Ubuntu Kills Linux, Then Self, Dell Suspected of Foul Play.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for … DELL Ubuntu Linux?
*World* to Dell: We want desktop Linux!
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard the news:
The world wants Linux. And as we all know, the news can’t be wrong. Especially if it’s regurgitated over and over again on every tech site on the net.
Just one problem though…
This is Linux-fever journalism at its worst, and an example of a simple lie being easier for people to swallow than the complex truth.
Now I want you to take a deep breath at this point, because you’re about the get a sick feeling in your stomach. That feeling of utter hopelessness. And it’s going to come in shock waves, one after the other, over and over.
[You might want to stop reading at this point.]
Tsunami Wave #1.
And on Dell’s Ideastorm Web site, a staggering 41,210 users agreed with the thread, “Sell Linux PCs Worldwide — not only the United States”.
On another thread, 6,410 users agreed with the statement, “Make Dell Ubuntu PCs available to businesses and non-profits”.
They can’t even get the basic facts right…
When you vote on Dell’s IdeaStorm, your vote increases the total count by 10 points.
The reported figures so eminently talked about since day 1 are off by a factor of 10. That’s for every reported 10,000 users, only 1,000 votes were cast.
But don’t just stop there… Take into consideration that you get to register with a made up user name and password immediately, with no email confirmation or validation. You don’t even leave the page (thanks to JavaScript).
Log out, re-register again under the same exact IP address, and you get to vote once more, over and over.
The reported 100,000 users that started this mess in the first place on IdeaStorm, are at best 10,000 strong — assuming no manipulation was involved.
Not that the people doing the actual voting have any intention of getting a Ubuntu DELL anyways…
[While this quote is a joke, it sums up things quite nicely.]
I voted multiple times for Ubuntu on Dell’s ideaStorm so that others can have the opportunity to purchase it. As an Ubuntu advocate, I’ve done my part. It’s time for the consumers to do their part. Don’t blame me if consumers are too stupid to know what is best for them.
Tsunami Wave #2.
Dell has no intention of delivering Linux to the home user.
OEMs like Dell have razor thin margins. They live and die by the volume discounts, co-marketing funds, “Desktop Real Estate”, and leads provided by Microsoft.
The Ubuntu systems that Dell sells are nothing more than a type of a loss-leader designed to show the consumer that they are getting a better deal when buying the Windows counter-part… More features to select from, better promotions/deals, better components/upgrades, and sometimes cheaper upgrades.
If you’re part of the vast digg.com crowd that believes the US government perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, you’re probably also the type to believe that Dell will jeopardize its Microsoft relationship, and face the consequences, to sell an expected 20,000 Ubuntu systems [at a loss].
You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
What’s Dell’s incentive here?… To generate publicity to further sell Windows Licenses and provide Microsoft with facts and figures to use in future campaigns.
More OEMs are cashing in on this profitable tactic every day.
Tsunami Wave #3.
By *pushing* Linux upon users that have no need for it, you are setting yourself up for failure.
The Microsoft Windows installed base is soon to cross the 1 Billion mark.
That user-base is very diverse: with different cultures, languages, and processes. Take into account everything Microsoft has had to work through by catering to everyones needs. Major roadblocks have been overcome. And what has Linux been put through on the Desktop? Relatively speaking… absolutely nothing.
Linux does not have a secret formula that makes it immune to growing pains. Switch the market share between Windows and Linux, and Linux will be downright unusable. From viruses, to backward compatibility issues, to UI problems, to everything else.
Let me state it one more time since it’s a point never mentioned: With an increasing market share, Linux will have the same exact growing pains and problems as Microsoft did and currently has.
Not to even mention that you are now catering to a mass that thinks the CD tray is a cup holder and the mouse is a foot pedal.
Landslide #1.
Vista Aiding Linux Desktop, Strategist Says
“Windows Vista has probably created the single biggest opportunity for the Linux desktop to take market share…”
How ofter do I hear this delusional statement in all it’s variations.
Vista has problems. So did Windows XP. As did Windows 2000. And 98, 95, 3.1. There _is_ a pattern here. Its called SP1 [Service Pack 1]. After which every version mentioned took off.
