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The Linux distillery Why do Windows programs suck so freaking much? (and what can they learn from Linux)
The Linux distillery Why do Windows programs suck so freaking much? (and what can they learn from Linux) | Why do Windows programs suck so freaking much? (and what can they learn from Linux) |
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| by David M Williams | |
| Sunday, 30 November 2008 | |
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Make no mistake, there’s a huge amount to say about Linux in its own right. Recently I wrote how businesses could reduce their operating costs by consolidating data centres with Linux-based virtualisation. Last month I talked on how to watch TV within Linux. However, periodically, comparisons have to be made because in order to fully explain why Linux does something completely mind-bogglingly brilliant you have to put it in context of just why it is so radical. That’s why I said the Linux filesystem trounces Windows’ butt and gave 100 reasons Linux beats Windows. Today, I’m going to cover something that really bugs me about Windows’ programs in general. This time it’s not Microsoft’s fault; well, at least not directly. Allow me to tell you the problem and then how to improve performance on a Windows-based computer. Consider this a community service announcement for the Windows users among you. So what’s this grievance? Simply put, it seems every damn program and its dog insists on running at startup. Why is this? Is it because Windows runs like a dog, or because most modern software is grossly bloated, and the only way to give the illusion a program starts quickly is to split it in half with some loading when the computer boots – whether you will need it this session or not – and then only load the other half on demand? I’m not talking about obscure apps, either, but “brand name” things like Adobe Acrobat, Apple iTunes, Google’s updater, Logitech’s keyboard/mouse packages, Sun Microsystem’s Java, Cisco’s VPN client and so much more. Check out this screenshot of the task manager on a fairly ordinary Windows Vista laptop. There’s a lot of things running which seriously and plainly do not need to. I’m going to go over some: what they are, why they’re bad, and how to stop them.  (Click the thumbnail for a larger picture.)Read on as I tackle Adobe Acrobat (page 2), Apple iTunes (page 3), Logitech, Google and Java (page 4) over the coming pages! CONTINUED |
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