My previous weblog about my first look at Linux ignited a firestorm of sorts from Linux fans, who complained I wasn’t giving the operating system its due, claiming that Linux was clearly superior to Windows.

So I thought I’d write a follow-up, further explaining why I think Windows will continue to be the dominant OS for the desktop, and Linux won’t make a dent into Microsoft’s desktop market share.

First, consider the entire universe of computer users. Most don’t want to have to be bothered with installing a new operating system and all the problems that causes. They already have an operating system on their PCs - Windows - and they’d have to have an extremely compelling reason to go through the pain of installing a new one.

Linux, as I previously outlined, doesn’t give them that compelling reason. The applications written for Linux don’t give them that compelling reason, either. And most people wouldn’t even be able to install a new operating system, even if they did want to switch.

The ready availability of applications makes Windows superior as well. Go into your local computer store, or visit an online retailer. How much software do you see being sold for Windows? How much for Linux? An operating system is only as good as the software that runs on top of it. There’s so little easily available software (the key here is “easily”) for Linux that it doesn’t measure up to Windows.

As for downloadable software, with Windows, when you download a piece of software, installation is generally straightforward. With Linux, you might be stuck with having to compile the code. Very few computer users are willing to do that.

The upshot? For the desktop, Windows is here to stay. Severs are another matter, and there are certainly compelling reasons for using Linux there. But on the desktop, Windows will continue to rule, warts and all.

Where do you stand on the Linux versus Windows war? Let me know.

I’ve been a Windows die-hard for more years than I want to remember, having used the operating system since even before the prehistoric days of Windows 3.1.

So when my 14-year-old son Gabe came home from his first summer job (where he’s learning the open source joys of Python, PHP, and MySQL), extolling the virtues of Linux, I was skeptical. Old habits, and old operating systems, die hard.

I was unwilling to turn my trusty PC into a Linux box, so he popped in a CD with Knoppix, on it, rebooted, and voila — instant Linux. Knoppix is a free version of Linux that you can boot directly from a CD, available free for downloading and then burning onto CD. A whole host of Linux software comes along for the ride, including the office suite OpenOffice.org, the browsers Konqueror and Mozilla, and more as well. It’s hard not to like the desktop, with its transparent menus and slideaway bottom panel. But because Knoppix is meant more for demos than real work, there wasn’t much I could do with it.

Eager to win me over, he installed SUSE Linux on his own computer and set me loose on that. I checked out the free Openoffice.org suite, which is perfectly adequate, though not particularly earth-shaking. As for browsers, I’ve already tried Mozilla on the PC (I favor FireFox), so nothing new there as well. As for the other applications, again, they were perfectly adequate.

Now, I recognize that a few hours of using desktop Linux isn’t a true test drive. But if you want someone to throw over their habits of a more than a dozen years, you’ve got to wow them right away. And Linux didn’t do that for me.

True, I was surprised at how simple it was to install and get up to speed on Linux. And the desktop has some nice touches that Windows could learn from. The applications didn’t win me over, though. In fact, when it comes to Linux on the desktop, I don’t get the point, really. Yes, the desktop is pretty, but I was expecting more than a pretty face. On the desktop, Linux may be more stable than Windows, but with Windows XP, I haven’t had problems with Windows crashes. I’m a long-time shareware fan, and there’s far more useful and easily available shareware available for Windows than Linux. And given that we live in a Windows-centric world, it just seems like too much labor and work to try and live in desktop Linux. The one thing going for desktop Linux is its price and the price of applications like the OpenOffice.org suite — you can’t argue with free.

Of course, servers are a different thing, entirely. As for the virtues of Linux servers versus Windows Server…I’ll leave that religious fight to someone else.

Which side of the Windows/Linux debate do you come down on? Let me know.

Well, it happens to all of us - it’s time to eat my words. In my last blog, I wrote that despite Internet Explorer’s numerous security vulnerabilities, I was going to fight rather than switch to an alternative browser like Firefox.

