Good News On The OS Front
Bob Adkins
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Free-Windows-XP-Clone-Built-on-Ubuntu-9-10-130719.shtml
Only in Chinese for now, but it will go viral if it's close to Windows
look and feel, and runs most Windows apps and drivers.
Couldn't figure out whether it's an infringement on MS copyrights or
not. I wouldn't think so.
Craig
I don't know about international law but, for the U.S., projects like
this in the past have had to go through source audits or prove that the
whole operation, from day 0, was "black-boxed."
The article mentions that MS' wallpaper is used... Not a good start.
Interesting news, thx.
--
-Craig
Jeffrey Needle
From the article:
An obvious downside to Ylmf OS is the fact that the release is Chinese
only, at least at this point in time. Available for download localized
exclusively in Chinese, Ylmf OS is bound to serve only users living in
China and speaking the local language. No indications were offered by
the team behind the project of future releases or support for additional
languages. According to third-party reports, the people building Ylmf OS
are in fact a group of Chinese pirates that were previously distributing
a pirated copy of Windows XP, and which were tackled by the local
authorities and Microsoft.
So, these guys have a history in pirating. Not a good sign.
Mark Warner
>
> http://news.softpedia.com/news/Free-Windows-XP-Clone-Built-on-Ubuntu-9-10-130719.shtml
>
> Only in Chinese for now, but it will go viral if it's close to Windows
> look and feel, and runs most Windows apps and drivers.
According to the article, it uses wine to run Windows apps. So it
doesn't run them natively, any more than any other Linux distribution
running wine does (like this MEPIS install I'm using right now).
So what we have is yet another remaster of Ubuntu with Windows wallpaper
and perhaps the Gnome menu tweaked to mimic XP's.
Yawn.
--
Mark Warner
MEPIS Linux
Registered Linux User #415318
...lose .inhibitions when replying
Dave
All the components for the look of XP are available at gnome-
look.org.Some guy even wrote a script to install and do all the tweaks.
http://ubuntu.online02.com/node/14
Looks just like XP.Only question remaining....Why the fu....??????
Dave
--
Registered Linux user # 444770
Bob Adkins
<markwarner195...@att.net> wrote:
>Bob Adkins wrote:
>>
>> http://news.softpedia.com/news/Free-Windows-XP-Clone-Built-on-Ubuntu-9-10-130719.shtml
>>
>> Only in Chinese for now, but it will go viral if it's close to Windows
>> look and feel, and runs most Windows apps and drivers.
>
>According to the article, it uses wine to run Windows apps. So it
>doesn't run them natively, any more than any other Linux distribution
>running wine does (like this MEPIS install I'm using right now).
>
>So what we have is yet another remaster of Ubuntu with Windows wallpaper
>and perhaps the Gnome menu tweaked to mimic XP's.
>
>Yawn.
Yawn indeed.
But you're missing the point.
The point is, people are comfortable with the look and feel of XP.
This could attract lots of new users, become very popular, and get
some heavy hitters involved in developing a Windows compatible OS.
The problem is not giant Windows vs. tiny Linux. The problem is, no
big companies have taken up the Linux cause. Google is dabbling, but
they have made it clear they are not interested in making it Windows
compatible. Huge mistake!
nospam
>>Yawn.
>
>Yawn indeed.
>
>But you're missing the point.
>
>The point is, people are comfortable with the look and feel of XP.
>This could attract lots of new users, become very popular, and get
>some heavy hitters involved in developing a Windows compatible OS.
Like people were comfortable with the look and feel of internet explorer
which made Firefox so unpopular?
People need an operating system to support their hardware and programs.
Making ubuntu + wine look more like XP is almost irrelevant.
Mark Warner
Mimicking the "look and feel" of Windows is trivial. The point is,
people use applications without regards to the underlying operating
system. I recently replaced my 13-year-old niece's borken Vista install
with MEPIS, and she hasn't missed a beat.
The only Windows compatible operating system is Windows. Desktop Linux
is an alternative, not a replacement. If one insists on natively running
Windows software, he then needs to run Windows. And you can bet your
bottom dollar that Microsoft will do everything in its power to keep the
lock-in locked in.
