__/ [ asj ] on Tuesday 09 May 2006 15:24 \__
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>> | ... The growth of Firefox
>> | made it abundantly clear that a well planned, user supported marketing
>> | campaign can do wonders for free software. The Linux community should
>> | follow this example and take advantage of what is currently happening
>> | in the OS market. Consumers will be appreciative of a reprieve from
>> | the daily tortures of spyware, Internet Explorer, and Windows
>> | licensing fees.
>
>
> There's a BIG difference between a commodity application (e.g.
> browser), with a full-fledged OS that determines what programs you can
> run.
You must be envisioning a list of applications whose compatibility aligns
with the O/S in question. Allow me to add that the /size/ of the list
(putting aside sourceforge.net and freshmeat.net for the sake of this
argument) determines very little in reality. Most users use a small set of
tools and they do not require a dozen tools (e.g. text editor) which all
can achieve the same task.
Examples: Browser: Firefox/Opera; Text editor: Kate/Kedit; Mail Client:
Evolution/Thunderbird/KMail... So what is there to complain about? Sure, I
don't have notepad.exe or iexplorer.exe, but do I really need these?
> Vista will still outsell any Linux desktops by several fold - the
> problem for microsoft is actually those people who just keep on using
> the old windows.
Vista will offer no security; Vista will confuse users; Migration to Vista
is expensive and it is not fully backward-compatible (apart from general
applications perhaps). So, how would it truly benefit a Windows 2000 user?
It's merely the same essence in a different shell, which hogs more
resources too. Better upgrade to the same box to SuSE.
__/ [ John A. Bailo ] added on Tuesday 09 May 2006 16:11 \__
> Mmm...could be a problem there.
>
> With Dell experiencing issues, my guess is that they will push more than
> ever to sell the Linux desktop just for the novelty value of it and to
> allow them to offer ever more cheap desktops.
Yes, very timely
Dell's profits hit by price cuts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4752859.stm
,----[ Quote ]
| Dell, the world's largest computer manufacturer, has warned that its
| first quarter results will be worse than expected because of big
| price cuts.
`----
> At some point, the $250 PC may become the *typical* PC -- a price so low
> that the consumer will expect to buy not one, but two or three.
This is not pragmatic unless you used to share a single computer among
several people in a household. Then again, you will always have computer
enthusiasts who will want a farm of CPU's or monitors.
> They can't make that target unless they use Linux.
They already sell Linux desktops and rumours say they will start doing the
same with laptops in France. It points in that direction.
Best wishes,
Roy
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