[mythtv-users] why you use myth...like myth, or hate Microsoft

[jedi]

On Sat, Mar 01, 2008 at 04:33:43PM -0500, Dan Ritter wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 01, 2008 at 12:15:17PM -0800, Steve Peters - Priority Electronics wrote:
> > So i'm wondering...why did you start to use myth...
> >  
> > 1. was it because you heard about myth, so you learned to use linux so you
> > could run myth,
> > 2. was it because you like linux so you then went and used myth,
> > 3. or was it because you don't like microsoft, so that's why you're in
> > linux, and hence, why you chose myth?
> >  
> > I'm a 1-er myself. I like that myth gives me the customization I like and
> > that I can add frontends to it which microsoft mce doesn't let you do as far
> > as i know. So i've learned quite a bit about linux during this myth
> > process...still a work in progress.
> 
> I appear to be the first 3.
> 
> In 1994, I was badly burnt by Microsoft software for the last time. I

    I think the longer you've been using their stuff, the more
disgusted with them you're inclined to be. It's not quite so 
egregious these days since they managed to cover much of the
gap between them and everyone else with 95 and NT/XP.

> promised myself that I would not buy any software for myself that did
> not have source available for me to look at and potentially fix.
> 
> That pretty much determined my career path: Linux and BSD sysadmin,
> network engineer, general IT handyman. Now I run IT for a small software
> services company.
> 
> I make exceptions for appliances -- microwaves and cars and TiVos... but
> when it came time to consider an upgrade for our Series 1 TiVo, I decided
> to build a MythTV. I wanted multiple tuners, expansion on my own terms,
> DVD burning, and a reasonable path to HDTV.

    I was a long time Tivo user. The shenanigans with advertising, content 
restrictions and the fact that you always have to re-enable the "hack" to
get your 30-second skip back were troubling. I also had a taste of the HMO
features with a normal Series 2 Tivo and then got stuck with DirecTV's 
half-maintained Tivos when we switch to DirecTV.

    The superior non-TV media stuff and the multi-room stuff is what
cinched MythTV. I was tired of the singular Tivo being put out of 
action because someone decided to fall asleep in front of it.

> 
> And even though Apple annoys me a lot, I consider their software
> engineering to be on a significantly higher quality level than
> Microsoft's.

     I have found Microsoft's stuff to be technically inferor
and just plain annoying for a number of years. With their interest
in DRM, I figure they are not going to be any better than a Tivo
when it comes to things like cable encryption or the broadcast flag.

     My opinion of the company doesn't really matter because I've
always thought their product is crap.