Friday, October 19, 2012

Ooh, A New Linux Is Out, And Its Selling Point is "It Doesn't Have Metro!"

This post will probably be snarky. Just a warning. Nothing personal. Just my opinion.

So, Ubuntu Linux 12.10 is out, otherwise known as <I'm not going to try to pronounce those Q words>. And what is Ubuntu 12.10's greatest claim?

It's not Windows 8. Come on, seriously? OK, lest I be accused of setting up a logical fallacy, from the article I linked:

Above the download button, a slogan appears urging the users to install Ubuntu 12.10 instead of Microsoft Windows 8, not because of Ubuntu’s superiority but just to avoid the drama of Metro UI.

It just doesn't have Metro. That's a selling point. That's like saying buy a Chevy because it doesn't have a Ford emblem.

I don't care what OS people use. It doesn't matter to me. I just wish I heard a better reason NOT to use Windows 8 than "It's different! It has a Metro UI. It doesn't look anything like the Windows I grew up with!"

I usually have Linux installed. I have dual boots between Linux and Windows on my laptop and desktop. And I don't really notice anything advantageous about Linux. Remember how much people bitched and whined over the User Account Control in Windows Vista? Linux needs you to type your password for damn near everything. If you go to the app store to install apps, you have to input your password for EACH INSTALL (at least, I do). Even iOS isn't that annoying.

I'll step up my efforts. If I find a single complaint about Windows 8 that is more substantial than "It looks different!" I'll post it here.

In my personal opinion, I'm not entirely impressed with Metro. The only real experience I have with it is to find that the Metro Internet Exploder is apparently different than the Internet Exploder I'd launch from my taskbar. This is a problem on my netbook, because the Metro IE won't work on the tiny screen resolution. But I only use Internet Exploder to install Firefox or Chrome anyway.

I'll probably upgrade my Linux installations to 12.10. I'll report back if it's any good.

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