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[News] Old FUD Dubunked: Too Many GNU/Linux Distros, Distros Present Lock-in

  • Subject: [News] Old FUD Dubunked: Too Many GNU/Linux Distros, Distros Present Lock-in
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:32:13 +0000
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: Netscape / schestowitz.com
  • User-agent: KNode/0.10.4
FUD alert: Linux distro lock-in? Get real!

,----[ Quote ]
| A little while ago, I posted a blog entry that dealt with reasons why small 
| businesses really should consider using Linux. I listed the freedom from 
| vendor lock-in as one very important consideration and specifically stated 
| that vendor lock-in here refers to data formats, not even specifically to 
| Linux. Surprisingly (or not?), I got a very strange and negative reaction 
| from some of my readers, which seem to be more in tune with Microsoft's 
| solutions. So, I would like to talk about their reasoning here and my take on 
| it.       
`----

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/foobar/4194

Are all Linux distributions created equally?

,----[ Quote ]
| There really isn't much inherent in a base Linux distribution to distinguish 
| it from its neighbors. 
`----

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9827652-16.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1023_3-0-5


Related:

Why Having 500+ Distros is a Good Thing

,----[ Quote ]
| Perhaps next time the author might think about what they're
| saying...because limiting the number of distros out there is
| absolutely NOT the way to go to accomplish anything other
| than limiting innovation.
`----

http://linux-blog.org/index.php?/archives/186-Why-Having-500+-Distros-is-a-Good-Thing.html


Two ways Microsoft's mindshare sabotages Linux desktop adoption

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft may not make flawless software, but its proprietary
| strategy is hard to fault. In particular, Microsoft has mastered
| desktop lock-in, undermining users' confidence in any alternatives
| and creating a slew of minor difficulties that irritate those
| who do switch.
|
| [...]
|
| The power of MS brainwashing
| 
| Six months later," 80% of users have and had no problem with OpenOffice," 
| Holt said. 
`----

http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid39_gci1165420,00.html?track=sy184


Do stacks solve the lock-in problem?

,----[ Quote ]
| As unpopular as lock-in is with customers, it's just that popular 
| with vendors. It assures them cash flow. It pleases Wall Street.
| It gives them "cash cows" whose profits they can use to develop
| something really nifty.
|
| [...]
|
| An open source stack, like LAMP (Linux, Apache, mySQL, PHP) is supposed to 
| solve the lock-in problem. You can control the code used in the entire 
| stack.
`----

http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=862


Open Source Goes Mobile

,----[ Quote ]
| A constant theme at the conference was the burgeoning role of open
| source in mobile phones, particularly "smart phones" (those with
| extended functionality like music players, document viewers, etc.).
| What was interesting to me was that most of the discussion about opens
| ource (Linux, really) seemed to be focused on the flexibility and
| cost reduction opportunities it provided for equipment and servicep
| roviders. There was, interestingly, no mention of a desire to
| avoid dependency upon Microsoft's offering; to me this seemed
| strange because Microsoft has a habit of entering markets --
| even hardware markets -- when they're big enough, and causing
| real pain to their partners who depend upon Microsoft for their
| software platform: can you say Zune? As I said, this was not
| mentioned even once, which to my mind indicates a blind spot,
| as I could easily see Microsoft deciding to enter the smart
| phone market when it gets large enough.
`----

http://blogs.cio.com/node/539

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