Selecting a Linux Distribution

Hi Phil,

I read your article [http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2999] with interest, as I am thinking about moving over to Linux, after having used some version of DOS (from v.5) or Windows (from 3.1) since 1992. I've worked with Solaris/HP-UX/Irix and installed a handful of RedHat releases, but it hasn't quite felt right to move over until now:

As a young(er) adult, gaming, or lack of it on Linux, was an issue. I no longer use a PC for gaming, so that argument has disappeared.

Linux desktops (both Gnome and KDE) we're rudimentary and not well thought through when I last looked 5 years ago - there was no single theme which applications adhered to, and there were many apps. installed in a single distro that performed duplicate functions to one or two other apps within the same distro, that were auto installed! Several times after installing a RedHat distro, I would be disappointed to find that a default installation had broken applications that would not start.

I recently tried a few Live CDs, and this feature is fantastic! That I can pick and choose without bearing the pain of a full installation (I don't have a spare PC and there is a significant time factor involved in 'trying out Linux').

First impressions were that I still don't like the lack of a professional looking theme in Gnome on Knoppix and Ubuntu, but I was very very impressed with Kubuntus implementation of KDE!! This is what I'm looking for; finally, a Linux distro that a Windows convert can seriously consider. All standard apps. have a similar theme, there is a diverse collection of apps to perform most used functions, but it's not complete overkill like with other distros, and I could find my way around after only 5 minutes usage.

I use WinXP at the moment, on an Acer laptop, but I use many open source programs, like Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office, Scite, BonkEnc, VideoLAN, Gaim, Azureus etc, and all of these are available for Linux, so there would be very little learning curve in moving over to Kubuntu.

However, there are two serious issues that will stop me moving over, despite really wanting to move over:

1. Lack of hardware support from manufacturers.

I just bought a Canon PIXMA MP450 multifunction printer. There is no Linux driver and the best option is currently to buy Turboprint and use an ip4200 driver so I've heard. My memory card reader in my laptop will not work under any distro. I have to perform major configuration surgery to get my Wlan button to work, and some things, like gfx card, wlan and mouse pad do not always work out of the box with some distros.

This is a major catastrophe and one of the reasons why Linux is still not ready for the average PC user! Until manufacturers start releasing Linux drivers for all products, Linux uptake in the consumer sector will not increase. The argument of the community supporting and creating drivers has no ground to stand on. After several months, there is still no driver that has been released by the community despite many questions and try-outs on forums. Not everyone is a programmer, not everyone has the time to contribute code, and most people expect things to work reasonably painlessly. When was the last time you had to go on the internet to find code that would allow your fast forward button to work on the VCR? PC's are now consumer items and the OS should be the same.

2. Perceived lack of responsibility towards security.

Everyone loves to hate MS for it's patch hell. I am one of the people who believe in trial by fire--yes Windows security is shite, but they've had so many complaints that they have been forced to patch many bugs. Its not over and never will be as long as people produce new software, but they have patched their software to the point where it is arguably more secure than the Linux equivalent. Arbitary execution/buffer overflows, despite popular belief, are not solely the domain of a WinBox, and I am concerned at the apparent complacency in the Linux world with regards to security. There are no Anti-Virus products that have reached my sphere of news watching, and the general consensus seems to be that Linux is so secure it doesnt need an AV product. Also, as there are very few commercial app. manufacturs of consumer apps, security is possibly at best an afterthought of most OSS projects, run by contributors in a loose community of devs. Everyone can do buggy software but only commercial shops have the incentive (via shareholders/angry customer) to fix them.

I realise this comment is pure flame-bait, but they are nontheless, valid issues faced by everyday PC users who want a PC that allows them to be productive, and not just end up administering the OS, and believe me, ive done that plenty on my winbox, but its 10 times worse on Linux. There is a lot that needs to be done to make both Win and Linux more transparent with regards to admin work, whilst still leaving the possibility to tune for the petrol heads of the software world, but Linux needs to do this to gain market share. Windows doesn't.

Regards,
Andrew