LOL
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| techiem2 May 03, 2009 6:58 PM EDT |
What else can ya say? |
| nikkels May 03, 2009 8:16 PM EDT |
I hope they don't start plan "B ". Door to door salesmen ! |
| tracyanne May 03, 2009 8:58 PM EDT |
This is the measure of Microsoft's desperation. |
| TxtEdMacs May 03, 2009 9:17 PM EDT |
[See very serious tags appended] In about a year MS could be laughing all the way to its various banks and investments with piles of excess cash. Think about it, Windows is no easier to install than Linux, hence, the majority will never download a free copy and fewer still will install it successfully. Those skilled enough to offer the services will become willing tools pushing the MS agenda. Some might even become loyal tools (until such time it becomes more profitable for MS to dispense with their "services"), until then Windows 7 will be pushed for a quicker adoption precisely because it is both "Windows" and Free (of charge) or a lower cost option. Many clients will sense themselves bound by that choice. Most will have spent heavily in testing, applications and training, hence, whatever the licensing costs most will pay or lose their investment. If the release candidate series is prolonged (purposely), you may conclude this was MS's plan. By the time of the official release MS can crow about the astounding numbers that jumped on the new Windows platform. Once at that stage the tech press will again be lapping up whatever MS splatters their way, however, you can then be certain will be deemed an unalloyed success by most tech publications and the so called main stream media. To me it looks like a game MS has played before, so stifle the laugh and get people to try the Mac, BSDs or Linux before they find themselves too entangled and bewildered to think about options. If you take this task, by pass the hard cases. Go for the low hanging fruit, i.e. those frustrated and embittered enough to entertain a change. Also, please do not become embittered yourselves. Relish the victories, because whatever market is taken from MS's grasp it's most likely MS can never regain. Moreover, once down enough MS will have to play more fairly. [Recognize that some, perhaps many will never willingly use anything but MS and Windows. Thus, concentrate on the open minded and stay that way yourself.] [End Lecture] YBT |
| tracyanne May 03, 2009 9:33 PM EDT |
@txt, indeed. |
| gus3 May 03, 2009 9:41 PM EDT |
Txt, your point on it makes MS look even more like the drug-pusher. The first one is free... |
| tracyanne May 03, 2009 11:30 PM EDT |
The people who will know about, and possibly take this offer, are people like us, who read the technical websites. I will just continue to concentrate on ordinary people, because these are the people who will make the difference, always have been. We spend far too much time trying to convince others like ourselves to use Linux, the people we need to concentrate on are those txt talks about, the people helios helps, the people who are dissatisfied with the "how do you want to be annoyed by your computer today?" experience, the people who have an open mind, who will consider other possibilities. For me, I now have your ordinary computer user looking out for others who need a better computer system, as several of my Little old ladies are now firmly convinced that they are far less annoyed by Linux than they ever were by windows, and everyone else should have the benefit of that experience. The point is, forget about trying to argue the toss with other techies, shoot down the lies and misinformation, by all means, but, they are already committed, and it won't matter how many times you demonstrate they are wrong. Concentrate on honing your people skills, and show ordinary people there really is a better way. |
| helios May 04, 2009 5:44 AM EDT |
I crunched the numbers last December. One out of six people are willing to give Linux a try. two out of those six will begin using it as their main OS. While that seems to put ink on the bad news side of the ledger, it still represents a huge number of converts. Those are numbers collected from three years of doing what I do. YMMV. I don't argue merits anymore...it is too time consuming and frustrating...if I enumerate and even show a person the pros and cons of Linux vs Windows and they still insist on using Windows, I now realize I am dealing with a person who is either too mentally lazy to engage in change or someone who isn't bright enough to see the advantages. That excludes those who have legitimate need for Windows-only machines for work purposes. In one case, I asked the person for their ip address, socially engineered my way into accessing their computer then placed a sub seven server on their computer. That evening, I not only popped up text on his desktop, I began opening his various applications. At one time I had over 40 calculators opened on his desktop. He finally figured out he needed to just turn off his computer. I had told him I was going to do this and he was still silly enough to let me sit at his machine and "check my email". I had his full permission to hack him. He just didn't think it was possible. His wife called me three weeks ago and asked me to come out and "fix" their computer. He had 119 instances of virus and spyware on his computer. I had dutifully removed the sub seven from his machine months prior so that wasn't an issue. They gladly paid the 75 dollar an hour fee...three hours in-house to make the repairs The reason he wouldn't switch to Linux...? He heard that only hackers use it. Some people are simply unreachable. h |
