Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 02:15:22 -0500 From: Bob Bomar <bulldog@fxp.org> To: Charles Burns <burnscharlesn@hotmail.com> Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Advocacy help for CS professor Message-ID: <20020322071522.GB1392@peitho.fxp.org> In-Reply-To: <F118QCIRDE2e0ghLGRI00009136@hotmail.com> References: <F118QCIRDE2e0ghLGRI00009136@hotmail.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
--dTy3Mrz/UPE2dbVg Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Thu, Mar 21, 2002 at 11:41:47PM -0700, Charles Burns wrote: > I have a CD professor who has a masters in CS and EET from a top 50=20 > university yet is enveloped in the Microsoft way of life. While this isn'= t=20 > necessarily a bad thing, he is indirectly advocating Windows over Unix fo= r=20 > all tasks based on knowledge from the Unix of years ago. Alot has changed! > Showing him that Unix (BSD/Linux, etc) make a great server is easy, but= =20 > Unix is now a great desktop platform as well. This is what I need help=20 > with. I have written several advocacy messages myself, but they are=20 > typically targeted to people setting up servers. FreeBSd would make a decent Desktop OS, but Windows will never be=20 totally replaced. >=20 > I would like to make some specific arguments that will show him that Unix= =20 > is worth giving a try, and if he doesn't like it, fine, his choice. He is= =20 > willing to read what I have to say about it and listen to me as a peer, a= nd=20 > considering his position as the head of the CS department, this could=20 > benefit FreeBSD and Unix in general (if you are interested in that sort o= f=20 > thing). > I have been useing FreeBSD side by side with Windows to create a stable working enviroment. FreeBSD is the file server, and=20 windows is the pretty front end. =20 > This person has the following additude: >=20 > - Microsoft has money, therefore can buy the best programmers, therefore= =20 > has the best products. Very true, but Un*x has the dedicated programers. >=20 > - Microsoft is very successful, therefore has the best products (though h= e=20 > is not using the popularity alone as an argument as he does have extensiv= e=20 > knowledge of logic) > Well look at it this way, how many everyday people are willing to=20 sit down and learn how to do simple taskes in Un*x, or what we call simple tasks. =20 =20 > - OSS programmers could not possibly be as good as Microsoft programmers,= =20 > because Microsoft sponsors such things as nat'l programming competitions= =20 > and hires the winners/hires the best of class from top universities, etc.= I=20 > need specific reasons and hopefully links (not to slashdot, to reputable= =20 > neutral news sites and such). OSS has Greenman, DeRaadt, Torvalds, Hubbar= d,=20 > Lehey, and others which are certainly among the top 100 programmers on=20 > earth. How to prove, though? I have pointed out that academics and contes= t=20 > winners are different from people that naturally love to code, but he is = in=20 > a commercial mindset. I have seen many great logical abstractions of this= =20 > concept on various sites, but finding them would be impossible. >=20 > How do you prove it?? Have him look at this: 1. What operating systems are at the top of netcraft.com's longest uptimes? BSD/OS, FreeBSD, IRIX, and Linux. 2. What OS does the backend of hotmail.com run on?? - He is using examples of MS products being superior to other Windows=20 > products, examples in which he is right. Netscape 4.7* vs. IE4--No=20 > comparison. MS Office vs everything else--for it's intended audience, it= =20 > really is the best. Media player, etc. He quoted Outlook Express, but bei= ng=20 > in the field he uses Eudora because of OE's jaw-dropping security record.= I=20 > already made the Evolution comparison, but I really need more examples in= =20 > which an OSS Unux product is superior. > ----Note that I am not trying to convince him that Unix makes a better=20 > overall desktop, or that OSS software is necessarily the best, only that= =20 > there are many great OSS apps-some of which are better than MS=20 > counterparts, and that he should give it a try. (he is busy and doesn't= =20 > want to waste time on something that he is pretty sure will suck) > No OS will take over the desktop world from Windows. Just=20 some OS's can become side by side. =20 > - He says Unix is fragmented, therefore cannot have a unified vision and= =20 > focus, and that this automatically makes it inferior to Windows which is= =20 > under one company with theoretically one vision and focus.(to own=20 > everything :-) > Fragmented?? How so? =20 >=20 > I have already made some arguments and given some examples, but I would= =20 > greatly appreciate any compact and strong anecdotes, facts, quotes,=20 > examples, theories, logical proofs, rhetorical questions, etc. that apply= .=20 > Please don't tell me that Windows really is a better desktop OS--whether = it=20 > is or not isn't the point. > Take a look at the FreeBSD site, and see what you can find to help you. =20 > Thanks ahead of time. >=20 --=20 |------------------------------------| | Bob Bomar | | bulldog@fxp.org | | http://fly.homeunix.org/~bob | |=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D| | FreeBSD: The Power to Serve | | http://www.FreeBSD.org | |------------------------------------| --dTy3Mrz/UPE2dbVg Content-Type: application/pgp-signature Content-Disposition: inline -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (FreeBSD) Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org iD8DBQE8mtoK9Jm/aTrtdKoRAgYRAKChYVnuLYjgRkQO2fidsg19+Eyo1ACffp2R QOO9NpDIACob1MGx676teoA= =MG6H -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --dTy3Mrz/UPE2dbVg-- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20020322071522.GB1392>