use a better folder name.
mkdir ‘. ‘ (single quote period space single quote)
When you do ls -la, it looks like:
drwxr-x— 151 lowkey lowkey 8192 2008-02-08 18:59 .
drwxr-x— 2 lowkey lowkey 4096 2008-02-08 18:59 .
drwxrwsr-x 8 root staff 4096 2007-02-11 20:11 ..
Most people won’t even notice it. Hidden in plain sight.
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lowkey Vote:
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February 9th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Note you can also specify it as
mkdir .\ (period backslash space)
and remember to use it when you cd into the directory.
cd ‘. ‘ or cd .\
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cmdwhore Vote:
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February 9th, 2008 at 7:22 am
md moovies && CACLS moovies /E /G rami:F /R administrators
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ultra Vote:
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February 12th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Truecrypt http://truecrypt.org is your friend.
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Cedric Vote:
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April 8th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Come on, it’s funny, but still not very smart.
I agree with you on the “the average windows user doesn’t know how to do sh*t on it’s comuter” statement
The thing is that i have failed making those average users using a ubuntu or suse ( the only two i’ve tried ) on their laptop instead of xp or vista, so linux isn’t really the answer (some have hapilly switched to mac, the others still use windows )
plus, is it being clever knowing something everybody knows ? i mean the windows equivalent to do so is far less know and therefore you have to be muh more of an expert to know them.
The fact that linux demands knowing command lines is it’s main problem, preventing it from common usage
ok, the only good reason i see for windows is gaming/pro software
but then the only reason i know for linux is computer science/geekery/web/dev/hack/
the true computer novice and non-gamer should just head to the mac, instead of windows, that’s the only thing i see possible
One last thing, i use the three, an really, of course windows is a pin in the ass for comp guys like us, but then i still appreciate playing on it, playing with my linux server and the everyday use on my mac, let’s keep the war low and all enjoy the choices
the only windows problem is thoses plain assholes that download porn all day then get viruses then complain that windows is unstable after buying shitty hardware and installing all crap possible and comming to YOU for fixing …
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lowkey Vote:
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April 8th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Quote from Cedric: The thing is that i have failed making those average users using a ubuntu or suse ( the only two i’ve tried ) on their laptop instead of xp or vista, so linux isn’t really the answer (some have hapilly switched to mac, the others still use windows )
Well I’ve had good luck converting windows users if I first start with their applications. Generally I start with replacing Outlook with Thunderbird. Then Internet Explorer with Firefox. The MS Office with Open Office.
Then you change the OS under the applications. Since they still have the apps they use, the conversion is much less traumatic or scary. So far when I take it slow I have 100% success rate.
As for all the comments about needing to use the command line in Linux, well if you want to stay in 1999 forever go ahead. Plenty of distros have reached the point where you don’t need to know any command line. Just look at the all the success the Walmart PC and the Asus EEE had delivering a simple to use Linux to the masses. It will continue to grow. Mostly because people are cheap and free is good.
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Cedric Vote:
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 am
lowkey, that was my strategy too, but after a short while, they started complaining a bit, for example, and i know it’s a shame, but two of them where unhappy with the lack of whateversmileysystem there is in messenger that you don’t get in pidgin, the other one had troubles with his excell 6 files, and didn’t quite like OOo as much as office ( the UI i mean ).
And the suse was turned down everytime because of the menu that doesn’t seem to make many people happy.
The only one that still has linux on her laptop is my mother in law, but then she’s buying a macbook as soon as the new line comes up. And she said she uses less her laptop since the switch ( don’t really know why yet, i don’t like getting to see her so much :p )
Now, my only advice to people is “buy a mac and you’ll get unlimited help, or sorry i have no time for this”, that proved quite efficient for 3 people already with a 4th ( mother in law ) coming soon.
Now for the command line problem, i’ll say that yeah it quite comes from me, i mean the graphical use of linux proved annoying to me ( less stable than my mac, so why bothering ? ) so, as they only are servers, i just love to use them only in command line. And each time they prove to be fantastic!
My media system in the house is linux based, i do some electronics, again linux based, all the server softwares are too.
What i meant was more “Linux’s biggest strenght is it’s command line usability” but then i guess the ubuntu guy only surfing isn’t all excited by my theory right
Yet again, i think the os war is something a bit strange, like making a war between suvs, coupés, saloons, it’s not quite the same, atlhought they still are cars.
What should be the subject is : why the hell are you using a suv to race on a track ? or something of the sort
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Cedric Vote:
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 am
Oh and for god’s sake, just trash your porn and watch it directly online, on youporn or megarotic.
No os war, just looove, good fun, dirty keyboard, everyone’s happy, even Mr N00b
Now THAT is some kind of cross platform solution
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Axis Vote:
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July 24th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hide it on the desktop. Or, if in Windows, in “My Documents”. Like all the people whose computers I fixed. I think they thought that was private/secure enough.
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Dade Vote:
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September 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Truecrypt trumps all… why bother with anything else?
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