As Roseanna Danna Danna used to say: “Never mind!”

I’ve spent the last week giving Firefox a test drive, and I’m here to tell you that it beats Internet Explorer hands-down. So I’ve decided to make the switch - although not completely, as I’ll explain.

Even putting security vulnerabilities aside, Firefox is a superior browser. It’s not bloated like IE, and it loads sites more quickly. The interface is simpler and cleaner. Its tabbed browsing will be a revelation to those who haven’t used tabs before.

There are some drawbacks, though. An entire industry has sprung up around add-ins for IE, such as the spectacularly useful OnFolio, which lets you save Web pages in a local database, and then quickly search through it. Those kinds of add-ins don’t work with Firefox. Additionally, not all Web sites display properly in Firefox. I’m editor in charge of a number of Web sites, in addition to writing books, and tools I use for the sites don’t always work in Firefox. And, of course, Firefox doesn’t support ActiveX.

You can find workarounds for some problems. Firefox extensions add all kinds of cool functionality to the browser - for example, there’s an extension so that you can use the equivalent of the Google Toolbar, which normally works only in IE. (To find extensions in Firefox, choose Tools –> Extensions. You can also head to the Firefox Extensions Room.) But there are instances where only IE will do.

The upshot? For my normal Web browsing, I’ve made the switch to Firefox. When I need to use ActiveX, OnFolio, or do Web posting for specific sites, I open IE. I wish Firefox could do it all, but for now I’m a two-browser kind of guy.

Which is better, IE or Firefox? Or do you have another favorite browser? Let me know.

Another day, another Internet Explorer vulnerability. Ho-hum, you might say. Who can keep track of them all? The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) issues yet another advisory, Microsoft issues yet another patch, and the world goes on.

Except this time it’s different. CERT’s advisory, as always, includes recommendations on how to protect yourself against the vulnerability. But buried at the bottom is this bombshell recommendation: “Use a different Web browser.”

So here we have a team funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommending that we all give up Internet Explorer. As you might guess, downloads of alternate browsers Mozilla and Firefox have gone through the roof.

But should you give up Internet Explorer? First, look at the roots of the vulnerability. It’s true that no one will ever accuse Microsoft of being overly focused on security. But on the other hand, there’s one primary reason that malware writers target IE rather than other browsers - it’s the browser that everyone uses. If Mozilla or Firefox were to suddenly become the most popular browser, either would be Target Number One as well.

ActiveX presents a big tempting target, and malware authors have taken advantage of it. Internet Explorer supports it; Mozilla and Firefox (and Opera) don’t. But when you give up ActiveX, you give up a lot. If you ever use the Web for Windows Update, you use ActiveX, for example. And there are plenty of other places that use it as well.

So for now, I’m still using Internet Explorer, although I’m about to download Firefox as well. Maybe I’m a tempting target, but isn’t computing about living dangerously?

Are you ready to give up Internet Explorer? Let me know.

Yesterday I was thinking of trying out Whidbey on my Longhorn installation……So I popped in the Whidbey May build into the DVD drive and half-way through the installation it failed….which is pretty normal…..so I try again. This time it managed to install properly.

Guess what? After the reboot the OS becomes un-usable - the task bar was gone and the OS becomes unresponsive. Looks like I have to waste another morning reinstalling the OS. :-(

Related link: http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

Apple’s latest offering - the Airport Express is one very cool device that finally makes it easy for you (and lightweight) to share an Internet connection in a hotel room. It looks just like the size of the charger of my PowerBook. And you can actually stream music from your Mac to your Hi-Fi wirelessly. Cool! I am just waiting for the units to be available in Singapore….but looks like I still to wait a couple of weeks more.

Beginning today, I will be starting my weblog at O’Reilly Developer Weblogs. I will make use of this weblog to share with you information of the latest gadgets I am playing. I will also use this site to discuss some of the new features in Visual Studio 2005.