Fun thread.

[Jesse Jarzynka]

On Wed, 2005-01-05 at 15:07, Dennis Ruzeski wrote:
> It's not what Linux can do, it's what Windows can't do-- Protect itself.
> To show why I like Linux better, I mention things like msblaster, nimda, mydoom, sasser, etc...
> Then I show them my CERT mail archives with about a 15:1 Windows to Linux alert ratio and if I'm at my home, I demonstrate how easliy a windows machine can be compromised.
> Lots of people are impressed with eye candy, so although I use windowmaker, I also show them a prettied up gnome, kde, and enlightenment environment.
> Then I give them a knoppix cd and say try it first with no commitment.

> As far as apps go, I like Openoffice (free vs. ~$300) GIMP, Blender, Gaim, and k3b.
> 
> --Dennis

	That's exactly what I say. But more of what i meant was you show some
people OpenOffice, they say "I'll just download Microsoft Office", Gimp,
"I'll download Photoshop", get the idea? Even if they know Linux is more
secure, they'll keep Windows for the comfort factor. A lot of people,
while stupid, think that they shouldn't have to switch if they can still
download everything they want for free. 
	I have a kid in my class who brings his laptop in, and every morning
does his little virus scan, immediately followed by his ad-aware scan.
Spends about 20 minutes just cleaning it up. That just goes to show
people will deal with it, and maybe even feel better about it!
	Blender is a good one. While I haven't played with it. I've heard and
seen some awesome things from it. Isn't it ported to Windows though? I
also think mythTV is a cool one that's kinda standalone on Linux. Some
other cool things I usually mention are more dependable ripping. I
remember windows crashing and dying all the time while Grip, or DVDrip
just work fantastically. And also, ogg doesnt force you to download a
license to listen to them! Anyone ran into this little gem on Windows
yet? I also like all the tools that come with terminal. Ssh, scp, vi
(while on a server), locate, grep etc.
	I just like blowing people's minds when I show them my desktop, and
wanted to know if anyone could think of some other clever things Linux
can do that Windows can't, besides the obvious security issues. I think
for a lot of the "intermediate" users, until they see some eye candy, or
unavailable apps, they'll settle. Obviously the screensavers are a good
start!
-- 
Jesse Jarzynka
Cyber Source
http://www.jessejoe.com/
http://www.thecybersource.com/