The saying goes: if your first version is not horribly broken, you’ve waited too long to release it.
The current release of Vista has allowed Microsoft to get feedback from a very diverse user-base. Feedback that is priceless, that cannot be had any other way. How else is progress made?
You don’t raise your child in a plastic bubble.
History repeats itself, and just as Linux has not been able to make it to the Desktop since the promised year 2000, Windows users are also not migrating to Linux pastures in mythical herds. If anything, XP sales are up and Microsoft is readying to sell millions of Vista Licenses, of which an estimated 6 million are being sold each month.
Tell me I’m wrong.
Your wrong!
Its about having a choice. The 1 Billion people that use Windows do not know that they have a choice for their PC Hardware. Sure Apple is there and they know that they can buy an apple, but most people can not afford apple. So they feel that their only choice is Windows! It sounds as if you have also been brain washed by having windows as your only operating system.
Sit back and do 1 thing: ASK YOURSELF WHAT DO YOU USE YOUR COMPUTER FOR? When you answer the question for example “write BS blog messages”, then your understand that you do not need more than a web browser. You don’t need IE, firefox will do, and when you understand that using IE causes security issues why use it? Because it came installed on your computer? I feel sorry for all the people that do not understand that they can use their computers for what they want, and not what Micro$soft and Apple tell them to do!
its about the freedoms! and choice!
admin – I remember you had a similar post before. Same bullying Linux and same huge amount of time spending on it.
You said:
“If you just want to browse the internet, sure, desktop Linux is a good replacement if it works on your hardware.”
My response is you really need to take a closer look at Linux, cause it goes far beyond “just browsing the internet”, I use it for creating sites and Java Desktop applications, rendering Movies (from DVD to .mpeg4), and other tasks which would take rather long to mention – all of them are qualitative and free, and you call that “just browsing the internet” ??
Are you really that narrow-minded?
Do you know that Linux has successfully started displacing the phone OSes and it’s at the heart of Play Station 3 and a lot of devices you use every day??
It’s also freedom – Vista prohibits me to try and fix it if something goes wrong – it is written write in the Vista EULA (End User Agreement), now compare that with Linux, thus what else d’u get with Linux? – FREEDOM.
You should re-read what I’ve said and in what context.
I’m not even sure how many time I’ve now said that Linux is a winner server-side, and when used for specialized tasks on the desktop.
Another misconception here is the notion that somehow Microsoft is refusing to improve it’s products. Which is pure BS.
IIS v6 over v5 was a quantum leap in security.
IE is being refined. Add another 900 million users to Firefox, and it will be unusable.
.NET initiative is huge.
IDEs and UI are improving, and most have been better than the Linux counterparts from the start.
Vista is a complete rewrite and after the bugs are worked out, WILL be the next OS of choice.
Windows 2003 Server and up are taking the server initiative.
And so on and on.
Microsoft is not composed of idiots that do not know what they are doing. Hard work and persistence is driving them constantly to improve. Now who is going to do the tedious and boring work that is required for progress in the Linux?
How about the bare basics? Care to write well formed Documentation?
We have good kernel dev [thanks to corporate sponsorship], but the rest is questionable.
Dell put up a website to see what customers wanted. A simple idea. The number one request was to see GNU/Linux preinstalled on Dell
computers. As a company, they weighed their options and decided to sell Dell’s with Ubuntu pre-loaded.
I own a small company. If I asked my clients what they would like to see me offer, and the majority of respondents said “product x”,
I would consider the cost to offer “product x”. If the cost was reasonable, I would offer it. The main reason is to keep my customers
happy. A happy customer is a returning customer.
I truly think it is that simple.
If you polled 1000 computer savvy consumers, what percentage would even know about the ideastorm site? I bet it would be less than 1%. The people at Dell surely recognize that only the most vocal will vote. Keep the loudest users happy and you get goodwill advertising.
Goodwill or “word of mouth” advertising is the absolute best type of advertising.
Cheers,
Alex C.