For most home users and office users, there's no reason why they
couldn't be migrated to desktop Linux right now. The impediments are
inertia, fear, the Windows/MS Office synergy in the enterprise, and a
lack of support from Adobe and Intuit. Those last two are significant,
but can be overcome in time. The first two are human nature. I don't see
any solution to that.
The good news is that my aforementioned niece didn't care what OS she
was using, and wasn't fazed by using a different application to do the
same thing. Had she refused to use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer,
or Amarok instead of iTunes, or Kaffeine instead of Windows Media
Player, it would have been a different story. Maybe the answer is
getting to them when they're young.
Bear Bottoms
news:4jekj59smg5bt7bgo...@4ax.com:
> I must be missing something. If somebody wants the look and feel of
> Windows, in order to run applications written for Windows - why don't
> they use Windows for their operating system?
>
> I don't see Windows compatibility as a requirement for alternative
> operating systems. Linux and Linux applications work fine without
> running Windows apps, except for Intuit products and income tax
> softwares.
The problem is drivers. Windows has more driver support than any other OS
because it is the most used. Being Windows compatible is the most
important issue for another OS...and why Linux isn't catching on any
better than it has after all of these years of Linux.
--
Bear Bottoms
Freeware website: http://bearware.info
Bear Bottoms
@mid.individual.net:
> For most home users and office users, there's no reason why they
> couldn't be migrated to desktop Linux right now.
Except for the fact that Linux hasn't the drivers to run all of my
hardware.
Mark Warner
> Mark Warner wrote:
>>
>> For most home users and office users, there's no reason why they
>> couldn't be migrated to desktop Linux right now.
>
> Except for the fact that Linux hasn't the drivers to run all of my
> hardware.
That's 'cause you're so special. For most, hardware compatibility is not
an issue. Hasn't been for a long time.
N4469P
> Bear Bottoms wrote:
>> Mark Warner wrote:
>>>
>>> For most home users and office users, there's no reason why they
>>> couldn't be migrated to desktop Linux right now.
>>
>> Except for the fact that Linux hasn't the drivers to run all of my
>> hardware.
>
> That's 'cause you're so special. For most, hardware compatibility is not
> an issue. Hasn't been for a long time.
complete and total bullshit
Spamblk
<SNIP....>
> That's 'cause you're so special. For most, hardware compatibility is
> not an issue. Hasn't been for a long time.
As a Linux user myself (with a Pentium III meaning I won't be trying
VISTA anytime soon) I could not totally go along with this. One example
is a mobile broadband dongle. Windows will automatically detect the modem
as a CD device and autoplay setup.exe, which will detect whether the
dongle drivers are already installed. If and when the drivers are
installed, the dongle then is flipped to modem mode.
Linux is not supported by manufacturers of these devices officially, so
that means you do have to do do a bit of searching in forums etc to find
out how to flip the device manually. Popularity is part of the problem.
The manufacturers of these dongles assumes you are a Windows or Mac user;
and if you are not - tough.
If you are a bit of a techie, then Linux brings many advantages. OTOH
many users don't want to be techies. If Linux becomes more popular then
it may well become more self configuring in future. e.g plug in a mobile
broadband dongle and it will be recognised/flipped and the drivers loaded
automatically via hotplugging.
Re WINE and "Native mode", well WINE Is Not an Emulator. Run of the mill
programs will run much as they do in Windows. This copy of Xnews I am
using now is an example. Other Windows programs I use quite a bit are
Foxit reader, MP3DirectCut and PDF-Xchange they seem to run much as under
a standard Windows system. WINE will run PortableFirefox 3.x, a program
that will NOT run under Win 9.x(Requres Win NT architecture).
OTOH, programs using DirectX API's (including DXDIAG.EXE itself) appear
to require root account privileges to run, and WINE has not yet
implemented all DirectX APIs: downloading extra DirectX components is
recommended if you want to run games under WINE.
