| Art Alexion on 1 Feb 2006 15:42:00 -0000 |
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Here's a theory. Windows is holding back Linux simply by its ubiquity and momentum. And I don't mean that in the simplistic market share way. What I mean is that the ubiquity of Windows has resulted in the standards for things that people want to do being set, de facto, by MS and other windows developers. For example the w32 media codecs. So much media that people need is only available in those codecs, so Linux developers endeavor to support them, and users who need them to install not-yet-ready buggy software, or dig into directly editing config files. Another example, a KDE 3.4.3 bug launches Konqueror with an error every time I insert a blank CD-R. To solve it, I had to open /etc/ivman/IvmConfigActions.xml and comment stuff out. Can you imagine your Windows-using neighbor doing this? No there will not be a massive migration to Linux until (1) it does what people want it to do "out of the box", and it does something that they want that other OS's don't. Apparently stability, security, lack of viruses and spyware, and price aren't enough. I've offered to install Linux free for friends that I hear complaining of viruses and spyware, and no one takes me up on it. gyoza@comcast.net wrote: >CompUSA /used to/ sell Linux and Star Office. I haven't seen it >lately. Also, Wal-mart has the no-OS or Linux PCs. I don't know how >the sales are doing. Other countries sell Linux-based PCs. Again, I >don't know much about them. > >This is what I believe in: Windows+OSS -> Windows+OSS+Linux -> OSS+Linux > >Sadly, for now, I believe most people would gladly pay the $200 for a >pre-installed, "authentic" copy or the most recent version of Windows. > > >Bill Hance wrote: > > >> Linux will never be used by the masses until it comes pre-installed and >>available through the retail chains that people normally use. When a >>consumer can get a PC with Linux for $299. or the same hardware with >>Windows for $499. there will be converts. >> >> -- _______________________________________ Art Alexion Arthur S. Alexion LLC PGP fingerprint: 52A4 B10C AA73 096F A661 92D2 3B65 8EAC ACC5 BA7A The attachment -- signature.asc -- is my electronic signature; no need for alarm. Info @ http://mysite.verizon.net/art.alexion/encryption/signature.asc.what.html Key for signed PDFs available at http://mysite.verizon.net/art.alexion/encryption/ArthurSAlexion.p7c The validation string is TTJY-ZILJ-BJJG. ________________________________________ Attachment:
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