> This is only true if you count and consider the factor which is vendor
> support for the operating system. The number of people who are involved in
> developing and maintaining a platform can be thousands. You don't need
> hundreds of millions in your workforce and feedback loop (testing). Look at
> BSD, for example. Even RISC OS is still alive and many people use it for
> most of their needs. It was even released as shared source recently. See
> drobe.co.uk.
>
>
Yes, but for a general purpose home/office OS, where Linux is having
the most difficulty making inroads, and which is the implicit focus of
this thread, vendor support is extremely important. Who wants an OS
for general home/office use that is not well-supported by hardware or
commercial software vendors?
> There is no fragmentation. Linux is made out of packages that are shared by
> distributors and system builders. Different packages suit different needs,
> so herein you have a perfect system for the task at hand. No 'one size fits
> all' approach anymore...
I am not advocating 'one size fits all'. I am advocating 'one size
fits most'. Users with special needs that are willing to deal with the
hassles that I outlined in my original post can use a different distro.
However, the needs of the masses of home/office users would be much
better met with more standardization.
Another concept of economics: Rational ignorance. At some point,
while a person may benefit from becoming more informed about a topic,
the cost (monetary or otherwise) of acquiring that information can
exceed the potential benefit. In these cases, it is better to remain
ignorant of the details and alternatives and just use the 'one size
fits all' solution.
> It's rather amazing how living a certain single approach can lead many to
> blindness. I guess that many can assimilate a piece of software to something
> rigid like a fridge.
You miss the point. Some people would gladly give up flexibility and
power to do complex tasks for a shallower learning curve and greater
ease at doing simple, everyday tasks. Hence, the popularity of Windows.
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