On Fri, 2006-03-24 at 10:25 -0500, Chad Smith wrote: > Given Microsoft's delays I can't believe open-source stuff still hasn't > caught on for desktop computers. It's amazing, but people will wait months > and months for products that are so complicated that no ordinary person can > figure out how to use them.
It has on some desktops but generally where people are more confident and not dependent on particular applications that only run on Windows. > What do you think? Is the Windows Vista delay (and, presumbly the delay of > MSO 2007 with it) a good thing for OOo? Probably more relevant to Linux but since most Linux distros also include OOo its indirectly good for OOo too, certainly while MSO doesn't run on Linux. If Vista does require a gig of RAM as I have heard, I can't see everyone rushing off to buy new computers especially if the ones they have do the job. If many do trash their 256 Mb machines its going to precipitate a lot of hardware that will run Linux well so that too could actually be good for increasing Linux adoption. I'd be surprised if there is much immediate impact. Wait a year and then see what begins to happen. Talking 2008 or 9. By this time more key infrastructural apps will have migrated to Linux and some governments will be insisting on Open Standards which again adds to the momentum. By 2010-12 we might be sing some large shifts. other factors include things like ODF. Its complex, no one thing is going to change things massively, more likely combinations building up inexorable pressure. > Will we be able to take this > opportunity and actually makes some ground against MSO? Or is the author > right saying that people will still wait - pay huge amounts of money for an > office suite that they don't need and can't understand? Some will some won't. We have already made ground against MSO and we will keep doing so particularly if you look at the global picture, not just the wealthy nations that have more money than common sense. -- Ian Lynch www.theINGOTs.org www.opendocumentfellowship.org www.schoolforge.org.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