Microsoft thinks they can shove a DRM laden and poorly performing OS (Vista) down people’s throats they are crazy! People are aware of this. I getting the message out daily and many people are considering Ubuntu Linux as their primary operating system. I am doing damage to MS- ONE PERSON AT A TIME showing people a performance oriented Ubuntu Linux that has all the quality computing experience most users need. I live in China and people are listening, it is becoming my main focus. They are tired of using an insecure XP OS -that isn’t/can’t be updated. Microsoft enjoys hooking honest people on counterfeit software to hold off Linux. Linux will make a large dent here soon for sure. Some ASUS Laptops are starting to say ‘made for Linux’ The internet will become the computer anyway and Linux is perfect for that.
Microsoft thinks they can shove a DRM laden…
What choice do they have? It’s the content providers that are demanding DRM, and the users demanding the content. Lets not pretend that somehow Linux has a legitimate solution for this. No one does. You have to play ball with the copyright holders.
Linux is slow, buggy, unstable and unsecure peace of shit and will never be serious threat to Windows, so give me a break an weak up all you OSS fetishists.
After 2 years of suffering with your “precious” linux have i switched back to by Windows XP and as Mr. Sting sings “…i’m so happy i can’t stop crying…”
I have learned meny things, used Suse 10.0, 10.1, 10.3, Ubuntu 5.10, 6.06, 6.10 and 7.04 but never again. Windows is simply buch better in many ways in terms of stability, speed, usability and yes, security.
My company routinely gets 30% off from listed Dell prices. I’m sure they aren’t losing money on Ubuntu desktops. Dell’s profit margin is higher than you think.
Do you really think Microsoft is going to try and strong-arm Dell with anti-trust fear still strong in the air? In case you haven’t heard, there is a presidential election in 15 months and who knows how Microsoft friendly a new administration might or might not be. You can expect Microsoft to be on good behavior until it is clear they own the next president the way they did Bush.
Ubuntu is a user focused distribution with deep pockets. Expect it to get better and better each year. OpenOffice has broken down the barriers for many people to run Ubuntu and do most everything they need.
I would like to say that there really should be no competition between Linux and MS. They are two different OS’s and they appeal to users for different reasons.
I will say, and I am backed by the courts here, MS did not accomplish their sweeping majority dominance of the market simply by putting out a great product. In fact, they have been shown to use both illegal and unethical practices to prevent competition and to thwart outside development.
The very fact that you suggest they would ship software that they know is faulty as though it were a finished product to me shows they still have no qualms about treating users poorly and have no real commitment to quality, just a constant push to create revenue and new revenue opportunities.
that’s like an auto maker selling a car with an engine that only works part of the time selling it at full price and then telling buyers don’t worry, you can buy our next version of the junkerXL, it will start 75% of the time instead of only 50% as it does now.
People woaway from that product in droves.
The differencr between autos and software is that there are more people willing and able to learn about the product considering the significant expense.
They do not look at software the same way because many don’t fully “get” the way it works. Not because they can’t, but because they don’t want to have to become a programmer or tech just to figure it out.
so, they just read the pres and reviews, (written and paid for by MS) and hope that it all works out.
What it comes down to is that Linux will be what it will be. an OS that is growing and developing without much corporate expense and investment. That will cause it to take a bit longer to bring things about.
Thanks
Big Bear
Do you really think Microsoft is going to try and strong-arm Dell with anti-trust fear still strong in the air?
Perhaps you have not noticed, but that is exactly what they have been doing since day one. The article links to the ‘findings of fact’ section in the anti-trust case.
Want an OS that doesn’t require an activation key, doesn’t require anti-spyware, anti-virus and a yearly reinstall to clean the cruft? Want an OS that runs fine on 512 megs of RAM? Try Ubuntu. The peace of mind is priceless.
“Another misconception here is the notion that somehow Microsoft is refusing to improve it’s products. Which is pure BS.”
Are you sure? We get IE7 after being in bed for five YEARS with IE6, same thing about the OS, from 2001 till 2007 – SIX years to develop a slow performance, incompatible and user-hostile-through-DRM-technology OS: Vista. Even if you dare to call it improvement – it’s obviously sooo slowly happening.