| jacog May 04, 2009 6:09 AM EDT |
Quoting:He heard that only hackers use it.Yerp, one of the comments on a YouTube vid showing off Compiz-Fusion went "You guys know that Linux is illegal, right?" ... Argh! The FUD... it's... working - gah! |
| gus3 May 04, 2009 11:00 AM EDT |
Hackers use Windows, too. Hackers like Windows a lot . Exhibit A: 119 instances of virus and malware on one system. |
| helios May 04, 2009 11:07 AM EDT |
Illegal... And their pirated copies of windoze are not. |
| techiem2 May 04, 2009 1:13 PM EDT |
So I guess that makes all those big corporations, ISPs, Web Hosts, etc. etc. etc. criminals for using that "illegal Linux"..... hehe. |
| tuxchick May 04, 2009 1:27 PM EDT |
Google, amazon, virtually all hosting and datacenters....criminals everyone! It's a pandemic! |
| TxtEdMacs May 04, 2009 1:31 PM EDT |
In answer to Quoting:"You guys know that Linux is illegal, right?"Yes, but only in the Soviet Union and Albania before it overthrew its Communist Dictatorship. Don't fight FUD with facts. Know you enemy, truth sometimes is just too dull. Moreover, those predisposed to discount your words will be immune to reason. Therefore, I suggest shocking them out of it and having a laugh at their expense. YBT |
| DarrenR114 May 04, 2009 2:10 PM EDT |
This is how Apple got to be so popular. They offered their products at cut-rate prices (even free) to schools. |
| Bob_Robertson May 04, 2009 2:38 PM EDT |
People don't need to make excuses to not want to try Linux. I have no interest in trying sex with a man, but I'm told many people like it. Even my wife. But seriously, just make it available. Let people who you work with know you use it, then let them come to you. Help solve their Windows problems, and mention that if they used Linux they wouldn't have that problem. Then let them choose. If they want to upgrade hardware, and ask advice, ask then what they have now. Then you have the opportunity to say, "Gee, that would be great to run Linux on. After you spend $800 on a new system, can I upgrade your old one? Or maybe try Linux on your old one and you won't want to spend the grand on something you don't need?" But seriously, I must agree that there is no magic bullet, no incantation that will get people to realize that "computer" doesn't have to mean "windows". |
| azerthoth May 04, 2009 2:59 PM EDT |
Bob, it wasnt magic, it wasnt a bullet, it was cool-aid. |
| tracyanne May 04, 2009 5:37 PM EDT |
Quoting:I have no interest in trying sex with a man... Nor have I. Quoting:But seriously, just make it available. I assume we're talking about Linux again. Quoting:Let people who you work with know you use it, then let them come to you. Help solve their Windows problems, and mention that if they used Linux they wouldn't have that problem. Then let them choose. Yep good advice, I do that, I also show them why that problem can't be a problem on Linux, while I'm at it. On my computer advice Forum on yuku, I cam across this Gem. I'm helping a person in New York State (from Queensland) to begin his journey to Linux, I've been busy posting tutorials and answering questions. He asked about partition naming and mounting conventions in Linux, and wther he could continue to mount his on Windows M: partition as M: on Linux and noted that I had already pointed out that partitions mount as part of the file system. http://freethinkerspub.yuku.com/topic/6958?page=9 Someone who has been making the odd (yes odd) post or two posted this Gem Quoting:That's another leftover from Unix, which is what ALL Linux variants are derived from. As if somehow this way of doing things is inferior to other ways (the Windows way I assume). which got my friend rather worried. It did however make it possible for me to write a nice corection. |
| techiem2 May 04, 2009 5:52 PM EDT |
Good reply. I found the *nix way to be so much more logical once I got used to it. I always thought the whole drive letter thing was just weird and annoying. "What drive letter is my flash drive going to mount to this time? What's going to happen to my drive letters when I add that new disk?" etc. |
| Steven_Rosenber May 04, 2009 6:05 PM EDT |
It's all about preloads. Whichever OSes manage to come preloaded on systems are the ones that will have a chance. Non-Windows OS makers, be they corporations or communities, need to somehow convince hardware makers that installing their system instead of Windows can help the hardware company's business. End of story. |
| gus3 May 04, 2009 6:27 PM EDT |
Steven: Actually, no it can't. The ever-increasing hardware demands of Windows is what drives most hardware sales. If anything, Linux makes it possible to recycle equipment, even with the latest, most capable version of Linux. Just ask helios. |
