Don't get me wrong, I love Linux. But I believe it is wrong
to claim that it is as easy as Borg98 to setup.
I have done a large number of w98 installs from scratch. I have
done a larger number of installs of redhat, quite a few irixes,
openBSD, etc, on hardware that could be challenging (e.g., a
1.98 pound toshiba libretto) or easy.
W98 is by far the most painful to watch while installing, the
most perplexing and confusing. My last from scratch installation
of W98 on perfectly normal hardware required 9 reboots (I counted
them). Other than that, it does not take any intelligence whatsoever,
just the perpetual nagging feeling that one is not doing the right
thing. (Which is an accurate feeling, if one is installing w98).
"Easy" is one of many dimensions along which this problem can be
measured. There is no simple way to go very wrong when installing
W98 because the W98 installation doesn't give a damn about you
and what you want.
Let me note that the parts of Linux installation that are typically
associated with problems and confusion and mistakes have NO counterpart
in the W98 installation. Installing linux on a machine that already
has another OS running has NO EQUIVALENT in W98 mode: W98 always
wipes out the entire thing if it can. Then, installation of graphics
and sound cards is NOT a part of W98 install: you use the drivers
that come with the cards. (Maybe W98 comes with drivers for some
old cards, but it has NEVER recognized my graphics card beyong VGA mode).
A redhat 6.0 install and a W98 install are such different beasts
that comparing them at all is procedurally incorrect. Try installing
under W98 everything that redhat6.0 installs and configures for you,
and then we'll be talking: the video, the ethernet, a webserver,
an sql, samba... How long does it take to have a W98 machine
properly connected to ethernet and able to send and receive mail
from the internet at large? How long does it take you to configure a
printer for your W98 machine? Network clients for sharing? Do you
include that as part of the W98 install or don't you? Is it easy
or confusing?
And is it my impression or EVERY SINGLE ONE of them asks to reboot?
Best,
Marcelo |
