Freecel is ubiquitous game. It has been part of Windows ever since Windows 95 and it has been part of every Linux build that I ever used (starting about 1997). Of course, the game haven’t been the same during all that period. It changed several versions looking better and better. And, all through that time it has been free (as part of Windows – you would have paid for it when paying Windows, and Linux has always been free)…
Its newest incarnation in the world of Windows came out with Windows Vista (it was preinstalled on my laptop) and as far as I know it is essentially the same in Windows 7.
There are many versions on Linux, but one worth mentioning is called Kpatience and is a part of bundle of games that go with KDE Graphics environment.
Now, I usually don’t spend much time playing games, but I have this bouts of playing freecel from time to time (I’d wager every 6 to 10 months and I play it for a week or so for about 10 to 30 deals every day… until the next time). It just happens that I have installed Windows and Ubuntu on the same computer and I am using them about equal time every day – it just happens that I enjoy Working on Linux, but I don’t have all the apps I need – hence Windows - and at this time I play freecell. There are some very important differences between those two implementations of the same game which made me write this comparison.
In Windows, Freecell is Freecell – you get what you paid for.
In Linux Freecel is part of the larger suite of Patience games – you are looking for Freecell, but there are more games to choose from. You get what you want and then some more.
In Windows, Freecell comes preinstalled
In Linux (I use Gnome graphics environment) Kpatience needs to be installed – it is preinstalled only if you have KDE – so you’ll have to look for it.
In Windows, Freecel makes statistics of your solved and lost games – I suppose, to motivate you to became better player – but it also makes game more war – like: you have to win, or you are big fat looser
In Linux, Kpatience has solver feature – it tells you when your game is not winnable, so you can return to the place when you have made your mistake and try to make it better, or you can turn autoplay on and see how it was supposed to be done.
Most important difference:
In Windows: whenever you try to move more cards than it is possible at the moment, the game gives you a warning.
In Linux: If you try to move more cards than possible, the game returns them to the pile where you picked them from. It supposes that you are intelligent enough to understand why that happened.
It occurred to me that those implementations of the same game speak about fundamental differences between OS’s. Windows expects you to be efficient, achieve your goals (win), warns you when you do something wrong, but in a dog eat dog world – if you make mistake, you are on your own, buddy. Linux wants you to know what you want (otherwise, you’ll wont get it), tries to be helpful (solver) and expects you to be intelligent enough to spot your mistakes (I sometimes think that it gives its users too much credit in that department).
Why am I writing this? For no special reason – it just stroked me that it may be something in this line of thinking, but also … well, it is much better than another stupid game of freecell…
I used to play Freecell. Then I found a 3D graphics suit
Nice synopsis anyway. I must say I agree.
While the most popular OS’s try to take away what’s going under the hood, Linux does the complete opposite. And by doing so it creates an environment much more powerful to the end user. Sadly, not every user is as keen to learn what’s going on in their OS as Linux users are. Which has led to a small user database, which many developers of programs tend to forget. I wonder what Mac OS’s freecell would say maybe a lot of blings, but basically the same microsoft :spin: (this is a joke btw, don’t take it serious, I’ve got nothing against Mac)
IMO windows is geared toward home users who dont know much about computers (like me lol) and Linux is geared toward those who know few things about computers.
Windows makes my life easier and Linux would make it even more easier for me if I knew a lot about it and how to set things up.
The bottom line here is … "Windows,"and “Linux,” and (for that matter…) mainframe “Z/OS” (a.k.a. MVS/370) are all … “foundations.”
In other words … “like ‘bricks’ vs. ‘wood pilings,’” they are all “absolutely un-interesting” except for the fact that … “a mansion built upon either one of them will not collapse in a messy pile of timbers and stones.” :spin:
Any application can be constructed upon any of these foundations. None of them particularly care which foundation they were built upon … as long as the chosen foundation is “stable.” (In fact, a great many applications are specifically designed to be “buildable” upon more than one foundation at a time.)
Very true. There are many thing that bug me about Linux. Take for example this, when im uploading multiple pictures to facebook/ or any other site, this window pops up and I pick and choose which pictures to upload. I can select multiple pictures and upload them.
What annoys me about Linux is that I cant see what Im uploading unless I have a different window open.
So this is what I do when im on Linux machine…
While looking at this second window and what pictures to upload I try to remember names of those pictures and in what folders they are. Then I go back to facebook browser and click on files from there. This is rather annoying task and time consuming.
With windows I just click on files I want. Its easy to see whats what right in this pop up window because icons are turned into pictures. I can even make them 2 inch wide by selecting “Extra large icons”
So for me Linux makes this process 4 times longer.
There are many other things that bug me about Linux. I should really make a list. lol
“The virus problem” of Windows is simply that … nearly everyone in the Windows world foolishly runs their computers as “Administrator.” The computer, therefore, has been told that the user (and every program which runs with the user’s credentials) is “He Who Must Be Obeyed.”
Solution? Do what Macintoshes and Linux boxes routinely do … “don’t run as root.” Run as a “limited user.” With a password. With no “guest” account.
The security-model of Microsoft Windows is, believe it or not, stronger than the “standard” security model provided by OS/X or Linux. :yes: It’s just (uhh…) turned off.
No, I have no idea why.
I’m running a Windows-XP machine right now that has never had any “virus” or other problems … since I bought the thing many years ago. I never run as an Administrator except when I am updating the system software. I removed all virus-scanning crap and am blissfully free of all of that. Microsoft Backup runs faithfully and automatically. Although I vastly prefer to use both my Linux machine and my OS/X machine, this Windows machine has been rock-solid reliable … and, of course, I know why.
Yield credit where credit is due. The engineers in Redmond do know what they are doing, too. They have achieved legendary market success over the years, and deservedly so. We must give them that.
“Which one to use?” Well, “why do I run all three?” Easy: (a) because I’m in the software business, and (b) because each one of these machines has been equipped with the software that it needs to do a particular thing “very well.” The operating system is the horse, not the apple-cart. You sell apples, not horses. You buy OSes because you need to haul “a particular thing” around, and because you have judged that such-and-such OS is the most appropriate source of locomotion for that particular thing.
hi, this is very interested topic both are operating system and have different attributes according its usage.for example Linux is major usage for server based system while window is using for normal based system.window have not enough attributes to handle the data on large scale while Linux can perform that function very effectively.
I wonder what Mac OS’s freecell would say 