Linux Needs Windows To Run!

Being a Linux user can be really funny. You just go reading few ignorant Windows users’ comments on How Linux is crap bla bla bla. Today’s source for making me laugh comes by way of Christopher Dawson’s article on ZDNet on Why Linux Will Not Displace Windows(a rather nicely written article, though). The best thing about such articles are the comments written by, let’s saw, rather “well informed” users.

Let’s take a couple of examples.

User#1

You are kidding arent you ?

Are you saying that this linux can run on a computer without windows underneath it, at all ? As in, without a boot disk, without any drivers, and without any services ?

That sounds preposterous to me.

If it were true (and I doubt it), then companies would be selling computers without a windows. This clearly is not happening, so there must be some error in your calculations. I hope you realise that windows is more than just Office ? Its a whole system that runs the computer from start to finish, and that is a very difficult thing to acheive. A lot of people dont realise this.

Microsoft just spent $9 billion and many years to create Vista, so it does not sound reasonable that some new alternative could just snap into existence overnight like that. It would take billions of dollars and a massive effort to achieve. IBM tried, and spent a huge amount of money developing OS/2 but could never keep up with Windows. Apple tried to create their own system for years, but finally gave up recently and moved to Intel and Microsoft.

Its just not possible that a freeware like the Linux could be extended to the point where it runs the entire computer fron start to finish, without using some of the more critical parts of windows. Not possible.

I think you need to re-examine your assumptions.

Ok, let’s have a look his points, shall we?

Are you saying that this linux can run on a computer without windows underneath it, at all ? As in, without a boot disk, without any drivers, and without any services ? That sounds preposterous to me.

Oh? So I’m running Linux with Windows emulating it?? And how exactly is it possible for Live CDs to boot and runwithout any HDD?

If it were true (and I doubt it), then companies would be selling computers without a windows. This clearly is not happening,

Clearly he has no idea that Dell, Acer, Lenovo are selling PCs WITHOUT Windows Pre-Installed(yea, that’s right WITHOUT Windows!)

Its a whole system that runs the computer from start to finish, and that is a very difficult thing to acheive. A lot of people dont realise this.

Oh really? I thought Windows was just another game!

Microsoft just spent $9 billion and many years to create Vista, so it does not sound reasonable that some new alternative could just snap into existence overnight like that. It would take billions of dollars and a massive effort to achieve.

You need to snap out of your dreamworld. Clearly you have no idea how hard open source developers have worked to roll out Linux.

Apple tried to create their own system for years, but finally gave up recently and moved to Intel and Microsoft.

Errr.. Apple only shifted from IBM/Motorola based PPC to Intel’s Core arcgitecture, they still use Mac OS, which is based on the Mach microkernel, which is a derivative of UNIX, same as Linux’s kernel is.

Its just not possible that a freeware like the Linux could be extended to the point where it runs the entire computer fron start to finish, without using some of the more critical parts of windows. Not possible.

Linux isn’t freeware, it’s open source. And not possible? Half the world’s servers run on Linux, so where does the not possible come in? I believe he needs to reassess what he’s written about!

That was just 1 user. The next one goes one step further.

User #2

Linux looks very interesting, even if some of the screen colours and menu options appear to be a little out of the ordinary. But you are missing a vital point, a point which takes some experience and depth of knowledge in the field of computers. You see, when a computer boots up, it needs to load various drivers and then load various services. This happens long before the operating system and other applications are available. Linux is a marvellous operating system in its own right, and even comes in several different flavours. However, as good as these flavours are, they first need Microsoft Windows to load the services prior to use. In Linux, the open office might be the default for editing your wordfiles, and you might prefer ubuntu brown over the grassy knoll of the windows desktop, but mark my words young man - without the windows drivers sitting below the visible surface, allowing the linus to talk to the hardware, it is without worth. And so, by choosing your linux as an alternative to windows on the desktop, you still need a windows licence to run this operating system through the windows drivers to talk to the hardware. Linux is only a code, it cannot perform the low level function. My point being, young man, that unless you intend to pirate and steal the Windows drivers and services, how is using the linux going to save money ? Well ? It seems that no linux fan can ever provide a straight answer to that question ! May as well just stay legal, run the Windows drivers, and run Office on the desktop instead of the linus.

Come again??

You see, when a computer boots up, it needs to load various drivers and then load various services. This happens long before the operating system and other applications are available. Linux is a marvellous operating system in its own right, and even comes in several different flavours. However, as good as these flavours are, they first need Microsoft Windows to load the services prior to use. In Linux, the open office might be the default for editing your wordfiles, and you might prefer ubuntu brown over the grassy knoll of the windows desktop, but mark my words young man - without the windows drivers sitting below the visible surface, allowing the linus to talk to the hardware, it is without worth. And so, by choosing your linux as an alternative to windows on the desktop, you still need a windows licence to run this operating system through the windows drivers to talk to the hardware. Linux is only a code, it cannot perform the low level function.

Errr, so basically Linux starts up Windows services, and then boots up using Windows’ service to power the hardware communication?? Oh I wonder if he even knows what kernel modules are and what they do!

Note that these are just 2 of the comments from the Comments section of the post! For more chuckles, do read the message board.

And yeah, thanks to Aditya for the link to the article.

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Article Tags>> crap | linux | opensource | windows |