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GNU/Linux Returns to Walmart
Walmart lost interest in GNU/Linux on netbooks for some reason but welcomes it again on tablets. Funny how that works, eh? Small cheap computers and GNU/Linux go together well, that other OS does not fit and M$ cannot justify tinkering with the market. Chuckle. |
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Comments (27)
7 earlier comments in the full thread.
This isn't Walmart's 2nd time around the block on this sort of issue.
In 2002 (I think) I bought a MSI-motherboard computer with NO OPERATING SYSTEM from WalMart. It was indeed totally blank: the hard drive had nothing on it.
I had SuSE 7.3, then migrated it to Slackware 9.0, and it's run Slackware ever since. It sits in my basement, running my website, my SMTP server, and DNS and DHCP on my household area network.
In 2002 (I think) I bought a MSI-motherboard computer with NO OPERATING SYSTEM from WalMart. It was indeed totally blank: the hard drive had nothing on it.
I had SuSE 7.3, then migrated it to Slackware 9.0, and it's run Slackware ever since. It sits in my basement, running my website, my SMTP server, and DNS and DHCP on my household area network.
> I don't really see Microsoft as a biblical figure...
Oh, I know a number of folks who would disagree with you. :)
Oh, I know a number of folks who would disagree with you. :)
Quoting: > I don't really see Microsoft as a biblical figure...
Oh, I know a number of folks who would disagree with you. :)
Yeah, but the one you're thinking of has horns & a goat's feet...
I kinda disagree on the netbook thing...
I think the problem was not failing to have M$ Office on netbooks. It was having a crippled version of GNU/Linux on them. If the had come with a full Ubuntu (yeah some are cringing, I know) & OpenOffice/LibreOffice, the story would have been vastly different. On top of that, M$ used payolla & threats to change the face of the netbook market.
For tablets, I think that the Holy Grail will be having more than rthe current Android tablets can offer, in terms of usefull productivity software versus just being an at-home web surfing toy. That means working note-taking and office apps on par with at least what Palm could do 5 to 6 years ago. If you pair rhat with HTPC interactivity, you have a winner (current Android offerings require a PC server app to use an Android device as a mouse/keyyboard... a non-starter).
M$ may have a leg up on inking. Android is a failure there. But Meego has all the potential of Maemo 5, if they could only get their act together.
When I was working at a client's site yesterday, running hither and yon with my big, hot, HP laptop, I realized just how useful a little 10 inch "netbook" would be.
But for the need for a generic Linux on it, and an ethernet port, I could have used my 10 year old Zaurus.
Too bad they're too expensive for my meager wherewithall at this time.
But for the need for a generic Linux on it, and an ethernet port, I could have used my 10 year old Zaurus.
Too bad they're too expensive for my meager wherewithall at this time.
> For tablets, I think that the Holy Grail will be having more than rthe current Android tablets can offer, in terms of usefull productivity software versus just being an at-home web surfing toy.
But they can do anything you can do with a phone. I personally do not see much of a market for tablets with productivity software. It will always be better to use a netbook, laptop, or desktop.
The big flaw with the current Android is that Google is so restricted with who can access Android Market. It makes no sense, they should be trying for the largest possible market share at this point.
But they can do anything you can do with a phone. I personally do not see much of a market for tablets with productivity software. It will always be better to use a netbook, laptop, or desktop.
The big flaw with the current Android is that Google is so restricted with who can access Android Market. It makes no sense, they should be trying for the largest possible market share at this point.
> If the had come with a full Ubuntu (yeah some are cringing, I know) & OpenOffice/LibreOffice, the story would have been vastly different.
The Dell Mini 9. for example? It came with a full install of Ubuntu 8.04. Of course, Dell has never bothered preparing an upgrade to 10.04, and if you want to do it yourself you have to install from scratch, as the lpia architecture is no longer supported.
The Dell Mini 9. for example? It came with a full install of Ubuntu 8.04. Of course, Dell has never bothered preparing an upgrade to 10.04, and if you want to do it yourself you have to install from scratch, as the lpia architecture is no longer supported.
Just confirmed: Next version of Windows will run on ARM, Microsoft (also) betting on ARM PC's.
Woa. It's taken how long for the mighty MS to develop for a non-x86 architecture? Man, they have friction burns from the speed of their innovation!
> Next version of Windows will run on ARM
Which means in the second quarter of 2015, we will see a tablet OS that has minimum hardware requirements of a quad core processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 250 GB of hard drive space. With proper engineering, you will be able to run it on a tablet weighing as little as 6 pounds.
Which means in the second quarter of 2015, we will see a tablet OS that has minimum hardware requirements of a quad core processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 250 GB of hard drive space. With proper engineering, you will be able to run it on a tablet weighing as little as 6 pounds.
> It's taken how long for the mighty MS to develop for a non-x86 architecture?
WinNT ran on the DEC-Alpha in 1996, 64bit native. So did Linux, 64bit and clean as a whistle. We had several DEC Alphas at NASA where I worked.
It took another several years for AMD and the WinTel architectures to catch up.
