Something that Linux and Macs have in common, which is NOT shared by MS Windows, is that their user interfaces are based on the X windowing system, which among other things allows a program running on one machine to easily display on another.
This means, for example, that an enormously powerful graphical/computation program can run on heavy-duty mainframe somewhere, but actually display on the researcher's relatively lightweight desktop workstation.
In my case, it means I can run Firefox and Thunderbird on my Linux box (where I keep most of my important files and do most of my programming work), but use them seamlessly from my XP laptop in the living room (as I am doing now.)
Now, a note to those proposing Linux as a desktop for everyone. It's the little things that can be annoying, from and end-user standpoint.
Frinstance, there is a longstanding problem with X windows distributions not handling the Alt-Gr key properly. This means parts of my German keyboard layout (like the at sign) aren't working under X from the laptop. It's frustrating, and there still doesn't seem to be a consistent fix for it, even for hardcore nerds like me (this works for me now on my Ubuntu desktop, but not remotely to the same machine via Cygwin X11).
These are the kinds of things that keep Windows and Macs as the world's premier desktops for regler folks. They just work. End-users will no longer tolerate the notion of some piddly low-level ugliness preventing them from doing something this simple yet crucial.
Oh well. My really important Unix work I do on the commandline and in text editors, and I can use other tools for those. But it's sometimes frustrating as hell to have these little missing pieces.
Of course, the REALLY impressive thing about X and Unix in general is how much amazing stuff has been developed, and all by volunteers on their own time, for FREE. And, of course, its unparalelled power, performance and flexibility.
And let's not forget that Unix had the X windowing system before MS Windows existed. And if either Mac or Linux is the way of the future, then so is X11.
So I can hardly complain too loudly, I suppose.
This means, for example, that an enormously powerful graphical/computation program can run on heavy-duty mainframe somewhere, but actually display on the researcher's relatively lightweight desktop workstation.
In my case, it means I can run Firefox and Thunderbird on my Linux box (where I keep most of my important files and do most of my programming work), but use them seamlessly from my XP laptop in the living room (as I am doing now.)
Now, a note to those proposing Linux as a desktop for everyone. It's the little things that can be annoying, from and end-user standpoint.
Frinstance, there is a longstanding problem with X windows distributions not handling the Alt-Gr key properly. This means parts of my German keyboard layout (like the at sign) aren't working under X from the laptop. It's frustrating, and there still doesn't seem to be a consistent fix for it, even for hardcore nerds like me (this works for me now on my Ubuntu desktop, but not remotely to the same machine via Cygwin X11).
These are the kinds of things that keep Windows and Macs as the world's premier desktops for regler folks. They just work. End-users will no longer tolerate the notion of some piddly low-level ugliness preventing them from doing something this simple yet crucial.
Oh well. My really important Unix work I do on the commandline and in text editors, and I can use other tools for those. But it's sometimes frustrating as hell to have these little missing pieces.
Of course, the REALLY impressive thing about X and Unix in general is how much amazing stuff has been developed, and all by volunteers on their own time, for FREE. And, of course, its unparalelled power, performance and flexibility.
And let's not forget that Unix had the X windowing system before MS Windows existed. And if either Mac or Linux is the way of the future, then so is X11.
So I can hardly complain too loudly, I suppose.
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