Compatibility subsystems are nothing new. Java Runtime Environment, .Net
framework etc. are examples(unlike WINE they may run Bytecode). A perhaps
better example is the Subsystem under WIN32 that run Windows 3.x (WIN16)
programs. WIN32 creates an environment to duplicate the quite different
Windows 3.x software systems architecture. This is more or less the
eqivalent of what WINE does.
N4469P
i mean complete and utter bullshit
Gordon Darling
> 'Spamblk' wrote thus:
>>Re WINE and "Native mode", well WINE Is Not an Emulator.
>
>
> If Wine is not an emulator, what is it?
"Wine's not that kind of emulator
When users think of emulators, they think of programs like Dosbox or
zsnes. These applications run as virtual machines and are slow, having to
emulate each processor instruction. Wine does not do any CPU emulation -
hence the name "Wine Is Not an Emulator."
Some people argue that since Wine introduces an extra layer above the
system a Windows application will run slowly. While technically true,
Wine is no different from any other software library in this regard; even
newer versions of Windows must load extra resources to support older
applications.
Importantly, the combination of Wine and Unix can sometimes be faster
than Windows itself. This is especially true when the system has good
drivers and the application isn't exposing any Performance Related Bugs."
Regards
Gordon
N4469P
> Mark Warner <markwarner195...@att.net> wrote in
> news:7pvm33...@mid.individual.net:
>
> <SNIP....>
>> That's 'cause you're so special. For most, hardware compatibility is
>> not an issue. Hasn't been for a long time.
>
> As a Linux user myself (with a Pentium III meaning I won't be trying
> VISTA anytime soon) I could not totally go along with this.
Correct complete and utter (stand corrected) Linux kiddie play toy toy
play computer kiddie bullshit.
N4469P
> If Wine is not an emulator, what is it?
A playtoy for linux kiddies who cant dress up in a suit and work in a
real Windows environment. dfuh
N4469P
i meant complete and utter bullshit like butter sucked from my ass
Bob Adkins
>I must be missing something.
Yes, you're missing something.
Windows costs $90-$250.00 US.
Open source costs $0.00.
N4469P
> 'N4469P' wrote thus:
> Cue Mark Warner: "My hobby is searching for Linux drivers".
And pussy Linux kiddies /never/ get any pussy.
N4469P
imajin that
N4469P
> I must be missing something. If somebody wants the look and feel of
> Windows, in order to run applications written for Windows - why don't
> they use Windows for their operating system?
b/c they are cheepos w/ no money = linux
N4469P
> Mimicking the "look and feel" of Windows is trivial. The point is,
> people use applications without regards to the underlying operating
> system. I recently replaced my 13-year-old niece's borken Vista install
> with MEPIS, and she hasn't missed a beat.
she's a nerd whowill never get laid 2
N4469P
> For most home users and office users, there's no reason why they
> couldn't be migrated to desktop Linux right now.
complete and cow udder bullshit play play play all day on your toy PC
markie.
N4469P
yeah and i wish you "stub" it back in 2
�Ari�
remember privacy.li ?
http://forums.truecrypt.org/viewtopic.php?t=5893
--
Ari's Fun Times!
http://is.gd/4Ulfo
Motto: Run, rabbit, Run!
Spamblk
news:4b3b4637$0$8229$c5fe...@read01.usenet4all.se:
> On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:38:39 +0000, hummingbird wrote:
>
>> 'Spamblk' wrote thus:
<SNIP....>
>> If Wine is not an emulator, what is it?
>
> "Wine's not that kind of emulator
>
> When users think of emulators, they think of programs like Dosbox or
> zsnes. These applications run as virtual machines and are slow, having
> to emulate each processor instruction. Wine does not do any CPU
> emulation - hence the name "Wine Is Not an Emulator."
>
> Some people argue that since Wine introduces an extra layer above the
> system a Windows application will run slowly. While technically true,
> Wine is no different from any other software library in this regard;
> even newer versions of Windows must load extra resources to support
> older applications.
