On Monday 22 September 2003 07:52 am, Bryan Phinney wrote: >>> whack
> That having been said, I still don't see this as being applicable to the > discussion. Unless we are suggesting that Mandrake Linux is installable > and configurable by an unsophisticated user who would be the person most > likely to purchase an OS from a retail chain, the the existence of retail > boxed sets is immaterial. Assume for an instant that your mother or > grandmother were to purchase Mandrake from a retail chain, do you think > that the experience installing and configuring will be fair to the > distribution and recommend further purchases by others? I started with a copy of Mandrake 7.0 PowerPack at the local Staples. Took it home, installed it, and went surfing -- within an hour or so. I had done some research about installation and hardware beforehand (and I had both a blank HD and PartitionMagic available), but the ease of installation blew me away. I continued to buy each new version at some local store until 8.1, when I started to buy from the Store to give Mandrake a bigger share of my bucks. I'd suggest that the way to look at the mass market chains (office supply places, bookstores, CompUSA, etc) is that those outlets get the Mandrake name out where people see it. While the Mandrake name is well known and well liked within the Linux community, I submit that it is largely unknown in the outside world. BTW, from what I read elsewhere, I doubt that your mother/grandmother would be able to install any breed of Windows without some serious problems, let alone all of the other apps that are needed before Windows can do anything useful. -- cmg
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
