Re: Xandros reviews -- emulating Windows, bug for bug, even

["Bryan J. Smith" <b.j.smith@ieee.org>]

On Mon, 2004-03-08 at 17:12, mike808@users.sourceforge.net wrote:
> Now that's a decent review. http://xrl.us/bpw8
> Is Xandros the end-all of distros, certainly not. But for a Windows Refugee,
> it's probably the best shot Linux has right now.

I still cannot believe what the WINE team has done, or the Samba team
for that matter.

WINE will emulate _different_ Win32 API implementations of _different_
Windows versions quite well.  I've seen older Win32 programs that won't
run on different Windows versions still run on WINE.

Same deal with Samba.  Samba can handle all sorts of _older_ Windows
clients far better than Windows 2003 Server.  Ziff-Davis' various
publications have confirmed this as well.

No, WINE (and Samba) don't do the latest Windows goodies.  But they do
the _older_ stuff _better_ sometimes.  Sure, it's gotta be 3+ years
old.  But reverse engineering takes time.

Remember, Windows is _not_ unstable (at least not NT-based Windows)
because of the _OS_ -- but because of the _applications_.  And the lack
of a well-defined API that is actually followed is the main reason --
especially with various libraries being packaged into MS IE, and
conflicting with itself -- especially between major MS Office versions.

So that should tell you where the "problem" is.

> Maybe that will change with Mandrake 10 almost out the door, or a real release
> of Debian Sarge, or a the next SuSE.
> FYI, MDK10 has a shiny new 2.6 kernel.

And that does what?  2.6 will take time to mature.  FC2 is shipping with
it as well.  I'm sticking with RHL9+Legacy and FC1+Legacy until FC3
comes out.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I. -- Engineer, Technologist, School Teacher
b.j.smith@ieee.org



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