Fun talk:OS Wars/Archive1

This is an archive page, last updated 13 January 2016. Please do not make edits to this page.

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RW stats

FYI, visitors to RationalWiki are using:

• Windows-84%
• Macintosh-8%
• Linux-7%

tmtoulouse ^provoke 20:50, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Sadly, these days I'm only occasionally part of the Linux figure. Stupid work and its blasted windows only IDEs and emulators. --JeevesMkII 20:52, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

I make up the <1% Solaris traffic that I didn't bother to source, as well as windows and mac traffic....we have lots of fun workstations in our lab. Solaris does all the heavy lifting but there are several things that have to be run on mac or windows. And for some god awfully reason everyone insists on sending documents using MS formatting. The MS import feature of open office just doesn't cut it for anything remotely complicated. tmtoulouse ^provoke 20:57, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Do you use Apache POI? ^{— Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 15:14, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

Do you have figures for browsers? I would suspect there's a healthy ratio of FireFox users - well - me for a start. Silver Sloth 21:00, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

• Firefox 54.5 %
• Internet Explorer 34.9 %
• Safari 4.1 %
• Unknown 3.1 %
• Opera 1.6 %
• Mozilla 0.8 %
• Netscape 0.2 %
• BonEcho 0.1 %
• Konqueror 0.1 %
• LibWWW 0 %

tmtoulouse ^provoke 21:11, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Thanks - that's even better than I thought it would be. I just love Firefox 3. Silver Sloth 21:18, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Yea are browser usage pattern is very different from the web at large. tmtoulouse ^provoke 21:19, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Fun namespace? $\approx$$\pi$ 21:14, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Gets my vote. Silver Sloth 21:18, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Lets let it percolate here just a little while atleast and see what happens. tmtoulouse ^provoke 21:21, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Um, if Commodore and Timex Sinclair articles don't belong, nothing computer related does. Secret Squirrel 21:29, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Ref: And for some god awfully reason everyone insists on sending documents using MS formatting.

Why is that, do you think? Is it just that they don't know that they have alternatives?

-- Rem^Beau 21:45, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Most people just except the computer stuck in front of them and so when they write something in word that send it as a word document without relising that it is not universal. I saw this TV show last night with a bunch of old women "questioning everything" and complaining about using word and how stupid it is. They can't be questioning all that much if they never stopped to ask is there actually an alternative. $\approx$$\pi$ 21:50, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

I'm wondering if it's worth copyediting this article, since it's probably gonna get memory-holed. Are there jokes mixed in with the typos, at least? Is anyone going to make the argument that it is debunking religious maniacs? ħuman 22:20, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Unlike individual users, businesses have a lot more things to consider. They can't just change horses in mid-stream. So our office systems have been Microsoft based since MSDOS 6 and Wordperfect 5.1, through Windows 2000 and onto Vista later this year. There hasn't been an acceptable alternative in the meantime. Macs were too expensive and unix-boxes too user hostile for secretaries and managers. Because of the enormous costs involved in preparing a system for the corporate environment with tens of thousands of users and masses of legacy applications, I don't believe changing has ever been a realistic issue. Our scientific computing, however, has changed. I started off with DEC and moved onto Unix (AIX then Solaris). To cut costs Unix was dumped and everyone else has moved to Linux (my group is the only one left with a 10-year old Solaris unit). As so many people now use Linux there may be an eventual move away from MS but the quality of the Open Office software and compatibility with legacy documents needs to improve before they will make the change. On a personal note I used to be an Apple afficionado having had an Apple II, IIe and IIc. However when the Mac was introduced they effectively abandoned the II and I was left with a lot of redundant software and hardware which always annoyed me. At least Windows has allowed me to keep a certain proportion of older stuff as it has changed. The paradox is that the advantage of using legacy applications is probably also one of Windows biggest disadvantages. Of course if you are a new entrant then you are unencumbered by all this investment in time and money. Genghis^pillaging 03:32, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

As a Linux user at home for the past few years, I have to say that I have never recompiled a kernel, and with modern distributions, I suspect very few people do that any more. It would probably be more accurate to say in the article that Linux users have a tendency to download and install Beta versions of distributions far too frequently, and then complain vigorously when they fail to work flawlessly.

