AT&T Tests Linux to Replace Microsoft's Windows on 70,000 PCs

I was on the train the other day talking with a person sitting next to me. She was asking me about my experience in terms of a job opportunity and I mentioned Linux and how I run it on all my home computers. Following this comment she said, "We are testing Linux on some of our computers...I mean, everyone is testing Linux these days." Very interesting.

Based on the success of spreadfirefox.com, it would be very interesting to see a website go up for spreadlinux.com. Sure, IBM has done a lot of marketing and advertising for Linux, as well as other corporate organizations, but everyone knows that in the end, your family/friends only take the advice of other family/friends on such issues as computers. Perhaps spreadlinux.com will be just as successful.

I think that's a great idea! Consider it on my TODO.

dave

I said the same thing on mimedefang list a few days ago

http://lists.roaringpenguin.com/pipermail/mimedefang/2004-Oc...

After thinking about it for a while, I still think it's a good idea, but would be a tremendous amount of work. If it was a community project, much more would get done.

Unfortunately, these kinds of attempts have been made in the past (linux4u.com comes to mind) and the cathedral the builders were making just wasn't enough to get the job done. Something done in a truly collaborative fashion really might be awesome. I'm still thinking more about it.

dave

Domain Name: SPREADLINUX.COM

Administrative Contact - Dave Whitinger - dave@standardout.com Standardout P.O. Box 291443 Kerrville, TX 78029 US Phone - 830-792-3283 Fax -

Record update date - 2004-10-05 15:30:19 Record create date - 2004-10-05 Record will expire on - 2005-10-05 Database last updated on - 2004-09-20 19:17:52 EST

CONGRATULATIONS

The key to success is unity for this project. spreadfirefox.com is one of one, rather than many. The buttons are a great idea, but I think the recent addition of the datasheets are a great driving force because they can be printed. Linux is a great force online, but once you detact yourself from the computer, it is harder to find. That is where data (or slip) sheets come in to play.

Even IBM does not seem to be moving that rapidly though it has good competitive reasons to do so.

What does not make sense in the article is the last analyst's appraisal that this is posturing by the company to gain a bargaining position to lower the price of the Windows upgrade. If so and this pressures MS's pricing model. Hence, how can MS continue to out perform the market?