__/ [ hakro807@xxxxxxxxx ] on Sunday 07 May 2006 13:34 \__
>>How do you do?
>
> Just fine, thanks for asking. Whe weather is amazing at the moment and
> cold beer can be found in the fridge so now reason to complain.
Sounds Utopian. Is the beer Free as in Free Software? *grin*
>>Why don't you ask Wal-Mart?
>
> I'm afraid of using a telephone, as a geek I feel talking to someone in
> person or on the phone is a scary experience. :-] Jokes aside, I
> thought Usenet would give a quicker and more accurate answer as
> Internet often does.
While the World Wide Web provides more eloquent and accurate information, I
suppose none exceeds the 'tailorability' and interactivity with actual,
likeminded people.
>>Linux was received warmly by the customers, who clearly bought it for a
>>reason. Other than gaining...
>
> This do seems good to hear. Do you have som kind of statistics which
> back this up? Sorry for asking but this is C.O.L.A and people tend to
> get their answers wrong from time to time in their effort to promote a
> given platform.
This discussion will most likely end up being philosophical and
social-scientific. Allow me to start with a contention:
http://schestowitz.com/Weblog/archives/2005/12/08/quiet-positive-sign/
So, quiet existence is a sign of contentment. When was the last time you
heard a friend complain about Linux? Or a company seeking to have a Linux
technician? By all mean, this is /no/ implication of inexistence.
Now, let us take another step and expose you to another fact: companies that
use Linux to find satisfaction do not share this information with others.
This was recently confirmed in an article I mentioned in C.O.L.A. Companies
go underground once they find this weapon which puts them in a position of
advantage. Sadly, I can't find that one particular article (despite
searching).
However, take Google for example. They never truly boasted or even openly
revealed their platform of choice. They use Linux not only in the server
room, but also on the desktop. One among the relevant news stories:
,----[ Quote ]
| While showing a slide show of Google's hardware evolution, which began
| humbly with an odds-and-ends collection of "spare computers that were
| lying around Stanford" (hobbled together, literally, with pieces of Lego
| and duct tape) and ended with a present-day photo of Google's current
| server room (darkened to the point of being indistinguishable, for
| competitive reasons), DiBona said Google has used Linux all the way.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=2BF1A6B8-C974-42DD-8903-758193AE36BF
I could provide more links of relevance if you are interested.
>>This means that the scale of Linux adoption is grossly
>>underestimated.
>
> Some claims the Linux adoption on the desktop is roughly 3-4 percent,
> browser statistics from BCC claims less than 0.5% Linux users, faked
> browser tag or not. It seems to be hard to get some hard figures, at
> least without paying big bucks.
>
> http://www.currybet.net/articles/user_agents/index.php
I can assure you that my machine spoofs user-agents and many other boxes are
inconsistent when it comes to their identity on the Web. Linux is diverse.
It is not a boxed appliance that is used as a marketing tool to boost the
figures on behalf the vendor. The /user/ is in charge. KNode, for example,
does not allow me to change its message header identifier, but it *does*
allow me to omit it. When needed, I have seen people who changed SLRN code
and rebuilt it to fake identity. That's Open Source; not binaries. The
balance in Web statistics will change once the *proportion* of technical
people who use Linux goes lower.
Browsers other than Opera are no exceptions, but extensions exist for Mozilla
Firefox, Mozilla, and probably Safari as well (to exclude some smaller
players such as the derivative Flock and maybe even Konqueror).
Overall, never be misled by such figures. The proportion of unknown/other
platforms and browsers in Web sites exceeds 10%. Even good statistics tools
cannot decipher the meaning that is embedded in HTTP headers. Many of these
"others/unknowns" simply *CANNOT* be Windows/MSIE, which is very uniform in
terms of behaviour. Apple Macs likewise. I can judge this based on millions
of hits that I see in my sites and others have expressed and articulated
similar observations.
>>As for missing applications, there are none. Some people would just be
>>unwilling to /explore/ for the suitable equivalent/alternative.
>
> This may very well be correct, so far the only (important) app I'm
> missing on Linux is my banks security solution which only run on IE6.
Does it /require/ IE6 in practice? With Firefox, all you need to do is
install (READ: click on) the User Agent Switcher extension and.... you're
in! This works for all of these vain banking systems that turn away anything
other than IE5.5/IE6. The only exception can be ActiveX control, but in
banking, they are irrelevant.
>>> Also please feel free to point to other retailers who sell desktop
>>> Linux systems.
>
>>Where do you live? Google Groups is all I can judge by...
>
> I'm not looking for local retailers but for other chains which have
> been selling Linux computers and what their experience has been.
Are you looking to become a Linux seller? Regardless: many Linux users
converted a machine with a Windows licence into a Linux box. How many
ready-to-go Linux vendors are laughing all the way to the bank? I do not
know. If one seller was successful, I am sure it would keep a low profile.
It is better to capitalise on uniqueness while it lasts and brings home the
bacon.
>>I suggest you explore the Web to have more of your questions answered and
>>doubts eliminated.
>
> Please feel free to help with relevent keywords to search for, I know
> how to use Google (Google is my friend!) but sometimes irrelevant
> keywords obscure The Truth(tm) from revealing itself. :-]
Just don't try "linux". Microsoft paid heaps of money to buy this from
AdWords and fill you with FUD before you even get to the second search
result. I would have to recommend Wikipedia. I believe that the Firefox
search box has that search plug-in included 'out of the box'. Follow the
relevant links and find objective information *there*. And there alone, I
encourage you...
> Thanks for all the opinions and help so far!
Hope it has proven to be helpful,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Seeing bad movies only encourages them"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
1:50pm up 9 days 20:47, 12 users, load average: 2.03, 1.64, 1.12
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
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