Quite so, WINE provides a compatibilty system for windows programs. In some
respects because it converts some windows APIs to Linux ones it can be said
by some people to be an emulator. Yet WINE also allows for non core WIN32
DLLs to be copied from Windows machines or will use, unaltered, DLLs that
come with software packages.
> Importantly, the combination of Wine and Unix can sometimes be faster
> than Windows itself. This is especially true when the system has good
> drivers and the application isn't exposing any Performance Related
> Bugs."
Indeed.
> Regards
> Gordon.
N4469P
> remember privacy.li ?
no
H-Man
The drivers argument doesn't hold up any better when discussing Linux than
it does for MAC. If one chooses an OS / platform for their desktop, then
one must make informed hardware purchases.
I once had a printer (made by Brother as I recall) that worked perfectly
well, but only in Win 3.x. It did not survive the move to Win95. Another
Lexmark MFP that did not survive the move to Vista. I suspect there will be
many devices that will not survive the move to Win7. My point is that a
move to a different OS does not guarantee all of your hardware will migrate
equally.
All of that said, I get what you're saying and, for sure, it is an
important consideration when moving to a different OS to research the
device compatibility of your hardware, as this can factor significantly
into the cost of changing.
--
HK
N4469P
I mean yes
N4469P
privacy.liE
Bear Bottoms
$892e...@auth.newsreader.octanews.com:
> All of that said, I get what you're saying and, for sure, it is an
> important consideration when moving to a different OS to research the
> device compatibility of your hardware, as this can factor significantly
> into the cost of changing.
>
This is very true with most operating systems other than Microsoft.
Virtually all hardware will run on Windows, with the exceptions of a very
very small number of people who may develop hardware targeting only MAC
or Linux. MAC might be easier to understand than those who might do so
only for Linux.
Of course older stuff can be rendered obsolete by any upgrade of an OS.
For the most part however, most will not be unless it is an antique.
--
Bear Bottoms
Freeware website: http://bearware.info
C.Joseph Drayton
There is one real problem with open source as far as the business world
tends to be concerned. Support and continuity.
Here at alt.comp.freeware, we have seen any number of good programs that
the programmer no longer develops or supports. Since they offer the
program for free we can't really complain.
When you are in business though, you would prefer to know that the
programs you are using will continue to be developed and supported. Free
is always good (I have a lot of freeware utilities that I heard about
here on my computer). But continuity and support really is important.
Sincerely,
C.Joseph Drayton, Ph.D. AS&T
CSD Computer Services
Web site: http://csdcs.site90.net/
E-mail: c.jo...@csdcs.site90.net
»Q«
hummingbird <hummingbír...@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> You refer to using "different application" on Linux to do whatever
> one does in Windows. That is potentially very significant to
> people who have invested a lot of money/resources in Windows
> apps or enjoy the look and feel of their Windows apps.
People enjoy investing a lot of money/resources in Windows apps
aren't likely ever to switch to any other OS. There's an underlying
assumption by some in these threads that the GNU/Linux community should
be trying to get those people to stop using Windows. People who think
that "being Windows compatible is the most important issue for another
OS" just aren't part of the demographic likely to benefit from
GNU/Linux. Occasionally, someone does mount a project to try to woo
them, but those efforts are only a tiny drop in the ocean of what's
going on with GNU/Linux development.
N4469P
> There is one real problem with open source as far as the business world
> tends to be concerned. Support and continuity.
Quality control, code reliability, unknown security issues, youe mothers
tampon
Nicolaas Hawkins
> On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:47:46 -0500, N4469P <samue...@gmail.com>
> wrote, by way of <hhhadi$6cn$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, in
> alt.comp.freeware -->
> You really are one [in]glorious friggen' potty mouth, aren't you.
Comes from having a small dick and a matching IQ.
N4469P
> On Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:47:46 -0500, N4469P <samue...@gmail.com>
> wrote, by way of <hhhadi$6cn$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, in
> alt.comp.freeware -->
>
> You really are one [in]glorious friggen' potty mouth, aren't you.
why does your mother's tampon stink? aint my problem.
N4469P
hell i didn't know that appreciate your personal reflection tho.