Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday June 30 2017, @10:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the thank-you-captain-obvious dept.

Bryan Lunduke at Network World calls out what other mainstream media have been too timid, or bought out, to call out. He starts by pointing out that choosing Microsoft Windows for your organization should get you fired and that if you haven't already replaced Windows, across the board, you absolutely stink at your job.

There. Finally the topic is broached in mainstream media and a proper discussion can now start among decision makers who can arrange complete migrations to GNU/Linux, Chrome/Linux, one of the BSDs, or a combination of them.

As Microsoft security problems continue to escalate since even the pre-networked, MS-DOS days, managers and front-line grunts will find themselves increasingly culpable for selecting unviable software, such as Microsoft Windows. If they wish to pay big bucks for maintenance, there are plenty of companies around to participate in the money. Canonical, Red Hat, M:Tier are just a sampling.

[Ed. Note: I debated whether or not to run this story — in some respects it's just the Windows vs *nix argument all over again. Also, there are proprietary programs which are critical for certain industries which currently only run on Windows. On the other hand, gaining a mention like this in the more mainstream media, does that mean we are approaching an inflection point? Witness the increased displeasure with Windows 10's telemetry and the difficulty in completely blocking it. What programs do you use that are only available on Windows? What keeps you from moving to another OS? --martyb]


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by Webweasel on Friday June 30 2017, @11:35AM (12 children)

    by Webweasel (567) on Friday June 30 2017, @11:35AM (#533376) Homepage Journal

    I'm a gamer, so DirectX keeps me on Windows.

    --
    Priyom.org Number stations, Russian Military radio. "You are a bad, bad man. Do you have any other virtues?"-Runaway1956
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday June 30 2017, @11:44AM (2 children)

    by kaszz (4211) on Friday June 30 2017, @11:44AM (#533379) Journal

    What about SteamOS?
    OpenGL?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @05:57PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @05:57PM (#533585)

      I really hope it turns the big publishers' heads.

      All I use my Windows 8.1 install for is video games. I have updates turned off, and if it gets pwn3d, I just wipe and install again.

      The hundreds (thousands?) of games currently available for Linux on Steam are great and all. However, nobody I know is playing any of them at the moment. There's an MMORPG I use an English translation patch to play at the moment. Skyrim and Fallout 4 were both really good. I'm hoping to enjoy the Monster Hunter game coming to PC next year. All Windows-only.

      I can play Civ 4 with WINE under Linux. It runs four times as slowly as on Windows, which makes Caveman2Cosmos unplayable on the biggest maps. It can handle BtS with WINE decently.

      Star Citizen is the only game I'm interested in that might have a Linux release. (Assuming it has any release, lol.)

      I hope that changes. I really do. I am constantly irritated with dual-booting, but what else would I do?

      (Heaven forbid, I could read a book instead of playing video games! I assure you, that option is not on the table.)

      • (Score: 1) by jrial on Monday July 03 2017, @11:52PM

        by jrial (5162) on Monday July 03 2017, @11:52PM (#534612)

        I was in your situation back in the early 2000's, when I got fed up with dual booting and finally switched full-time to Linux. Didn't even have a console to get my gaming fix, so gaming for me became the occasional game that got a Linux release (the Quake games, Prey, and that was pretty much it).

        Now, with Steam, I have like, I don't know, 250 games or thereabouts in my collection. Most of them unplayed. Sure, they're mostly Indie stuff rather than AAA titles (Tomb Raider 2013 being the exception to the rule). Then again, as I've grown a bit older, I have come to appreciate the indie gaming scene a lot more than the constant rehashes the big studios keep pumping out.

        YMMV, and I'm not criticising your choices nor your taste in games. Just saying that for me, the gaming scene on Linux is pretty much more than what I need. But yes, sometimes this gem comes around that you would really love to play, but that just won't get a Linux port, so it's far from perfect yet.

        --
        Install windows on my workstation? You crazy? Got any idea how much I paid for the damn thing?
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by CoolHand on Friday June 30 2017, @11:51AM (2 children)

    by CoolHand (438) on Friday June 30 2017, @11:51AM (#533382) Journal
    hmmm... I have about 500 games on my homemade Steam Machine with SteamOS.. So, if you're not too picky of a gamer, there is a lot out there not holding to Windows. Once, I became an adult, I broke the cycle of having to have the newest fanciest game all time. I figured out its a lot cheaper on both hardware and software to have patience and wait a couple years to play games after they come out. Plus, I've learned to be happy with what I have on my platform of choice. About the only Windows game I play is Skyrim, and I play it through wine just fine..
    --
    Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by lx on Friday June 30 2017, @01:42PM (1 child)

      by lx (1915) on Friday June 30 2017, @01:42PM (#533421)

      Is this you? [xkcd.com]

      I shouldn't talk really. I still play (emulated) C64 games on a regular basis.

      • (Score: 2) by CoolHand on Tuesday July 11 2017, @12:42PM

        by CoolHand (438) on Tuesday July 11 2017, @12:42PM (#537561) Journal
        Yeah, thats pretty close to me.. :D except on a 2-3 year lag usually instead of 5...
        --
        Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @12:51PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @12:51PM (#533399)

    first, directX do not exist anymore... people still call it, but you only have direct3D, the other parts where replaced long ago

    now, many games are already released to linux, others being ported. If you do not have your game ported to linux, nag the producer/developer about it and point then to feral, aspyr, VP or even crossover to do the port

    Finally, many games do run well in wine, direct3d 11 is being added to wine and several of then already work. dx9 games mostly works and if you have a amd card, you can even use the "native" linux direct3d implementation, gallium nine over a patched wine.

    Of course, better yet is to drop games that do not support linux and start using games that support linux... there are many good games out there that can give the same joy and fun times

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @05:50PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @05:50PM (#533582)

      I miss fighting games which are almost non-existant on Linux…

  • (Score: 2) by pendorbound on Friday June 30 2017, @02:15PM (2 children)

    by pendorbound (2688) on Friday June 30 2017, @02:15PM (#533445) Homepage

    Dual boot. Play your games in the toy operating system, use something more secure for everything else.

    • (Score: 2) by Geezer on Friday June 30 2017, @03:29PM (1 child)

      by Geezer (511) on Friday June 30 2017, @03:29PM (#533495)

      Bingo! I couldn't agree more. I have a bare-bones Win7 Pro install with ports and hosts locked down like a nun's twat for certain non-Steamable games. Systemd-free Slackware for everything else. Life is good.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @06:01PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @06:01PM (#533589)

        I really like Windows 8.1's start "menu" for what I use it for: games. It makes a really convenient UI for selecting which game I want to launch.

        I couldn't imagine doing any real work with Windows 8.1, though. Makes a good OS for an arcade cabinet, especially with a touchscreen.

  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday June 30 2017, @09:48PM

    Not for long it doesn't. Quite a lot of the bigger game makers are getting wood over Vulkan. I really don't expect to see many DX games going forward that aren't in some way financially tied to Microsoft.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.