Roy, You might know about MS, but I think you are misinformed about Linux. If you buy a Linux suite - and Mandrake Pro-suite comes to mind here - you get a DVD and about 9 CDs containing pretty much every application you will ever need. The only application I think that a Linux purchaser would ever need to go out and buy is a professional OCR package - ie one that can preserve complex page formatting an import it into Office. Linux has a significant edge on Microsoft when it comes to the bundling of software.
Also, (believe it or not), support for hardware is not patchy like it used to be. USB is better behaved than using Windows 98SE - no printer problems there , eh Dilwyn?! Even Winmodems are (in the main) supported, as are digital cameras, TV cards, parallel port scanners .... However, you are right about Joe public wanting Windows (XP), but, in my opinion, for the wrong reasons! With Linux you are faced with choices... Which window manager to install (KDE, Gnome Windowmaker Enlighttement.....) Which browser to use (Galeon, Mozilla, Opera, Netscape, Konqueror...) Which Media player to use Which Office Suite etc. The public don't want to make that sort of decision. They just want to use the thing out of the box. Also, they don't read manuals - they ask friends for advice - that doesn't work if they all use different applications. At the workplace, I believe that that most big organisations have accepted the excessive overhead of purchasing MS licences and maintaining the system, realising that they are saving on training - all the kids exit our education system able to use windows and ms-office. This is, I believe a totally different argument than the one that was started. I believe that the original arguments boil down to: 1) The microsoft operating system is not modular. Applications that modify registry settings and add DLLs to the system directory become part of a large unwieldy and unstable operating system, and Microsoft are the worst offenders when it comes to making de-installation of (what should be merely) applications, difficult or impossible. 2) That it is not possible to spend less on a bare-bones operating system from microsoft if that is all that is wanted or needed. (with Linux Mandrake - instead of purchasing their pro-suite you can download 3 CDs for free). You can then customise it to work on lesser machines. I'm quite happy keeping one foot in both camps. But, (getting back on topic) I think that the lesson is that those of us who like to tinker would like our operating systems - SMSQE included, kept modular as much as possible. Time now to close this thread - I hope. Jeremy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roy wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 12:47 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Operating Systems > In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, John Sadler > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Roy wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 8:33 PM > >Subject: Re: [ql-users] Operating Systems > > > > > >> In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > >> =?iso-8859-7?B?IlBob2VidXMgUi4gRG9rb3MgKNbv3+Lv8iDRLiDN9Pzq7/IpIg==?= > >> Really, this thread is turning into an excuse for people to air their > >> own particular rants > > > >If the cap fits ............................................... > Now if I had said that on a previous thread I would have been accused of > being petty. As I said before I do not want to be a M$ apologist but all > you fanatical anti M$ people mostly do not really understand what you > are talking about or what the average user actually wants. If the > average user wanted to spend hours tracking down programs to do what M$ > already does the LINUX would have become the market leader. As it is it > has not. This is not stifling or any other such nonsense. > -- > Roy Wood > Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex. > Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030 fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 > web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk > > _______________________________________________ > QL-Users Mailing List > _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List