IIS v6 – what can you do if something is wrong with it? On how many architectures can you run it?
Windows Server 2003 – so much improvement? can it run without GUI? More robust than Linux? Cheaper? Better documented? – the answer is an overall NO. You’re doing fine recognizing Linux on the server side is a so much smarter solution.
“.NET initiative is huge.” – how much faster did it get? .NET only runs on windows and Linux (on Linux it runs a lot more slowly, guess why?), a NET developer told me there’s little difference between net v2 and v3. BTW he chose to move to Java and I’m helping him on that. He also starts to embrace Ubuntu Linux.
“Microsoft is not composed of idiots” – of course, but I wouldn’t say so thinking about Ballmer.
“We have good kernel dev [thanks to corporate sponsorship], but the rest is questionable.” – everything and everywhere is questionable, even in windows. Ubuntu makes huge steps twice a year, 7.10 is a big step forward in both, usability and performance – since 2005 it always happens twice a year. Dare to say that about Vista!
Um, Linux isn’t slow, unstable or unsecure (insecure, perhaps?). In fact, it’s WAY faster than Vista (as is XP). I don’t think Linux is buggy either, but many Linux programs are buggy.
Linux biggest problem is hardware vendors not supporting it. And that is a HUGE problem.
xlinuks, I’m not sure what to say to someone that has made up their mind so completely…
Your point with IIS being tied to Windows is…?
And the better Documentation statement is downright false… A lot of the open-source/GPL projects have docs that are either non-existent or completely unusable. Sure, there are good ones out there, but I repeat myself, no one wants to write documentation: it’s a thankless and boring job.
I will though end with the statement that competition *is* a driving force that forces one to get the gears re-greased.
I would like to say that there really should be no competition between Linux and MS. They are two different OS’s and they appeal to users for different reasons.
Wise words.
The very fact that you suggest they would ship software that they know is faulty as though it were a finished product to me shows they still have no qualms about treating users poorly and have no real commitment to quality, just a constant push to create revenue and new revenue opportunities.
1) This is the nature of any major/complex system or product. It is not possible to work it all out without releasing it into the wild.
2) And what exactly has Linux been putting out since day one, release after release? A stellar product with no issues?
N00BS
I’d been using Windows since version 2.0 (1988). After 13 years, I switched to Linux in 2001. I had become so frustrated at the limitations and lack of support. Yes – the lack of support for Windows! I would call tech support and their response always ended up being reboot and if that fails, re-install.
Imagine if your car mechanic said that to fix your car, you should try stopping the engine and restarting it. If that doesn’t work, buy a new car.
My wife and I switched to Linux (first Red Hat, now Fedora), and we’ve been happy ever since. Windows is like some addictive drug that keeps people dazed and too confused to understand there are other, better choices.
When I read that people think Linux isn’t ready – in 2007 – I have to laugh! It was was ready in 2001, but people were afraid to see the truth; they still are.
I’d have to say I also disagree!
Ubuntu/Linux can be use to perform the same tasks you would on windows and without crashing, let’s see I do web development,graphic design,Use Open Office,video editing and play some games all of which can be done on a windows desktop not on a server. So which one of these tasks can’t be done on Ubuntu/Linux. Listen I understand that this is your opinion but seriously trying to say that linux will not see much progress and the “Conspiracy Theory” you provided about Dell/Microsoft is so flawed.
Also people don’t know about Linux because about 50% don’t know what OS they are using it’s all the same to them, sure you an I do but AVG user not at all. People don’t know it is out there I, yes I use to be one of those people until one day I got fed up with wasting my hard earn money and did some research and guess what I have been a happy camper ever since using Ubuntu/Linux.
MS is just like the Tobacco industry all Lies. So I think things will change and Linux will be the victorious in the end, not today not tomorrow but someday. You wait and see, but keep writing these articles as it is good for Linux!
I’ve never provided any conspiracy theories. Business is never transparent to the public. Deals like this happen all the time behind closed doors.
I think we are all missing the point. Linux doesn’t have to win.