Microsoft dropped support for the DEC Alpha after only a year or two, when that architecture did not take off. Due, in my not so humble opinion, to the fact that DEC tried to keep it proprietary.
WinNT ran on the DEC-Alpha in 1996, 64bit native. So did Linux, 64bit and clean as a whistle. We had several DEC Alphas at NASA where I worked.
It took another several years for AMD and the WinTel architectures to catch up.
Microsoft dropped support for the DEC Alpha after only a year or two, when that architecture did not take off. Due, in my not so humble opinion, to the fact that DEC tried to keep it proprietary.
Windows isn't the only thing running. They've also got MS Office recompiled for ARM.
Quoting:With proper engineering, you will be able to run it on a tablet weighing as little as 6 pounds.
Of course not, if you paid attention you might have noticed FreeScale offers a quadcore solution (i.MX6) which only uses 350 milliWatt while playing HD content, which includes GPU. It supports DDR3, but also a lower-power variant. Available end 2011. Add SSD + transflective display and done! No way such a device has to weigh more than 1kg, or should cost over $500.
Because I'm pretty sure even Microsoft-geniuses figured out if what you said would be true, they wouldn't be competitive and suffer a "second-KIN" loss Goldman Sachs and rating agency's are not going to forgive them.
> even Microsoft-geniuses figured out if what you said would be true, they wouldn't be competitive
The point of my post was that Microsoft has a way of missing what the customer wants in a spectacular way. They're the KDE 4 of the commercial software world.
The point of my post was that Microsoft has a way of missing what the customer wants in a spectacular way. They're the KDE 4 of the commercial software world.
The point of my post was that Microsoft has a way of missing what the customer wants in a spectacular way.
Is this still true? I was taken by surprise they actually already made an ARM compatible NT base and combined this with the Win7 interface and to top it of they had a native MS Office running, not to mention Internet Explorer surfing away on the web.
I will have to readjust my perception of MS. They haven't been this agile since the days of Win95/98.
Is this still true? I was taken by surprise they actually already made an ARM compatible NT base and combined this with the Win7 interface and to top it of they had a native MS Office running, not to mention Internet Explorer surfing away on the web.
I will have to readjust my perception of MS. They haven't been this agile since the days of Win95/98.
bigg: Can't argue with that, only time will tell.
I think ARM-hardware is better than what most people assume though. A 1.2gHz quadcore with out-of-order support and 40 bit memory addressing + multi-core GPU capable of the same amount of MPolyg./sec as a XBox360 should be enough for most tasks I think, even for Windows!
Most desktops however are designed to match 'peak number-crunching demand', and for peak-demand desktops will remain necessary for a while. Or the peak demand has to be fulfilled by the cloud - though this requires users trust the cloud.
I think ARM-hardware is better than what most people assume though. A 1.2gHz quadcore with out-of-order support and 40 bit memory addressing + multi-core GPU capable of the same amount of MPolyg./sec as a XBox360 should be enough for most tasks I think, even for Windows!
Most desktops however are designed to match 'peak number-crunching demand', and for peak-demand desktops will remain necessary for a while. Or the peak demand has to be fulfilled by the cloud - though this requires users trust the cloud.
> Or the peak demand has to be fulfilled by the cloud - though this requires users trust the cloud.
Yeah, I'm going to transcode my legally bought movies "in the cloud", and be prepared for weekly visits from the FBI...
Yeah, I'm going to transcode my legally bought movies "in the cloud", and be prepared for weekly visits from the FBI...
Quoting: But they can do anything you can do with a phone. I personally do not see much of a market for tablets with productivity software. It will always be better to use a netbook, laptop, or desktop.
Except that they can do it without forcing you to get bifocals a decade early... & how many (non-college students) carry a laptop around to take notes, read an e-book, look something up on the Web or just open a spreadsheet while not at their desk?
Don't underestimate the importance of a form-factor.
Bob:
Ah, you provide MPAA with an excellent reason to do the cloudvertizing!
Ah, you provide MPAA with an excellent reason to do the cloudvertizing!
Hey, they'll provide you with a digital copy of the movies you buy on BlueRay(TM)(C)(R) [but only in 480p & only accessible through M$ Windoze].
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That's where I disagree. Nobody thinks of Windows as an OS for phones. I believe tablets are viewed as substitutes for phones, not desktops and laptops. The cool phones are the iPhone, Blackberry, or run Android. Windows is for people who drive Oldsmobiles.
> If a Windows tablet is available, I'm pretty confident these people will buy it on the fact that it runs Windows alone.
In the last few months I've heard maybe 30 conversations by individuals of various ages talking about phones and tablets. I never once heard the term "Windows". Those individuals are not nerds by any stretch of the imagination.
> I still don't get the artificial concept of the netbook as an internet appliance.
The original goal of Asus, as I understand it, was that the netbook would focus on being cheap and portable. It was not supposed to be a laptop replacement for that reason. Tablets are viewed as an entirely different device. You're not likely to see people lugging around 3.6 pound tablets with 10 inch screens, 2 GB of RAM, and a 160 GB hard drive. They will be used to watch movies, open a browser, and organize their appointments. You will never see tablets running MS Office.