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Originally posted here by chsh
This is where the idea all falls apart in my estimation. On the one hand you say that everything should cater to the average user, and on the other you define what the average user will accept. Most people have 0 issues with using linux. I've done trial runs before in work environments and ironically Linux with WINE or Crossover Office was better at legacy Windows application support than Windows 2000/XP were.
And yet, if the head of the company is used to Windows, he/she will prefer to see Windows on their desktop. They'll give you a free raign on the server side of business, but on their personal computers. When they here things like "Crossover Office" many of them just "scream and run" . I'm glad they you were allowed to make trial runs of Linux in the companies. It show that poeple are geting more educated in that matter. I'm sure that one of your bosses kids has got Linux on their PC and keeps on telling how good it is and that it's free .
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Again, you are mistaken. The solution Microsoft gave way back then was wholly developed by someone else, then ported to IBM's architecture by Microsoft. At the time, it wouldn't run on "any hardware", it just simply ran on the hardware that happened to be pushed by the largest PC manufacturer at the time. Windows 95 had no TCP/IP support initially, it had to be added via patches. It has never been true that Windows is capable of running on "any hardware", there have always been stability issues. Linux, while not offering hardware support when it isn't provided by the manufacturer, still does an infinitely superior job of stability IME.
I do agree with these facts. But when I was building my PC, I had a choice of Windows or Linux. And Windows was far novice friendlier. As I said having tons of of the shelf software for Windows, made it more usable. And mostly people are bought PCs to play games, for kids. Windows was not depebdant on internet so much and the hardware could be upgraded far easier then in MAC. You don't get many of the shelf games for Linux even now, and you need to know enough about Linux and internet when upgrading your hardware, to get the right drivers and instal them.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
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Ummm, the Apple II had games that FAR outclassed what was available on Windows boxes. And let us not speak of the Amiga or C64/128.
Apple killed itself by producing most of the software for their OS and taking away big market share from other developers. Although they produced a greate soft, people started moving to Windows simply because they had greater choice there.
I won't say anything about Amigas, I never worked with them
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I'm not sure how experienced you are or knowledgeable you are about history, but at the time hardly anyone knew about linux, and the history doesn't matter. People will transition easily to Linux if they invested even HALF as much time as they did in learning Windows. The learning curve of Linux is nowhere near as steep as everyone seems to make it out to be.
I never had to learn much about using Windows as a simple user. It was mostly point and click, maybe double click, job for me. I still can not completely work out how to install things on Linux. Although I do manage to do it sometimes, more by luck then by knowlege. Linux is far easier to learn as a power user though. Once you've mastered the basics.
That's my personal opinion.
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I don't agree. People as a whole haven't been exposed to the alternatives.
Question.
Do they want to be?
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Businesses generally don't like their employees wasting away the time playing Warcraft III (which by the way, works perfectly well under Linux :D). I think the markets need to learn that they can separate office work from home use. If Linux is to make inroads into the desktop, it will come in Business first IMO, apart from the growing portion of developers who are already using it over Windows.
I agree with you on everything, but how many employees like to have a little game at home? :)