It is such an under-appreciated force that it will sneak up on all of us eventually anyway. It will eventually be ubuquitous whether it is marketed or not, whether it is included pre-installed on computers or not. It is like a mid-ocean wave. It will just roll along slowly until it passes you by without you even noticing.
My son is a 13 year old 8th grade student. He has only been taught on MS products: Internet Explorer, Windows, Word, Power Point, Excel, etc. He and his friends have no idea that there are alternatives like Linux and OpenOffice.org. Our children are being trained to be MS consumers.
I wouldn’t worry about your son being trained on Microsoft products, as much as going to a broken public education system that caters to the lowest common denominator…
The same system that trains the young to constantly watch the clock, make rounds day in and day out in repetitive motions, and answer multiple choice questions…
A system that, year after year, turns out the next McDonald’s workforce.
Good point on McDonald’s, Admin! You know, I started to like you. Are you the one who posted the blog on “Ubuntu’s death rattle”? It was quite funny! Then this post:). At first I thought you probably have no clue what you are talking about. That still may be true…. or maybe you are just secretly provoking us into heated debates to add publicity for linux. There is really no better way to create such a huge activity on the post like this except with controversial statements, twisted reasonings, occasionally logical replies to keep everyone thinking that they talk to a credible person. In no way I want to offend you here. You are helping linux enormously. This is so great to find a blog like this on .NET website full of Ubuntu propaganda. Keep up the great job, Admin.
Your Admirer.
PS: If you are really addicted to M$ and truly believe in what you say, don’t worry, Windows is not completely useless. Don’t listen to all these mean people, things will be ok.
Are you the one who posted the blog on “Ubuntu’s death rattle�
Among other noteworthy and memorable entries… All of which can be found under the Ubuntu and Dell tags of this blog.
In no way I want to offend you here.
There is nothing for me to take offense to here, just opinions, furor, and zealotry.
This is so great to find a blog like this on .NET website full of Ubuntu propaganda. Keep up the great job, Admin.
I might have to give it a rest for a while, it does seems like all my latest entries are Ubuntu this, Ubuntu that…
The other day I started writing an entry on Canonical’s business model, but had to stop myself short.
I’ll write a piece called [Edited out: don't want to blow anyone's top off, before I've had a chance to work on it] later on. There are a couple of loopholes in it I’d like to explore, or at least clarify for some. It’s on my todo list. It should be a popular one, and will give me a breather from Ubuntu…
…The smell of which seems to be permeating this blog…
I’ve been a Windows user for 11 years, and I just recently made the switch to Ubuntu. I’d tried some Linux distro’s on live cd’s before, but never committed to a permanent install, but it’s one of the most overwhelmingly liberating feelings I’ve ever known.
I’ve followed Vista development closely, and I was really excited for it until I learned it catered to the system and not the user. I personally haven’t seen a Vista installation yet that wasn’t broken (though working in computer repair I see everything broken :)), and the worst feeling is telling someone that it can’t be fixed without future patches from Microsoft. Many people are turned onto Linux simply because it’s free in every way. When I tell someone I can order them another copy of Vista or XP, or that I can put Linux on it for free, they always ask about Linux. It may take a little time to show them more advanced features, but anyone who can use Windows can pick up Ubuntu and make it work. And a vast majority of consumers use their computers for exactly what you describe: email, web browsing, maybe watching some movies or listening to music.
My friends and I have even been accepting old “retired” computers and installing distros like Damn Small and Puppy on them to give to people who can’t afford computers. I hate having to see that face people make when I tell them how much a Windows license costs that they obviously can’t afford.
Sorry for the wall o text :)
Debian Turns 14 Today! August 16, 2007
Your mostly wrong mr. anon blogger. Like all such blogs of this nature, its FUD. Your largest mistake first and foremost is to think that most folks in the Linux world actually care about these types of things. Linux is not, nor has it ever been (Ubuntu bug #1 aside), designed to take over M$ market share. Ubuntu and a small other number of distro’s do try to cater more to the newbs but im sure they wont throw in the proverbial towell if they somehow dont convert some old Windows user into a full time Linux geek. Its all relative. Linux/Open Source does not have to worry about the things that M$ does when it comes to marketing or language barriers because everything is community driven/contributed.. Need application X translated?.. Cool, do it yourself and patch the fix!
