Talk:HOWTO Promote Linux and gentoo, or why Gentoo linux instead of another OS

From Gentoo Linux Wiki

Good idea for a wiki. I'd like to suggest that we emphasise the Freedom aspects of this article, alongside Open Source.

Title should get spell checked. 'instead'.

[edit] Discussion and bugs

I am always interested in this subject, and always disappointed: too biased. bugs:

• why should "increasing the number of users [...] mak[e] the linux community better"?
• "Having an Free or open source operating system and associated components, lets you distribute and modify it under the conditions of the GNU General Public Licence." Although this is true, I think most people who are able to modify a kernel are playing with Linux. Ooo, firefox and other popular softwares are available to Windows users (if not targeted to, like firefox --- ctrl-c ctrl-v is a pain) + gives a patchwork, not necessarily a decent code.
• "For administrating a network, you can more easily manage it because you can copy and modify the software" Who wants to do that??? get windows and call the hotline! Netadmins are normal ppl: they are just as lazy as you and me!
• "closed source operating system have some enormous dificulties to use new hardware" oh my god! this one is almost funny. What about running Linux on a laptop, what about ACPI, etc. Drivers are primarily made for Windows users. Anyone who says otherwise loses his credibility.

Then the price of free software for 3rd World countries is a good point (although you can find a lot of illegal copies of MS there as well)

High level security is a second point.

The number of developpers is a plus and a minus. Whoever has some experience in programming knows how much of a pain it can be to take somebody else's sources.

Portability is one point most people do not care for. If you are a sysadmin, you are supposed to know the differences between linux and windows and make your own choice...

That you do not need to update your hardware when a new version of linux comes is another good point. And rather Gentoo specific AFAIK.

SO, I would propose to discriminate between a professional and personal use of a computer. Personal use is hobby (then linux is just more fun, you geek, and it is hype) or productivity (Ooo is free and does the job, LaTeX does the job too, you can find free and decent alternatives to most windows softwares, you can browse using firefox and read your mails the same way as with windows, and it is safer: almost no viruses) professional: security, unix was designed from the beginning to run on a network, that is, computers connected and online all the time...

The FOSS philosophy is nice but in a pro environment, some people HAVE to run proprietary softwares under RedHat ent.

I mean, there are FOSS for windows and proprietary softs for linux.

This is a sensitive topic and one should pay attention not to appear too biased and one should rework the summary here.

Last but not least: PORTAGE!!!!! updating softwares under windows mostly means spending some time on the internet at regular intervals and hunting for the already installed softs and check on the website whether there is an update or not. Updating gentoo is extremely simple!

And Gentoo's doc, very clear, very good. Documentation under windows is limited to the "pro" versions mostly, when it exists at all. They used to have an interesting win98rk.hlp but the one that comes with windows XP is a pain and uncomplete, as far as I could find. And scripting is way easier under linux (although it is not all that bad under windows) for the lazy sysadmins.