Linux: I was excited to read about this. I have a friend who was taking classes in Linux to learn how to program his own computer. I learned then it was free and there were people availbale who wanted to teach it to others.
Reading Garrels' "Introduction to Linux" which I believe in its entirety is a sort of class on Linux, I found it to be true what my friend had told me. I find the open source idea to be very appealing in that information is readily available, along with a support community, to interested and enterprising users. I would be interested in learning Linux, and I think I would be most successful in an actual class and not alone learning online on my own computer (which I really do not want to ruin).
The GNU Tools seem pretty user friendly also. As a whole, Linux does not seem as scary to me as perhaps the next article, "What is Mac OS X" (even though I won a Mac and use it pretty well.
Kernelthread's description is mostly in a language I do not know how to read. I gave it a gallant try, especially when he began writing code on a Mac beginning at startup. Even though I began sweating, I still was amazed that one could do this to a computer. I have never before known that confidence of looking at the language which makes up this pretty interface that comes all ready for me to use.
I learned about Sherlock, voice commands, and the F9 button, all of which I plan to use frequently and to the amazement of friends and family.
I appreciate the comparisons given here between the 3 operating systems: Mac, LINUX, and Windows. I agree that LINUX is wonderful, but can become bogged down with just the sheer amount of choice involved.
The wikipedia article on Mac OS X is indispensible in clearing up the kernelthread article.
Last: Windows article: very easy to read. I felt all warm inside. They really care. This is the perfect system for someone who wants a ready to go computer. I have had generally good experiences with Windows but was eventually turned off due to all the bugs Internet Explorer came down with and how many times our trusty old PC was attacked. Which leads to programming: I had a ready-to-go PC but needed someone around all the time who could reboot and debug it. So, maybe not so user-friendly.
2 comments:
Maggie,
I, like you, was excited to read about Linux. I am installing it on one of my computers, so we'll see how that goes. I think the future of computer programs is open source software and availability of a wide range of information and the ability to do exactly what you want with a computer. I feel like the major issue with Windows is that it is so restrictive for the user (thus the appeal of Mac OS X and Linux). Did you try any of the command examples given in the Mac OS X article? Just curious to see if they were as easy to use as the author said they would be.
I'm about to read the Week 3 readings, but I stumbled upon your blog before I could do so. I learned a little about Linux while taking an Internet and Multimedia course at IUP. It was very interesting and I can't wait to read this article about it. I'm biased though, being a Mac user!
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