Good Distro for non-techies

[Proneutron]

true, but to comply with those regulations will often require specific software that has certain abilities to meet said requirements. having written an health records system that is certified (and that certification process is very complicated and unnerving), SNIP

I consulted on that part of the law in question with the Texas Rep. Archer. There is no requirements in there that can only be met using MS software. Period. The tech agnostic language is modelled after what is in the Rainbow Series to ensure that the law did not become obsolete due to tech advancement.

 

[coliver988]

I consulted on that part of the law in question with the Texas Rep. Archer. There is no requirements in there that can only be met using MS software. Period. The tech agnostic language is modelled after what is in the Rainbow Series to ensure that the law did not become obsolete due to tech advancement.

I did not say MS only software. I said software that met certain requirements. We just happened to choose MS as that was already in use at the company and met the legal requirements. We could have gone other routes but as we already had that experience, we stuck with what we knew best.

edit: we had to switch messaging systems and our ticket system to meet HIPAA requirements. At that time few met the encryption level required. Now they all do. And that was not MS but Jira as it met the legal requirements. Slack did not for instance, at that time. It may now, I've not kept up.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I looked it up. "Skyrim isn't that violent and contains some disturbing imagery and characters. It's best for children between the ages 14-15."

Now I know why I haven't heard of it and why you are engrossed by it.

You get your information from a troll on Parents Guide - IMDb. Riot.

 

[whartung]

Having been in health care for coming on 20 years, while my current companies front end product is Windows based (and has been forever), none of my work was ever Windows specific. It's been all developed and deployed cross platform (both front and back end systems, not just web based).

I've used all 3, Windows, Mac, *nix, for all of the use cases.

I haven't used Windows at hone since, at least, 2006, if not earlier. I know when I replaced my Windows box at home, I don't recall quite when we replaced my workstation at the office.

My Windows box at the office decided one day to eat its boot sector. Thankfully, I had an Ubuntu partition handy, so I was back up and running in about an hour. Most of my stuff was remotely available anyway, so simple enough to restart. Anything that wasn't was readily mounted from my old drive (it would mount, it just wouldn't boot).

That was Ubuntu 8. I remember upgrading to Ubuntu 9, and my second monitor stopped working. I never bothered fixing that either. Like I said, I love programming, but I hate computers. I hate messing with stuff like that. It wasn't a 10 minute google search, so I just lived with it.

Playing music in Ubuntu 8 would just freeze up randomly, so I just stopped using it for that and used my phone instead.

I never bothered fixing that machine, just living in Ubuntu, until they showed up one day with a new iMac.

And I've been using that machine ever since (upgraded to 32G). I must have upgraded at least once, but boy I sure don't remember swapping machines. But, no, I've probably been using that machine for 10 years now. Outside of eating a couple of external back up drives (Time Machine ftw), it runs like a top.

Wow. lol

 

[kilemall]

My experience is often that low tech is better than no tech--and often more pleasant than high tech.

A confrere (of blessed memory) used to say that he was able to do less with each generation of word processors--things like Word in the '80s were around long enough, and with few enough bells and whistles, that you could learn the possibilities pretty well. Then, as upgrades came faster and faster, and possible tools multiplied, you had more and more to learn in less and less time, and just when you were getting back to where you used to be, it all started over. And he was an periodical editor, so he didn't have the luxury of not upgrading.

What I preferred about the older versions of word processors was access to the underlying coding. I could then delete or copy exactly what I want in what order I wanted and had fabulous control over the outcome. Yes they now have more features and autocorrecting, but I have less control and that makes them slower for me.

 

[kilemall]

Only raconteurs pick machines for their OS. 95% of any meaningful machine choice is going to be about what software at what price point/form factor it costs to run it.

 

[coliver988]

Only raconteurs pick machines for their OS. 95% of any meaningful machine choice is going to be about what software at what price point/form factor it costs to run it.

pretty much that. way back when I started, we sold minicomputers, Datapoint equipment running RMS as an OS, as that was what was running our telecommunications software (this was when AT&T got broken up and there were a lot of CLEC [competitive local exchange carrier] and they needed a way to rate & bill calls. There was little choice so they bought that OS basically to run their business on). There were few options so they paid, we got paid. Eventually as that business went away via consolidation and the cellular started in the same way (those of us who can remember when it was a few $ per minute to call) we converted the software to run on Unix - cheaper servers. We did dip briefly into DOS but the speed and networking was not there. Then switched to Linux but that market was also drying up as everyone was getting bought to get us back to the big 3 or so cellular companies the US has today. And no idea what they run their systems on.

Point being: the OS is rarely driven by choice but by what you actually want to do with it, and in some cases, business requirements beyond the software running on it. Now, having said that, as more and more moves to "the cloud", aka other people's computers, giving you a lot less control over your own software (parallels to the word processor post below) the OS matters less and less, just browser compatibility. Which, though in theory "standardized", does have some variation (recall the IE days, though it is a different company doing that now essentially).

Anyway, I agree with Kilemall that the choice of OS is driven by what you want to run at a price point you are willing to pay, and a a usability factor as well (i.e., you *can* run some Windows with WINE but not always well).

though, counterpoint (sorry!): with PWA (progressive web apps, basically mini-browsers running locally) the OS becomes less a factor. Something MS actually noticed and why Windows is no longer the main driving force there: is all all about the services, the back-end stuff, where the real money, e.g., profit, lies. Though my guess is there will always be bespoke software that is tied closely to the OS to take full advantage of it.

(and steps down off the soapbox lectern)

 

[Proneutron]

pretty much that. way back when I started, we sold minicomputers, Datapoint equipment running RMS as an OS,

Ah yes, RMS. Ran it on DEC PDPs back in the day. Until we later went to VAXs. My then unknown future wife worked at Wang back then.

 

[coliver988]

Ah yes, RMS. Ran it on DEC PDPs back in the day. Until we later went to VAXs. My then unknown future wife worked at Wang back then.

Cool. I recall updating to RMS XA. And keeping the OS manual up to date. It was a notebook, and you replaced pages. That's how I learned that OS, by actually RTFM

 

[Proneutron]

Cool. I recall updating to RMS XA. And keeping the OS manual up to date. It was a notebook, and you replaced pages. That's how I learned that OS, by actually RTFM

Yes, I was hired into a vacant position and had no experience with the system. RTFM (big manuals) and muddled through

 

[Straybow]

I need a new operating system to torture myself with like I need a hole in the head.