Don't do this [Linux]

[CookMySock]

[B]sudo rm -rf /.

try this with a bootable CD distro. Quite safe ?

HAHA, NO DONT!

Why ? Coz it probably mounted your precious windows partitions. Sooner or later (usually sooner - refer murphys etc) it will get to the /mnt/ folder and start eating the mountpoints, ala windows !

Noice!

edit: eventually Linux will take over everything. It is impossible to give the user THIS many new rights and this much freedom without it growing exponentially. And it IS growing exponentially. The fastest growing O/S ever.

DB

[Tank]

. The fastest growing O/S ever.

and yet - so many businesses still wont run it on their desktops or indeed most of their back ends.

Go figure.

[mowgli]

The fastest growing O/S ever.

and yet - so many businesses still wont run it on their desktops or indeed most of their back ends.

Someone clever buggar said there're lies, damn lies and statistics.

Yes, Linux is the faster growing OS ever but Microsoft still controls a healthy 90+% of the market. Therefore it's no wonder the majority of businesses still use M$ products.

[Tank]

The fastest growing O/S ever.

Someone clever buggar said there're lies, damn lies and statistics.

Indeed that is true - how they hell do they measure that?

%age of boxes sold?, % increase ? - heck 1 user had it Tuesday - 5 today thats like a 500% increase in users.

When Windows (early versions or even 95) came out - the number of machines that upgraded from DOS or the old 3.1, 3.11 was almost 100% - despite there being other options (OS2) in the marketplace.

So - yes - people are moving to Linux, but the numbers are small by comparison - fastest growing OS ever - I dont think so.

[mowgli]

Indeed that is true - how they hell do they measure that?

%age of boxes sold?, % increase ? - heck 1 user had it Tuesday - 5 today thats like a 500% increase in users.

Nah, I think it's compiled from web statistics on the assumption that a user's choice to surf is independent of their choice in OS.

The trouble with measuring, or indeed trialling Linux for new comers, is what Linux? There are so many variations to the theme.

[Mental Trousers]

aaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha **snurk** aaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

That's the point, innit, of having user accounts and not running as root all the time (like Windows/DOS/early Mac OS Classic used to do).

It's a basic security precaution. If someone gains access (either from using an exploit or even just sitting down at an unlocked workstation) they can't do anything as root without the users password.

[dhunt]

Someone clever buggar said there're lies, damn lies and statistics.

Yes, Linux is the faster growing OS ever but Microsoft still controls a healthy 90+% of the market. Therefore it's no wonder the majority of businesses still use M$ products.

Which market is that??? Linux seems to be doing pretty well in the embedded market and server market. The desktop market is also improving all the time especially with the help of Microsoft releasing Windoze Vista Linux seems to especially seems to be gaining popularity with the lower end computers enough so that Microsoft is keeping Win Xp around a while longer.

I see that all new ASUS motherboards are coming out with SplashTop linux in them which will boost the stats up a bit. Although I don't really know how useful that is in reality.

The only reason I run Windows Xp on my work computer is stupid proprietary compilers.

[CookMySock]

[...] Linux seems to be doing pretty well in the embedded market and server market.

Yup. Many or most homes with an internet connection will have Linux on their property without realising it - their ADSL router.

Watch out for that cheapo warehouse DVD player too - it's Linux. Oh, and your fancy big-screen LCD telly - it's got Linux probably.

Better check your cellphone/PDA too, coz if it doesn't already have Linux on it, then there will be a free download somewhere to convert to Linux.

The GPS unit atop the dash of your car ? Yup, your suspicions are confirmed. Linux !

Ipod - Theres a Linux operating system available for that.

I imagine in the not too distant future, many windows-based households will have more Linux than windows machines without them even knowing it.

I read some interview somewhere, where billy and Linus were asked the same question "what is the goal for your operating system?". billy said "to make a stable operating system" and Linus said "to take over the world."

Will billy ever make a stable operating system ? Well that is the question aint it.

Will Linux ever take over the world ? Well, thats an interesting question also.

DB

[Tank]

Yup. Many or most homes with an internet connection will have Linux on their property without realising it - their ADSL router.

Watch out for that cheapo warehouse DVD player too - it's Linux. Oh, and your fancy big-screen LCD telly - it's got Linux probably.

Better check your cellphone/PDA too, coz if it doesn't already have Linux on it, then there will be a free download somewhere to convert to Linux.

The GPS unit atop the dash of your car ? Yup, your suspicions are confirmed. Linux !

Ipod - Theres a Linux operating system available for that.

I imagine in the not too distant future, many windows-based households will have more Linux than windows machines without them even knowing it.

Whilst I hate to agree with you (and I REALLY hate to agree with you), yes - of course most consumer electronics like you mention run on varying versions on Linux - although I'd like to point out that my DVD player didn't come from the Warehouse.

But - they are generally stand alone, disposable, consumer items - in this case the OS is a redundant part - it could be a mechanical for all the consumer cares. (unlike in PC's etc where its used for the networking etc also)

[xwhatsit]

Whilst I hate to agree with you (and I REALLY hate to agree with you), yes - of course most consumer electronics like you mention run on varying versions on Linux - although I'd like to point out that my DVD player didn't come from the Warehouse.

But - they are generally stand alone, disposable, consumer items - in this case the OS is a redundant part - it could be a mechanical for all the consumer cares. (unlike in PC's etc where its used for the networking etc also)

I'm a Linux user myself; all the personal computers (and server and router) in the house run some breed of it.

I still agree with you, though. In a DVD player, where do you ever get down to the OS? Even on a router? Unless you're a geek like me (see the link in my signature to see how Linux on routers lets you do cool stuff), the average consumer never touches it. All they see is the userspace program running on the surface.

Was chatting with a guy who does GPS stuff for a living; he said he started out in embedded systems. These days, it's a dead-end job, as hardware is cheap and people keep chucking fully fledged OSes like Linux or BSD or even small breeds of Windows onto stuff that used to be hand-coded assembler. As a CS student, I find it all a bit depressing and wasteful; it's lovely to have the facilities that an OS offers in embedded stuff, but it's a highly inefficient and inelegant way to do it.

Anyway, Linux on the desktop is nice, but I spend all my time in a fully-maximised terminal running GNU screen. All I need is gcc, LaTeX and vim. I might as well be using a thin client to ssh into a remote server running any sort of *nix.

[CookMySock]

and I REALLY hate to agree with you

Why, Tank ? Do you think I LIKE you up my arse all the time ? It might seem amusing to you, but to me its really upsetting. GO AWAY DAMMIT. DO NOT APPROACH ME ANY MORE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS ?

[NordieBoy]

Deltree c: used to be a good one to use on ya mates (i know there was some attribute you added to the end to bypass all the warnings but cant think of it off the top of my head

/y

[EJK]

So its like "format c:\"?

[NordieBoy]

files can be undeleted.

sudo dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sda &
(on the next line)
clear (or ^L)

this makes people wish they made backups

I once did a "sudo dd if=/floppyimage.iso of=/dev/hdc bs=1024"

Only caused a problem some months later when I rebooted.

[Gubb]

Anyway, Linux on the desktop is nice, but I spend all my time in a fully-maximised terminal running GNU screen. All I need is gcc, LaTeX and vim. I might as well be using a thin client to ssh into a remote server running any sort of *nix.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9akyAmYC5aM[/YOUTUBE]