Re: Competition

Hello,

On 08/25/2011 12:23 AM, Scrap Happy wrote:
> E.g., I use very few of the multitude of packages available. I
> don't care if GIMP runs well or if the latest version is
> supported on NetBSD -- I'll drag out Photoshop and be done
> with my work before the package installs itself and all its
> dependencies. Likewise, OO is more investment than I would
> care to make -- FrameMaker handles my DTP needs quite well.

I was a bit surprised when I read this. Don't you use NetBSD on your 
desktop?

I've read a couple of posts in this list that suggest to me that 
participants use Windows on the desktop and see *BSD as a server OS 
only. I am genuinely surprised. I have always used some flavour of Linux 
on my desktop. I think the only proprietary software I have is Adobe 
Flash. I am happy with my system and I don't feel the slightest 
temptation to buy a program that will force me to run Windows.

When I need an office program I run OpenOffice. For photo editing I use 
GIMP. When I want to draw something I may use OO or Inkscape depending 
on what I need. My plantearium program is Stellarium. My scientific work 
is done in Fortran compiled with GCC.

I admit that I have a bias toward free/open source software, or at least 
proprietary software without vendor lock-in. But I don't think that this 
is the reason I don't use proprietary: I just don't miss it. I *like* 
running Linux. I *like* Unix-like systems. I am not going to use Windows 
in order to run a program, and I hardly see the point in paying for 
Photoshop or FrameMaker when the open source software in my computer has 
always served me so well.

I had always assumed that BSD users would feel similar. I had assumed 
that everyone on this list *likes* running NetBSD or *BSD and naturally 
would want to use it on their desktop rather than endure Windows.


>> I suspect not; at least for me the answer to the "but why" question
>> above is as simple as that NetBSD was available on the platform I was
>> using at the time, met the general idea of what I wanted ("free, unix"),
>> and I knew about it. Clean design only mattered once I had multiple
>> options that all seemed roughly similar; in my case I switched to, and
>> back from, Debian.
>
> OTOH, there *is* some value to what ELSE runs on those platforms.
> I.e., if all you end up with is an OS, you might *admire* it but
> not be able to *do* anything with it!

MINIX 3!

Cheers,
Daniel.
-- 
I'm not overweight, I'm undertall.