-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Pueblo Native wrote: > James Knott wrote: >> Pueblo Native wrote: >> >>> Fred A. Miller wrote: >>> >>> >>>> http://newsblaze.com/story/20070502150502jnyc.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Story.html >>>> >>>> "Are you an owner of an old laptop or a slow computer? Maybe you just >>>> don't have the money to buy a new one at this point of time? Don't >>>> worry. Ira Hyman gave his presentation on a seven year old 500 MHz >>>> laptop using PCLinuxOS. He surfs on the Internet and does his daily work >>>> without any problems. Like many other people I took away a free >>>> PCLinuxOS CD. Having installed it after the meeting I've been using the >>>> distro for a month now. I have never had to restart my computer and all >>>> its applications run perfectly." >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> Not that I don't mind a little extra publicity from time to time, but >>> in an age of $300 computers at Wal Mart, do you really think people are >>> going to use Linux just to bump up an old computer? >>> >>> >>> >> For many people even $300 is too much. Also, even though I have a >> decent main computer (AMD 64 bit & 1 GB), I'll occasionally buy a cheap >> computer for experimentation or firewall. I just drop by a used >> computer store and spend about $100 or so, for a computer that's quite >> adequate for Linux. If you've got a young family and paying a mortgage, >> that $300 may be hard to find. There are also many low income families >> that can't afford a new computer either. Then there's the ecology >> issue. Why trash a perfectly good computer, just because Sir Billy >> wants to sell Vista, when it can run Linux well? >> >> >> >> Here's another article. >> >> http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/05/ubuntu_review.html >> >> > > Took a look at that one. I don't think GNOME's going to be happy with > this remark: > > "No longer. Ubuntu uses GNOME, a graphic interface that looks so much > like Windows that Bill Gates should be, and probably is, angry. For once > someone has copied Microsoft instead of the other way around." > > And I thought KDE was the "Windows clone." > > But back on topic and about the $300 computers. I agree with you that > it may be a formidable sum for poorer families and for schools and > charities. But let's assume that a poor family buys an old computer and > fires it up with Linux. Okay, but if you have a kid that is in school > all day with predominantly Wintel computers, he's may have a time of it > if the school uses software that only runs on Windows (for the sake of > argument, we're going on the assumption that Wine can't run it). Also, > the inexpensive nature of Linux compared to Windows only compares Linux > to "legitimate' versions of Windows, not to the pirated software that is > just as free (if technically illegal).
You are also forgetting that an elderly computer can be utilised in all sorts of useful manners in business and education as well as privately, with Linux installed a fairly mundane computer can take on the role of localised firewalling, proxy caching, X terminal etc, etc. Giving the choice of spending serious cash on purchasing equipment for specialist tasks or reconfiguring and redeploying kit at relatively little cost, what do you think the bean counters will plump for, all it really needs is someone to make the right arguments. Of course, the poor kid with MCSE ticket will not have the faintest idea what to do, and the kind of I.T. person who has to have 'state of the art' will probably have kittens, but isnt that where some of us come in :-). -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with SUSE - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFGPbwLasN0sSnLmgIRAkxMAKDhF2c5T/2VRmOAo+HLAQ7U9/3fbwCgogMT q0EwtMwkZvpIOlTdrgI0SmI= =MXmA -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