Wether or not Dell succeeds and turns a tidy profit on its Linux PC’s largely will no zero effect on the Open Source world other than to maybe have some new Linux converts, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They will be forced to learn Linux (exactly as all us Linux geeks did), and they will either love it or leave it. Makes no difference to us thanks!
davemc,
I agree that Linux should not be pushed into the direction of directly competing with Windows for the desktop market share. Keep it where it serves a purpose, server-side. As the outcome *will* result with Linux turning into Windows, with all the problems associated.
I have also made the argument that the development of Linux is a result of corporate interests and sponsorship, and has little to do with the desktop community. Directly in contrast with the illusion that most will have you believe.
But we are still stuck with Ubuntu-and-friends pressure group that screams and shouts for me, you, and everyone else to replace Windows with Linux, every single day… With little or no concern for the actual need, feasibility, and end-result of this task. They are vast in numbers, very vocal, have a herd like mentality, and do more damage to GNU/Linux every day then anyone/anything else.
You’re wrong.
Bankrupcies start with cent losses, battles are lost due to little things. Linux was difficult to install, now it’s not. It had poor appearance, not any more. There was no major OEM that sold pre-installed Linux, now this little obstacle is eliminated.
I don’t want Linux to be the only OS, but I do want choice.
You live in a country where monopolies are not so common, so probably you don’t understand the danger of monopolization of a market.
I do, I have suffered from monopolies and can stress that for you – MONOPOLY = BAD!
Linux was difficult to install, now it’s not.
According to whom? The people it works for out of the box?
Last time I tried, I did so on a Dell core duo Laptop with the new Intel something-or-other integrated graphics chipset. Could not get X to start. Chipset was not supported.
Also tried to do the same on an old Dell P3 PC… Guess what, mobo chipset was poorly supported.
Sure, things are worked on and improved, but Microsoft wins hands down here, as the h/w vendors write win32 drives first, and only then Linux drivers as an afterthought. Even if that.
And that is also why running Linux as a VM guest under a Win32 OS wins hands down. You don’t need to mess with anything.
It had poor appearance, not any more.
Again, according to whom? The people that specific appearance serves?
What about the rest of the world?
There was no major OEM that sold pre-installed Linux, now this little obstacle is eliminated.
Linux was being pre-install by Dell around 2000. Other OEMs have also been testing the waters since that year.
This smacks of Tabloid Writing such as the Enquirer. Of course Linux will get a bad rap in the Windows world just yet. Linux PC’s are trying to overcome a large hurdle, but from what I’ve seen the Linux Distro’s works better out of the box than Microsoft Vista even though Microsoft has been in the PC market for years.
Migrated my Pcs and laptop to Ubuntu. Almost got it working. Now, since I needed a usable PC, with programs that worked, I am back with Windows! No regrets! It was a fun journey into something new, but after my accountant pointed out I made 10x the money moving companies back to Windows, I woke up. Still have Ubuntu on a old HP, for the old times. Linuz is making the same mistakes that early computers companies made. Too many Distos, and no one of them can do what Windows does. It just works, out of the box. After 15 years in the computer business, I don’t thinl we will see Linux threatening Windows in my lifetime.
“I don’t thinl we will see Linux threatening Windows in my lifetime.”
Sorry to hear that you have an illness that makes you days numbered.
correction:
“*makes your days numbered.”
@admin:
You need to upgrade your Blog to give your posters the abillity to preview. That would be a good addition instead of writing this Ubuntu grabage all the time.
As do many other anti-Windows/Vista blog posts (http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13506_1-9785337-17.html), these ‘facts’ that you put together nothing but mere speculations.
In the rapidly evolving age of web applications, the dependency on a particular OS reduces due to the fact that your average Joe will have access to their applications regardless of the OS. Nonetheless, there will still be platform specific applications i.e. your majority of games developed specifically for Windows. But as you say, most of the money is made through B2B opportunities, not B2C.
