etali wrote: > Alan Bell wrote: >> good luck to them. Not sure I would base a product on Mint, but the >> hardware looks perfectly good (looks a lot like what I am using right >> now) and the price is not the price for a bare bones unit but for the >> solution including training materials and support (remember it isn't >> being sold to self-supporting geeks) it certainly isn't crazy money. If >> it is priced right to support a profitable business based on Open Source >> that is great. Valerie Singleton on board sorting out publicity is >> fantastic. If people say "Linux, oh yes I have heard about that, it is >> that computer thingie that doesn't get viruses and is easy to use" then >> I am all in favour! >> >> > Hopefully that's how it will turn out. > > However, if the hardware is poorly constructed, or the support is > terrible, it could just as easily go the other way. I'm concerned that > in a few months time we'll be seeing people on Watchdog complaining > about how their computers overheated, or how they bought Windows > software and couldn't get it to work, or an update stopped their > wireless working and support don't help them.... > > Suddenly the perception changes from "Fair play for making a good, safe > computer solution with training materials and support" to "This company > made overpriced junk, tricked pensioners into buying it, then ran off > with their money and left them with broken PCs". > > I'm not saying that will happen, just worried that it could. > > I have several friends who bought Linux powered netbooks and have been > "put off Linux for life" because they went into the purchase with the > wrong expectations. Most of their issues aren't even down to Linux > (e.g. they're annoyed they can't play games on the thing - it's a low > powered, low screen res machine, even if it was running Windows it > wouldn't play most games), but that's not how they see it.
Sad to hear. Marketing non Windows systems has particular problems. GNU/Linux systems,marketed into the 'wild' will be vulnerable in that way until a larger proportion of users expect to have it. My friends get no help with Windows PCs, but 24/7 support for Ubuntu. -- alan cocks Ubuntu user -- [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
