Re: [aclug-L] Microsoft's plans to kill Linux

[Bob Deep <bobd@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Leon Do wrote:
> 
> Let me add something here too.   If Linux doesn't make it easy to use and
> learn, it eventually will lost to windows in the future just as other
> major Unix systems. 

This assumes that, out of the box, Windows is *easy* to use...  It's not
necessaraly as easy as MicroSoft wants you to beleive, and Linux is not
as hard to learn as the FUD flying tends to sudgest...  The issue is
that more folks have been exposed to M$ Windows, that's what they know
and are comfortable with... Not that it's easier to use...

I know M$ Software users who *hate* the very features that supposedly
make the software easy to use (that pesky paper clip, and all the
*automatic* things that Word takes upon it's self to do for you, like it
or not).  Besides... How many folks actually *install* their own OS? 
Few, very few at this point. (And I dare you to take a clean machine,
and a normal OEM distro of Windows, and install it fresh out of the
box...)

Linux is NOT harder to use all things being equeal.  The problem is that
in order to use linux, you will have to actually unlearn M$ stuff, and
learn a bit of Unix, which makes it seem to be harder (teaching old dog
new tricks thing..).  The user that gets frustrated when he types
"format a:" on a linux box, and then cannot make sense of the generated
error message, should not get upset with linux, it's not it's fault they
don't know the right command to build the file system on a floppy.

It may be frustrating to a new user but all operating system are usually
frustrating when you first start with them.  Sure, once Windows is
running, most folks can quickly learn to use the mouse and get clicking,
but hand them the OEM OSR2 distro of 95, and they will be just about as
lost as if you hand them a copy of Red Hat...  The only differance is
that the Red Hat distro comes with a book that explains what to do,
Windows OSR2 does not...  But once installed and running with X and a
base of applications, Linux is quite easy to "point and shoot" on
too...  Star Office is very easy to learn and does just about everything
that M$ Office does (excluding the little paper clip). My wife, who is
not a educated user to say the least, gets arround the linux system just
fine.  She can serf the Web, send E-mail, and do her word processing
just fine and with very little help.  (She even can start up and shut
down Linux now with no problems...)  Point and click on Linux.


> Yes, Linux may have all powerfull softwares, but if
> the users don't know how to use it, they won't use them anyway. 

But it is easy, once you have things installed and running.  How many
folks actually install their own software from the ground up... 
(Basicly hackers, machine builders, and IT admin types do the bulk of
this work).

> On the
> other hand, Microsoft has money, in the long run, they will port all the
> good softwares in Linux to their system and make them available to the
> users.  

They don't have that much money, that is why they are worried. No
ammount of money will "buy" linux or be able to control linux and even
M$ knows that.  Once the word is out that you can buy the same
functions, for less cost... It will be simple market forces that drive
microsoft out of business (or at least out of busniess as they do it
now.).

> To compete with Microsoft, we need to expanse Linux to the hand of
> any computer level users, software quality is not a main point to win
> Microsoft because their products are sucked anyway.  RedHat is already
> making some process on this, but its GUI desktop has a lot of bugs compare
> to windows.

Sure, lets make it easier to install linux on your box... I'm all for
the browser button that simply replaces your current system with a Linux
version of the same thing...  It may be years away, but hey.. If M$ can
do it with IE, Why not install a whole new system instead of just the
browser...  

-= Bob =-
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