[nmglug] Windows Vista killswitch and switching to Linux

[Tim Emerick]

I was reading an article from TechRepublic about Windows Vista possibly having a killswitch as an anti-piracy measure.  The article further states that the more anti-piracy measures that Microsoft puts into Vista can only mean a larger migration to Linux.  http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=201963
   
  I've dabbled with Linux for years.  I really enjoy the server applications and getting things running in a CLI environment.  The only reason I haven't switched to it 100% at home is that the desktop always seems so sluggish.  KDE & GNOME are bloated.  XFCE, Fluxbox, and the other lightweight DM's are nice but are sometimes difficult to get working right when you come from a Microsoft Windows mindset.  It should just be plug and play.
   
  It's odd that my old faithful P3-700Mhz i810 chipset 512MB ram machine runs Windows XP and browses the internet so much smoother than any Linux desktop distro I've tried.  When I mean smoother I mean the screen updates fairly quickly.  Web browsing is pleasant and snappy.  The machine isn't spectacular and neither is the video processor.  An onboard intel i810 which is ubiquitous.
   
  Downfalls....Where do I begin.  BSOD, adware/spyware, viruses, Microsoft's Draconian stance, etc.
   
  I recently ran across Puppy Linux which surprised the heck out of me.  It appeared to run lightning fast compared to other distro's I've tried.  I ran it on an old P3 Celeron 500Mhz with 256Meg ram and it was extremely zippy.  It was not based on Knoppix (which fumbles on i810 while trying to detect the frame buffer during boot) nor debian (which I love for it's flexibility but hate for difficulty in setting up a fully functional desktop) but is a home rolled distro.  The only thing I couldn't figure about Puppy Linux was getting it installed on a hard drive since it is meant to be a livecd distro.
   
  I have recently been exploring xUbuntu.  Based on XFCE it's mostly snappy and lightweight but when adding packages they don't mesh with menu's and whatnot as well as they do in the regular Ubuntu.
   
  If I could get a desktop that is just as snappy as say Win98 on my older (but not exactly antiquated) machines I would probably be in heaven.  I would probably be happy just to have a complete  linux web browsing environment without the jaggy screen updates and sluggish program loads.  Something that supports all the bells and whistles that IE on Windows supports.  Javascript, flash, shockwave, and the other myriad plugins but right out of the box.
   
  Until then I will resign myself to playing with various linux desktops until I find one that I really like and can commit to.
   
  This post was inspired by the discussion on why there are so many linux distros.  I would welcome some constructive comments and perhaps some pointers on where the linux newb-ish could enhance their linux experience and truly make a switch.

 		
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