On another note, CP's article on Linux is quite supportive, largely because Bill Gates is an evil atheist, and because CP's server is a Linux box. Many many moons ago, I created a user on CP with the express aim of editing their article to point out that Richard Stallman is both an evil atheist and an evil communist, that Linus Torvalds is probably not much better and that Linux, by association, is evil. Couldn't be bothered to see it through in the end, though. Bondurant 05:46, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

Bondurant - I use Ubuntu at home and wouldn't know how to recompile the kernel if I had to. I put that in because one of the aspects of OS religious wars is that the accusations are usually based on outdated or simply wrong misconceptions. Come to think of it, that's pretty true of all religious wars. Silver Sloth 10:01, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

I don't even know what recompiling the kernel entails. Time stupid Hoover! 11:10, 21 February 2009 (EST)

Distro's like Ubuntu make processes like kernal compilation abstract to users like us. ^{— Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 15:32, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

We do, however, laugh heartily at Amiga users

Noooo! Amiga was great! I still miss mone :( Totnesmartin 06:05, 21 February 2009 (EST)

I want to see how well Ubuntu works, but as I don't want to sacrifice my beautiful Mac OS 10.5.6 and I can't work out how to use VirtualBox on it, I'm in something of a quandary. Time stupid Hoover! 06:33, 21 February 2009 (EST)

Quandary eh? nice car! (thank you, Ted Chippington!) Totnesmartin 07:02, 21 February 2009 (EST)

I got it to work, and now have full control over all 3 operating systems. Time stupid Hoover! 15:10, 21 February 2009 (EST)

Wow. I'm not in full control over one. Totnesmartin 05:42, 22 February 2009 (EST)

Well, I know how to pwn any one of them, and I'm proficient at fiddling with the Mac, and therefore the Linux terminal isn't too unfamiliar. Time stupid Hoover! 06:41, 22 February 2009 (EST)

And now Google are getting in on it?

http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13982647&fsrc

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/five-things-googles-chrome-os-will-do-for-your-netbook/

Chrome OS fanboys? What will they be categorised/stereotyped as, then? ^{d hominem} 15:08, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

Only time and releases will tell, but my guess is "tools"? ^{— Signed, by: Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 15:16, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

title

I dont know about you but the article title seems rather clumsy and unwieldy to me. The content is great but perhaps we should rephrase? Ace McWickedⁱ⁹ 03:46, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

"OS holy wars," perhaps? ListenerX^TalkerX 03:49, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

"Fanatical OS geeks"? Ace McWickedⁱ⁹ 03:57, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Is it not more about the disputations than the geeks making them? ListenerX^TalkerX 03:58, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Quite true. Ace McWickedⁱ⁹ 04:01, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Anyways, how about just "OS Wars" Ace McWickedⁱ⁹ 07:04, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

I'm ok with that. ħuman 08:21, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Oops, except for the capital "Wars". Shouldn't it just be "OS wars"? ħuman 21:53, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

My bad. I may have confuddled it with Star Wars, which certainly would have a capital. If I could knock up a piss-take SW logo that said "OS WARS" or something, would that make it better? ^{d hominem} 21:57, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Hehe, sure... it could be either way, but I'm thinking "OS wars" is easier to remember when linking. But, capped might be the funnier way to go... kan haz logo pleez? ħuman 22:23, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Best of amusement

Now this is under Best of Amusement, shouldn't it be moved to funspace? Totnesmartin (talk) 20:21, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Not all of those are under funspace (and I only added it because that category doesn't have a lot in it and we have some pretty good stuff). Although it's humourous, I think this covers a relatively serious topic; nerds are insane when it comes to this stuff. ^{d hominem} 20:27, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Move to funspace (redux)

It really doesn't belong in mainspace. Tetronian ^{you're clueless} 16:44, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Snow Leopard

Broke my VOIP SIP client. Nutty Roux (talk) 03:55, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

Weird glitch or something

Footnote number 5 isn't showing up for me, even after messing with it. It's in the "Linux users" section. --GastonRabbit (talk) 23:23, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

Caused by {{Internet}}. I don't know what triggers it yet, since I don't have enough time to research the exact cause. --Sigma 7 (talk) 00:22, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

What was that template doing here? Operating systems are far older than the modern form of the Internet (and an early form of the OS Wars was the Unix Wars), and an Internet connection isn't even needed to use one anyway. --GastonRabbit (talk) 01:09, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

DPL sometimes causes issues with the ref tags. Not sure how to fix it. It mostly works. ^{d hominem} 01:30, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

Amiga

Supposedly, they added #define ever (;;) to the standard library header files. This makes it awesome. Change the article to reflect this. Educated educated Phantom Hoover! 22:41, 9 August 2010 (UTC)