*** Reply to message from BandiPat
I think I would have have to disagree first of all that Linux is not also a desktop OS now.
I haven't been able to figure out where, exactly, this prejudice against a LINUX desktop has sprung from. From 6.3 which I only used for a few weeks ( newer SuSE version came out shortly after the book w/ 6.3 arrived ) And it seems to me that , certainly from 7.1 onward .. the desktop portion has become an install and forget setup... 7.2 got my husband from commenting on how long my (desktop) box had been up and not needed a reboot to actually installing and beginning a Linux life of his own. His data doesn't disappear, this is very important to him, since he's a writer /lecturer / and general "you name it" in the world;d pf medical journals and magazines , and occasionally , even the odd book. He had heard and read the general FUD that surrounds the possibility that anyone might consider not using an MS product. Tho, I suspect he was less , um, "panicky" than most as he had never used MS much himself One place he worked only supplied 386-486 black and white laptops ... I got him a lovely THinkpad for much less cash than the IT dept at that company claimed they were paying for the old slow B&W versions. That colour laptop had OS/2 on it , as I wasn't about to have maintain , not to mention rescue a windows box.. especially not one that I paid for. I'm not an MS hater, tho I'm not convinced at all of the sincerity of the grubby little being who claims that he is the only computer person and his company is the only one that "innovates" . The man is a salesman and nothing else. He doesn't even care about anything at all but the money. ( that's how he keeps score ) Linux, esp. the SuSE distros are certainly ready for "prime time" and I have put any number of wannabe computer users on a Linux desktop , even the much maligned 8.1 version. Some folks don't even know they aren't using Windows , others aren't certain what a "desktop" is .. absolute beginners are charmed by the 8.2 Suse version , the games , the assortment of free programs they can play w/ , and the helpful folks they find on lists such as this one. Even folks who wish to go wireless are not having any more *problems" than they get from a Windows computer.
The desktop market
is just some added income for them with little funding. It still has many hurdles to overcome for the average new user. Hardware compatibility still has many problems.
Really ? I've not found that at all. And I generally have the hottest and fastest , not to mention newest stuff on the block. As a technology wonk and born "early adopter" I often buy hardware that "should" work , but may not. However, usually the very next version has at least limited support for the new toys and certainly the *.3 version will have a setup for the new stuff that "just works" *.2 , for instance setup and connects to a Suse web site during the install,at that point , it will happily get any and all updates that need to be installed and install those. It isn't even *necessary* to go back and "setup" a network ( connection to the internet esp.) IF you have a "stand alone" box, once you boot into your desktop , you are done. ( Tho you will have more "fun" if you do go thru the yast2 setup stuff.. if only to see what can be set and what you can improve or remove ) They ONLY thing I would caution against is proprietary hardware .. Gateway comes to mind here , possibly Dell as well, where they cut corners ( in order to stay afloat ) and often use weird hardware that may bring your linux install experience to a crashing halt ! Generally a few tweaks later it will install properly , and run as the problem is realized and work arounds are created.. -- j Talkin' to myself again; Wond'rin' if this travelin' is good. Is there something else a doin' ? Somethin' I'd be doin' if I could. But if it all blows up ; and goes to hell;I hope that we could sit upon , a bed in some motel... just singin' all the stories we could tell. j. sebastian it's just an afterthought; okay ? : Save the Rainforest! Eat a vegetarian!