Core, I’ve suddenly found myself posting loads here!
But, it still might be an interesting subject. I’ve decided to start a transition from Windows to Haiku, over 4-5 years (this is when support for XP ends). I have a few reasons listed below. As with most of my plans, they may not ever happen, or not in the way I want them to.
MS Windows has lost abit of it’s charm since Vista. I liked the operating systems prior the that, but the whole project isn’t heading in the same direction anymore. Windows 7 isn’t even that, it’s Windows NT 6.1, a bodge of Vista.
There is too much focus on aesthetics than there should be in Mac OS and the latest versions of Windows.
With such a tiny Market share (100x that lol) it’s almost like being in some sort if secret club i.e it makes you feel great.
You’re not faced with loads of apps thrown at you with Mac Os and Windows, so it’s easier to make decisions.
It’ll be fun watching my mother learn how to use it (I’m 13 years of age)
There is no reason why I can’t stick to more mainstream operating systems.
Once there is a full flash plugin, a decent video editor (wmm, iMovie, that kind of thing) and a fully featured office suite I can actually get to work, I’m switching to Haiku. Fulltime (in the home).
So what about you guys? Would you switch over or would you have to wait for certain features, if so, what?
I enjoyed using XP, Debian and Haiku but now I really like running Windows 7. I was first opposed to it because of the high system requirements but runs really well for me. Windows 7 is heading in the right direction and many really like this new OS.
The biggest drawback with Haiku is missing software applications. You get more with Windows & Linux to play with. Of course, Haiku is still usable but less you can do with it. Haiku lacks flash & java but these are not that important to me. Also, a newer office suite which would bring in more users. You can try out clockwerk for video editing. Run installoptionalpackage in terminal for some extra software.
Haiku’s pluses are performance (runs very good), easy of use and configuration and simplicity.
I run a multi-boot system and find this works the best for me. Gives me lots of choice and lots to play with. That way I choose the OS I’m in the mood for. Always good to go from one OS to another when you have to and not limit yourself to just one OS.
I was a BeOS nut, precisely because of its unique character.
No other OS booted from a cold start to the desktop in 16 seconds, on a slow computer.
It did email reasonably well, and sometimes firefox didn’t crash. And BeShare!!!
Golly what more could you want?
Apart from an office program, a compatible printer, etc.
So Haiku is a natural follow on from that.
Admittedly, I don’t use it a lot, but it’s early days yet.
It’s a fetish thing
I currently use Haiku alpha-2, XP, Win2000, SuSE Linux and PCLinux.
So I never actually get a lot done, switching from system to system, and constantly losing my boot menus
Fun though.
Yes, It’s fetish, and I admit myself to be. Incidentally, Darkwyrm, prominent developer noted for his promotion of Haiku coding,confesses on 2010-11-12:
“I doubt that my fellow Haiku developers would even concern themselves with competing with other operating systems. True, there are features of other operating systems that are considered desirable, but there has always been a strong sense of doing things the Right Way™. The main goal has been an operating system that we can use ourselves and like using it. As a team, we’ve always had a tendency to march to the beat of our own drum,”
As creators, rightly they entitle to this mindset, and the definition of success the Haiku way. But they are not mutually exclusive scenarios of being at the same time a popular OS, having a strong programmer base. For only with the latter will ensure great things will happen. I should like to see the depth and breath of Haiku becoming a great platform for virtuosi.
With due respect therefore I hope Haiku purist can see the advent of Qt-Haiku a welcome, as far as users have a option of not using it, and that people know it is not the Haiku proper.
Indiscreet as I admit, without referring to a user wish list, if there exists one, and programmer priority plan, an MS Office compatible office suite (Gobe Productive(?)) would make a dramatic step towards increasing the user base, second to a killer application that has yet to born, like Gimp once did in Linux, if that does not demote myself to be an nonpragmatic day dreamer.
