davidw2005 said:
1. There needs to be maximum game support. Meaning...any game designed for Windows should run just the same on Linux. Not creating Linux games...just somehow making Linux with compatible code.
2. It needs to be "user friendly". Or...at least one version of Linux needs to be that way. I have downloaded Lindows(and have it free since they were giving it away free for a while)...and honestly, even with the software, which costs money, I still found it very stupid to use. It just wasn't familar when it came to change settings and such.
3. It needs to have equally good software. Of, if not, at least allow us to run MS software on it. This sort of goes with #1 above...make compatible code. If there was a MS office software twin in the Linux world...I may switch or at least dual boot. Openoffice is decent for free, but I don't feel it's any MS Office. Why then complain? Because I have many computing classes...and we learn on Office XP Pro. I need all the same commands and functions to be in exactly the same position.
4. Make the interface nice looking, and familar. Why have the weird taskbar that I find...just weird. Can we either have a apple macintosh look-alike with the toolbar, or a XP taskbar at the bottom that looks the same. I like my icons and running programs all there.
5. I need a decent built in firewall that is easily configurable. That way, I don't need to run a stand-alone firewall. On top of that, there needs to be a antivirus software program I can download.
6. And of course, on top of all this, I expect it all free
I learned a few things when I tinkered with Linux...
# 4 and # 2 :: First off, the interface can be made nicer but it isn't easy to do so. If you want Windows interface, you got it here...
http://www.xpde.com/
# 5 and # 2 :: Linux has a firewall built in (at least on most distros), however it isn't easy to configure. A lot of programs work in the background and don't have a visual front end for configuring them. That I found frustrating. However, Linux has a very good firewall.
Antivirus for Linux DOES exist, I have seen it before, but it is hard to find.
# 1 :: Gaming support is limited. Some programs, like Dosbox and WINE, provide dos and windows functionality, but the programs have a tough time with linux, and getting them to work is hard. Some games, like UT2004, support Linux natively.
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net
http://www.winehq.com/
# 3 :: This is very hard to do. There may be alternatives, and the only one I can think of is AbiWord. It is a light yet pretty good clone of Microsoft Word.
http://www.abisource.com/
# 6 :: They all are free, enough said.
Anyways, one problem I have with Linux... setting it up, getting it to work, and then actually installing and running software that I want. Good software is REALLY hard to find for that platform and most people do not want to help me out in Linux (because I am a newbie in that area...
) There is some nice things to Linux and some awesome aspects of it, but it isn't easy to use, and it does lack a lot of the finer things.
However, perhaps some of the links I have provided show that Linux is not completely bleak, and there may be a day when I can call Linux my home OS.
Hope this post helps!