| tracyanne May 04, 2009 10:25 PM EDT |
Wow, I just got banned on my yuku forum. I've just had to create a whole new user to continue posting there. |
| number6x May 05, 2009 7:33 AM EDT |
Stories about giving Windows 7 away for free along with stories that Microsoft will continue to sell Vista into the next year on the same day. This makes both stories seem more likely. Why continue to sell a product no one wants to buy? There has to be a reason. Why give away a new product that seems to be more in line with what your customers will purchase? There has to be a reason. No one wants Vista and Microsoft is scared of losing market share to Linux. Heck They may know what we know and understand that there are a lot more Linux users out there than the published studies show. If Microsoft were to give Windows 7 away for free and stop selling Vista, this could get them in hot water due to anti-competitive monopolistic actions. But, if MS were to keep Vista as there 'main OS product' (on paper) and give Windows 7 away for 6 months as some sort of pre-release, this would take care of both issues. Microsoft does not have to be afraid of Vista sales cutting into Windows 7 'sales'. No one is buying Vista now and no one will continue to buy it when Windows 7 is available for free. Giving Windows 7 away free will let them compete with Linux, a superior competitor that is free. And if Windows 7 is not exactly on schedule, this will allow MS to extend the Beta period without missing schedule deadlines and all important management bonuses! These two news items show that MS is extremely desperate and extremely scared! |
| jdixon May 05, 2009 9:20 AM EDT |
> They may know what we know and understand that there are a lot more Linux users out there than the published studies show. I'd say that's absolutely certain. Microsoft probably has a better grasp of the number of Linux users than anyone else. |
| Bob_Robertson May 05, 2009 10:52 AM EDT |
> That's another leftover from Unix, which is what ALL Linux variants are derived from. If I may disagree only in degree, please. There are a whole lot of Linux-based system programmers who are young enough that their early computer experience is entirely GUI. So yeah, the root of Linux is Unix, and there are central assumptions of the core system that still reflect Unix assumptions and the experience gained over the 20-odd years of *nix evolution before single-user computers took over the world. OLWM works just like OLWM did when I first met it in 1992. Ok, actually it doesn't work anywhere near as well, configurations don't seem to stick for me, but it's not important because I keep it just as a "stroll down memory lane this afternoon." But GUI interaction is driven by people who first became comfortable on Mac and Windows systems. CTRL-C / CTRL-V to copy/paste I first hit on the Mac in 1991, Windows got that feature soon after, but even while that works in KDE too, I can still use the "middle mouse button" (three mouse buttons? wow!) to paste in Linux. Another very nice little artifact from Unix: three button mice. |
| tuxtom May 05, 2009 10:58 AM EDT |
Quoting:There are a whole lot of Linux-based system programmers who are young enough that their early computer experience is entirely GUI.They get really mad at me when I tell them that my Mother used DOS and was actually pretty good at it. I like messing with those "entitled" Gen Y'ers. They deserve every bit of it. |
| number6x May 05, 2009 11:20 AM EDT |
tuxtom, Every time some one tells me that Linux isn't 'good enough' I think about Windows 3.1. Win 3.1 was more than 'good enough' for Billions of computer users. It made Microsoft the king of computer software in the small computer market. Linux is way better than 'good enough'. Heck DosS hell was ' good enough' for hundreds of millions of users. (Did I put that space in the wrong place again?) Computer users today don't have a clue. (and get off my lawn you kids!) |
| Bob_Robertson May 05, 2009 11:26 AM EDT |
> Computer users today don't have a clue. Agreed, but I don't consider this a bad thing either. Change happens. I am thrilled that I don't have to look at Win3.1 on my machine (although it would likely run unimaginably fast on this machine, considering how it ran on the hardware of the day...if it ran at all), but I suddenly realize I have the same window-border colors I set on Win3.1 Eeeek! Yes, computer users are spoiled today. I am glad that, in some small way, I helped that happen. |
| azerthoth May 05, 2009 1:07 PM EDT |
Point of semantic contention. The roots of GNU are UNIX, the root of Linux is posix. This has semantic meaning, but makes no functional difference to the roots of Linux are Unix. |
| Bob_Robertson May 05, 2009 1:42 PM EDT |
For the sake of the SCO lawsuit, let's also be sure to point out that those roots are rhetorical, not literal. |
| tuxtom May 06, 2009 8:08 AM EDT |
Quoting:Yes, computer users are spoiled today. I am glad that, in some small way, I helped that happen.Yes, like the citizenry. They, too, have become ever more powerless over their lives and subject to the nefarious whims of their overseers. |
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