As business centric applications move online, such as your Office Suite, people will no longer see the sense in paying ridiculous amounts of money for software. These web-based applications will improve and possibly rival their stand-alone counterparts. Even Microsoft has wisened up to this fact (http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=202103046), after bashing Google Apps in the head (http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/corporate/microsofts_top_10_reasons_not_to_gape.html).
The main deterrent preventing Windows users switching to Linux is most probably the possible complications that arise if your average home user has to deal with command line jargon, which will most definitely confuse the majority of them.
But as far as I can see, Ubuntu is working it’s way to fix that. Many of the operations and configurations will still remain in command line for now, but Ubuntu seems to be making strides in its attempts to make it the OS “just work”. You cannot deny that Ubuntu has made a multitude of things that were once nearly impossible for the average user, now a simple point-and-click task. Plus with the new Compiz-Fusion addition to 7.10, the visuals definitely bumped up a few notches :)
Only time will tell if Ubuntu becomes instated as the Linux desktop for Windows users. In my opinion, looking at Ubuntu from a usability standpoint, “it just works”.
“and no one of them can do what Windows does”
What Windows do? Constantly crashing. Programs do the work, and that is major difference.
“The Microsoft Windows installed base is soon to cross the 1 Billion mark.”
Oh lawd, are you serious? Does that count all the times people have had to reinstall, or taken off Windows to try Linux then get back on Windows, thin clients, virtual machines…? Jesus Christ man, pull it together!
While searching for a faster more streamlined operating system than Vista, I discovered Linux. I must have tried 30 different versions, as Linux is available in all shapes and sizes.
Choosing just one is difficult. There are so many wonderful distributions out there for various needs… Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, Mint, Open Suse, Puppy, Freespire, GOS, Simply Mepis, Debian, Fedora, Mandriva, and on and on!! How much choice do you have as a Windows user? (Laugh!) After much experimentation, I finally chose Ubuntu. For a couple of reasons: it’s vast support community (and in depth wiki) and its regular release schedule.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Windows, especially Xp. But what real improvements does Vista offer over Xp? And why would I ever buy Vista (or a Vista PC) when Ubuntu does everything Windows does minus the viruses, spyware, security issues, and cost?
There’s a misconception that Linux users don’t get viruses because it has a smaller user base. Not true. Linux stays spyware and virus free due to it’s structure. Package Managers and the need for a root password before installing programs makes security hassle and worry free. I don’t worry about the kids installing stuff on my computer without my permission.
And I can’t tell you the freedom I feel as a Linux user to never again worry about losing or damaging my install discs, (as Windows only allows its users to make one copy of their install discs), or worry about losing a product key, or it not working if I choose to install a new hard drive in my computer.
With Linux, I can make as many back up discs as I want. No product key needed, ever! And, as it is Open Source I am allowed, even encouraged to tweak my linux system in any way I see fit! With Linux your options are limitless, whereas the Windows EULA will trip you up every time. Windows is full of “cant’s.” Linux is full of “cans.” Linux users live by their own decisions unencumbered by EULA telling you what you can’t do.
I once too was a Windows only user. I thought Linux was a command-line Operating System, like DOS or something. HA! Boy have times changed! Don’t let ignorance fool you into thinking Linux isn’t just as good as Windows and in many ways better.
Windows isn’t a bad product. It just isn’t necessary. The best thing windows has going for it is it’s users ignorance of other choices and general inertia to keep blindly using their product. I used to be one of those people. Blissfully ignorant. Asleep at the wheel. But knowledge is power. Now I am in the driver’s seat. Alert, awake, and free to take my Operating System anywhere I desire to go. Freedom is priceless.
So half a year later and Linux usage on desktop computers have now gone up from 1% to 2.5% of the market, how do u feel now admin?
I feel vindicated.
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8
1. Linux usage has not gone up, it remains at about 0.8% market share. Don’t include MacOS into the #’s to prop it up.
2. Dell is having serious financial problems.
You can also confirm these numbers with other sources…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems
Linux is at a standstill on the desktop. It might have reached its peak.
So. Not a single post bashing OSX or Windows. No, you don’t care at all! Whatever works!
Could you please explain why, that if Firefox got 900 million more users, it would be useless?