We'll get there. Michael Barnes recently wrote a great desktop review (http://desktoplinux.com/articles/AT4572551019.html) It was very well balanced and talked about strengths and weaknesses of Windose and Linux. I was really facinated to read a review by someone that wasn't myopic. He covered the current state of affairs very well. What he didn't try to cover, as it was beyond the scope of his article, was what is coming soon.
Let us be realistic. Linux is not everyman's OS. Neither is windows, Mac, FreeBSD or anyother set of code. Linux is rapidly becoming an alternative to MS. I am sending a daughter off to college this weekend. I have a Franken-PC I am reloading for her to take with her. I am loading Win98 on it, but not MS Office. I do not have an additional license she can use, and my wife needs the one she has. She is getting Open Office. A friend offered her the reduced MS Office package without Power Point. She needs Power Point. Imagine her confusion when I said she could have Power Point with the free software... She is also getting Mandrake because I am not going to be able to drop everything and drive to her college everytime Windows takes a dive. She is not Linux compatable, but she will be. Doug P.S. If AOL users can run Linux, wouldn't that be the beginning of Worl Domination? --- Tim Fournet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The problem with simple installs is that the people often need the > most > complex installs are newbies who need to dual-boot. > > On Fri, 2003-01-17 at 06:20, John Hebert wrote: > > Doug makes some good points here. I too think Mandrake was > innovative > > for a while, but the "user-friendly install" niche is getting > crowded > > with competitors and Mandrake's business model wasn't flexible > enough. > > This is not bad news, but signs of a healthy marketplace. Be sure > to put > > your BS filtering googles on when M$ or the like starts spewing > FUD > > concerning Mandrake's bankruptcy. > > > > Concerning user friendly installs, I think the time is coming > very soon > > where we will see a one-click distribution, possibly based on the > > > excellent hardware detection routines in Knoppix. Basically, I > imagine > > one screen where you are asked: "This will install Linux on your > PC with > > a bunch of defaults. Click OK to do an automatic install, or > click > > Expert Mode for more options." > > > > And at that time, the AOLers will invade... ;) > > > > John Hebert > > > > Doug Riddle wrote: > > > Linux certainly has some steam. I use Mandrake, and will be > sorry to > > > see them go. Actually, it is my 10 year old that like it. I > am sure > > > y'all remember her... She is the one who is always upset we > aren't > > > rebuilding servers in the meetings. If she wasn't mine, I > would not > > > think she was so cute... > > > > > > I only see two sucessful methods for commercial distributions. > One > > > is Redhat. Aimed at Enterprise, staffed by core developers, > leading > > > the hurd, OK, herd. Hurd is still a dream for now. But Redhat > is > > > out there at the front of the pack with their own product. > Mandrake > > > was a work-alike aimed at a niche. No sale. Large scale, > people are > > > going to go to the original. If Mandrake pulled any users in, > they > > > generally migrated to Redhat. > > > > > > The other is Libranet-like distributions. Small companies, not > IP > > > ventures. They are small companies with a loyal follwing with > a > > > flat-structure aiming at niche they own. You can migrate from > > > Libranet to Debian, but there isn't a large incentive to do so > > > because the support, new developments, and innovative features > are > > > better with the original. No one ever accused Debian of being > > > user-friendly. Libranet provides a saleable service that isn't > going > > > away. > > > > > > If they do not fall prey to to the grow to fast, get too big > too > > > qucik idea, they should do quite well. > > > > > > Doug Riddle > > > > > > --- Shannon Roddy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > >>I am not too sure about the French laws, but I read that they > are > > >>only > > >>reorganizing. I was never too happy with mandrake, though I > know a > > >>lot > > >>of people here and also newbies like it. I am sorry to see any > > >>Linux > > >>dist. have hard times though. Although Linux did well before > there > > >>were > > >>commercial versions out there, they sure have put some steam > behind > > >>the > > >>movement. > > >> > > >>Shannon > > >> > > >> > > >>On Thu, 2003-01-16 at 15:56, Doug Riddle wrote: > > >> > > >>>Did any one read the articles on Mandrake going bankrupt? I > have > > >> > > >>read that chapter 11 in France is the end of the road, like a > > >>chapter 13 here. > > >> > > >>>The herd is getting thinner. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>Warmest Regards, > > >>> > > >>>Doug Riddle > > >>>http://www.dougriddle.com > > >>>http://fossile-project.sourceforge.net/ > > >>>http://www.libranet.com > > >>>-- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in > importance; > > >> > > >>they are the Peoples' Liberty Teeth." - George Washington -- > > >> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>--------------------------------- > > >>>Do you Yahoo!? > > >>>Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now > > >> > > >>-- > > >>Shannon Roddy > > > >>__________________________________________________________________ > > >>Systems Administrator California Institute of Technology > > >>[EMAIL PROTECTED] LIGO Livingston Observatory > > >>ph: (225)686-3106 19100 LIGO Lane > > >>fx: (225)686-7189 Livingston, LA 70754 > > >>Web Page http://www.ligo-la.caltech.edu/~sroddy > > >>Calendar/Schedule See Home Page > > >>Wireless Email (255 Chars) [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> > > >> > > >>_______________________________________________ > > >>General mailing list > > >>[email protected] > > >>http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > > > > > > > > > > > > ===== > > > Warmest Regards, > > > > > > Doug Riddle > > > http://www.dougriddle.com > > > http://fossile-project.sourceforge.net/ > > > http://www.libranet.com > > > -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; > they are the Peoples' Liberty Teeth." - George Washington -- > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > > Do you Yahoo!? > > > Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. > > > http://mailplus.yahoo.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > General mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > > > > > > -- > > John Hebert: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > System Engineer: I T Group, Inc. http://www.it-group.com > 225.922.4535 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > General mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > > > > _______________________________________________ > General mailing list > [email protected] > http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net ===== Warmest Regards, Doug Riddle http://www.dougriddle.com http://fossile-project.sourceforge.net/ http://www.libranet.com -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty Teeth." - George Washington -- __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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